Gardevoir

Gardevoir, known in Japan as Sirnight (サーナイト), is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon media franchise. It is an evolved form of Kirlia and the final evolution of Ralts. Gardevoir was designed by Game Freak for the video games Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire as part of a new creative philosophy to test the waters of what a Pokémon was expected to look like. Its design was finalized by Ken Sugimori. Introduced in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, Gallade, a male Pokémon, accompanies Gardevoir as another Pokémon that evolves from Kirlia. Since Gardevoir's introduction, it has appeared in other media and titles related to the Pokémon franchise, such as the Pokémon Trading Card Game and Pokémon Unite. It has been generally well-received, with critics praising its design and being regarded as one of the best Pokémon. It has gained notoriety for how often it is depicted in fan-made pornographic imagery.

Conception and design
Gardevoir is a fictional species of Pokémon created for the Pokémon franchise. Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, the series began in Japan in 1996 with the release of the video games Pokémon Red and Blue 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 through a process called evolution.

When designing the 2002 sequels 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 this 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, Sugimori said "screw it" and focused on more complex and fleshed out designs with these games. As the art team developed the Pokémon species, Sugimori would finalize their work and draw the promotional art, altering details as he felt necessary.

Introduced in Ruby and Sapphire, Gardevoir is the third and final part of the species' evolution line. Originally classified as a Psychic-type Pokémon, an elemental type that determines a Pokémon's strength and attributes, in Ruby and Sapphire, with the release of Pokémon X and Y it received a secondary typing of Fairy. Despite its 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 Pokémon with a white body, legs that drape outward and behind it, and green hair in the shape of a bowlcut that covers its eyes. Two round red horns protrude from the front and back of its head angled upward, which allow them to sense people's emotions. After acquiring enough experience, it evolves into Kirlia, gaining slight height while its hair now extends down the sides of its head, exposing its red eyes. Its legs are now green from the waist downward, while a white skirt shape extends from its waist horizontally, and its horns now protrude from the sides of its head instead. After acquiring enough experience, Kirlia can evolve into Gardevoir, though as of the Diamond and Pearl games male Kirlia may instead evolve into Gallade if exposed to a "Dawn Stone" item.

Appearances
Gardevoir first appeared in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire as the evolution of Kirlia. In the paired games Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, Kirlia may either evolve into Gardevoir or Gallade, though the latter only possible under specific conditions. Gardevoir was given a Mega Evolution in Pokémon X and Y, which allowed it to transform into a new form in battle. In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, a new Pokémon, called Iron Valiant, was introduced. This Pokémon is known as a Paradox Pokémon: a Pokémon from another time period. It resembles a combination of Gardevoir and Gallade.

Gardevoir also appeared as a major character in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team, where it appeared in the player character's visions, suffering from amnesia and directing them throughout the Pokémon world. It is later revealed to have been the partner of the antagonist Gengar when Gengar was still human, and Gengar asks the player for their help in the game's post-game in order to make up for his selfishness. It can be released from a Poké Ball item in the Super Smash Bros. series to assist players beginning in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Gardevoir is also a playable character in the spinoff games Pokkén Tournament and Pokémon Unite, and has appeared in Pokémon GO.

A Gardevoir appeared in the Pokémon episode, Do I Hear a Ralts? as a parent of a Ralts, one of the species on Gardevoir's evolutionary line. Additionally, in Mutiny in the Bounty!, a Gardevoir belonging to Pokémon trainer Melodi was stolen, but the psychic connection was too strong.

Critical reception
Since its introduction Gardevoir has been well received, placing 9th on The Pokémon Company's 2020 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 monthly 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 its 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 its moves and design.

Paste writers Kevin Slackie and Moises Taveras named them one of the best Pokémon in the franchise in their eyes, praising its "beauty and grace" while citing its popularity with players across all of its 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 it exudes "the exact kind of mysterious energy that all Fairies should", as well as being "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 species' design and abilities.

However, some outlets were critical of Gardevoir's design and characteristics. GamesRadar's 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 Pokémon design goes from 'bipedal version of an animal that's usually a quadruped' to anything that resembles a sexy woman". The staff of Fanbyte also described Gardevoir as one of the more "off putting" designs due to its gendered appearance, comparing it to a princess or ballerina. Graduate School of International Studies Assistant Professor Sukhee Han was also critical of this aspect in their study of gender across the series, feeling that it undermined its 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 both praised and disliked Gardevoir. Though they called Gardevoir "one of the best Pokémon ever designed" and praised the method in which the player is introduced to its evolution line, he felt it was hampered by its gameplay and while still a strong contender, did not achieve the same level the game commonly afforded similar Pokémon. He acknowledged, however, that the species 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 Pokémon - it just isn’t being used to its full potential."

As a sex symbol
Gardevoir's feminine humanoid design has led the fandom to heavily sexualize the species through fan works and discussions, while third-party companies have utilized its 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 its 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 species 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 species being reluctant to say so to avoid negative connotations. In particular, TheGamer's Editor in Chief Stacey Henley voiced her displeasure, having taken a liking to the species 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 species for some due to its 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 its 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."