If you missed it earlier this week, a second wave of Game Freak leaks started spreading online, revealing several new and canceled projects at the Pokémon developer. Among these was an early look at Pokémon Wind and Wave, the Generation X games coming to Switch 2. The big news out of these leaks was that the games will have procedurally generated worlds and a focus on exploration, but there was one smaller reveal in all of this that also has caught the internet’s eye: Pikachu, the beloved little yellow guy, is seemingly getting a redesign.
In the Teraleak files, there are models for Pikachu as he will appear in Wind and Wave. These renders give him a much more oval-like head that resembles what we see in modern 2D art of the character on merchandise and promo material.
— (Not) Centro Leaks (@CentroLeaks_alt) October 13, 2025
When I see this version of Pikachu in merchandise, I usually find it pretty cute. Oftentimes he’s wearing a costume, so the rounder head helps him keep his plump cuteness while those clothes cover his body and change his silhouette. Even when he’s in his birthday suit, he’s usually in a dynamic pose that masks just how different this design is compared to the more full-bodied model seen in most of the games. But now that I’m just looking at this version straight on, my guy looks like he’s been on Ozempic for the past 30 years.
Pikachu’s design has changed dramatically over the years, and while passersby probably haven’t even noticed that the electric rodent has gotten notably thinner since his debut in the ‘90s, the changes Game Freak and The Pokémon Company have made are a pretty big source of contention within the community. When Pikachu first showed up in the original games, he was a pretty round mouse that only got more anthropomorphic as years went on. His body gradually slimmed down, and his arms got longer. That certainly made him more expressive in the anime, but despite this benefit, some fans remain nostalgic for the early “fat” design. Pokémon Sword and Shield paid homage to the old look with Pikachu’s Gigantamax form, which brought back the round shape when the ‘mon entered a giant, kaiju state, but now Wind and Wave are slimming him down even more. Don’t worry, king, I’m on my way to feed you a Thunder Stone and evolve you into Raichu.
