New Pokemon Variants Look A Lot Like Pals

The adorable life simulation Pokemon spinoff Pokemon Pokopia recently shared a ton of new details. Among the new information revealed was the design of several variant Pokemon who will appear in the game, including the pale Peakychu and the colorful Smearguru. Two variant characters in Pokemon Pokopia, wise Professor Tangrowth and extremely sleepy Mosslax, have gained attention from fans due to their resemblance to a pair of Palworld's Pals.

Pokemon Pokopia's Professor Tangrowth Shares Similarities With Palworld's Wumpo

As the cast of Pokopia is entirely made up of Pokemon, the series' usual human Pokemon Professor is replaced by Professor Tangrowth, a scholarly variant on the Tangela evolution. Unlike the normal Tangrowth introduced in the Generation 4 games, the Professor has white vines on his head — presumably representing his age — a thick vine "beard," cracked glasses, and a TM sticking to his topmost vine.

Professor Tangrowth's beady eyes, blue-and-white coloration, and general body shape have drawn comparisons to Wumpo, a Pal from the game Palworld. Known as the "Guardian of the Snowy Mountain," Wumpo is a hairy Pal found in the tundra region. Palworld players who manage to get past Wumpo's aggressive nature can greatly benefit from the creature's aid; it functions as a mount and can carry heavy supplies.

Mosslax Brings To Mind Wumpo Botan

Once the comparisons between Wumpo and Professor Tangrowth began, a second connection was soon made: this time between Mosslax and Wumpo's color variant form, Wumpo Botan. Mosslax is a Snorlax who has slept for so long that its entire body is covered in green moss and a flower has grown on its head. The shaggy moss, green coloration, and inclusion of a head flower make Mosslax look like Wumpo Botan, a Grass-Element variant of Wumpo covered with foliage instead of hair. Wumpo Botan is significantly more peaceful than the standard Wumpo, meaning the seemingly chill Mosslax may be a match in personality as well as appearance.

Are The Pal-Like Designs In Pokemon Pokopia Deliberate?

Pokemon fans on social media such as Reddit and X were quick to notice the Palworld connection and theorize about whether Nintendo or Pokopia developer Omega Force had acted deliberately or if the similarities were simply an accident. Nintendo and The Pokemon Company previously sued Palworld developer Pocketpair for patent infringement, a dispute that is still ongoing.

The lawsuit has forced Pocketpair to make changes to Palworld, such as removing the ability to summon Pals by throwing balls. However, earlier in November, the US Patent and Trademark Office announced that it was re-examining Nintendo's most recent creature capture and battling patent, which may have a significant impact on the future of the lawsuit.

It seems unlikely that Nintendo or The Pokemon Company would deliberately choose to imitate Palworld designs given the ongoing legal action against Pocketpair, meaning that there is a strong chance the design similarities are a coincidence. But some fans are suspicious — one Reddit user said, "I'm certain this is Pokemon being cruel to Palworld," while X user @NODEBEEFYOUTUBE wrote, "This is 100% a jab at Palworld's Wumpo." A thread in the r/Palworld Reddit community features several comments suggesting that Pocketpair should sue Nintendo, The Pokemon Company, or Omega Force in retaliation.

At the time of writing, neither Pocketpair nor the official Palworld social media accounts have commented on the alleged similarities. It has also not been confirmed if the similar designs will have any effect on the ongoing dispute between the companies. Pokemon Pokopia is currently scheduled to launch on March 5, 2026, and it is definitely possible that the situation may develop further before then. It is also possible that more variant Pokemon designs for the game will be revealed, potentially with more Palworld similarities, whether intentional or accidental.

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