Pokémon Is Finally Giving Arcanine A New Evolution After 30 Years

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A massive new Pokémon Winds & Waves leak has just dropped a ton of new details, including what appears to be confirmation that after 30 years, fan-favorite Fire Pokémon Arcanine is getting a brand-new look.

The new tropical open-world region (which still doesn’t have a name) will introduce several new forms and regional variants, according to a recent leak. Regional variants in Pokémon games are nothing new, of course; they were first introduced back in 2016 when Pokémon Sun & Moon hit the Nintendo 3DS. Since then, we’ve seen our share new evolutions and unique forms for classic Pokémon like Raichu, Wooper, Zapdos, Sandslash, and Dugtrio.

Now, it would appear it’s Arcanine’s turn. As reported by Centro Leaks, a reliable Pokémon leaker known as Kurwa has just dropped a ton of new info on the upcoming games. They do, however, stress that plans could change between now and the 2027 release for Nintendo Switch 2.

Previous leaks suggested that certain Pokémon would have special new “weather forms”, which I believe is slightly different from a regional variant. It’s still not entirely clear what this means in practice. I see it going one of two ways: Pokémon gain temporary new forms depending on the weather during battles (like Castform), or they evolve into a different form based on whether it’s raining, snowing, etc.

Whatever the case, Arcanine is said to be one of the Pokémon who is getting a new weather form. It’s worth noting that Arcanine has had its own regional form before. In Pokémon Legends Arceus, players can capture Hisuian Growlithe and Arcanine, a Rock/Fire Type evolutionary line.

Other Pokémon apparently getting new weather forms include Lucario, Kecleon, Pikachu, and a handful of new Gen 10 monsters that have yet to be officially announced. It’s also been reported that Salandit will get a regional evolution: Poison/Dragon, while Psyduck is getting a new Ice/Psychic regional evolution line.

As a huge fan of Arcanine (a top five Pokémon for me, easily), I’m excited to see what this new form might look like and how it could help me in battle. Given that I also plan to add Pombon to my party when Pokémon Winds & Waves launches, I am a little concerned I’m just going to end up with a team of fiery dogs. A little concerned, but not too concerned.