With summer fast approaching,The Pokemon Company will soon start revealing more and more details aboutPokemon ScarletandVioletbefore the Gen 9 games are finally released in November. Despite the fact thatGen 9 games have only gotten two trailersthus far, there is still a lot of information that can be derived from those videos, especially about the themes ofPokemon ScarletandViolet. Yet, one of the more pressing topics for many fans remains the appearance and type combinations of the starter Pokemon in the upcoming titles.
There are plenty of rumors about the cute starter trio forPokemon ScarletandViolet, and unsurprisingly a lot of those are all about everyone’s favorite Grass-type kitty, Sprigatito. Ever sinceSprigatito was first revealed on Pokemon Dayin February, lots of fans expressed the desire for the cute cat to remain quadrupedal, which is something they hoped for Litten fromPokemon SunandMoonas well, much to the disappointment regarding the subsequent reveal of Incineroar. Similarly, fans thought that it would be fitting for Sprigatito to be a Grass/Fairy-type Pokemon because of its name and appearance. Still, recent rumors may debunk both these theories and tell a different story about this starter.
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Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Leaks About Sprigatito and Its Evolutions
The most prominent leaker in thePokemoncommunity right now is someone called Riddler Khu, who usually shares many details in the form of image collages or written riddles to give food for thought to the fans over Twitter. Recently, Khu shared a tweet that was aboutPokemon ScarletandViolet’s starters and their final types, including huge hints about what every starter eventually evolves into in terms of type combinations. Despite the popular theory about Sprigatito becoming a Grass/Fairy-type Pokemon, the critter is seemingly evolving into a Grass/Dark creature, a type combination that is quite rare across the franchise and was only recently made slightly more common through Zarude inPokemon SwordandShield.
This “leak” is based on the fact thatPokemon Legends: Arceus' starterswere a sort of test for Generation 9 games, but this time the secondary types of Hisuian Samurott and Hisuian Decidueye are going to be swapped inPokemon ScarletandViolet. As such, according to Khu, Fuecoco is going to evolve into a Fire/Ghost Pokemon, Quaxly is going to turn into a Water/Fighting-type, and Sprigatito is becoming a Grass/Dark critter. As far as the concept of Pokemon type trifecta goes, these types do match the criteria and are very likely to be the final combinations for Gen 9 starters.
Another hot topic within thePokemoncommunity is one regarding Sprigatito’s supposed evolution being either bipedal or quadrupedal, but again, Khu left a hint about it being the former. This comment was a reply to a fan’s question about theGrass-type starter, to which Khu replied that Sprigatito will indeed “stand up.” This is hardly a surprise for many, though, considering that Game Freak’s design philosophy when it comes to starter Pokemon is that they should be both creatures that one would befriend and also mirror the “evolution” of humans as they mature in life, eventually becoming more anthropomorphic in terms of physical features.
The fact that Sprigatito is supposedly going to be a bipedal critter once it evolves also ties perfectly with another of Khu’s hints, this time concerning the kitty’s appearance once it evolves. In fact, it seems thatPokemon ScarletandVioletwill include several “waifumon” in the regional Pokedex, as in creatures that have quite feminine features that make them appealing specifically because they are more anthropomorphic in their appearance. This category seemingly includes Sprigatito’s evolution, according to Khu.
Finally, in terms of in-game abilities, Khu also mentioned thatSprigatito’s evolutionis going to have an immensely powerful hidden ability that makes it stand out from the other starters. Because Khu’s wording involves the move pool the critter will have, fans were quick to point out that this might be a hint that Sprigatito’s evolution is going to get Libero as its hidden ability, much like Cinderace did inPokemon SwordandShield.
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Unconfirmed Rumors About Sprigatito in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
Not all information about Sprigatito’s evolutions that came to light in the past few months is actually believable, however, and that includes the recent alleged “leak” that came in the form of a video. Thisvideo depictsPokemon ScarletandViolet’s potential evolution for Sprigatito, fully animated and with its own in-game 3D model. However, upon further inspection of the design of this creature, it’s possible to note several textures and elements taken straight fromPokemon SwordandShield’s Obstagoon, the regional evolution of the Zigzagoon line. As such, this video should be treated as fake.
Another rumor is that Sprigatito might evolve into a flamenco dancer, which would make sense based on the fact that the region forPokemon ScarletandVioletis inspired by Spain and possibly Portugal. Flamenco dancers are instantly recognizable as part of Spain’s imagery because of their frilly dresses and gowns, and it would make sense to pay homage to Spain by havingSprigatito evolve into a flamenco-like critter. This rumor hasn’t been debunked yet, but it’s quite unlikely if one considers that Sprigatito is supposedly evolving into a Grass/Dark Pokemon, which doesn’t fit the aesthetics and the themes of flamenco, design-wise.
One more rumor that’s worth mentioning is thatPokemon ScarletandViolet’s starter triomight be designed based on the tale of Saint Jorge and the dragon, a myth that sees Saint Jorge slay a dragon and rescue a princess. This rumor sees Sprigatito’s evolution as the princess, Fuecoco’s evolution as the dragon, and lastly, Quaxly’s evolution as Saint George himself. Yet, once again, it wouldn’t really fit the type combinations as per those revealed by Khu, but it’s a nice theory that ties well into Spanish folklore.
Pokemon ScarletandVioletrelease on July 21, 2025, for Nintendo Switch.
MORE:Pokemon: Fuecoco’s ‘Presence’ in Ultra Sun and Moon May Hint at Sprigatito’s Evolutions
