There are over 1000 Pokémon, so you can be forgiven if you forgot certain species of Pokémon. Many fans have come across something known as Gorochu, and it looks like Pikachu and Raichu. If you’re wondering what Gorochu is and how it relates to the original Pikachu line, or if it’s a real Pokemon, there’s an explanation.
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Is gorochu a real pokemon?
Picture via Nintendo
Gorochu was part of the sprites and data extracted from The Cutting Room Floor. Gorochu’s sprite and data were found in early Pokemon titles like Red and Blue. Most of the artwork and unused sprites hidden in the game files are based on early Pokemon concept art which ends up looking different in the launch game. Some unused sprites are for Pokemon that didn’t make it to the final product but still exist in title files and data.
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Only the back of Gorochu’s head exists in the game files. Fan artist Foxeaf created his own rendition of what Gorochu might have looked like on DeviantArt.
Image via Foxeaf on DeviantArt
What was Gorochu supposed to be?
While most information about Pokémon that don’t make it to the final game is limited, we actually know quite a bit about Gorochu thanks to an interview with Pokémon illustrator Atsuko Nishida and Pokémon designer Ken Sugimori. The interview was done in a Japanese newspaper but was translated by Lava Cut Content.
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Gorochu was a discontinued evolution for Raichu and would have been the last line of evolution for Pikachu. Gorochu had fangs and horns, and must have looked strong. He would have evolved from Raichu at level 40, but Gorochu was soon dropped due to limited hardware space for the Game Boy cartridge. There were also balance issues, with Pikachu already determined to be one of the single-evolution Pokemon.
Gorochu is therefore not a real Pokémon.. While fans hope to see the original concept of Gorochu return in a future game, Pokemon director Junichi Masuda said in an interview with Gamespot that fans are unlikely to see Gorochu.
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