These dark-type Pokemon have patterns that are pretty creative and go well with who they are.
When Pokemon fans turned on Pokemon Gold and Pokemon Silver for the first time in 1999, they saw two brand-new types. Dark-type and Steel-type Pokemon were added to balance the types. They gave players new ways to build their teams and new ways to use their Pokemon, which helped keep the Pokemon brand fresh between generations.
Since they were added to the games, Dark-type Pokemon generally have designs that make them look like they are mean and have had hard lives. And with that comes a lot of creative ideas that lead to some of the most well-known Pokemon in the whole series, whether they are good or bad by nature.
Thievul
People often say that foxes are sneaky and smart, and Thievul certainly plays off of this stereotype. But if the red fox’s appearance didn’t give it away, the mask that looks like Zorro and the moustache and tail that sweeps back and forth do. That and the fact that its name has the words “thief” and “vulpes” in it.
Nickit is Thievul’s pre-evolution. In Pokemon Shield, Nickit is described as “smart and careful,” hiding its tracks “with swipes of its tail” as it runs away with its loot. Thievul’s tail is made the same way, which gives it more chances to steal evidence from a crime scene.
Mightyena
Even though its pre-evolution is easy to get in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, Mightyena is still a strong Pokemon to have on your team.
Mightyena looks like it was based on the brown hyena because of its big, pointed ears and shaggy fur, but its shape and colouring are more like a dog or wolf. No matter what, Mightyena’s sharp claws and growling mouth show that it acts and thinks like a dog. Even though its black and grey colour scheme is pretty simple. The red and yellow flashes in its eyes show that this is not a Pokemon to mess with.
Galarian Moltres
Galarian Moltres has the same burning body as its Kantonian predecessor. But it has different shades of red to fit its Dark type. The Pokedex for Pokemon Sword says that this regional version of Moltres has a “sinister, flame-like aura” that “will consume the spirit of any creature it hits” and that its “victims become burned-out shadows of themselves.”
Moltres from Kanto and Galore are both based on mythical firebirds like the Phoenix and the Slavic Firebird. But most of the design comes from the Vermilion Bird. Which is one of the Four Symbols of the Chinese stars.
Zoroark
Zoroark may also be based on the Kitsune, a creature from Japanese myth. But unlike Ninetales, Zoroark is this magical fox’s ability to fool people. Sakuraco says that people often think of Kitsune as “shape-shifting tricksters,” which is the main power of Zoroark. There are seven different kinds of Kitsune. Zoroark’s form is a mix of the Yako and the Kurogitsune or Genko Kitsune. Which is a “black-furred fox that became the Big Dipper.”
Zoroark is a dark type Pokémon, and the dark crimson and black colours of its fur suggest that it may be connected to the Kukan, also known as the void Kitsune, who are “famous for draining life at an alarming rate, vanishing into shadows, and absorbing light into their bodies.”
Hydreigon
Dragons are often used in Pokemon designs, but Hydreigon is a little different. Hydreigon’s appearance is creepier because it doesn’t focus on the power and speed of its Dragon-type. Instead, it has two heads on its arms that aren’t conscious. But, according to its Pokedex record, it will use “all three heads to consume and destroy everything.” Together with its thin, tattered wings and shrivelled feet. This makes Hydreigon feel more like a ghost than like a dark creature.
The design of Hydreigon comes from Japanese folklore. It is based on the story of the Yamata no Orochi. This mythical monster has eight heads and eight tails. Like its Pokemon counterpart, it also has red eyes and a red belly.
Sharpedo & Mega Sharpedo
Sharpedo’s design is right on the mark, combining a scary sea creature and a rocket. Sharpedo looks scary despite being small. In Pokemon Ruby’s Pokedex, Sharpedo is called “the bully of the sea” and is “widely feared” by users and other Pokemon. With its sharp teeth and scars that look like they’ve been through a lot of fights, it’s not hard to believe this.
Mega Sharpedo is even more dangerous. Because its fangs are now part of its mouth and stick out of its nose. Mega Sharpedo has even more battle scars because of the Mega Evolution process. Which has made “its fighting instincts explode,” as its Pokedex record in Pokemon Moon says.
Galarian Zigzagoon
Zigzagoon was first seen in Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire. But people say that its Galarian form is its natural form. In Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield, Galarian Zigzagoon looks like a European badger. Galar is based on this animal, which is common in the United Kingdom.
Galarian Zigzagoon also looks like it got some ideas from glam rock makeup, especially that of the band Kiss. Even though Kiss isn’t from the UK, they were a big part of the glam rock/metal scene. That bands like Def Leppard and Wrathchild made popular there. The new final evolution, Obstagoon, who is a member of a group called The Maximizers, continues on this theme.
Liepard
Even though it is tough, Liepard is one of the most beautiful cat Pokemon because of how sleek it looks. After all, it is a Dark-type. Trainers in the Pokemon world are often attracted to Liepard’s “beautiful form and fur,” according to its Pokedex description in Pokemon Black. But as its description in Pokemon Sword says, Liepard is a “moody and vicious Pokemon.”
Like Funny Shooter 2, Liepard looks like a thief because of the mask-like pattern on its eyes and the scythe-like shape of its tail.
Absol & Mega Absol
Trainers often think that Absol, which is called the “Disaster Pokemon,” is a bad guy instead of a guardian. In Pokemon Moon, its Pokedex page says, “In reality, this Pokemon has a calm personality that lets people know when a crisis is coming.” This is shown in a subtle way by the shape of its head, which looks a lot like the Taijitu symbol, an old philosophy that says “all things in nature are inextricably two-sided.”
Absol seems to be partly based on the Bai Ze, a legendary beast from Chinese folklore that can talk to humans and knows “how to get rid of, expel, or protect against evil creatures” in both its normal and Mega Evolved forms.
Umbreon
Umbreon is known as the Moonlight Pokemon because it evolved from Eevee at night when their friendship was strong. In Pokemon Ruby and Pokemon Sapphire, it says that this Pokemon “evolved because it was exposed to the moon’s waves.” When it gets dark, the yellow rings and circles on its body light up.
Umbreon is one of the best Dark-type Pokémon because of how simple its design is. It’s not clear what Umbreon is based on, but it’s possible that its form was inspired by Texcatilipoca, an Aztec god who could change into a jaguar “whose spotted skin was compared to the starry sky.”
