Alakazam is one of my favorite Pokemon, definitely in the top 5. I have no problems with its original design, I think it looks great. But just for fun, I thought I'd really hammer in that "magician/wizard" aspect of it for my version.

Back in the 90s, fundamentalist religious groups got really up in arms about Pokemon being "evil" and "Satanic". I remember they specifically used Kadabra as an example, trying to say it promoted evil magic and witchcraft to children. So I decided to be a bit of a smartass and make my Alakazam look even more like Baphomet by giving it a goatee and sticking out its tongue. I considered turning the star upside-down but it seemed a bit much.

I guess if I have any gripes with Alakazam's original design, it's that it lacks Kadabra's cool star. Why does Kadabra suddenly gain a star and then lose it in the next evolution? It makes no sense, so I expanded on it instead. I considered keeping Kadabra's tail and making it look more like a cloak, but it wasn't working out, so I made its "armor" into one instead. I know Alakazam's colors are basic because of the Gameboy's limitations at the time, so I added some purple to make its design "pop", since purple is associated with magic in many cultures.

Alakazam is also one of those Pokemon with a totally crap shiny form...You can barely tell the difference, it's just slightly darker. So I completely overhauled that into something more evil, mystical, and badass. What do you think? Personally I think this could also work as a regional variant or something.