Palworld Pals That Are Pokemon Lookalikes

This article is part of a directory: Palworld Guide Hub - Tips, Base Building, Best Pals, & More

Summary

Palworld draws clear inspiration from Pokemon, with monster designs like Sparkit resembling Pikachu and Univolt looking like Zebstrika.
Some Palworld monsters, like Dumud and Anubis, bear striking resemblances to newer Pokemon designs, causing controversy among fans.
Despite similarities, Palworld's Boltmane stands out as a regal cat monster with a powerful presence, akin to Luxray from the Pokemon franchise.

Palworld is a monster-taming video game that was developed by Pocket Pair and released at the start of 2024. The gameplay mainly consists of the player character running around and catching or battling the monsters that live in this world. While some crafting and base-building aspects in Palworld make this game feel similar to Ark Survival Evolved, there is one other gaming franchise that players can not help to draw comparisons between. That is Pokemon.

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By Jonathan Rodriguez

The gameplay in Palworld is eerily similar to that of Nintendo's own monster-hunting game, but many fans have found that a lot of the monster designs in Palworld look too much like some well-known Pokemon. This is so obvious that it has led to the Pokemon Company filing a copyright lawsuit against the Palworld developers. However, some of the Palworld monster designs look more like traditional Pokemon than others.

1 Sparkit

Looks Like: Pikachu

If another company was ever going to take any inspiration from a Pokemon, it makes sense that they would choose Pikachu. This cute, yellow, electric rodent has been Pokemon's mascot since the anime started, as it appeared in the show as Ash's main partner. It has also been heavily featured in the game since then and was also the title character in Pokemon's first live-action movie, Detective Pikachu.

Palworld's Sparkit takes many of the design features of Pikachu to make it look similar. It is small, yellow, and has pointy ears. However, the biggest comparison is found in Sparkit's lightning bolt-shaped tale. This is one of Pikachu's most defining attributes and signifies that it uses electric attacks. The only other thing that Sparkit could have to look more like Pikachu is a pair of red cheeks.

2 Univolt

Looks Like: Zebstrika

The idea of including a monster like an electric horse in a game like Palworld feels too good to pass up. That is why the developers included the colorful mount, Univolt, in the game. Unfortunately, this is another idea that the Pokemon franchise has used already. Kind of...

The generation five Pokemon, Zebstrika, may be based on a zebra instead of a horse, but its resemblance to Univolt is uncanny. Both designs have lightning bolts to make up the animals' manes and tales, and even some of the poses Univolt uses in its official artwork are similar to that of Zebstrika's official art.

3 Dumud

Looks Like: Clodsire

The newest Pokemon in the franchise to have some similarities to something from Palworld is Clodsire. The new form of the Generation Two Ground and Water-type, Quagsire, is now a Poison and Ground-type, and its appearance reflects that this is a new kind of creature.

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By Sophie McEvoy

Clodsire is a muddy brown color, walks on all fours, and is low to the ground. This is exactly how Dumud from Palworld appears. The only notable difference is the fin on Dumud's head and its facial expression. While both monsters look confused in their respective games, Dumud is a bit more cartoonish.

4 Grizzbolt

Looks Like: Electabuzz & Zangoose

Every new gaming franchise needs a mascot, a figure in the series that everyone will recognize. For Palworld, that mascot is Grizzbolt. This grinning, furry monster takes center stage in the box art for the game and is no doubt the Palworld monster casual gamers have seen the most. Its striking, yellow fur may grab the eye of new players, but it looks eerily similar to something that gamers have seen before.

The yellow fur with the black lightning bolt that Grizzbolt has is the same design as that of the Generation One Pokemon, Electabuzz. However, some fans have also noted that the creatures' long claws and menacing expressions also make them look like the Generation Three Pokemon, Zangoose. Merging these designs does result in a great monster, but it is hard to look past these Palworld comparisons.

5 Anubis

Looks Like: Lucario

In all fairness, it will be difficult for a game developer to base any character design on the ancient Egyptian God, Anubis, without it resembling the Pokemon Lucario. This Steel and Fighting-type Pokemon is a blue dog that walks on its hind legs, just as Anubis is depicted doing. Plus, its black mask also makes it look similar to its original design inspiration.

Therefore, the Palworld developers were on the back foot already when they decided to include a creature called Anubis in their own game. This version of the Egyptian God does look very much like Lucario, as expected. However, this design also moves Lucario's horn from its chest to its head in another nod to the Generation Four Pokemon.

6 Lamball

Looks Like: Wooloo

A sheep is exactly the type of livestock that people would expect to find running across some open fields in the real world. As a result, the developers of both Palworld and Pokemon decided to include a monster design based on this creature to fill out their fantasy worlds. Unfortunately, neither Lamball nor Wooloo do much to trigger the imagination of the player.

Wooloo is a Generation Eight Pokemon that can be caught in the early routes of the Galar region. As such, it does not have a very intimidating design and is basically a bland, Normal-type that looks exactly like a sheep. Therefore, any sheep monster that Palworld includes in its game is going to look like a Wooloo, regardless.

7 Direhowl

Looks Like: Lycanroc

A sturdy wolf Pokemon is such a great idea for the franchise that it is one that the series did three times in the Seventh Generation games. The small Rock-type, Rockruff, that players run into early in the Alola region evolves differently depending on the time of day. It can evolve into Midday Lycanroc during the day, Dusk Lycanroc in the evening, and Midnight Lycanroc at night. While Midnight Lycanroc is a bit different from its other forms, there is no denying that Direhowl from Palworld looks like the other two forms.

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By Madie Bostwick

Both Midday and Dusk forms of Lycanroc are basic wolves that run around on four legs. So too is Direhowl from Palworld, which is why it looks exactly like these two Pokemon, save for its darker fur.

8 Boltmane

Looks Like: Luxray

In the current discussion surrounding Palworld and its design controversy, the creature that many Pokemon fans keep pointing to as a direct rip-off of a monster from their franchise is Boltmane. This regal-looking cat is tall and proud with a broad mane of fur. It does appear to have a powerful presence in the game, but so too does Luxray in its respective franchise.

Ever since its debut in Generation Four, the Luxray line has always been considered a solid Electric-type to take through games. The only difference most players can notice in these two designs is that Luxray is colored black and blue, and Boltmane is black and yellow. However, Luxray swaps its blue for yellow in its shiny form.

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