Gardevoir
Gardevoir, known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon media franchise. Designed by Game Freak for Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire as part of a new creative philosophy to test the waters of what a Pokémon was expected to look like, their design was finalized by Ken Sugimori and is an evolved form of Kirlia and the final evolution of Ralts. Since Gardevoir's introduction, they have appeared in other media and titles related to the Pokémon franchise, such as the Pokémon Trading Card Game and Pokémon Unite. Conception and design
Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, the Pokémon series began in Japan in 1996 with the release of the Pokémon Red and Blue video games for the Game Boy. In these games, the player assumes the role of a Pokémon Trainer whose goal is to capture and train creatures called Pokémon. Players use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon, and some can transform into stronger species, or evolve, once they gain enough experience. The ultimate goal of the games is to complete the entries in the Pokémon index (Pokédex), a comprehensive Pokémon encyclopedia, by capturing, evolving, and trading to obtain creatures from all Pokémon species. When designing the 2002 video games Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, Game Freak initially wanted to not include any of the Pokémon from the previous games, with lead artist Ken Sugimori using it as an opportunity push the concept of what a Pokémon could look like. To this end he wanted to try more "humanoid" designs, but also wanted to emphasize "cooler" designs, due to feedback the team had received that Pokémon was seen as too "babyish". Additionally, while the previous Pokémon Gold and Silver were bound to simplistic designs for the sake of the related anime and toy manufacturing, with Ruby and Sapphire Sugimori was cited as saying "Screw it," and focused on more complex and fleshed out designs. As the art team developed the Pokémon species, Sugimori would finalize them, altering their details as he felt necessary. Introduced in Ruby and Sapphire, Gardevoir stands 5 ft 3 in (160 cm) tall, and is the is the third and final part of the species' evolution line. Originally classified as a "Psychic" type Pokémon in Ruby and Sapphire, with the release of Pokémon X and Y they received a secondary typing of "Fairy". Despite their feminine features, Gardevoir are not exclusively female, with a 50/50 split of gender ratio when encountered in-game. Gardevoir start life as Ralts, a small bipedal with a white body, legs that drape outward and behind it, and green hair in the shape of a bowlcut that covers their eyes. Two round red horns protrude from the front and back of their head angled upward, which allow them to sense people's emotions. After acquiring enough experience, they evolve into Kirlia, gaining slight height while their hair now extends down the sides of their head, exposing their red eyes. Their legs are now green from the waist downward, while a white skirt shape extends from their waist horizontally, while their horns now protrude from the sides of their head instead. After acquiring enough experience, Kirlia can evolve into Gardevoir, though as of the Diamond and Pearl games male Kirlia may evolve into Gallade if exposed to a "Dawn Stone" item. Appearances
Gardevoir first appeared in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire as the evolution of Kirlia that does not occur naturally in the wild (the player must evolve Kirlia in order to obtain it). It later appeared in the games' remake, Pokémon Emerald. In the paired games Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, Kirlia gained a new evolution which meant that Kirlia may either evolve into Gardevoir or Gallade, the latter only possible under specific conditions. In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, Gardevoir is not a naturally occurring Pokémon. It also appeared in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver and Pokémon Black and White. Gardevoir also appears as a major character in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team and can be released from a Poké Ball item in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. A Gardevoir appeared in the Pokémon episode, Rescue Ralts! Hurry Max! as a parent of a Ralts, one of the species on Gardevoir's evolutionary line. Additionally, in Mutiny in the Bounty!, a Gardevoir belong to Pokemon trainer Melodi was stolen, but the psychic connection was too strong. Critical reception
Since their introduction Gardevoir has been well received, placing 9th on The Pokémon Company's Pokémon of the Year poll which featured all Pokémon from throughout the franchise. In 2023, Centennial Media's The Ultimate Guide to Pokémon noted that after compiling montly search histories of Google, Yahoo and Microsoft Bing, Gardevoir was the second highest searched Pokémon among internet users with an approximate total of 158,400 average searches per month. The addition of their Fairy-type as of Pokémon X and Y has also been praised, with Malik Umair of Dualshockers calling them the poster child of the typing due to their moves and design. Paste writers Kevin Slackie and Moises Taveras named them one of the best Pokémon in the franchise in their eyes, praising their "beauty and grace" while citing their popularity with players across all game appearances. Cian Maher and Ryan Woodrow of USA Today named them both one of the franchise's best Psychic and Fairy type Pokémon, specifically stating that they exude "the exact kind of mysterious energy that all Fairies should", as well as "widely revered as one of Gen 3’s best Pokémon today." Woodrow repeated these sentiments in an article for Sports Illustrated, stating that Gardevoir has "a simple humanoid body that makes it look graceful, but the design of the head and arms bring in those weird elements that you want from a good Psychic-type". In 2015, Destructoid named Gardevoir the website's "favorite Pocket Monster", with Kyle MacGregor Burleson writing a poem praising the character's design and abilities. However some outlets were critical of Gardevoir's design and characteristics. GamesRadars Carolyn Gudmundson noted that humanoid designs were some of the most overused amongst Pokémon in the franchise, but in particular "things go wrong when a Pokemon design goes from 'bipedal version of an animal that's usually a quadruped' to anything that resembles a sexy woman". Graduate School of International Studies Assistant Professor Sukhee Han was critical of the character's feminine appearance, feeling that it undermined the equal gender ratio in the games due to being indeterminate at a glance without the need of external information. Cian Maher in an article for theGamer was critical of Game Freak for a different reason. Calling them "one of the best Pokemon ever designed" and praising the method in which the player is introduced to their evolution line, he felt they were hampered by their gameplay and while still a strong contender, did not achieve the same level the game commonly afforded similar Pokémon. He acknowledged however that the character was routinely featured by Game Freak in subsequent games, and closed by stating "Gardevoir isn’t short on love from the people who work on Pokemon - it just isn’t being used to its full potential." As a sex symbol

