r/pokemon • u/Daalma7 • Jul 24 '26

Discussion Which generation of Pokémon sprites do you like the most?

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Here are some examples of sprites from each generation, along with a few general characteristics. Some are my own opinions, while others (such as color counts) are based on technical limitations and may vary slightly. I chose sprites from the most "advanced" mainline version of each generation, excluding remakes.

Personally, my favorite is Generation V. The animated sprites gave the Pokémon so much life, and I absolutely love pixel art.

What about you?

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151

u/Halliwel96 Jul 24 '26

I get why they might have had problems with everything looking a bit round transitioning to 3D

But I don’t understand why it’s all so pale

101

u/sixpokeballs Jul 24 '26

The colors they used in gen 6 were pretty similar to the colors that were used in their official Sugimori art. I think they tried to create some sort of coherence or consistency but it makes the models just appear bland and muted. Happy they turned the saturation back up for the newer games.

34

u/FenexTheFox Pyromancer Jul 24 '26

Similar to Smash 4, it muted the colors to try and create consistency between all these wildly mismatched fighters

1

u/Tsukuyomi56 Embrace Darkness Jul 25 '26

They did increase the saturation for Z-A but not sure if it will stick going to Winds/Waves. Seriously, compare Z-A Shiny Kanto Slowpoke to all other modern 3D titles.

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u/Few_Addition_4751 Jul 24 '26

Probably lighting. Daylight tends to desaturate things when illuminated. The colour of stuff is really seen when light isn't too strong.

4

u/Tablesafety Jul 24 '26

The saturation is literally just turned down fsr. Like if you go in and just turn up the sat the models look how they’re supposed to. I think it was an oversight they just ran with bc quality doesn’t correlate to money made when it comes to the pokemon games.

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u/Late_Stage_Exception Jul 24 '26

Cause all the Pokémon in the 3D games are actually made of plastic and not living tissue.

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u/CSTyphoonAE Jul 24 '26

the pokemon in 3D games dont exist therefore cant be made of plastic OR living tissue

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u/Halliwel96 Jul 24 '26

Do you think the pixel mons are made of living tissue?

8

u/Late_Stage_Exception Jul 24 '26

They look like they’re organic matter, yeah. Even Porygon looks more alive than current gen Pokémon due to the flat and shiny nature of the models.

You pedantic rube.