Pokémon: Ultra Beasts Were Inspired by Rejected Designs
Pokémon’s Ultra Beasts have always drawn attention for having a strange and even unsettling appearance, very different from the franchise’s traditional standard. Introduced in the seventh generation, in Pokémon Sun and Moon, these creatures were created with the intention of not looking like ordinary Pokémon — and that was no coincidence.
The Pokémon Ultra Beasts officially appeared in 2016, when Game Freak introduced the seventh generation of the series, adding 88 new Pokémon to the franchise’s universe. Among them, the Ultra Beasts immediately stood out due to their alien-like appearance. Unlike traditional creatures, they do not originate from the Pokémon world, but from another dimension known as Ultra Space, which already justified an unconventional design.
For years, fans debated whether the look of the Ultra Beasts fit the identity of the franchise. Many claimed that they simply did not look like Pokémon, something that is now known to have been intentional from the very beginning of development.
Illustrator Yusuke Omura, who worked as a character designer at Game Freak and took on the role of lead Pokémon designer starting with Pokémon Sun and Moon, recently commented on his X account about the creative choices behind the Pokémon Ultra Beasts.
According to him, the designs of these creatures were based on old concepts he had created in the past, which were ultimately rejected by Ken Sugimori, the art director and primary character designer of the Pokémon series.
According to Omura:
“I designed the Ultra Beasts by recalling some of the designs I made that were rejected by Mr. Sugimori, and I deliberately decided to use the very reasons why they were rejected as the foundation for the artistic direction. In some way, they are like a manifestation of my own resentment — pretty scary. Of course, this doesn’t mean that I hate Mr. Sugimori or anything like that.”
Omura’s comment came after a theory created by Japanese fans gained traction on social media. According to this interpretation, the concept of the Pokémon Ultra Beasts was based on a combination of unrealistic motifs, the complete removal of anything typically Pokémon-like, and a feeling of discomfort upon seeing them for the first time.
This reading suggests that the audience’s sense of unease was not only expected, but part of the original concept. The idea was that, when looking at an Ultra Beast, players would feel that the creature did not belong to that world. Omura himself later confirmed that this interpretation was correct.