Mega Evolutions were a controversial addition to the Pokemon franchise (the mechanic resulted in a sort of pay-to-win situation in Pokemon Go), but this majestic piece of Charizard fanart from Xezeno (Reddit’s Shunixe) almost single-handedly legitimizes their existence.
Now, it would be tough to deny that the original starter trio are among the most popular Pokemon in series history. Nostalgic fans around the world have a special place in their hearts for the original Kanto crop of critters, and always will. Regardless of gamers’ feelings about Pokemon designs since, Bulbasaur, Charmander and Squirtle are often considered to be all but flawless.
Needless to say, the same is true of their final evolutions. Blastoise and Venusaur have their legions of fans (earlier this month, a Blastoise Pokemon card sold for $360k), but Charizard just seems to be a cut above. Pikachu is the de facto mascot of the series and the subject of all kinds of events and giveaways, but Charizard doesn’t tend to be very far behind in fans’ estimations.
Charizard and its Mega Evolutions are very popular focuses of fan art. Xezeno/Shunixe’s piece seems to blend the two fandoms of Pokemon and Monster Hunter together, creating a take on a Charizard Mega Evolution that is absolutely living its best, most fearsome-looking life:
It seems to have elements of both the powerful physical Dragon/Fire attacker Mega Charizard X and sun-summoning special attacker Mega Charizard Y, combined with the DNA of (as Reddit's comment section rightly suggested) Monster Hunter World’s Safi-jiiva. The mighty Safi-jiva is, for the uninitiated, the mature, ‘true’ form of World’s original final boss, Xeno-jiva.
This fusion of two iconic powerhouses makes for a stunning creature. Charizard appears to have achieved its dream of becoming a (non-temporary) part-Dragon-type at last. Does this mean that it won’t be utterly ruined by Stealth Rock (losing 50% HP just for switching into battle)? In this artist’s world, at least, it won’t. Mega Evolution may be a distant memory as of Pokemon Sword & Shield, but that's just the way of progress. The silver lining is, Charizard now has a Gigantamax form.
Still, even that doesn't exude raw power and fiery fury like this fan creation does. Excellent work.