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Palworld and Pokémon fans are arguing over whether a new whale Pal called Panthalus copies the Pokémon, Kyogre.
Palworld creature Panthalus is a massive legendary blue-green whale with a white belly, flared fins and tribal-like markings across its body, plus a large bronze decoration. Beloved Pokémon Kyogre, meanwhile, is a legendary blue whale with a white belly, flared fins and tribal markings across its body, with no bronze decoration.
Writing on social media, some fans have said that the design of Panthalus is "clearly inspired" by Kyogre, even if the concept of a mythical whale is not unique to Pokémon. One fan dubbed the design as "brazen," though others said it looked "legally distinct" enough.
"I feel like the similar art styles make the comparisons inevitable," tweeted video game content creator Josh Scorcher. "Like, Game Freak doesn't own the concept of a legendary/divine whale creature... But you have to be incredibly dishonest to not immediately think of Kyogre when you see this."
Others, however, have dismissed the comparison. "Literally the only thing they have in common is that they're both whales," one fan said. "Panthalus looks NOTHING like Kyorge," another added. "Concept is there, but I can easily visually distinguish them."
Panthalus' introduction comes just as fans discovered that several other Pal species have quietly had their designs changed in Palworld's big 1.0 update. Despite hundreds of other additions and tweaks being listed in developer Pocketpair's patch notes, there was curiously no mention of alterations to Verdash, Robinquill, Fengallop, and Grintale, which previously displayed more distinct similarities to familiar Pokémon species Cinderace, Decidueye, Cobalion, and Galarian Meowth.
IGN contacted Pocketpair for comment about these changes, but received no response.
Comparisons between Palworld's Pal designs and Pokémon are nothing new, of course, and fans have been pointing out similarities between species since before Palworld's original launch, when many accused Pocketpair of "ripping off" Pokémon designs.
And of course, all of this comes amid the ongoing legal battle between The Pokémon Company and Pocketpair over the use of patents, which seemingly prompted the latter to make gameplay changes in order to nullify its claims. A judgment is expected later this year.
Palworld's 1.0 launch landed earlier this month, finally bringing the game out of early access. Pocketpair said at the time that it would not raise the game's price beyond $29.99 as Palworld has "become a success beyond our wildest dreams." That statement likely reflects the fact that more than 40 million players have dipped their paws into Palworld since its early access launch.
Our Palworld Interactive Map has been updated for 1.0, including Watchtower Locations, so you can make sure to uncover everything new. We’ve also got a guide to 1.0 Pal Breeding Combos and How to Get Hardwood, plus the Best 1.0 Mounts to Catch in Order, and the Fastest Flying Mounts in 1.0.
Image: Decation/X.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
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