The Pokemon franchise contains about 900 fantastical pocket monsters for fans to capture, befriend, train, and collect. With the announcement of the upcoming Pokemon Scarlet and Violet titles, it appears this number is about to jump even higher. Over the last two and a half decades, many popular Pokemon have received regional variants and new evolutions to give fans more options. However, one fan-favorite critter, the mammoth and notoriously sleepy Snorlax, has not. Snorlax should get a new evolution of regional typing in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.
Snorlax was one of the original 150 Pokemon released in the Gen 1 Pokemon games, and it's been a fan-favorite since the very beginning. Not only is Snorlax an incredibly powerful Pokemon, but it also has a slick design, a memorable gimmick, and a surprisingly cute personality.
This gentle giant takes the form of a large, round creature with green fur and a yellow face, stomach, and feet. It also has a pair of cat-like ears or horns growing out of its head and two stubby fangs that poke out of its mouth. Snorlax's eyes are perpetually closed for one reason: it's almost always either sleeping or having a large bedtime snack. When awake, Snorlax is capable of wreaking havoc with its incredible physical strength. It does not evolve and has no alternate forms. This mix of traits has made Snorlax a mainstay in the series, but with countless other Pokemon getting new evolution and regional variants, Snorlax should also get a new form.
Munchlax Proves that Snorlax Can Change With the Times
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It's not as if Snorlax has never been included when new evolution features roll out. Snorlax did eventually get a Baby Pokemon form, for example, although Munchlax was introduced in the Gen 4 games, and Baby Pokemon started being implemented all the way back in Gen 2. Munchlax's design features the simple silhouette and iconic visual elements that made Snorlax so memorable. However, it also brings something new to the table with its open eyes, pointer ears, and ragged "dress" of fur. Furthermore, Munchlax is shown to be just as hungry as Snorlax, but filled with childish energy, allowing it to fit in with Snorlax's existing theme.
Although the popularity of Munchlax is dwarfed by the popularity of Snorlax, it has still been warmly received. This proves that adding new forms to Snorlax's evolutionary line can work. Despite this, Snorlax has no evolution, no regional variants, and no alternate forms at all. It doesn't even have a Mega Evolution. This is very unfortunate, as Snorlax has the potential for a wide array of fun variants.
Crouching Snorlax, Hidden Potential
The addition of Munchlax proves that Snorlax could easily gain more evolutions. However, Snorlax is well known for being a Pokemon with no evolutions, and makes up for that lack of transformation capability with sheer power. While it's possible for Snorlax to become the middle stage of a three-part evolution lune, it's unlikely that the developers would make this decision. A more reasonable option would be a variant evolution for Munchlax--possibly one that keeps the Baby stage's manic energy.
A regional variant may be the best option on the table right now. This is because of the feature's popularity and because so many Pokemon have recently received regional variants in recent titles. With such a strong trend, it would make sense if a regional Snorlax was released. The Pokemon's round and powerful shape would lend itself well to an Ice-type variant designed after a yeti--also known as the abominable snowman. Alternately, its soft features and gentle personality could lend themselves to a Fairy-type variant. An Ice-type Snorlax variant, dubbed Snowlax, already exists in the Pokemon anime. However, Snowlax simply looks like a light blue Snorlax.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are releasing in late 2022 for Nintendo Switch.
