‘Pokémon Sun And Moon’: Lapras, Arcanine And Psyduck Added To Japanese Pokédex But Not In Alola Forms

Early this week, we reported about the addition of five Pokémon from the original lineup of the Pokémon franchise. Today, it appears that three very familiar Pokémon have joined the list of Pokémon that’s slated to appear in the upcoming RPGs “Pokémon Sun” and “Pokémon Moon” when they hit the market this November.

Just before the weekend arrived, the Japanese website of “Pokémon Sun and Moon” updated its list of the pocket monsters that will be part of the 3DS family-exclusive video games. On the site’s Pokédex, Lapras, Arcanine and Psyduck have been added to the bottom and the final Pokémon category that houses the five previously confirmed Pokémon from the original lineup —Dragonite, Zubat, Gyarados, Spearow and Pinsir.

Apparently, like the previously confirmed Pokémon, Lapras, Arcanine and Psyduck will be joining the action in the Alola Region in their original forms. This means that they will not have Alola forms like Raichu, Meowth, Marowak, Exeggutor, Vulpix, Ninetales, Sandshrew and Sandslash.

“Pokémon Sun and Moon” is set on the archipelago of tropical islands called Alola. Composed of four natural and one man-made islands, the Alola Region is home to a diverse ecology of Pokémon. Because the islands have different microclimates, some Pokémon have adapted to these and have since transformed into different Pokémon that are simply referred to as Alola forms.

Nevertheless, not all Pokémon have Alola forms and this is proven by the five pocket monsters that were added to the Japanese site’s Pokédex earlier this week. At the time, we noted that this could be an indication that not all Pokémon from previous releases will be part of the new video games. Since there is still a lot of time until “Pokémon Sun” and “Pokémon Moon” arrive this fall, it is very likely that The Pokémon Company will continue to introduce more Pokémon from the original lineup to the games.

Interestingly, like the previously confirmed original Pokémon, the original and evolved forms of the newly added ones are also found on “Pokémon Sun and Moon’s” Japanese website. Hence, Growlithe and Golduck can be found when clicking the Pokédex entries for Arcanine and Psyduck, but they have yet to be individually registered in the Pokédex.

Though the eight original Pokémon — Pinsir, Spearow, Gyarados, Zubat, Dragonite, Arcanine, Lapras and Psyduck — are already registered in the Japanese site’s Pokédex, they have yet to be officially added to the U.S. “Pokémon Sun and Moon” website. Whether or not these eight Pokémon will be part of the video games that will hit the U.S. shores this fall remains to be a mystery. What’s only known for now is that they are coming to the Japanese market when the new video games are released.

“Pokémon Sun” and “Pokémon Moon” are expected to release in the United States on Nov. 18. The release of the games in Japan are also set to happen the same day.