Pokémon Sun and Moon shook up the series when they were released without any new fossil Pokémon. Set in the Alola Region, the Gen 7 games stripped away several key series features and replaced them with new ones. Ride Pokémon took over the role of HMs, and trials supplanted gyms. But unlike these alterations to the Pokémon formula, the missing fossil monsters had more to do with the Alola Region itself rather than the evolution of the games.
Fossil Pokémon have been a part of the series since its inception and have been seen in almost every region. Pokémon Red and Blue were the first to include them in the form of Kabutops and Omastar. Fossil Pokémon and their functions have always reflected the generations they are introduced in. Pokémon Sword and Shield’s fossils can be combined to create different variations, and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have Paradox Pokémon who come from both the ancient past and the distant future. Thus, Pokémon Sun and Moon’s exclusion of fossil monsters appears to reflect a key aspect of Gen 7’s identity.
Alola’s Lack Of Fossils Reflect Hawaii Inspiration
Pokémon Sun and Moon's lack of fossils have to do with the Alola Region and its Hawaii inspiration. According to Stacker, “An abundant prehistoric dinosaur history in Hawaii does not exist due to its islands forming around 6 million years ago, and therefore the state is home to zero non-avian dinosaur fossils.” In other words, the islands of Hawaii are too young to have developed a rich fossil history. Pokémon Sun and Moon consequently removed fossil Pokémon from the game; as, like Hawaii, Alola’s land masses are too young to have fossil Pokémon like previous generations.
Pokémon Sun & Moon's Variants And Region Reveal Deeper Ties To Hawaii
Pokémon Sun and Moon's connection to Hawaii's ancient past goes beyond the absence of fossil Pokémon. The introduction of regional variants in Gen 7 is largely inspired by Hawaii's geography. Similar to the Galápagos Islands where Charles Darwin observed the variations of finches, Hawaii is spread across several different land masses in the Pacific Ocean. It thus only seems fitting that Alola would become the first region to have variants modeled after the theory of evolution that inspired the series as a whole.
These Alolan regional Pokémon variants shown in OFishPS' YouTube video are also tied to Hawaii's culture and environment. On a more superficial level, Raichu's surfer form is connected to the state's modern beach culture, and Exeggutor is, of course, the coconut palm Hawaii is famous for. But on a deeper level, Marowak's new Fire-Ghost Type form reflects Hawaii's connection to Samoan culture by referring to Fire Knife Dancing.
Gen 7's setting is among the most evocative and caring towards its inspiration. Between the absence of fossil Pokémon and the introduction of regional variants, Game Freak's approach to deg the Alola Region considered Hawaii's past, both recent and ancient. Pokémon Sun and Moon set a high bar for future regions, a standard that will hopefully result in better settings that are more referential to the places they are based on.
Source: OFishPS / YouTube
