Pokémon fans are designing a future paradox form for Raikou

A talented artist and Pokémon fan has created their own design of a futuristic Paradox Form for the classic legendary Pokémon Raikou. The artist has chosen to share their creation online, complete with custom statistics and a self-created background story.

Raikou is a legendary Electric-type Pokémon introduced as part of the second generation of Pokémon. Raikou is one-third of the trio known as the Legendary Beasts and was revived by Ho-Oh after the Brass Tower's burning, along with Entei and Suicune. Raikou remained in the shadows for a long time until recently when its highly controversial Paradox Form, Raging Bolt, was unveiled. Despite the unconventional design, a piece of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet fan art actually predicted Raikou's Paradox Form.

The impressive concept artwork of the future Paradox Form comes from Reddit user PhatmonMonstraros, who shared their work on one of the main Pokémon forums on the site. The artist mostly stays true to Raikou's original profile and maintains the Thunder Pokémon's standard color scheme but adds a futuristic glowing effect to its snout and eyes. Named Iron Saber, the Pokémon's flowing purple mane is puffed up to resemble more of a storm cloud, and its stripes have been transformed into external plates. With rivets and adornments, the artist gives the impression that it is actually made of metal.

Based on the artist's own background story, Iron Saber is described as the antithesis to the benevolent Raikou in terms of personality and behavior, embodying "recklessness and aloofness." While some significant changes have been made, PhatmonMonstraros' design largely remains true to Raikou's original appearance, in contrast to another Pokémon fan's Paradox Form of Raikou, which takes many more creative liberties. Nonetheless, the design seems to be well-received among other Pokémon fans, as the post garnered only positive comments and several dozen upvotes within a few hours.

The future paradox form of Raikou is just the latest creation from the prolific Pokémon artist who has already created several paradox designs. Last week, the fan unveiled an incredible past paradox form for Entei, which features a design that deviates significantly from the original, especially when compared to the changes in the aforementioned Raikou. Titled "Burning Brute," the design gives Entei a dinosaur or dragon-like face, massive horns on its head and shoulders, and a variety of other details that give it a unique and intimidating look.

The opinion among Pokémon fans is that the paradox forms of Raikou and Suicune are mostly disappointing. However, their poorly received designs for Entei could turn out to be a stroke of luck, as the perceived dinosaur theme of the Legendary Beasts makes fans believe that Paradox Entei will be something similar to a Triceratops or a Stegosaurus - although only time will tell.