Individual Appearance Variations Among Pokémon Species

When Pokémon - as in the creatures themselves - are presented to people, they are often shown through a "standard image". The image conforms to how a Pokémon species typically appears. And this is true, to some extent. But it's also true that some Pokémon species could appear quite different than normal, even if this is not immediately evident. The things that make them different constitute their individual appearance variations, which Pokémon species could conceivably have.

Anyone who's well-versed in the Pokémon games know of the Shiny forms, and that's certainly a specific individual variation, and a commonly known one at that, especially as Pokémon Go is exposing this variation to its players. Another specific individual variation that's commonly (but perhaps not broadly) known is the anatomical differences between male and female or other forms (such as a "heart-ended" tail for female Pikachu compared to a pointed tail for male ones); these are admittedly more complex, not as noticeable, and highly particular for certain Pokémon. The existence of these variations indicate that Pokémon already have significant individual variation.

Looking at the entries of individual Pokémon in the Pokédex, each is noted with a certain height and weight. These are acceptable in general, but it's not hard to surmise that individual species may vary in these too. Variations in these properties are already noted in Pokémon Go, additionally with size tags for comparison. Elsewhere, this is not a significant variation concern, but it could become as such, if the setting demands it and this becomes a crucial determinant, as in a game. The specific heights and weights are thus simply an abstracted "average", and variations in these may be more apparent than they seem.

And then there are styles that may be possessed by individuals of a certain species. I've already discussed this to a certain extent with the possible existence of a variety of patterns for select Pokémon species, and that's certainly a part of that. What may also be possible is actual variations of minute details, for example like certain Pikachu having hair that resembles a cowlick (thus validating its furry appearance in the Detective Pikachu trailer), or horned Pokémon with slightly longer or smaller horns than normal. This could potentially venture into "abnormal" territory, but it may be something that has to be accepted.

There's nothing wrong with the presentation of Pokémon species having characteristic appearances; these effectively constitute "norms" for them. But beyond the norms, there are possibilities that affect Pokémon appearances. And all of them make sense and are conceivable, considering how Pokémon are vividly alive in their settings. Surely beyond their characteristic presentations, there is a more varied world of Pokémon to discover, based on their possible appearances.

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