One of the most feared Gym Leaders from the Unova region has gotten a major makeover in one of the Pokemon animated series, surprising fans of Pokemon Black & White.
In the past, the Pokemon anime had a lot of leeway when it came to depicting characters differently from their video game appearances. This is the reason why Lorelei had to be censored for her adult appearance and why Blaine looked completely different.
The Pokemon Generations animated series was made specifically for YouTube as a celebration of the franchise. It depicted many moments from the games that never appeared in animated form, such as Blue becoming the Champion in Kanto.
One episode of Pokemon Generations in particular has garnered attention from fans though. A user on the Pokemon Reddit has pointed out how different Drayden looked in episode 14, called “The Frozen World.” This is because he’s notably more buff than he is in the games or the mainline Pokemon anime series.
Drayden’s muscular appearance in the Gen 5 Pokemon games was enhanced by the Pokemon Generations anime, which gave him much bigger proportions than normal. As one user pointed out, “He’s a hunk normally. He’s a full-on JoJo character in Generations.”
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Drayden takes center stage in “The Frozen World,” as it’s all about him defending Opelucid City from Team Plasma. This might be why he was made to look more imposing than usual, as he has to battle the villainous team alone.
The Pokemon Black & White players who are used to seeing the small sprite of Drayden weren’t complaining. “Respectfully looking at him,” one user wrote, while another said, “Whoever drew him was horny.”
Pokemon Generations has some amazing moments, such as when Brycen beats up the Team Plasma members, or when Blue finally earns Champion status. Still, it might now be best remembered for the glow-up it gave to an unlikely Gym Leader.