What Makes a Pokemon Design "Good"?

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With more than 1000 Pokemon and counting, nearly every design approach has been tackled. But why do some fans respond to some designs better than others?
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[@JPRPokeTrainer98]

Go to www.world.holzkern.com/en_world/jprpoketrainer and use my code POKE15 for 15% off + a polishing cloth worth over $15! What are some of YOUR favorite Pokemon designs?

[@Seinsmelled]

gliscor goat pokemon design not gonna lie

[@the-angel-of-light-gardevoir8]

You do have a point that sometimes simpler designs work, but too simple makes it problematic, But as for my favorite design, I feel like Gardevoir being a sort of blends elements from previous elements such as the Horn spike thing which was a manifestation of its emotions, and Kirlia’s ties to ballet dancers and combine it with the ideas of a Guardian Angel, a sort of being that represents empathy (which is why it slowly became my favorite Pokémon, It simply represented me) to create a mysterious and powerful, yet beautiful and mystical being… There’s other factors that led to its popularity but I think it’s design was pretty cool for the time….

[@itryen7632]

Look at my search history and you'll know the answer

[@Crystalline-Mew]

Personally I adorn Meowscarada and Incineroar despite the hate on them! It’s just because of my attachment to cats though. I love all cat Pokémon!!! I also like Delphox too! Their all so pretty and cute!!! I also like Luxray and Absol but dislike Sizcor. I also dislike Skeledirge despite how much it’s loved. But I prefer cute over cool…

[@Chanchan19494]

I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say that Venusaur is over designed. If you follow the progression of Bulbasaur into Ivysaur into Venusaur it’s a pretty sensible direction and looks really good. I’ve seen some “reimagined” Kanto starters and I’ve never seen one that looks better than OG Venusaur.

[@UmbraStarWolf]

People say Charizard is bland when Venusaur is just as bland is where my problem lies

[@Blank-rc2lg]

@@UmbraStarWolf Venusaur has patterns, and an interesting look that isn’t obviously “just an (x).” Charizard, for example, is literally just a western dragon with dumb looking wings, while Venusaur has patterns, that epic flower, and an awesome shape that leaves you actually *interested* in the design

[@DeathLeprecon]

Venusaur is my fav mon. But I will admit that its design quality can fluctuate between medium. It looks good in sprite form, the manga and a lot of card artwork. Where as the anime and most 3D models are fine, but some (N64 stadium) look really bad. My interpretation of the Venusaur's design is that it's the old sage of the Bulbasaur line. Like how we tend to see fully grown trees or plants like the elderly of plant life. Mega Venusaur gives it a sort of second wind bringing out some of the better elements of Bulbasaur's design in Venusaur. And its GMax form (my personal favorite) not only goes hard into what does work in Venusaur's design, I think it even brings out more of its poison typing in this form. And like JPR said, it does seem to be a bit simpler compared to the base form. But that's just my take.

[@asdfasdfq6005]

Exactly, really confused about that statement

[@jointser1008]

he is right tho, venusaur really isn't that good

[@amadeusking8264]

Interestingly in Japan Meowscarada seems to be the most popular Gen 9 Starter while Fuecoco is the most popular first stage.

[@animejerk05]

hey at least we can all agree quaquaval is the worse water starter final evo in the entire franchise

[@Awesomemt2018]

@@animejerk05 Don’t talk about my gay duck son like that

[@gameb9oy]

@@Awesomemt2018 I agree, let our boy dance with PRIDE

[@Rarest26]

@@animejerk05 Inteleon exists you know? No way the funny peacock is worse. (Sidenote I don't hate Inteleon, but I think most of us can agree it failed at what it was going for)

[@DarkestVoid]

@@Rarest26it didn’t lmao. Gen 8 starter were actually decent with the only one being disappointing being Cinderace. Rillaboom is awesome and Inteleon isn’t far behind. Inteleon is far superior to Quaquaval and it’s actually probably the WORST starter ever made.

[@SophiaPaley-rm1tp]

I’m not a huge fan of Druddigon either, but its colors DO have a concrete inspiration: they are based on Welsh dragons that appear in coats of arms, and those often use green, blue, and red (apparently, people thought those colors went together well back in the day).

[@NoOneAsk]

It's also based on a type of lizard that is blue with a bright red head! If you see a picture of it the the inspiration becomes very obvious lol.

[@jointser1008]

Gen5 did dragontypes right in general...well except druddigon for me he is ok, acceptable but nothing impressive

[@kevinwilliamson2204]

Pokémon designs are at their best when they blend simplicity with inspiration

[@the-angel-of-light-gardevoir8]

The fact that 2 of the most beloved Pokémon are a Fire Breathing Dragon, and a Guardian Angel with elements of ballet dancers yes I can agree, but dosent mean modern Pokémon aren’t cool (I.e gen 9 starters, Greninja, The Reigonal Variants… you get the point)

[@tanaykadu3469]

​@@the-angel-of-light-gardevoir8 which pokemon are you referring to as guardian angel ballet dancer. I'm having a hard time realizing which pokemon suit that description and the curiosity is killing me

[@haifafarras8540]

@@tanaykadu3469 i think they're talking about Gardevoir? Idk tho.

