Pokémon Winds and Waves leaks level to all-time Pokédex document that may very well be unplayable

This week, a contemporary spherical of Pokémon Winds and Waves rumors and leaks prompt that subsequent 12 months’s mainline entry may function 300 new Pokémon. These leaks are, by any rational individual’s learn, needs to be taken with a whole deer lick of salt. However they’re nonetheless worrying. Hey, even a damaged Hoothoot is true twice a day!

If these rumors grow to be true, a crop of 300 new Pokémon would mark the one greatest new technology of Pokémon ever. For context, right here’s what number of Pokémon have been launched with every new technology, based on knowledge monitoring from Serebii:

Followers are fairly cut up on whether or not 300 new Pokémon is an exhilarating prospect of creature-collecting or an absurdly wild swing that will oversaturate an already fairly saturated compendium of monsters. One caveat, based on the leaks, is that Winds and Waves gained’t actually add 300 solely new Pokémon; that quantity may comprise alternate types or regional variants along with wholly unique Pokémon.

For all intents and functions the excellence is meaningless. Alolan Ninetails is essentially totally different Pokémon than common Ninetails in each significant means — its look, its typing, and its moveset, to not point out the methods you must memorize whether or not you’re combating with it in your roster or towards it on an opponent’s. However hey, Ninetails and Alolan Ninetails have the identical title and Nationwide ‘Dex quantity, so are they actually that totally different? (Sure, I say.)

300 new Pokémon… I wouldn’t even know what to do with that. For many years, Pokémon video games championed the best of a six-Pokémon social gathering: You’d select six monsters, stage them up out of your first health club badge by means of the Elite 4, and forge bonds over the course of a prolonged RPG. There was an intentional stress to swapping social gathering members out that compelled you to present severe consideration earlier than subbing in a brand new Pokémon. However beginning with 2018’s Let’s Go Pikachu! and Let’s Go Eevee!, all the things modified. You can swap out the Pokémon in your social gathering from (largely) anyplace at (largely) any level. The actual-time battles in final 12 months’s Legends: Z-A actively inspired swapping out Pokémon on the fly, additional eroding the six-Pokémon social gathering. Bringing 300 new Pokémon into the fold can solely incentivize that shift much more.

There’s additionally the truth that — cue an outdated man yells at cloud second — Pokémon designers are actually beginning to scrape the underside of the barrel. Keys are Pokémon now. There’s a Pokémon that’s actually simply an ice cream cone with a face. (Admittedly, Vanillite is 16 years outdated. However that was the start of the tip!)

And this isn’t simply nostalgia speaking. Within the Pokémon group, there’s a meme-ified chorus that “each Pokémon is somebody’s favourite.” In 2025, one YouTuber truly put that notion to the take a look at in a wide-ranging survey of greater than 26,000 respondents. Greater than 50 Pokémon didn’t get any votes in any respect. Of these, simply one of many unique 151. (Pour one out for poor Tentacool.) In the meantime, the most-beloved Pokémon largely originated in earlier generations.

For each Dragapult, there’s an Applin (it’s an apple). For each Sprigatio, there’s a Flamigo (suppose: a literal Flamingo). If the brand new technology comprised 100, perhaps 150, Pokémon, I may see lots of them being worthy additions to the Pokédex. However at this level, 10 generations into the collection, I definitely don’t have religion that Recreation Freak may prepare dinner up 300 fascinating creature designs for Winds and Waves.

So, what’s the best measurement for a brand new technology of Pokémon? I can’t say for certain, not with out figuring out extra particulars in regards to the general construction of Winds and Waves, which have been stored to date below wraps we don’t even know the title of the tropical area they’re set in. However I can say that, if 300 new Pokémon do be part of the roster, there might be no catching all of them.

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