Pokémon archivists just released footage of a never-before-seen documentary about the making of 2007’s Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl, and it’s proven to be a treasure trove of trivia for hardcore fans. There’s an inside look at how Game Freak develops starters, early Pokémon designs for some of the most iconic characters, and surprisingly, tidbits that shed light on modern Pokémon games. Developers at Game Freak came up with ideas 20 years ago that did not see the light of day until the release of Pokémon Pokopia. And the idea might reappear when Pokémon Winds and Waves is released next year.
Around 18 minutes into the video analyzing the documentary, YouTuber and Pokémon archivist Lewtwo highlights a small segment that summarizes the immense amount of work put into the larger discovery. While watching the documentary, Lewtwo noticed stacks of paper lying in the background with all sorts of Pokémon designs on them. These were not the focus of the documentary, so they’re not entirely in frame. The footage is also low resolution — just 480p. The archivists spent hours boosting the contrast of these tiny areas of the video simply to make out slivers of Pokémon designs. Doing all of this was “absolute hell,” Lewtwo says.
It’s here that viewers are treated to a look at an early design for Gastrodon, the sea slug Pokémon whose appearance is dictated by region. In Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, we got a brown version of Gastrodon from the West Sea, and a green variant from the East Sea. The basic idea was conceptualized by game director Junichi Masuda during the creation of Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire, but it didn’t get implemented until five years later in the form of Shellos. (Shellos evolves into Gastrodon.)
Curiously, though, we still haven’t gotten a full, true implementation of Masuda’s concept. The previously unknown design in the documentary is for a yellow Gastrodon, not a brown or green one. This would be a minor detail were it not for Pokémon Pokopia‘s writers deciding to turn that scrapped idea into actual lore. In the cozy game, it is mentioned that researchers in the Pokopia universe are in search of a yellow Shellos. It now seems like that small bit of lore was sourced from the very depths of Game Freak’s Pokémon vaults.
“It is such a mind-bendingly unbelievable full-circle moment for one of Sinnoh’s fan favorite designs,” Lewtwo says.
Shellos isn’t even in Pokopia, but there are rumors that Pokémon Winds and Waves will introduce 300 new monsters. Many of these monsters are said to be regional variants, a theme that would fit Shellos perfectly. We also know that the Switch 2 Pokémon games will introduce 3D ocean exploration, and sea slugs appear all throughout that biome in real life.
Who knows? Maybe a weird lil’ idea thought up 20 years ago will finally see the light of day in Pokémon Winds and Waves.
Pokémon Winds and Pokémon Waves are slated for release exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2 sometime in 2027.