Character design changes can be controversial at the best of times. Sometimes, a redesign is for the best (just check out these original Disney character concepts), but fans can react badly when much-loved characters are given a new look, as we saw most recently with Donkey Kong.
The Pokémon have become a global cultural phenomenon that's lasted longer than many would have predicted. For many, Pikachu remains the most recognisable of the more than 1,000 pocket monsters, but it turns out that Nintendo thought the original design for the species wasn't cut out for the US market and needed a more adult design to succeed. How wrong it was!
