Pokémon Officially Unveils Beautiful Growlithe Redesign For 30th Anniversary

Published Oct 16, 2026, 8:00 AM EDT

Bruno Yonezawa is a Gaming Senior Writer for Screen Rant. He's been practicing professional journalism for over 10 years, and is also a communications specialist. He's played games all his life and turned that passionate hobby into a passionate career, in an industry where he's worked as a writer, editor, analyst, and more.

Pokémon has officially revealed a new redesign for Growlithe as the series celebrates its 30th anniversary. The franchise has been on a streak, offering brand-new takes on a lot of its classic creatures. This has nothing to do with any upcoming variant regional forms in Pokémon Winds and Waves in 2027, but rather new ways of seeing older creatures. This has happened with Mewtwo in Pokémon TCG, as well as Pikachu, just in time for Halloween and the larger spooky season.

This time around, however, it’s the Fire-type Growlithe that is getting some attention. According to a report by Go Nintendo, Growlithe is the star of a new art installation, and we’re now able to see it in four new ways. As seen in the report, the Pokémon Local Acts initiative has announced that four new versions of Pokémon manhole covers are being installed. The downside is that they’ll be installed exclusively in Japan, meaning that you’ll only be able to see them in person if you visit the country.

These four new Pokémon manhole covers all feature Growlithe, and they will be installed across the Okinawa Prefecture. The first of them shows Growlithe happily lying down, surrounded by Fletchling. The next shows Growlithe pridefully standing in front of a Solgaleo, one of the best dual-type Pokémon ever made. In counterpoint, the next manhole cover shows it standing in front of a Lunala. The fourth and final new manhole cover shows Growlithe sleeping in a field of pineapples alongside a Politoed and a Croagunk.

A fun fact brought up by Go Nintendo is that the reason Growlithe is at the forefront of all four new Okinawan manhole covers is that it is the official ambassadorial Pokémon for the Prefecture. This is because of Growlithe’s resemblance to the shisa, a lion-dog from Okinawan mythology – this connection is better seen with the Hisuian Growlithe from Pokémon Legends: Arceus, though there are claims that regional variant better represents the komainu rather than the shisa.

Some of the latest Pokémon Winds & Waves rumors suggest that Arcanine will be getting a new form or evolution of some kind, so it's definitely a good time to be a fan of the Growlithe line. These Pokémon-themed manhole covers aren’t exactly new, as they have been installed all across the country since the start of the decade. For some die-hard fans, visiting Japan to hunt down these locations and find these exclusive lids is actually a thing. Better known as Poké Lids, these new installations, made possible via Pokémon Local Acts, depict several creatures from the franchise per region. You can find a complete list of all Poké Lids on the official Local Acts website.

If you click on a specific manhole cover, the website will show you exactly where you can find it. These four new Growlithe-centered Poké Lids are a glorious tribute to the beloved Gen 1 Fire-type creature, and a great way of continuing to celebrate Pokémon’s 30th anniversary well after the year is over.