How this Byculla-based artist's new weekly crossover series explores He-Man and Pokemon

He-Man in his transformation stance alongside various Pokemon

By the power of Greyskull," Prince Adam wields his sword, as Pikachu jumps to his side and electrocutes it, "I am the power!" He transforms into He-Man. As if on cue, Pokémon Machamp, Arcanine and Solgaleo join the duo in their fight against the evil in Eternia.

Stratos takes flight with Chimchar on his back and Swablu by his side. Illustrations Courtesy/Jazyl Homavzir

In artist Jazyl Homavazir's new weekly series, the two cartoon shows - Pokémon and Masters Of The Universe (MOTU) - cross over with characters reminiscent of childhoods for people born decades apart. The Pokémon selected for each character from MOTU reflect their traits. "Pikachu, for instance, symbolises He-Man's value for friendship, Machamps stands for strength, Arcnine reflects his loyalty and Solgaleo complements his power," the Byculla-based artist shares.

Sections of two illustrations in the weekly series feature Evil-Lyn and (right) Skeletor

This series began with Skeletor. The purple-armoured antagonist gets ghost type Pokémon, which complement both his look and his nature. These included Gangar, for mischief, Houndoom for fierceness, Seviper for being cunning and Duskull for mystery. All of these artworks, Homavazir adds, try to stay true to the 80s style. "I am a big He-Man fan, and grew up watching MOTU. I am aware that while MOTU fans would have definitely watched Pokémon, not all Pokémon fans would have watched MOTU. But as I have followers and fan base from both these generations, I thought it was only fair to combine one of my favourite franchises with one of the most popular franchises of all time," he explains.

Zervaan Bunshah as a Pokémon trainer

The idea was inspired by his previous series where he chose random followers and turned them into Pokémon trainers according to their traits. Instagrammer Zervaan Bunshsah, for instance, became a grass type Pokémon trainer and Ludicolo became his companion for his cheerful nature and relevant jokes. "That series is now over, and I am continuing my famous crossovers with Pokémon by inviting characters from MOTU," he suggested. This series further features Stratos with flying type Pokémon and the mistress of dark magic, Evil-Lyn with the feisty Alolan Persian, Glasilie, Missmagus and Salazle by her side.

Jazyl Homavazir

"While animating followers can take a little less than an hour, every MOTU X Pokémon crossover can take up to two to three hours of my day. But I create these out of my passion for anime and comics. I will continue this series till the end of September," he says. "Next up in this Sunday series is Beastman," Homavazir teases. Judging Beastman by his traits, this writer firmly believes that Charizard will make for a good companion for the savage yet loyal villain.

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