There are many different beta designs for Pokémon that never released in the video games and were scrapped for many different reasons, such as that they weren’t interesting enough or were generally basic.
However, although there were a lot of boring beta designs for Pokémon, there were also a lot of designs that fans wish would have ended up in the final version of the generation that they were being designed for. Hopefully, some of the more interesting designs will be introduced in some form in the future, and the boring designs will continue to fade out of existence forever.
10 Love - Dragon4
Dragon4 has a very basic design; however, fans that see this design for the first time are quickly enamored with it because of how similar looks to Charizard. This creature could have been another Dragon-type in Generation 1.
A lot of Pokémon fans theorize that Dragon4 was an early design of Charizard, which would make sense considering that it is seen to have Fire-type moves in its moveset. Unfortunately, Dragon4 didn’t quite make the cut and was never released in Generation 1.
9 Shouldn’t Exist - Beta Torchic
The beta design for Torchic is adorable; however, it isn’t quite as good as the final design for this Fire-type starter from the Hoenn region. Beta Torchic has large ears, and a lot of fans prefer the slimmer design that was initially released with the Generation 3 games.
The other major difference that beta Torchic has from regular Torchic is the small tuft of hair on the back of its head.
8 Love - Deer
Pokémon fans have been blessed with many interesting deer-themed creatures throughout the Pokémon franchise, including Stantler and Sawsbuck, which were introduced in Generation 2 and Generation 5.
Although these two deer Pokémon are great, the beta Deer design looks even more interesting than both of these Pokémon because of its large horns and long tail. It is likely that if this Pokémon had been released, it would have been a Normal-type creature, and it also would have been received well by fans.
7 Shouldn’t Exist - Kabiin
Kabiin is, without a doubt, one of the most unique beta designs that fans never got the pleasure of catching in the final release of Pokémon Red and Blue.
Kabiin seems to be an early design for Snorlax or at least an early thought for Snorlax’s design. Kabiin is rounder than Snorlax; however, it still has the large body type that Snorlax has, and it seems to have similarly shaped feet as well. Although Kabiin is a great design, most fans are happy with the Snorlax design that they ended up getting instead.
6 Love - Jaggu
Sharpedo is a Generation 3 Pokémon that fans have come to love over the years; however, Jaggu looks like an even more powerful version of this shark-themed Pokémon.
Jaggu appears to be a cross between a swordfish and a shark based on its large body and pointed nose. Jaggu would have been one of the strongest Water-type Pokémon in Generation 1 if it had been introduced since it has such a strong appearance; however, it ended up being nothing more than a drawing and was never fully realized in the Pokémon franchise.
5 Shouldn’t Exist - Beta Clefairy
Clefairy is theorized to be the original mascot for the franchise before the developers chose to use Pikachu as the mascot instead. As such, Clefairy is a very well-known Pokémon and has been president throughout most games in the series.
Clefairy has a beta design that looks similar to its final design, with a few major differences. The most notable of which is that beta Clefairy lacks the swirl on top of its head that gives it a unique and adorable appearance. Since beta Clefairy looks much more basic than the final version for Clefairy, most fans that see this design aren’t especially impressed by it.
4 Love - Kurusu
There are many beta designs that didn’t make the cut to be created in the Pokémon franchise. However, most of these designs were cut for a good reason as the design was either too basic or was very weird compared to the other Pokémon introduced in the respective generation.
Kurusu is an interesting case because although it has a very basic body type, it’s one of the most adorable beta designs that fans have gotten the pleasure to see in terms of unreleased designs. Hopefully, a similar Pokémon to Kurusu will be introduced in the future because it’s large beady eyes and adorable pointed ears give it one of the cutest designs ever to be seen for a Pokémon.
3 Shouldn’t Exist - Beta Dragonair
Beta Dragonair looks very different from the release version of Dragonair that ended up getting created in Generation 1; however, there are also many traits about it that look similar such as its long body.
The most notable difference between released Dragonair and beta Dragonair is that beta Dragonair has a much different head shape that looks more like Dragonite’s head than Dratini’s. Although this design isn’t terrible, it’s much less beautiful than the released version of Dragonair that fans have come to know and love.
2 Love - Beta Gengar And Beta Nidorino
Generation 1 fans vividly remember the iconic fight that takes place between Gengar and Nidorino upon booting up the game.
However, this fight was originally supposed to take place with two Pokémon that didn’t make it into the final version of the games. These two Pokémon do look somewhat similar to Gengar and Nidorino when compared to their body types; however, they are very different, as one resembles a furry humanoid creature and the other a serpent-themed Pokémon. Both of these two creatures look very interesting, and it’s a shame that they were never released into the franchise.
1 Shouldn’t Exist - Beta Spearow
Spearow is a divisive Pokémon as some Generation 1 fans prefer Pidgey, and some prefer Spearow. Both of these bird-themed Pokémon look very different from each other since they are based around completely different birds.
Spearow was originally supposed to have a completely different design than what fans ended up getting in Pokémon Red and Blue, and this design was luckily never implemented into the final version of the games. Beta Spearow has a much larger beak, and its overall body type is much less appealing compared to the more intimidating version of Spearow that was designed.
NEXT: The 10 Best Ghost Pokémon Designs & Looks, Ranked
