With the upcoming release of Pokémon LEGENDS: Z-A, the love for the Kalos region has been reignited within the Pokémon community. The magical experience of discovering Mega Evolutions, the Fairy-type Pokémon, and the Aura Trio is in full swing. That same sense of wonder can also be found in the sixth generation of Pokédex Ilustrada, the ambitious project created by our dear friends from Ilustradoras Unidas, published on March 27th.
Pokémon Blog had the honor of conversing with five of the six masterminds —Costanza (C.a.cosas/An Ordinary Frög), Karen (chibichubi_), Camilla (Kitara), Bakustrider, and Lucy (Achy_)—about the behind-the-scenes process of organizing this project, which brought together 121 artists and celebrated everything they love the most about the Pokémon X and Pokémon Y games.
For the dream team at Ilustradoras Unidas, developing the Sixth Generation of Pokédex Ilustrada is a major accomplishment.
“We never imagined we would reach this point,” Constanza mentioned. “We’re already looking forward to the next generations.”
“I didn’t think it would become so popular or that many artists would want to participate in the Pokédex. I always thought we wouldn’t get that far, but here we are—stressed out, organizing it,” Karen explained.
Camila shared a similar sentiment: “I don’t even know how the Pokédex gained so much momentum. It feels like just yesterday we were working on the first generation.”
For Lucy and Baku, it’s a different experience as they joined the organization during the previous Pokédex, giving them the perspective of seeing the process from the outside.
“I really admire the organization for taking on this challenge. My full admiration goes to the team,” Lucy said.
“I hope we make it to the ninth generation and beyond,” Baku expressed.
The sixth generation is well known for introducing the fewest new Pokémon; therefore, the Ilustradoras Unidas team had to compensate by including Mega Evolutions, postcards, and variants of certain Pokémon like Meowstic and Vivillon.
The Mega Evolutions were treated as a special feature. They even showcased the first Mega Evolution on a postcard as a wink to the fans of the games.
“¡Viva las Mega Evoluciones!” Baku commented.
Originally, the team wanted to incorporate the French inspiration of this generation’s region, Kalos, into the aesthetics of the Pokédex, but decided to keep it simple and feature it on a postcard instead.
The postcards also played an important role in showcasing the lore, Team Flare, the Pokémon War, Yvetal’s extraordinary power, AZ, and his iconic friendship with Floette.
Speaking about postcards, there’s also the addition of a priceless section focused on Dedenne. This section was Karen’s idea and served as a solution to the many blank pages they had left in the Pokédex due to the lack of some postcard submissions.
Each member of Ilustradoras Unidas has a different aspect of the games they love the most.
For Karen, it’s the setting, inspired by France.
For Baku, the introduction of Fairy-type Pokémon: “I needed that more as a person than as a Pokémon Trainer. I think it spoke more to me and my tastes than it contributed to the adventure itself.”
For Constanza, it’s the captivating story and the charming Sylveon.
Camila and Lucy agreed on the introduction of Mega Evolutions, but they also highlighted other features, such as the hunting of Shiny Pokémon and the unique designs of the new ones.
According to the members of Ilustradoras Unidas, the most rewarding part of organizing this project was seeing the enthusiasm of those who wanted to participate and contribute to this new generation.
“We received 300 applications,” Constanza revealed.
“It was total chaos,” Camila added.
“All the slots were taken. Everybody wanted to join,” Karen mentioned.
Baku reflected on the dual nature of the situation: “Seeing the increase in the number of artists interested in the Pokédex means more people are interested in Pokémon. But at the same time, it means leaving many of those artists out, and that’s discouraging.”
As Baku mentioned, the most challenging part of Pokédex Ilustrada is the selection of artists and the assignment of the Pokémon.
The selection system is based on the order in which applications are received, and the team from Ilustradoras Unidas has followed this method since the first generation.
“So many artists don’t understand that we have a system that has worked for us in previous editions of the Pokédex. They criticized us harshly because the Pokémon they wanted were already taken,” Camila told the Pokémon Blog Team.
“To be honest, this is the most chaotic Pokédex we have ever worked on—not only because of the number of applicants and the limited number of available Pokémon, but also because several people didn’t submit their illustrations on time. We had to make many adjustments to the layout and change the order more than once, which was a lot of work,” Constanza added.
The biggest lessons they learned during this process could be summed up as improving data organization and refining the artist selection process.
“We were talking about it as a team,” Constanza said. “And I think the biggest lesson is always how to improve for the next editions by making the explanations shorter, streamlining the process, and always encouraging the artists to participate.”
Due to their involvement with the Kalos region during the development of this Pokédex, we couldn’t resist the opportunity to ask the Ilustradoras Unidas team about their expectations for the upcoming release of Pokémon LEGENDS: Z-A.
“The game looks pretty interesting and entertaining. I’m looking forward to exploring more of the lore. I just hope they improve the animations of Pokémon and the battles. I think there’s still room for improvement when it comes to the attacks. But the trailer left me with high expectations, and I hope it turns out to be a great game,” Lucystated.
Constanza also echoes Lucy’s high expectations and concerns: “I feel uneasy about the graphics and mechanics of the game, but I’m interested in learning more about AZ’s relationship with Floette. I think there’s still a lot to explore there.”
Baku and Camilla share the same sentiment regarding AZ and Floette, as they both believe it’s something that the fans would appreciate.
“I’m intrigued by the fact that the turn-based system is partially gone. I wonder how it’s going to work now, and I’m looking forward to seeing it in depth,” Baku added.
Meanwhile, Camila hopes for more dynamic battles, enhanced effects, and a more cinematic experience overall.
Until Pokémon LEGENDS: Z-A arrives, we are fortunate to wander the wonders of Kalos through the eyes of the talented artists who brought the sixth generation of Pokédex Ilustrada to life.
You can see the previous generations of Pokédex Ilustrada here:
Pokédex Ilustrada 1 Gen (Kanto)
Pokédex Ilustrada 2 Gen (Johto)
Pokédex Ilustrada 3 Gen (Hoenn)
Pokédex Ilustrada 4 Gen (Sinnoh)
Pokédex Ilustrada 5 Gen (Unova)
You can see the entirety of the sixth generation of Pokédex Ilustrada here:
Pokédex Ilustrada 6 Gen (Kalos)
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