The Stellar type was introduced in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet The Indigo Disk to go along with Gen IX’s Terastallization mechanic. One fan theory, however, suggests the unique type was already being hinted at back in Legends: Arceus.
Stellar is arguably the weirdest and most complex of the 19 types in the Pokémon franchise, being locked behind Terastallization and having only two moves—Tera Blast and Terapagos’ signature attack, Tera Starstorm. While the Stellar Tera Type does nothing for the user from a defensive standpoint, it makes Tera Blast and Tera Starstorm super-effective against any Terastallized target. Any Pokémon can use the Stellar Tera Type, but it’s mostly marketed toward the Legendary mascot of The Indigo Disk, Terapagos.
Coincidence or not, Terapagos and Stellar resemble something we saw in Legends: Arceus, as pointed out by Serebii webmaster Joe Merrick in a May 16 post shared on X (formerly Twitter). In Legends: Arceus, the Legend Plate item changes the typing of both Arceus and its signature move, Judgment, to something super-effective against the target. Though there are clear distinctions between the Legend Plate and the Stellar Tera Type, it’s interesting how they both transform Normal-type Arceus and Terapagos to give them a super-effective advantage.
On top of their similar offensive effects, Merrick also mentioned the sparkle designs for both Terapagos and the Legend Plate. The little turtle has sparkles on its legs and in its eyes, while one sparkle shape sits right in the middle of the Legend Plate. Either Game Freak really likes sparkles and weird super-effective advantages or the Legend Plate was an intended tease for Terapagos and Stellar all along.
This isn’t even the first time a theory has connected The Indigo Disk turtle to a special mechanic. Around when Legends: Z-A was announced with the return of Mega Evolution heavily teased, former world champ Wolfe Glick brought up a bunch of similarities between Terapagos and Mega Evolution. That also could’ve been a hint for the upcoming game, but it’s hard to tell what’s intentional or coincidental in this franchise.
Regardless of intent, this shows how Game Freak often takes older concepts and tweaks them to create something new. For example, you could argue the whole Terastallization mechanic took elements of Mega Evolution, Hidden Power, and Abilities like Protean and Libero, but made something more flexible and accessible. That leaves Pokémon fans to wonder where the next generations will pull inspiration from for future battle mechanics.
