Old Pokemon Anime Episode May Have Predicted Scarlet and Violet Gameplay Gimmick

gamerant.com:

The original Pokemon anime played fast and loose with the rules of the Pokemon world as established in the video games, highlighting various Pokemon with unique traits whose existence didn't make much sense at the time. However, the Pokemon video games have repeatedly introduced new gimmicks that have actually addressed these anomalies in some way, with the latest example involving the crystal Onix from the anime and the new Terastal gimmick being introduced in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are introducing a new gameplay gimmick called the Terastal phenomenon. Pokemon that are Terastallized are given a glowing crystal-like shell, complete with a strange item on their head that represents whatever type is being boosted (like a chandelier for Fire-type and balloons for Flying-type). While one might think that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are the first time that we've ever seen something like this in the Pokemon franchise, an earlier example can be found in the Orange Islands season of the Pokemon anime.

Rumor: Controversial Pokemon Feature May Return in Scarlet and Violet

As pointed out by Twitter user PokeBeach, a crystal Onix can be spotted in Episode 87 of the Pokemon anime, «The Crystal Onix.» In this episode, Ash and company encounter a special crystal Onix that is resistant to Water-type attacks, but weak to Fire-type attacks. While not exactly the same as the Terastal phenomenon from Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, there are some distinct similarities that may make one wonder if the developers at Game Freak were at all inspired by this episode of the Pokemon anime.

The Orange Islands have also been pointed to as the earliest example of the Pokemon anime introducing regional variants. While the Pokemon