Pokemon Go players reject new ‘mid-life crisis’ Professor Willow
Pokemon Go has issued a redesign for Professor Willow – the game’s most prominent NPC – and players aren’t too stoked about his hip new look.
On August 27, Professor Willow returned from a brief hiatus after having been kidnapped in June. While he went into the Ultra Wormhole, a new NPC named Rhi took his place.
Rhi was instantly welcomed by fans causing players to forget about Willow almost entirely. However, Willow could still be found in Pokemon Go by completing certain tasks which poked plot holes into the otherwise intense narrative.
Willow would return just in time for the Pokemon Go Fest 2022 Finale, but he wasn’t the same old man fans remembered. Instead of a geezer scientist that could easily be misconstrued as a generic grandparent NPC, he returned with a sleeker fit, grizzled look, and more defined jawline.
Pokemon Go’s Professor Willow? More like Will-no!
Despite Willow’s edgier appearance, players haven’t been the biggest fans of what happened to the professor in the wormhole. In fact, Reddit user DevilsAssCrack was one of many who opposed his transformation.
“Uh, who is this?” they posted along with a photo of the new Willow. It was accompanied by the #notmyprofessor, and the comments seemed to reflect a similar sentiment.
“Midlife crisis professor,” user JesusChrist-Jr commented. Thunder_lord37 replied, “Fun fact: ultra space does that to a person.”
One user suggested the reason he had been gone for a while was due to his recovery after all of the plastic surgery he underwent. Another stated Willow looks as if he went through a nasty divorce and hit the gym.
“He looks like he wants to steal all of my money,” X-MBlaze stated, “I guess that’s very fitting of Niantic.”
Of course, there are plenty of users who think the white-haired fox has become a lot more attractive since his return. Willow fans continue to call him Professor Daddy and Will-oh!