Game Freak Artist Reflects on Ultra Beasts as Personal Expression After Design Rejections

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It’s not the Ultra Beasts’ fault they’re so bizarre. According to artist Yusuke Ohmura, Pokémon can become unpredictable when influenced by human emotions.

He channeled his frustration over Game Freak art director Ken Sugimori rejecting his designs for standard Pokémon into the creation of the Ultra Beasts, as he shared on Twitter in a post translated by Automaton. If your existence was solely to embody someone’s anger, you’d likely end up as strange as a Guzzlord too.

Ohmura explains that he crafted the extradimensional Ultra Beasts by revisiting some of his rejected designs and intentionally using the reasons for their rejection as inspiration for their artistic direction.

Since their debut in 2016, the Ultra Beasts have sparked controversy, particularly due to their alien appearance compared to the more endearing Pokémon. Reddit is filled with discussions about their design, lore, and whether they are loved or loathed. They’re like the pineapple pizza of the Pokémon universe—polarizing yet intriguing.

Ohmura admits that stirring up some debate was part of his plan, stating, “In some way, they’re like a manifestation of my own resentment.”

“Pretty scary,” he adds. “Of course, this doesn’t mean that I hate Mr. Sugimori or anything like that.” Right, nothing like that at all.

These are the best Pokémon games, ranked from worst to best.