Last updated: 05/15/10
Last night a magazine scan of the three starter pokemon and two protagonists for the upcoming 5th generation games, Pokemon Black & White, was leaked…
First impressions – I’m pleased with them. I’ve heard fans say that they look more “tropical” than the others, which probably has to do with the new region that the games will take place in.
The Grass one, Tsutaja, kind of reminds me of Treecko (thin, bipedal, and sly looking). And the Fire one, Pokabu, reminds me of a Fire version of Turtwig (a chubby quadruped with a leaf-like growth on his head, though in Pokabu’s case they’re ears and not leaves). The Water one, Mijumaru, is my favorite of the three so far. His face is just so sweet ~^^~ I can’t wait to see their evolutions. I’m imagining a cool raging, flaming boar for Pokabu.
In addition to the three starters, the scan also revealed the two new playable protagonists in the game…
Apparently they’re going to be older than the past protagonists. I usually like the female’s design better but I think I might like the male’s better this time. The girl’s hair is just kinda…big.
And for those who missed them, last month two other new 5th generation pokemon that will be featured in the upcoming 13th movie, were revealed, Dark-types Zorua and Zoroark…
These two together with the three starters now brings the total number of known pokemon up to 498. We’ll be well over 500 by the end of the year.
UPDATE: 05/15/10
Pokemon Sunday showed gameplay footage of what pokemon battles will look like in Black & White. For the first time, pokemon sprites will move throughout the duration of the battle. The camera also zooms in and out during attacks (the footage starts at 1:15 on the video below).
The video also shows some footage of the gameplay field. In Black & White, the field is more 3-D and your character can talk to people without having to press the A button.
Getting more and more excited!
Source: PokeBeach.com. Visit PokeBeach for all the latest Black & White news
…I can tell my brother is going to hate these starters, since I think they are pretty ugly myself. My youngest bro might like em though.
i like the girl’s big hair, because she reminds me of Poplar from Working lol
Zorua and Zoroark look pretty badass.
@ digital boy
So far the fan reaction to the starters isn’t too positive, especially for Mijumaru, the one I like the best. Guess I like them because I’m not picky at all when it comes to pokemon. As a hardcore fan of the franchise, I try to find something lovable about all of them. The only pokemon I would call ugly would maybe be Loudred, Nosepass/Probopass (what were they thinking with that design?) and a few others.
You know, I also thought of Poplar when I first saw the female protagonist XD I don’t think I dislike the fact that her hair is “big” so much as those unnecessary antennae on the top.
I’m a hardcore fan, but this is kind of…..ridiculous? Maybe their final stages will be better.
I think I like the water one the best, too though. Tsutaja’s head shape reminds me of Cyndaquil.
But since I”m so happy that they finally made another fox based Pokemon, I can live with it ;D
I think the girl’s design is cute! Her hair could do without the antennae though haha.
(also, Nosepass/Probopass was an epic failure of a Pokemon)
I hate you 2 for making me think of that moe shit when I look at that cute female protagonist.
Back on the topic, this must be the first time I dont like the fire starter O_o wth a pig ? Don’t know about that water one, those points on its face look pretty silly but maybe the evoled form would look better. Based on that pic I think I’ll choose the grass one for the first time, have always picked the fire one in every game lol.
Anyway thanks for posting this ^^
HG/SS was the first time that I chose the male protagonist since the option became available. Personally, I think the 5th generation design is a massive improvement over 2nd generation’s girl.
Also, I think it’s good that they’re aging the protagonists a bit. I realize it has no bearing on the game world, but the manga chronology has progressed 7 years since Red & Blue. Who knows, maybe we’ll run into previous generation protagonists and they’ll be contemporaries instead of separated by a generation like RB vs SG.
Also, really not impressed by the starters. If I can transfer a Torchic over, I’m doing it as soon as possible.
@ Myna
Yeah, Tsutaja’s head shape is like Cyndaquil, and Pokabu’s body is like Turtwig’s. But with nearly 500 pokemon designs, I guess we can’t expect all of them to be extremely unique. Glad there’s someone else who likes the Water one though. He needs more love (his colors are kinda like Piplup but other than that I don’t think he looks much like any other pokemon).
Now we have Dark foxes and Fire foxes (Vulpix and Ninetales). Nice :D
@ Heinsia
I used to jump around when it came to which starter type to pick – Bulbasaur in the 1st generation, Cyndaquil in the 2nd, then Mudkip in the 3rd. After Mudkip I again picked the Water type, Piplup, and it looks like I’m gonna be picking this Water type too :3
@ Rakuen
That would be great if previous generation protagonists appeared in Black & White. I’m hoping that they’ll make these games like Gold & Silver and add a second region to explore and 16 badges to obtain. I’d love to see the Hoenn region make its DS debut. Probably won’t happen though.
