Ethan Crossfield 
A fresh leak resurfaced online with early artwork hinting that Game Freak once considered a pre-evolution for Lapras—one of Gen 1’s most recognizable Pokémon. The find matters now because it adds another chapter to the franchise’s long history of designs being revised, scrapped, or repurposed across decades of main-series games.
What happened: scrapped baby Lapras artwork appears online
A new piece of in-development artwork from the Pokémon franchise’s early days has been shared online, reportedly via leak aggregator Centro Leaks. The image depicts a sketch of a Lapras pre-evolution: a smaller version of the sea creature, with design differences that stand out against modern Lapras.
While parts of the drawing are cut off, the visible body suggests a younger form without the shell knobs that typically extend from Lapras’s shell. The leak also points to an older concept element—an open-mouth expression on the baby Lapras that includes fangs. That’s a contrast to how Lapras is usually portrayed today, where visible teeth are not part of its standard look.
The post does not specify exactly when the scrapped design was originally created, but the source context suggests it likely dates back to the development era for Pokémon Red and Blue. That would place the concept squarely in the period when early Pokémon ideas were still being tested and reshaped before the final Gen 1 roster took its modern form.
Why it matters: Lapras’s legacy makes the “what could have been” feel real
Lapras is more than just a member of the original roster—it’s tied to several major franchise touchstones. The Pokémon is strongly associated with Surfing, including its use as the sprite for the Surf animation in the first two games. In Pokémon’s Kanto storyline, players can also obtain a free Lapras during the main quest: an NPC in Silph Co. rewards players with Lapras after a battle involving Team Rocket boss Giovanni.
Beyond the games, Lapras also played a prominent role in the early anime adaptation, where Ash and friends used Lapras to travel around the Orange Islands. Because Lapras already occupies such a central niche in Pokémon’s early identity, a pre-evolution concept changes the way fans imagine the creature’s origin and development.
More broadly, the leak fits a pattern Pokémon fans have come to expect: designs frequently surface years later showing what was considered and then replaced. The source also notes that earlier concepts have been reworked into later Pokémon, and it cites other examples from a separate internal development documentary leak tied to Pokémon Diamond and Pearl—where multiple scrapped designs appeared, including alternate Shellos variants and unused evolutions for several Pokémon.
What to watch next: more scrapped concepts could surface with upcoming releases
This isn’t the first time development material has been discovered after the fact, but it’s a reminder that the franchise’s creative pipeline often leaves behind artifacts. With more archival leaks possible, fans may see additional early sketches that explain how certain Pokémon ended up looking the way they do today.
Looking ahead, the Pokémon franchise is also preparing for new main-series entries. The source states that Game Freak and The Pokémon Company revealed Pokémon Winds and Waves during the 30th anniversary Pokémon Day livestream, teasing a tropical island region based on Southeast Asia. It also mentions the first-look starter trio for the upcoming games—Growt, Pombon, and Gecqua—giving fans new reasons to pay attention to what design directions the studio is currently exploring.
In the meantime, the Lapras leak stands as a “historical snapshot” of ideas that didn’t make it into the final Gen 1 lineup—exactly the sort of context that makes every new Pokémon design discussion feel bigger than just aesthetics.
- Expect more design-history leaks: Pokémon has a track record of scrapped concepts resurfacing long after release.
- Lapras’s Surfing role and early-game availability make a pre-evolution concept especially intriguing for Gen 1 fans.
- If the artwork truly traces back to Pokémon Red and Blue development, it highlights how early ideas were still being refined.
- Watch for additional archival discoveries alongside ongoing franchise reveals for Winds and Waves.
Expert View
Leaks like this do more than satisfy curiosity—they reshape how players interpret Pokémon design decisions. When a pre-evolution for an iconic creature like Lapras appears, it underscores that the franchise’s “classic” look wasn’t inevitable; it was the result of iteration, pruning, and taste changes during early development. For Game Freak, that’s a reminder that even scrapped ideas can become part of fan culture years later—meaning the studio’s creative process is never truly finished, even after the cartridges ship.
