Krabby has unexpectedly started showing up in odd places on the official Pokémon Sword and Shield website, similar to the recent reveal of Sirfetch’d.
This could just be a gag that The Pokémon Company is doing, but after what happened with the last reveal and how much media attention Sirfetch’d got, it’s possible that this is pointing to a Galarian form for Krabby.
All of this appeared on the Pokémon Secret Club website, a special page where new trailers and information can be viewed by players who have pre-ordered the games.
Outside of the obvious imagery with several large and small pictures of the River Crab Pokémon, the Japanese name for Krabby (クラブ, which just translates to Crab) is also featured in several places. It seems to be included as a pun on the Pokémon Secret Club (ポケモンひみつクラブ) and hints that a trailer could be exclusively dropping there.
Unlike Farfetch’d, Krabby already has an evolution in Kingler. But that didn’t stop Game Freak from giving Zigzagoon a new form and third stage. So if a Galarian form of the crab is on its way, it’ll likely be closer to what happened with Hoenn’s trash panda.
Kingler looks like a very offensive crab, so if a new evolution is added, it could be based on the Cancer Pagurus (brown crab) that’s a common food dish in England. It has a much more rounded carapace, which can act as the “shield” of the Pokémon. This could also make for a large change in design, removing the larger pincers that Kingler is known for with more sword-like claws. And it’d make sense because of the naming convention, since Kingler is a king crab and England is known for a history of kings.
Outside of the images and potential wordplay, there hasn’t been any official acknowledgment from The Pokémon Company yet like there was with Sirfetch’d. That doesn’t mean this leak won’t lead to another trailer in the near future, though.
Pokémon Sword and Shield release worldwide on Nov. 15. If you want access to the Pokémon Secret Club website, all you need to do is pre-order one of the games.