It is interesting that the protagonists are older. Is Nintendo finally trying to reach out to Pokemon’s older fans after all these years, or will the fact that they’re older be significant in the games somehow? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
@Yumeka – that’s true, but I would think that the design team would be able to think of something a little more creative. It would be so fun if they had a fan contest for new Pokemon, especially since so many people make original Pokemon anyway. And lol, FireFox xD
My first choice in Kanto was Squirtle, Cyndaquil for Johto, Treecko for Hoenn and chose Piplup for Sinnoh.
And back to the protagonists. I was disappointed with Kotone’s design, and chose the boy character for the first time. But I’m satisfied with the new girl. Lucas and the new boy’s design disappoint me. But I love the fact that all of the characters war hats xD
@Yumeka There was actually an interview in this month’s Nintendo Power. Game Freak says they believe Pokemon is for everyone and so they design their games with a vast array of age groups and playing styles in mind.
@ Rakuen
Pokemon is indeed for everyone – I’ve never encountered a franchise that has fans from such a variety of age groups. When I used to go to Pokemon Leagues, I met people aged 3, to 10, to 18, to over 40! 0_o But I was just wondering why Nintendo decided to make older protagonists now instead of before.
@ Yumeka – This is really really unlikely, but maybe they designed them with the anime in mind? xD
Or maybe they just decided to change them so they could break the trend of younger characters.
@ Myna
Ah, that’s a possibility. I always hoped they’d make a new “darker” Pokemon anime with older characters. I doubt this will be like that, but yes, the ages of the protagonists could have something to do with what the creators have planned for the anime.
@ Yumeka – I love the darker side of Pokemon! That’s probably why I love the first and third movie to bits ^^
But honestly, I’m really not expecting anything great from fifth generation. Hopefully some of the gym leaders will have cooler designs
The more recent generations of Pokemon have had a few Pokemon that I absolutely adore, but many of them seem too similiar to past Pokemon. Except for the fire-type, those starters look like combinations of past Pokemon to me. I really hope that their evolutions are cooler.
I tend to pick the cutest starter on my first play-through and then the one with the coolest third evolution on my second. :p
And I’m actually the opposite from you with the trainers! I always play as a boy because I feel the girls look weird, but I think that I may actually be the girl this time. :3 She has that same vibe that Emma Skye from Phoenix Wright has.
Those dark types look awesome!
Is there any news about a rival or Professor yet?
@ Saere
I think the fact that you always play as the boy relates to your infatuation with male characters that you mentioned in my last post XD
No other new characters have been revealed yet besides the five pokemon and two protagonists. But I’m sure we’ll be seeing more soon.
Aaw, I’m quite disapointed by the starters – although I haven’t liked any of the starters since Johto. Pokabu is my favourite though, I always seem to go with fire~
I absolutely love Zorua and Zoroark designs, and I LOVE the protagonists designs, especially the female – heh, I love her hair, personally! XD; I’m loving the idea of them being a little older aswell…
I don’t really visit Pokemon sites, so thanks for sharing! <3
I prefer the old days of pokemon *sigh, the new pokemons look like crap tbh. =/
@ Fabrice
I honestly don’t know what people mean when they say the new pokemon are ugly. Sure, some of them aren’t that cute or cool, but it’s a very harsh generalization to make about the 347 pokemon that have come out since the original 151. I would like to know what kind of expectations people have when they say that, or if it’s just “sour grapes” because they haven’t been keeping up with the games since the Game Boy days.
I agree that the female protagonist looks a bit weird. But that’s just because of the hair.
For the starters, I think they are all pretty cute, especially Pokabu, as I typically choose fire. I don’t like Tsutarja’s design that much, but I’m sure it will grow on me. And people seem to have an emormous amount of hate for Mijumaru! -.-
I like the female because her hair reminds me of a very pretty girl at my school xD
I personaly like this game. The starders do look a bit wierd, but I’ll do!:D
The female protagonist looks cool, if it wasn’t for the big hairstyle, and the male protagonist is ok to.
I love the graphics on this!XD
I like Tsutaja, I personaly say it’s cute! I also like Mijumaru, but I’ll grow to like Pokabu! I wonder how the rival would look…
I also wonder WHEN will this game will come to the US!! XDD
I think that makink the 5th generation pokemon is ok but out of all three starters I LOVE the water one and thats because I LOVE the water beginners too I’ve had squritle,totodile,mudkip,and piplup and I’ve always gotten through the game with the water type and i think that is the key to the game because the other water types are really sucky when you first start out in the game and there are better grass types and fire types in the pokemon world sometimes and i hope that they will do what they did in yellow like make one of your starters come with you and you can get the others from other people that act like they cant handle thier own pokemon (the starters of the game) and that way it will make it easier to get the element type of pokemon you need i also hope you can let your pokemon out like in the lates editon heart of gold and soul silver
I really like the fact that the protanigists are older. I really dont have any problem with them. The starters are ok but they all have a few features similar to past ones. I will probably chose Mijumaru because I a really like water and ice types and I also feel bad for it because it gets a lot of hate :-( when it is really not that bad. I really shouldnt be sharing this but one of my friends dad works for the U.S. branch of Nintendo(specifically in the pokemon department) and so he is on the team that makes the game in “english form” and he told my friend and I that Tsutaja is going to evovle into a grass/flying, Pokabu is gonna stay fire, and Mijumaru is going to evolve into water/ice. Believe it or not, the choice is yours.
