Pokémon Artist Says Ultra Beasts Were Based on Previously Scrapped Pokémon Designs, Fueled by Resentment
In a fascinating peek behind the scenes of Pokémon design, illustrator Yusuke Ohmura has revealed that the bizarre and alien nature of Ultra Beasts was intentional — and rooted in creative history. Speaking on social media, Ohmura explained that many of the Ultra Beast designs originated from concepts he had previously submitted and were rejected during Pokémon development, and he deliberately repurposed them to make the creatures feel strangely otherworldly.
Ultra Beasts, introduced in Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, are known for their unusual shapes and unsettling appearances that set them apart from typical Pokémon — fitting given their origins in Ultra Space, a dimension outside the usual Pokémon world. According to Ohmura, he **recalled designs that had been rejected by longtime Pokémon art director Ken Sugimori and used the very reasons they were rejected as inspiration for the Ultra Beast art direction.
“The Ultra Beasts were created by recalling all the designs I’d previously had rejected… then deliberately using the reasons they were rejected as the direction for their new designs. In a way, then, they’re sort of the manifestation of my grudge / resentment, which is pretty scary, isn’t it?” — Yusuke Ohmura (translated).
Ohmura clarified that this was not an expression of personal animosity toward Sugimori — one of the foundational designers of Pokémon — but rather a creative choice to lean into ideas that had been dismissed in earlier stages.
Design enthusiasts and fans often note that Ultra Beasts intentionally feel different from other Pokémon — a creative goal that resonated with Ohmura’s explanation. The intent was to make them look distinct and unsettling, which also aligns with fan interpretations that these creatures were meant to look nothing like typical Pokémon.