The latest update to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet which included connectivity with Pokemon GO has been a huge help for hardcore collectors. Thanks to this added connectivity, players can obtain all the different wing patterns for Vivillon by transferring postcards from various locations in Pokemon GO to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. While this is a great way to give this Gen 6 mon some love, there is another Gen 6 creature with multiple forms that seems to be missing from Gen 9 completely.
In generations past, acquiring different forms of Vivillon was quite difficult to do without trading since its obtainable forms were dependent on the player's real-wold geographic location. Transferring postcards from Pokemon GO still requires players to obtain them from real-world locations, but comes with the benefit of giving players access to Roaming Form Gimmighoul in Pokemon Go for their efforts. For completionists, this is a great new challenge, but calls into question why Vivillon gets the attention while fellow Gen 6 multi-form mon Furfrou seems unlikely to be available in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet at all.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Snubs Furfrou in Favor of Vivillon
Like Vivillon, Furfrou was introduced in Pokemon X and Y as another creature with a variety of different forms based on the way players chose to groom this poodle-like mon. In the Gen 6 games, it was much easier to obtain every form of Furfrou than it was Vivillon as players simply needed to visit the salon in Lumiose City in Pokemon X and Y or Pokemon Fan Club in Slateport City in Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Furfrou could also have its form changed by NPCs in either Malie City or Hau'oli City in the Gen 7 games, but has not been available in generations since.
Furfrou was missing from Pokemon Sword and Shield's Pokedex and recently datamined information suggest Furfrou may be one of 15 Pokemon that could be left off the Switch after the DLC for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet releases. This would be the second generation in a row that Furfrou would be unavailable, which makes it even more strange that Vivillon and all of its forms are available in Gen 9, but Furfrou isn't. With how much easier Furfrou's forms have been to get in past games, it seems like adding it to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet would have been a lot simpler than Vivillon's 20 forms.
There was even an event for Fashion Week in Pokemon GO that featured Furfrou and its various forms being obtainable based on real-world regions, as well as a Valentine's Day event featuring its Heart Trim form. This would have made Furfrou the perfect creature to be included in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's connectivity with the mobile title, but instead it was sidelined in favor of Vivillon alone. This decision seems strange because while it gives collectors a way to access all of Vivillon's forms, it makes collections feel incomplete without also including Furfrou and its forms.
The odd omission of Furfrou in Gen 9 is made even more suspect when taking its Pokemon GO spotlight into account and with less total forms that Vivillon, Furfrou seems like the easier mon to add if data space is the issue. For now, it seems like Furfrou will be stuck in players' Pokemon Home boxes until it's added to the Pokedex of a new generation. With Pokemon Gen 10 likely coming on Nintendo's next console, Furfrou could end up as one the few mons completely unavailable on the Switch outside of Pokemon Home.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now for Nintendo Switch.