I personally do like zorua and zoroark quite a bit, they just look awesome. And about the starter pokemon…. I would normally choose fire. In the first generation I chose charmander, then I chose cyndaquil, and then I made a change because I like torchic the least and ground types are my fav, I chose mudkip. Then in the 4th generation I chose fire again with chimchar, although I almost chose grass for the first time.
I honestly do not like the water one too much. I think I will actually go with grass the first time, if I like its evoltions more than pokabu. Especially if Tsujara becomes grass and flying, while pokabu stays fire, I will just have to wait and see.
Oh no, I was really hoping for better looking starters after Diamond and Pearl. I disliked all three of those and I don’t like these ones much either :/ The dark foxes look deadly though, I wish you could get them as a starter haha. At least showing the foxes means they haven’t messed up on all their Pokémon.
I think my favourite starters were the ones in Johto, I honestly had bad problems over which one to pick, they’re all so cool xD
For the firsdt generation I usually picked Charmander, then Totodile, then Torchic (<3). I picked Chimchar last time because he was fire and I have a natural attraction to fire types xD Also I tried out Piplup and Turtwig on a friends DS and they were just so damn slow…
I'm rambling on! Anyway I'm still really looking forward to these games and I have a feeling the starters evolutions are gonna be cool :B
Oh, one more thing. I loved seeing someone on this post with the name Rakuen. I use that name all the time and I thought I was the only person who knew what it was. Kudos xD
hehe mijumaru looks like a clown……………………………………….. hehehe
Hey guys if you read my last post you know that i have some connections through nintendo. Well a few days ago my friends dad BREIFLY showed us the evolutions of Mijumaru, Tsutaja, and Pokabu. They are all interesting but kind of hard to describe. But my friends dad also leaked a sketch of the new anime character Iris standing with some new pokemon. Two of which or the second evolutions of Mijumaru and Tsutaja. The only site that has the pictures decently maximized is http://www.serebii.net go to the news page and the July 1st date. I’ll try to keep you guys up to post about different black and white detials. Like i said in my last post beleive me or not, i really dont care because i know my facts are accurate. Thanks for reading!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
go tsutaja and does anybody know the starters evolution forms???
the starters look awful!!!!!! if i weren’t a fan i wouldn’t buy it but i’ll give it a try the legendary’s look cool
the new pokemon do look kinda neat but they also dont look very original the new protagonists do look a lot better now though.
Fran Fine is in a pokemon game !!!!!!!!!!! what has pokemon come to? and bacon that fries itself come on !!!!!!!!! grass one is nice though gonna pick him. Gosh i know its not here but Gear seriusly only thing left for it to be is a gear type ,but other than that its awesome gonna storm on youtube the day it comes out in japan!!!!!!!!
I think the starters look kinda cute.I really like pokabu.I hope he evolves into sumthin really cool cuz im gonna pick him.
Does anyone know what the starters other stages look like? If you do please send a picture or somthing,because I really want to know what they look like.
The new protagonists are…. interesting. Now that they’re older who knows maybe there might be hope for romance in Pokemon after all. As for the starters I’ll probably choose Tsutarja. No wait maybe Pokabu. Or Mijumaru if there aren’t any decent water types. Drat picking starters is now difficult. I used to pick starters with ease just by looking at their designs but now…. it’s kinda hard. Back than I picked Charmander because Charizard’s a ‘dragon’. Totodile in Johto because I love Silver. Treecko in Hoenn because it’s the least appreciated starter. And Turtwig in Sinnoh because I thought that Torterra is as big as Wailord and we can live in it (treehouse on it’s back).
I’m torn between or the grass starter. I’ve picked water since the beginning, but this grass is kinda cute.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE the girl’s design! *Gasp* Could it be?!? A FEMALE POKEMON CHARACTER THAT DOES NOT LOOK WEAK AND UNDERCONFIDENT?? This is the best day of my life :’D (The only problem is those unnecessary antennae on top.)
I hate at least 2/3s of the 5th gen pokemon. But I like White – the female player character – and Tsutaja. So I’m going to be chosing it when I get my copy of White Version.
Well since this new region is based on New York City, I think the protagonists are designed with a more “American” look in mind, hence the female protagonist with the big brown hair and the daisy dukes with the pockets sticking out. As for the Antennae, I think it’s just an over-dramatic representation of what hair really does, (my bangs stick out like that sometimes in my pony-tail).
And the starters look weird. Personally, the grass starter is my favorite but I’ve ALWAYS started with the water (there are always really shitty water pokemon until later on in the game) so I plan on continuing my trend :/.
Well, personally I think the Pokemon now is more advanced than older days
and the story is more enganging
I was like Wow
I usually prefer the female protagonist too
I think I like both of them in Black and White
the female protagonist doesn’t look like weak in this^^