Highlights

  • Pokemon Scarlet and Violet introduced Paradox Pokemon with powerful battle abilities and exclusive stats, shaking up the traditional Pokemon formula.
  • While Paradox versions of Legendary Beasts and Swords of Justice were included, it makes sense that Paradox Keldeo was not added due to design and lore inconsistencies.
  • The absence of Paradox Keldeo supports rumors of future Johto and Unova-themed games, aligning with Game Freak's vision and maintaining credibility for these potential releases.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet added multiple Paradox Pokemon for each version of the game, introducing a brand-new gimmick to the series that may have huge implications for future games - or be forgotten about and become its own niche, like Ultra Beasts from Gen 7. Paradox Pokemon in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are often quite powerful in battle, sporting highly popular type combinations and overall kits, with critters like Iron Hands and Flutter Mane dominating the charts from Gen 9's launch to now. An interesting addition came in the form of the Paradox versions of the Legendary Beasts from Gen 2 and the Swords of Justice from Gen 5, but unlike the Legendary Beasts trio, the Swords of Justice are missing Paradox Keldeo - and for good reason.

There's no denying that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are massive games - not just in terms of scope and actual size, but the intentions behind their new features and all the broken traditions from the series' past. Paradox Pokemon are a testament to that because of how much they shake up the traditional Pokemon formula, be it due to their battle prowess or the fact that they have exclusive Abilities that power up their stats at the cost of an item or a setup feature. While Keldeo would have been a great Pokemon to see get a Paradox version, the pros of Game Freak not doing it outweigh the cons by a huge margin.

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Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Were Right Not Add Paradox Keldeo

Why A Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Paradox Keldeo Would Never Have Worked

For starters, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Paradox Suicune and Virizion were first teased as parts of two distinct trios thanks to the in-game Scarlet and Violet books, which respectively show a fusion of the Paradox Legendary Beasts or Swords of Justice. Players may not get an actual fusion of the trios, but it's clear that their respective design elements come from that original idea.

As such, Paradox Keldeo would have immediately stuck out like a sore thumb in this specific context. Furthermore, the Legendary Beasts were always a trio, so it only made sense for them to be depicted as such, but it would have been strange to then feature the Swords of Justice as a counterpart if they maintained their quartet status. Gen 5's Keldeo is also one of the Mythical Pokemon in the series, with Gen 2's Legendary Beasts not having anything to come quite close to it.

Why Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Skipping Paradox Keldeo Makes Perfect Sense

Keldeo In Pokemon Go Mythic Blade Field Research

The most Legendary Beast-adjacent Pokemon in Johto is not even Celebi, but rather the mascot for Pokemon Gold. Gen 2's Ho-Oh and Lugia are some of the most iconic Legendary Pokemon in the series, and while they are two sides of the same coin, Ho-Oh also has ties with the Legendary Beasts, as according to the lore it resurrected them after their original deaths. As such, a worthy counterpart for a possible Paradox Keldeo would be Ho-Oh, but not only are they a Mythical versus a Legendary, but Ho-Oh would then call for a Paradox Lugia to be created as well.

What follows is that a Paradox Keldeo would create more problems than it would solve, meaning it was for the best that it wasn't added. On top of that, Paradox Legendary Beasts and Swords of Justice are perfect ways to hype up Pokemon Johto and Unova games next, as they could be a way of Game Freak hinting at a past-themed Gen 2 title and a future-themed Gen 5 release. These are both heavily rumored games at the moment, and a Paradox version of Keldeo could have undermined that vision by not making these trios equal, thus making it seem more like a coincidence. It remains to be seen whether there will be truth to these rumors, but Paradox Keledeo not being a thing gives them more credibility for the time being.