The design for Pokémon Sword and Shield’s Gigantamax Charizard was likely inspired by a particular iteration of Godzilla. The Gigantamax mechanic turns Pokémon huge, so it’s no wonder Game Freak decided to draw from the most famous giant lizard monster when designing the Gigantamax form of Pokémon’s own most famous reptile.

Most modern Pokémon games have some sort of central battle mechanic that differentiates them from the rest. Pokémon Sun and Moon had Z-Moves, for example, and Pokémon Sword and Shield have Dynamaxing and Gigantamaxing. Dynamaxing allows players to increase the size and power of their Pokémon for three turns, and certain Pokémon can also change forms when Dynamaxed, becoming Gigantamaxed instead. Because Gigantamaxing changes a Pokémon’s appearance, Game Freak was able to flex its design muscles, taking inspiration from various fictional and real-world concepts to create interesting origins for the Gigantamaxed creatures.

Game Freak does not normally discuss the design origins of its Pokémon, leaving fans to theorize about what inspired them. Some Pokémon origins are easier to intuit than others, however, and there’s some compelling evidence for Gigantamax Charizard’s inspiration. Pokémon’s Gigantamax Charizard appears to be based on Godzilla or, more specifically, Burning Godzilla. This flaming version of the Japan’s popular kaiju first appeared in 1995’s Godzilla vs. Destoroyah and later returned in 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters. Gigantamax Charizard’s amped-up form mirrors Burning Godzilla’s, with fire streaking off its chest and shoulder to replace its wings, plus more fire raging in its mouth and on its horns, and tail.

This could all just be a coincidence - Charizard is a Fire-type, lizard-like Pokémon, so it makes sense that its Gigantamax form would have more flames and would happen to resemble Godzilla. But Gigantamax Charizard’s similarities to Gigantamax Butterfree seal the deal. Gigantamax Charizard and Butterfree were revealed at the same time before Sword and Shield’s release, and the two share similar color patterns not seen on other Gigantamax designs (white patches edged by scales and set against a dominant, bright color). This indicates they are a pair, clearly a reference to Godzilla and Mothra, who might be the Godzilla series’ second-most well-known monster.

It’s also possible that other Gigantamax forms were Godzilla series-inspired. Gigantamax Drednaw bears a resemblance to Godzilla’s turtle-like Gamera, and Gigantamax Garbodor looks a bit like Hedorah. These are probably coincidental, though, leaving Gigantamax Charizard and Butterfree as the most definite Godzilla-inspired creatures.

Next: What Sword & Shield’s Fossil Pokémon SHOULD Look Like

Pokémon Sword and Shield released for the Nintendo Switch on November 15, 2019.