There are so many inspirations that can be seen in Pokémon designs. There are simpler designs based off of animals like Mightyena, Butterfree and Ursaring. There are designs based off of everyday objects like Klefki and Polteageist. There are Pokémon that take inspiration from every walk of life, from plant life to martial artists to weather.

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One area of inspiration is from mythical creatures. There are already some notable Pokémon inspired from mythology such as Absol and Ninetales. However, with so many myths out there, there are lots more ancient creatures that could be adapted into amazing Pokémon.

10 CYCLOPS

Cyclops are one-eyed giants from ancient Greek mythology. The most popular Cyclops is Polyphemus, who was blinded by Odysseus in the Odyssey. Traditionally cannibalistic, that part could definitely be omitted if a Cyclops was adapted into a Pokémon.

Cyclops would be a great candidate for a Fighting-type Pokémon. Imagine a small Cyclops, with a cute smile, that carries around a little stick that evolves into a giant, club-wielding Cyclops, equipped with fangs and bulking muscles. A-la Pokémon like Conkeldurr, this could be a Fighting-type with huge attack and HP.

9 SPHINX

There are two traditional forms of Sphinxes; one in Greek mythology and one in Egyptian. In Greek tradition, Sphinxes had the head of a woman, body of a lion and wings of a bird. In Egyptian mythology, they had the head of a man and body of a lion. In Egypt, they were viewed as benevolent guardians, whose statues often stood at the entrance of temples.

Whether Greek or Egyptian, a Sphinx would be a great candidate to model a Pokémon off of. More often thought of as an Egyptian creature, Ground - and Psychic-type would be an interesting type to build a defensive Pokémon around.

8 GRIFFIN

Dating back to Ancient Egyptian and Iranian art from 3000 BC, the Griffin was a legendary creature who had the body of a lion with the wings and head of an eagle. Perhaps one of the more popular mythical creatures, without even seeing a picture, you know that a half lion, half eagle Pokémon would be amazing.

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Imagine it starting out as a lion cub body, with a featherless eagle chick head that can barely lift itself off of the ground with its underdeveloped wings. It would then evolve into a massive griffin, who would probably make most sense as a Flying- and Normal-type.

7 WENDIGO

A more recent mythological creature, the Wendigo is possibly one of the most terrifying on this list. It's a supernatural man-eating creature from Algonquian-speaking First Nations in North America, particularly in Canada. In most legends, Wendigos were originally humans that transformed into this monster do to their greed and weakness. They are pure nightmare fuel.

Like the Cyclops, they could omit the man eating part but use the appearance as influence for an amazing Ghost-type Pokémon. There have been too many Ghost-types that are just haunted versions of regular things, so the emaciated body and antlers would make for a very original design.

6 DRAUGR

If you've played Skyrim, you'll remember fighting Draugr hordes in the countless Nordic ruins you explore. Draugr are essentially the Norse version of zombies. The name Draugr literally translates into "again-walker", but given there hasn't really been a zombie-esque Pokémon, Draugr are a good place to start.

They are described to have superhuman strength, can increase their size at will and smell of decay. Their appearance would have to be altered a bit for a younger audience, but it would be an interesting Pokémon given its lore. They are said to have the ability to 'swim' through solid rock. They would definitely be half Dark-type, but depending on what side of the lore you wanted to focus on, they could also be Rock or Poison-type.

5 MINOTAUR

If a Pokémon was designed after the Greek Minotaur, they'd probably want to leave out the part where it was born by Queen Pasiphae of Krete having a child with a bull. Horrendous lore aside, the Minotaur is an incredibly powerful mythical creature with the body of a man and head of a bull. There have been more than a few humanoid Pokémon, so this is definitely a plausible design.

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Although there have been other bull like Pokémon already like Tauros and Bouffalant, a Minotaur based Pokémon could stray away from the Normal-typing. It could also have multiple forms depending on what item it holds; one more humanoid standing on two legs and another that is on all fours.

4 KAPPA

Kappas are water based creatures from Japanese folklore. They're humanoid in form, about the size of a child, with either slimy or scaled skin, with webbed fingers and toes. They also have a turtle like shell on their back and inhabit rivers and ponds in Japan. They are portrayed as tricksters and troublemakers.

Using a Kappa as inspiration would be great for a number of reasons. It would be a great unique typing as either a Water- and Fairy-type or Water - and Psychic-type. Since its lore is all about being a trickster, it would be a perfect candidate for the powerful prankster ability.

3 ONI

Oni are a kind of yokai, closely resembling an ogre or troll, in Japanese folklore. They are monstrous creatures, with typically red, green or blue colored skin who have horns growing out of their head. They typically have large claws, fangs and messy, wild hair. Equipped with large iron clubs, they are an intimidating mythical creature that could make a great Pokémon.

Similar to the Cyclops, it would be awesome if the Oni started as a cute little baby-esque Oni before evolving into the monster that it is. This would make a great Dark- and Fighting-type Pokémon, that could be a physical tank.

2 HYDRA

We've never gotten a proper Hydra in Pokémon. The Hydra is the Greek monster that grows two new heads whenever one is cut off. You may remember Hercules taking this monster down in the Disney classic as it was one of the 12 labours he has to complete. Although Hydregion got an extra head with each evolution, it's not quite as impactful as having a classic Hydra.

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It would be a great mono Dragon-type, one of the rare dragons that isn't a dual type, with a final evolution that has nine heads like the classic myth.

1 GANDABERUNDA

If there is one creature you might not recognize on this list, it would probably be Gandaberunda. It is a two-headed bird from Hindu mythology, that has incredible magical power. According to myth, Gandaberunda is a force of good, with enough power to be able to fight off the primal forces of destruction

If any of these entries are worthy of being a legendary, it would be Gandaberunda. Of course, it would have to be part Flying-type, but due to it's magical powers, Fairy or Psychic would be a great secondary type for it.

NEXT: 10 Pokémon With The Darkest Origin Stories