Pokémon Showdown rolls out their April Fools Pokémon Sprites

Every year on April Fools' Day, the Pokémon battle simulator Pokémon Showdown changes all of the Pokémon's sprites into memes. This makes battling Pokémon on Showdown incredibly fun, and has players laughing every time a new Pokémon enters the fray. There are so many amazing memes to choose from. However, we've selected some of our personal favorite April Fools' Day Pokémon sprites to show you.

Starting us off is the Water Psychic defensive wall Slowbro. Although Slowbro made its debut in Generation 1, it was a rare find. However, players truly fell in love with the Pokémon in Generation 2 thanks to the Slowpoke Well. The April Fools' Day Pokémon sprites has Slowbro becoming a true "Bro," complete with shades, a red solo cup, and, of course, a tank top.

The newly-introduced Scovillain is part of one of the most exclusive type combinations of all Pokémon. As a Grass/Fire type, Scovillain made waves when it was first introduced. However, the hype didn't last long as Scovillain was too frail for competitive use. Regardless, the typing and design allowed for a great call back to Plants vs. Zombies for Pokémon Showdown's April Fools' Day sprite.

Next up is taking Miltank's name a little too literally. Miltank is known for its enormous bulk and dishing out heavy blows with its STAB Body Slam. However, this sprite for Pokémon Showdown's April Fools' Day is taking it too far, with a milk tank for Miltank.

There were a lot of phenomenal memes that came out of the pandemic. One of them was the Dancing Funeral meme, which saw widespread use. Cofagrigus' sprite for Pokémon Showdown's April Fools' Day is an extension of this meme. Unfortunately, the Ghost type from Generation 5 does not see any usage. But maybe with the April Fools' Day event, some might want to show off this meme more.

Although Archaludon's design was supposed to take its inspiration from bridges, the community, seeing how the Pokémon naturally stands, had other thoughts. See, Archaludon stands bipedally and arches its back. And so, tons of memes surfaced regarding the new Pokémon and how it's just a giant metal stapler.

Next up is the unsuspecting Zoroark. Known for its unique ability Illusion, Zoroark disguises themselves as another Pokémon when entering the battle. This ability works perfectly for the glass cannon that is Zoroark, as disguising itself as another Pokémon allows Zoroak to fire off strong special attacks. The April Fools' Day Pokémon Showdown sprite exemplifies this with a classically-disguised Zoroark.

The fan-favorite starter from Generation 3 was the first to start the long line of Fire/Fighting-type starter Pokémo . But realistically, at the end of the day, isn't Blaziken just a flaming-hot chicken? At least that's what the April Fools' Day Pokémon sprite thinks. And who are we to argue with that kind of logic?

It's so cool when Game Freak alludes to a future Pokémon in the previous generation. Incineroar actually teased the new Fire/Bug Pokémon that was getting released in the next generation. You see, Incineroar's belt isn't really a belt. It's actually a Centiskorch! Which is what the April Fools' Day Pokémon sprite shockingly reveals.

Basculegion has been making waves in the competitive Pokémon scene. This is because of the move Last Respects, which makes Basculegion the king of reverse sweeps. The move Last Respects gains power (up to 300 BP) for each ally Pokémon that's been knocked out. The April Fools' Day Pokémon sprite embraces this idea with Lil Uzi lyrics — that all Basculegion wants is its friends to die so he can get stronger.

Last and the arguably best April Fools' Day Pokémon sprite is for the newest Grass starter, Meowscarada. This Cat in the Hat-inspired Pokémon sprite is a true representation of the Pokémon. A devious and comedic mastermind that will gladly hit your team with STAB moves at every twist and turn. All, of course, with that smirk on its face.

You can check out the full list of Pokémon Showdown April Fools Sprites here. Otherwise, for more Pokémon content, stay tuned to esports.gg!