Pokemon Sword and Shield brings back Chubby Pikachu and introduces Long Meowth in Gigantamax forms

Pokemon Sword and Shield will return you to the glory days of Chubby Pikachu, and it will make the lovable lad an even more absolute unit through the power of Gigantamax. The latest "Galar Research Update" from The Pokemon Company revealed five new Gigantamax forms for Pokemon, three of which will be special rewards for playing previous games or purchasing and playing Sword and Shield early.

In case you're not already familiar with the term, "Gigantamax" is a special form that certain Pokemon can achieve when their trainer activates Dynamax. For most Pokemon, Dynamax (which can only be used once in certain battles, like in gyms) will just make them huge and powerful. For others, like the previously revealed Alcremie, it makes them huge and look different, along with giving them a special G-Max move.

You can unlock the ability to use Gigantamax Pikachu by bringing in play records from Pokemon Let's Go, Pikachu, and Eevee with records from Pokemon Let's Go, Eevee. Gigantamax Meowth, AKA Long Meowth, is yours if you start playing the game by January 15, 2020 - that gives you a two-month window to grab the game, though you might as well pre-order Pokemon Sword and Shield if you want some other potential bonuses.

Here are all the newly revealed Gigantamax Pokemon forms and their accompanying G-Max moves.

Gigantamax Pikachu

(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

New move: G-Max Volt Crash

Paralyzes all opponents.

Gigantamax Eevee

(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

New move: G-Max Cuddle

Opposite-gender opponents become infatuated.

Gigantamax Meowth

(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

New move: G-Max Gold Rush

Confuses all targets and earns an in-game cash bonus.

Gigantamax Charizard

(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

New move: G-Max Wildfire

All non-fire types take damage for four turns

Gigantamax Butterfree

(Image credit: The Pokemon Company)

New move: G-Max Befuddle

Causes Poison, Paralysis, or Asleep status

You don't have to do anything special to get Gigantamax Charizard or Butterfree, so everyone will be free to send their own personal Godzillas and Mothras into battle.

See all the confirmed Pokemon so far in our Pokemon Sword and Shield Pokedex.

Connor Sheridan

I got a BA in journalism from Central Michigan University - though the best education I received there was from CM Life, its student-run newspaper. Long before that, I started pursuing my degree in video games by bugging my older brother to let me play Zelda on the Super Nintendo. I've previously been a news intern for GameSpot, a news writer for CVG, and now I'm a staff writer here at GamesRadar.