Pokémon Winds & Waves’ surprising leaks involve the professor

All mainline Pokémon games begin in the same way: a professor, cloaked in a lab coat, handing over one of three starters. Thus, the professor is one of the most important characters in a new game — and Pokémon Winds and Waves is unlikely to be an exception. Based on rumors about the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 game, it sounds like Game Freak came up with one of its best professor concepts yet.

There are a surprising number of rumors surrounding Pokémon Winds and Waves‘ professor. For example, there’s the ongoing whisper that Winds and Waves will incorporate time travel in some way — and the professor will be a scientist from a different time. These rumors are difficult to substantiate, but given the series’ predilection for time travel, it seems plausible. A more intriguing rumor about WiWa‘s professor, however, has to do with his identity.

As hardcore fans are aware, Pokémon developer Game Freak suffered a massive data breach in 2024 that contained internal company plans, game design documents, and a host of information pertaining to the 10th generation of Pokémon games. Fans are still sifting through and trying to make sense of the files in the leak.

One of these files was a character model of Pokémon Winds and Waves’ apparent professor that was shared by prominent Pokémon leaker Centro in December 2025. The model lacked textures, but fans can still make out the overall character’s shape.

At the time, the model’s facial hair made fans think of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin. Two months later, in February 2026, this connection was strengthened by a Winds and Waves trailer depicting all sorts of island exploration. Before the official reveal, leaks suggested that the new region was inspired by Southeast Asia and would contain procedurally generated islands. Charles Darwin, who came up with his famous theory after visiting the Galápagos Islands, fits with all those ideas.

Another persistent Pokémon Winds and Waves leak alleges that the games will introduce something called Seed Pokémon. Apparently, Seed Pokémon evolve in unique ways. Rather than having a set evolution line, Seed Pokémon purportedly grow in accordance with how they are raised and nurtured. If Seed Pokémon come to pass, a Darwin-like professor would make perfect sense for WiWa.

What Pokémon are getting a new evolution in Winds and Waves?

Image: dwarf studios/Netflix

More recently, a list of Pokémon which will receive new evolutionary forms has been circulating social media. While we can’t ascertain the veracity of these leaks, a handful of monsters stand out in the context of Darwin. The most notable might be Psyduck, which leakers insist will get an Ice/Psychic regional variant.

When people tell the story of how Darwin came up with the theory of evolution, they recount his famous observations about finches. Two other creatures that also played a part in Darwin’s ideas about evolution and natural selection were the kangaroo and platypus. Darwin was apparently so taken aback by these strange animals that he started considering how animals adapt to their environment. Wouldn’t you know it, leaks say that WiWa contains both a new platypus (Psyduck) and a kickboxing kangaroo.

Another supporting piece of evidence is the existence of blue-footed boobies, creatures found in the Galápagos which are known for their distinctive appendages. Perhaps this is how Game Freak came up with the idea of an Ice-type Psyduck? Darwin also observed the crimson land iguanas during his adventures, which reinforces the rumor that Salandit will have a new evolution as well.

Traditionally, Pokémon games name professors after trees — so the new pocket monster educator probably won’t be dubbed anything that overtly sounds like Darwin. The information contained within the Teraleak is also old and potentially out of date. Between now and release, Game Freak could pursue another professor concept entirely. For now, I’m convinced that Pokémon Winds and Waves takes some inspiration from Charles Darwin.

Pokémon Winds and Pokémon Waves are scheduled for a 2027 released on Switch 2.