Pokemon Sword & Shield players are only now discovering truth about Dynamax

Brent Koepp
Screenshot of Pokemon Sword Shield Crown Tundra Peonia next to G-Max Ve

A viral Pokemon Sword & Shield online post has made some players realize that they don’t know how Dynamax actually works, despite the game releasing over a year ago.

The Pokemon franchise was ushered into eighth generation with the release of Sword & Shield in 2019. The RPG introduced players to new features such as Dynamaxing.

However, despite making its debut over a year ago, some still don’t fully understand how the mechanic works. A viral post online had them stunned to learn the truth.

Screenshot of G-Max Pikachu in Journeys anime.
Some fans still think Dynamax Pokemon are physically giant.

Viral Pokemon Sword & Shield Dynamax art sparks discussion

Dynamaxing doesn’t actually turn Pokemon into giants physically – it’s an illusion. While this is common knowledge to many hardcore fans of the series, a viral post online showed that many still don’t know this even a year after the RPG made its debut.

On January 18, artist DarkyLightz posted their gorgeous drawing on the r/Pokemon subreddit, which depicts the skeletal remains of a Gigantamax Venusaur in the forest. The incredible image quickly exploded as fans marveled over its haunting qualities.

However, players of the Gen 8 title were shocked when comments pointed out that the Sword & Shield version of Venusaur couldn’t actually have giant bones because Dynamax is actually a projection of the ‘mon, and doesn’t actually make them physically bigger.

“That’s the part it gets confusing, Dynamax is a visual illusion and the Pokemon is actually inside it. So if Venusaur died that implies that this was its actual body,” one reader explained. Another fan replied, “I think a lot of people skipped over that bit of lore.”

Screenshot of Pokemon fans reacting to Dynamx art.

This isn’t the first time that fans of the eighth generation release have been confused about how Dynamax works. In a 2019 interview, Pokemon Sword & Shield director Shigeru Ohmori explained, “It’s actually just a visual projection, the actual Pokemon is in that projection.”

All semantics aside, the artwork by the creative fan is both beautiful and chilling. DarkyLightz clarified that they knew G-Max forms are illusions, but thought it would still make for an epic image.

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About The Author

Brent Koepp was a Junior Games Writer on Dexerto's US team, specializing in Pokemon, YouTube and Twitch stories. He also has bylines at ScreenRant and Siliconera.

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