Gardevoir's feminine humanoid design has also led to the fandom to heavily sexualize the species through fan works and discussions, while third-party companies have utilized their design in erotic-themed Adobe Flash games. Searches for pornography of the species have been prominent on sites such as Pornhub, while a June 2023 study of such content on Rule 34 websites such as Rule 34.xxx and Sankaku Channel noted a high volume of material compared to characters from other franchises, and the second highest of characters from the Pokémon franchise as a whole. An interviewee for Vice attributed this particular popularity to their more "human" and "pretty" feminine design, something they felt Pokémon titles prior to Ruby and Sapphire lacked. The high volume has resulted in multiple media outlets to comment on the reaction with disdain, or outright suggest one avoid searching for images of the character on Google, with USA Today in particular arguing that such presented a good argument for Game Freak to "stop designing humanoid Pokémon." Several outlets have noted, however, that the heavy focus on sex appeal within the fandom has led to fans of the character being reluctant to say so to avoid negative connotations. In particular, theGamers Editor in Chief Stacey Henley voiced her displeasure, having taken a liking to the character due to seeing her own transgender identity reflected in Gardevoir's evolutionary line, which culminated in "the most beautiful Pokemon I had ever seen". She added that while she understood the sexual appeal of the character for some due to their humanoid shape and "motherly vibe", it had become "impossible to have a conversation about Gardevoir, or to try and look them up online, because everything else is drowned out in a sea of [...] questionable depictions of Garde." Regardless of this she was grateful that the games had leaned away from the fan reaction, presenting a "pure [...] caring and nurturing" aspect of Gardevoir. She felt Gardevoir as portrayed in titles such as New Pokémon Snap represented their real characterization, and "not the one from the DeviantArt 18+ sections or the body pillows. Gardevoir is one of Pokemon's brightest stars, and it's a shame that they’ve been tarnished like this." See also
Pokémon and pornography

References

External links 

 
 Gardevoir on Pokemon.com

Pokémon species
Video game characters introduced in 2002
Fictional psychics
Fictional fairies and sprites
Video game characters who have mental powers
Fictional humanoids

ca:Línia evolutiva de Ralts#Gardevoir
es:Anexo:Pokémon de la tercera generación#Gardevoir
ko:포켓몬 목록 (281-300)#가디안