Pokemon has a rich history of turning everyday animals into fantastical elemental beasts that win the hearts of children and children at heart. In terms of what animals become the center of inspiration, well it runs the table from reptiles and mammals to birds and fish.
Despite there being almost 1,000 Pokemon, there are plenty of beloved real-world animals who have yet to be the center of focus or inspiration for the franchise. It's time to shine a spotlight on these creatures in hopes of them getting their Pokemon design in the future, post-Pokemon Sword & Shield.
10 Llama
When looking at the entire roster of Pokemon, one can see plenty of creatures inspired by camels and horses, but there's an alarming lack of llama or alpaca-inspired elemental animals. Between Disney's Emperor's New Groove, the comedy film Napoleon Dynamite, and the video game Fortnite, llamas have won over the hearts of humans.
They tend to be weird and goofy, which are traits that can be crafted into their Pokemon design. It'd be nice to see them show up if there's ever a Latin American region in the series.
9 Black Widow
The Pokemon franchise isn't afraid to create spider-like creatures that are much larger than their real-world counterparts. The series has seen the introduction of Bug/Poison, Electric, and Water-type evolutionary lines of spiders.
Out of all spiders, the black widow is one of the most infamous and has yet to make an appearance in the long-running series. Fan mockups have gone with a Dark-type for it, which seems rather fitting considering how ominous and evil the spider's reputation is among the general public.
8 Komodo Dragon
By entering the phrase "Komodo Dragon Pokemon" into Google, the Jangmo-o's evolutionary line pops up. This armored dragon creature introduced on the Alolan Islands in Pokemon Sun & Moon is plated and reptilian and seems to have more in common with dinosaurs.
It seems much of Jangmo-o's inspiration is based on the mystical shapeshifting dragons featured in Hawaiian mythology. The Komodo dragon is poisonous and is a perfect candidate to become one of the few reptilian Poison-type Pokemon.
7 Yak
Before the lovable Ice-type Pokemon Piloswine is mentioned, there needs to be an understanding. Its name is comprised of the root word pilo, meaning hairy, and swine, which refers to pigs. That means that it should be looked at as a hairy boar or pig that is crossed with a mammoth and not a yak.
The franchise needs a hairy version of Miltank, which could give that creature new life with a region-specific evolution. They could call it Yakzer which would be a play on the word yak and the word panzer.
6 Grasshopper
The world of Pokemon is home to insects of all shapes and sizes, with the Bug-type being full of a nice roster of creatures. Some may argue that Scyther is meant to embody the spirit of a grasshopper, but due to its dragon-like head, most people wouldn't make the connection.
Fans have made some neat concepts for grasshopper Pokemon, so here is hoping the franchise makes the move. For being one of the world's most common insects, it's a shame that it doesn't have a recognizable representative in the series.
5 Spider Crab
Fans have fallen in love with some of the spider-like Pokemon and have seen their fair share of crabs, but there's a creature that's a combination of both waiting for its spotlight. Depending on if someone likes or hates both spiders and crabs, then the spider crab is either a dream come true or their worst nightmare.
It's a rather large underwater crab who has the typical crab body but its legs are extremely long and mimic that of crabs. Since it can be quite frightening, it feels like the perfect candidate to be a Water/Ghost dual-type.
4 Moose
The Pokemon series has seen a few creatures resembling deer or elk, but they have yet to focus on a moose-inspired Pokemon. The closest they have come to doing so is Stantler from the second generation, but this Johto region native has more in common with an elk or reindeer than it does a moose.
They are giant creatures that often surprise people with their size. With enough creativity, a moose can be turned into a pretty appealing Pokemon, no matter the typing it ends up coming with.
3 Cheetah
Let's say there is a game that focuses on animal-inspired creatures and speed is a rating each of these creatures has, wouldn't cheetahs would be a no-brainer? Pokemon as a series has seen plenty of felines that have included lions, tigers, leopards, and house cats.
Cheetahs, for some reason, have been left untouched despite the notion of an ultra-fast Electric-type Pokemon making so much sense. Maybe they're saving it for the Africa-inspired region, or maybe they have a zero-tolerance policy for cheetahs.
2 Dolphin
If one were to ask a random person who was unfamiliar with Pokemon to name 10 animals Pokemon were based on, chances are they would say dolphin at some point. Strangely enough that hasn't been done yet in the series despite the dozens of Water-type Pokemon found swimming in the bodies of water in all of the various regions.
There isn't a tangible and purposeful reason why there hasn't been a dolphin-inspired Pokemon in the last 20+ years. Kyogre is the closest to a dolphin Pokemon, but one inspired by a bottlenose would be welcome.
1 Capybara
Capybaras are special animals that hold this special place in most kids' hearts as they are often the first surprising creature they discover when they develop an interest in animals. These large rodents look and act more like canines or felines and simply function as giant gerbils or hamsters.
On top of having a cool name, the capybara's body shape and unorthodox size for a rodent lend itself to a Pokemon design. If the franchise ever goes to another tropical region, it would not be a surprise if the capybara makes an appearance.