‘Masterpiece’: Viral Pokémon art challenge finally finished after 152 chaotic days

One dedicated Pokémon fan finally finished a wild 152-day challenge where they combined every Gen I Pokémon with help from the community, and we’re in love with how it turned out.

In a Feb. 8 Reddit thread, user TB_mumpitz shared the final product of their Poké-project, which includes bits and pieces of the original 151 Pokémon from the Kanto region. Throughout the project that officially began in May 2023, the artist had been adding a different Pokémon each day based on suggestions from the community. As you’d expect, the suggestions were anything but normal, and the fused ‘mon quickly turned into something quite peculiar.

At first glance, your eyes might be drawn to what appears to be a Gyarados with Jigglypuff’s big eyes, Raticate’s teeth, Lickitung’s tongue, and a perm made of Tangela’s vines. But don’t let that distract you from everything else going on: Pikachu’s stuck in Weepinbel’s mouth (likely inspired by Cramorant’s Gorging Form), Dragonair’s wearing Cubone’s skull, and Snorlax is wearing Jynx’s bra, with Blastoise’s two cannons protruding from it. 

Funny enough, the idea of fusing ‘mons together is pretty popular nowadays. Some Legendary Pokémon are even intended to fuse together, such as Gen V’s Kyurem with Reshiram or Zekrom by using the DNA Splicers. The fanmade game, Pokémon Infinite Fusion, is also based on the concept of fusing Pokémon,with hilarious and sometimes scary outcomes. Then there’s Palworld, which may or may not fuse a couple of Pokémon together, too. But this 152-day project takes Pokémon Fusions to the next level. And we’re here for it.

And if you’re confused as to why the project took 152 days rather than 151, it’s because the artist also added in MissingNo., the iconic glitch Pokémon from Pokémon Red, Blue, and Yellow. MissingNo.’s texture can be found on Porygon. While it isn’t an official Pokémon, it’s cool to see it getting some love and recognition with how well-known the MissingNo. glitch is amongst Pokémon fans.

Aside from the creativity and passion put into this project, I honestly just found it fun to search the fused creature for certain ‘mons like a game of “I spy” or hide and seek. One of my favorite Pokémon, Rhydon, was hiding away in Cloyster’s shell with a Clefairy—a combination I never thought I’d see. Good luck finding your favorite Gen I Pokémon weaved somewhere within this “chaotic masterpiece,” as one fan called it.