Pokémon community has polarizing reactions to Wiglett

The Pokémon Company has revealed Wiglett, a new Pokémon making its debut in Scarlet and Violet. The announcement came on Wednesday during a faux webinar hosted by an organization dubbed the World Pokémon Ecological Society.

Wiglett bears a close resemblance to the Ground-type Kanto native Diglett. However, Wiglett has a white body that is able to extend out of the ground much higher than Diglett’s can. In addition, groups of Wiglett appear to dwell in sandy areas near water.

Serebii Video: Footage of the new Pokémon, Wiglett, from the World Pokémon Ecological Society Webinar https://t.co/FlR3KE4POehttps://t.co/gDbXkHT3ar pic.twitter.com/RfhjVEqNgD

— Serebii.net (@SerebiiNet) September 28, 2022

Throughout the section highlighting Wiglett, narrating researches debated whether it was a new evolution or a new form of Diglett. However, the scientists eventually discovered that Wiglett is a brand new species of Pokémon altogether. As a result, the fact that it looks like Diglett is entirely coincidental.

More about Wiglett in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

Centro Leaks leaked the existence of a Water-type Diglett lookalike coming to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet in July. According to the leaks, Wiglett is a new type of Pokémon variant known as a Convergent Species. The leaks also suggested that Wiglett and its Dugtrio-esque evolution will both be pure Water-types.

Wiglett’s reveal has been met with mixed reviews so far. Some have praised the Pokémon’s cute design, while others have responded with apparent disgust. Some others have even drawn comparisons between Wiglett and the Alaskan Bull Worm from SpongeBob SquarePants.

https://twitter.com/P_Art64/status/1575051698833223681

The World Pokémon Ecological Society presentation included a handful of other minor announcements. In particular, viewers learned that the Diglett, Snover, Sandile, and Applin lines will all return in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

The video also highlighted how these returning Pokémon interact with their environments in the Paldea region. For example, Sandile and Krokorok are able to swim through sand like it’s water. Meanwhile, Abomasnow can create targeted blizzards to obscure the vision of its enemies.