While it's clear that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet did a lot of ambitious things to jumpstart the series' ninth generation, other series staples seem to have been shafted with no better example than regional variants and Paldean Tauros. Following their popularity since their introduction back in Sun and Moon, regional variants have become one of the many talking points in the lead-up to any new Pokemon game, and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet were no different. Between the early reveal of Paldean Wooper and the various would-be leaks, whether real or not, many fans anticipated that Gen 9 would add even more regional variants to the series.
But when the games officially launched, the number of new regional variants in Scarlet and Violet was limited to just two Pokemon lines: Wooper and Tauros. Though Wooper had been well-received by players and its evolution Clodsire followed a trend in regional variants established in Sword and Shield, Tauros seemed to be a sticking point for the game. Even with its change in type and after receiving not one but three new forms, Tauros seems to have fallen short of regional variants in principle. Whether it's the decision to make two of its forms version exclusives or its overall underwhelming design, more could have been done with Paldean Tauros.
Paldean Tauros: Good Concept With Bad Execution
As many fans have long since noticed, many Gen 1 Pokemon have been the primary focus of regional variants since the concept's introduction. This makes sense, as not only is Gen 1 universally popular, but its Pokemon are the series' oldest and have the most to gain out of new designs while circumventing Game Freak needing to come up with a new similar yet different Pokemon altogether in its place. Given that it is both a single-stage Pokemon and a Normal type, Tauros was a clear choice for regional variants in Gen 9, with Scarlet and Violet's Spanish inspiration being a prime opportunity to revamp its Wild Bull Pokemon.
Fans had predicted that Tauros would be an ideal candidate as a regional variant, as even fake leaks were created to showcase a fan-made Paldean Tauros. But the official design, once revealed, seemed to pale in creativity compared to what fans had hoped. With very little changed besides becoming a Fighting type and turning all black - not to mention the controversy with Tauros' shiny form in Scarlet and Violet - it could seem the calls for a regional Tauros were wasted.
On top of that, the additional two forms it received seemed out of place. Tauros had three "breeds" as the Paldean Pokedex describes them, with its base Combat Breed being its most common form and two Blaze and Aqua Breeds which were Fighting/Fire and Fighting/Water dual-types respectively. Since regional variants are defined by changes in types, evolutions, and so on due to the environment or region, these unnecessary three forms combined with their in-game rarity and version exclusivity seem to ignore why regional variants were the perfect concept for Pokemon in the first place.
Paldean Tauros Needed Something More Than Just Extra Forms
Accepting that Paldean Tauros was at its core an excellent idea for Scarlet and Violet, then perhaps the fans' backlash to its eventual design could serve as a lesson for future regional variants. Though they have remained a popular concept, not every regional variant has been a winner, with infamous examples being Dugtrio's surfer aesthetic or Persian's more rotund appearance, few have been as criticized as Tauros has. Therefore, more could have been done with Paldean Tauros than what players eventually got, starting with scrapping its version exclusivity in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet and doing more than just a palette swap.
Since regional evolutions were added to the mix of regional variants, games like Sword and Shield or Legends: Arceus demonstrated that Game Freak could easily revitalize older Pokemon with all-new evolutions. Not only would this allow Pokemon to branch off in new directions, but it would also avoid needing to over-explain their introduction. Just as Sirfetch'd and Basculegion had evolved beyond their original counterparts, so too could Tauros have, such as using its Blaze and Aqua Breeds and a third Grass-type to reflect the traditional type trio or even lean further into the games' Spanish roots for better inspiration for its design.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now for Nintendo Switch.
