Pokemon Fan Designs Cosmic Zapdos

An artistic Pokemon fan has just given the thunderous Zapdos a sparkling, cosmic color scheme. Gamers originally bore witness to the legendary Zapdos in Pokemon Red and Blue, where it was part of a trio of ancient, bird-like Pokemon creatures hidden throughout the Kanto Region. It, along with its counterparts Moltres and Articuno, was among the first legendary Pokemon, paving the way for future groups of rare and powerful creatures in later games. Zapdos would later gain a Fighting/Flying Galarian regional variant in Pokemon Sword and Shield’s DLC.

Even nearly three decades after it first took flight, Zapdos remains as revered among real-life Pokemon fans as it is for trainers in-universe, and there has been plenty of imaginative artwork of the fabled Electric Pokemon of the Kanto Region. From street artists rendering Zapdos with spray paint to fans making impressive replicas of its later Galarian variant out of pipe cleaners, there seems to be no limit to gamers paying tribute to the winged beast of lighting. Other Nintendo fans have paired Zapdos with similar electric-themed characters like Riju from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, as well as designing metallic Zapdos Paradox forms.

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Reddit user MediShiki_ has been designing sparkling, “cosmic” variants of legendary Pokemon like Arceus and Rayquaza, with their latest one being an equally mesmerizing rendition of Zapdos. As shown in a photo shared on r/pokemon, this Cosmic Zapdos is recolored black with white star-like sparkles across its body, making it look more like a constellation in the night sky. MediShiki_ says that this is part of a new “cosmic” Pokemon type that they came up with and that they might create similar versions of Moltres and Articuno should enough people suggest them on social media.

Fanmade Cosmic Zapdos Dazzles the Night Sky

Even before MediShiki_ started making their own custom variants of popular Pokemon like Laprus, fans have argued for the creation of an official Cosmic Pokemon type due to the number of existing Pokemon tied to astrology and space in some way. Some of these Pokemon, like Generation 6’s Hoopla, can travel to other dimensions, while others like Deoxys are outright confirmed to be extraterrestrial in nature.

While Zapdos and its Legendary Bird brethren don’t have any kind of alien origin, MediShiki_’s cosmic variant for the former is a visually interesting take on the mythical Electric/Flying Pokemon that players have been seeking out since the late 1990s, making it appear as a sea of sparkling stars spread against a dark void of space. The artist making these designs has no shortage of other Pokemon to draw inspiration from, and it might be a matter of time before they give the other two members of this iconic Pokemon trio the same treatment.

Pokemon

Pokemon is a franchise that needs no introduction. One of the most successful media empires in history, Pokemon spans games, television, films, manga, merchandise, music, and more. 

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