Palworld And Pokemon Fans Are Fighting Over Panthalus's Kyogre-Like Design

Palworld 1.0's Popular New Pal Accused Of Being Little More Than A Reskinned Kyogre Published Jul 17, 2026, 8:21 AM EDT Josh Coulson is an editor at TheGamer covering breaking news on everything from colorful platformers to the latest Lego sets. Primarily a news writer since 2018, Josh has covered just about every major game from the past decade. Now an editor, their focus has shifted to being the leading affiliate expert at the site, building relationships between TheGamer and global brands including Mattel, Funko, and The Pokemon Company. Palworld’s big 1.0 update is now live, and there’s been nothing but positive vibes off the back of it. Well, almost. The update brought with it 72 new pals, and one of the more famous among those new additions has revived the Palworld’s Pokemon copycat accusations. Pocketpair The accusing Pal is called Panthalus. Panthalus is a legendary whale Pal that lives in the ocean. Even without looking at it, that very basic description may already have the Pokemon fans among you thinking about Kyogre. If the description alone didn’t get you there, seeing a picture of Panthalus almost certainly will. Although the new Pal is a different shade of blue and has a jewel on its head, the similarities between it and Kyogre are plain to see. Or at least I thought they were clear until I stumbled upon the argument that has erupted over it between Pokemon and Palworld fans. Pokemon fans are giving off a something of a “seriously, this again?” vibe as they levy accusations against the Kyogre-like Pal. However, Palworld fans are hitting back with everything from it merely being an inspiration to some trying to convince the world that Kyogre and Panthalus look nothing alike. “The only thing they have in common is that they're both whales,” one defensive Palworld player posted, while another post claims, “Panthalus looks nothing like Kyorge.” Wild claims to make when, even if you don’t mind Palworld pulling inspiration from Pokemon, there is no way you can look at that Pal and say, with a straight face, that all it has in common with Kyogre is that they’re both whales. Palworld's Latest Update Actually Addressed Some Of Its More Pokemon-Like Pals This isn’t the first time Pocketpair has been accused of leaning a little heavily on Pokemon designs when coming up with ideas for its Pals. What’s odd is that the 1.0 update quietly addressed that. Some of the original Pals have had their designs tweaked so they look less like the Pokemon they were seemingly inspired by. That’s why it’s so odd that, in the same breath, a Pal that was always going to stoke that fire was added to the game. Other than further driving a wedge between the Palworld and Pokemon communities, there isn’t much the latter can do about Pals looking like Pokemon. As long as they are legally distinct, which they always are (just about), Pocketpair is free to pull inspiration from Pokemon. That said, The Pokemon Company is irked by what Palworld is doing and has attempted to hurt it in other ways. There are ongoing lawsuits surrounding patented mechanics, including the act of throwing a sphere to catch a creature in a video game, between Pocketpair and The Pokemon Company. Pokemon has been somewhat successful in forcing Pocketpair to make changes to Palworld, but it seems destined to ultimately lose out as the potential payout is minimal, even if Pokemon is successful. Released July 10, 2026 ESRB T For Teen Due To Violence Developer(s) Pocket Pair, Inc. Publisher(s) Pocket Pair, Inc. Engine Unreal Engine 5 Multiplayer Online Multiplayer Cross-Platform Play Xbox Series X|S, pc