Why fusions shouldn’t be a core Pokemon mechanic

Pokemon fusion has been an interesting gameplay mechanic in the Pocket Monsters game series, though it's usually reserved for a small number of species or legendaries like Necrozma, Kyurem, and Calyrex. Its popularity has led some fans to create fan games like Infinite Fusion to imagine more fused Pocket Monsters, but should fusion become more common in the real video game series?

While the prospect of being able to fuse Pokemon in the core series games is an exciting one, an argument could be made that it would be antithetical to how the Pocket Monsters series has operated for decades. The series already has a form of fusion that works particularly well, but making it a core game mechanic could throw off the series' tried-and-true formula.

NOTE: This article is subjective and reflects the writer's opinion.

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Why fusion might not work as a core Pokemon mechanic

Dawn Wings Necrozma is an existing example of in-universe fusion between Lunala and Necrozma. (Image via The Pokemon Company)

As it stands as of Generation IX's Pokemon Scarlet and Violet and its Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLCs, there are 1,025 Pocket Monsters in the game series (even if all of them aren't always available to obtain). Asking Game Freak to introduce fusions between so many of these creatures in their current generation games would take an immense amount of time, to say the least.

Sure, fan games like Infinite Fusion have introduced the ability to fuse multiple Pokemon to create a new one with a unique appearance, but there's a difference between merging two in-game sprites together from the 2D era of Pocket Monsters games and making full-fledged 3D models of two fused creatures. Game Freak's artists would have a herculean task on their hands that could take tons of time.

There would also be game balance repercussions as well. In a game world where any two Pokemon can fuse to create a new creature, the combinations of stats, moves, and elemental types could be a major headache to program much less use in practical battles. The player vs player meta would likely be unrecognizable with a plethora of new fusion-based factors to account for in battles.

Additionally, giving the ability to fuse any Pocket Monsters would make prior species that can fuse (Magnemite coming together to create Magneton, Calyrex riding Glastrier/Spectrier, etc) feel less unique in general and cheapen their in-universe lore overall. In a world of Pikamanders and Chikoquils, creatures like Black/White Kyurem or Metagross don't feel quite as interesting.

Metagross is the result of two Metang fusing (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Put plainly, fusion works fine for what it is in its current state. Game Freak can always add more creatures that fuse in the future from a gameplay or lore-based perspective, but making the fusing of the eponymous Pocket Monsters a core mechanic may be a bridge too far. It could be fun to experiment with, but the notion introduces more problems than solutions in the long run.

Perhaps Game Freak could introduce a future game where fusion is a bit more prevalent in gameplay, but making it a bedrock mechanic could throw the successful formula of the franchise out of alignment. Fans might like fusion-heavy gameplay in theory, but they may not like the result so much in practice.