[@tanaykadu3469]

@@haifafarras8540 I thought of gardevoir too but it doesn't seem to be a ballet dancer

[@melvondrewhite2674]

@@the-angel-of-light-gardevoir8 Most Gen 9 Pokémon Don’t Have Inspiration , Tatsugiri Is A Sushi Dragon Like Wtf 😂

[@10Bendog]

Now, I love Skeledirge a lot, big fan of it. However, saying it's the most popular starter from the past decade (especially with how new it still is) is a VERY brave statement. Decidueye is right there. Don't underestimate its popularity. There's a reason why Legends gave it a regional variant, which made it the fastest Pokémon to get this kind of treatment. Also being the only Alolan Pokémon in Pokkén must count for something as well. And even Greninja still fits under the "past decade" because X and Y released in October 2013. And we all know about Greninja's popularity. So, in short, Skeledirge has quite the competition.

[@jmurray1110]

Plus smash bris has probably put incineroar in the spot light especially given how expressive he is (plus he was really dominant in competitive due to his amazing support prowess) Also skeledirge doesn’t have as much sway outside of the americas and in Japan specifically meowscarada is far more popular

[@lipika2841]

I think he meant it's the most popular Fire starter in a while.

[@morphstarchangeling8024]

Don't forget that had incenaroar not been a wrestler we would have gotten Decidueye in smash bros because it's the most popular of the trio.

[@lyteabhishek]

Yeah this was very biased opinion. Heck Meowscarada is way more popular than this guy, forget about greninja and decidueye.

[@FreelanceGenie]

It's debatable whether or not Skeledirge is even the most popular in this generation. In an English language twitter poll it only beat Meowscarada by 0.6%. In Japan it's nearly 5 times less popular than Meowscarada, and that's when polled against EVERY gen 9 pokemon.(As in every pokemon that appears in gen 9, including pokémon from older gens) It might be an even bigger gap if they only polled starters. P.S. I personally dislike Skeledirge and think it's incredibly ugly. Might be my LEAST favorite starter ever. Not sure it looks anything like a singer either.

[@Cochu]

Maybe I'm just in wildly different communities but isn't Meowscarada the most popular final evolution of gen 9

[@vincenthall5908]

Thats what I was thinking. I see Meowscarada everywhere.

[@pokemaniac0075]

Yes. Meowscarada has the best starter evo design

[@coreylineberry8557]

It's certainly my favorite. I love the Phantom Thief idea, and Morgana, my Meowscarada, was a great team member in my playthrough.

[@gameb9oy]

I like all three of them, heck the only one I’d say is bad in any of the lines is Quaxly’s mid

[@Rarest26]

It is, Idk how when the Fuecoco line is right there but somehow the pinacle of humanoid starters beats the return of the beasts we wanted for so long. The fandom is weird man.

[@jembozaba4864]

Mega Zard Y is easily Charizard’s most appealing form. I love that it looks like a very natural extension of the Charmander line. Nice and simple. Just wish it got more speed instead of attack

[@Keegan006]

Image both mega x and y woth liek base 105 speed dear lord mega x might have gotten banned in xy

[@jembozaba4864]

@@Keegan006 I reckon just combine to two. Take X’s Typing and Flame colour, but have Y’s stats, ability and design. But I think take that 20 point attack increase and put 15 into speed and the last five into SpD. Make it like Volcarona and Mismagius and such. Really fast and strong Special Attacker that can be taken down with simple physical attacks. Though despite being super weak to stealth rocks, Fire/Flying is a really good type combo, especially with the ground immunity.

[@desdar100]

If that recent Japanese pulling is anything to go by, then the jester cat it's not only the most popular form of it's evolutionary line, but miles of Dirge and Quack. Iirc Coco actually is the most popular of its line in Japan which means we could be seen yet another decidueye situation

[@jmurray1110]

To me the sprig line is absolutely amazing The smug car magician took a second to get used to but once I did it instantly became my favourite line possibly ever

[@jasonreed7522]

I wonder if part of America's love for the Fuecoco line is due to our proximity to Mexico and exposure/love of Mexican culture. (It starts as a jalapeño, gets a sombrero [nest/egg], and finally a dia de los muertos pained skull with a fire bird on its head that becomes its mike for its song attack. The fire starter just screams mexican influence and pulls it off so well.) Other factors definitely exist, like the english world really disliking the humanoid starter trend. Sprigatito was my favorite before i learned it stood up.

[@Castersvarog]

@@jasonreed7522 wonder if the primary reason is because its because Fuecoco doesn’t end up being humanoid. A lot of people really didn’t like Incineroar, Intellion or Meowscarada because it ends up becomes yet another furaffinity creation. So having a starter that, after a decade of humanoid designs, end up being a flaming crocodile monster will make people really happy.

[@jasonreed7522]

@@Castersvarog it not being furry bait definitely is a contributing reason, before the final evolutions were revealed i was favoring Sprigatito. (Its name is perfect for a grass cat) but sadly its front paws didn't stay on the ground and as a bepedal mon its design just isn't as striking/good as other bipeds like Sceptile or Monfernape. (But that later bit is obviously subjective)

[@----x-----]

@@jasonreed7522 infernape might be bipedal but it still has the body shape and proportions of a monkey and sceptile is basically a dinosaur lizard so they are still creature-like meowscarada just looks like a person wearing a costume. its body shape, posture, proportions, all look too human-like.

[@jericho86]

I think the thing with the humanoid starters is that pokemon region of late are inspired by real world nations/ cultures and nations/cultures are an inherently human phenomenon, so of course the starters are going to pull most heavily from that.

[@giboit.]

I personally think that starter designs have proved to be way more successful when they´re like characters, rather than when they look like just animals with an elemental type sticked to them (the bipedal/human-like designs literally have been the most popular starters of their respective trio in pretty much every generation).They’re supposed to be your first pokemon companions. Canonically they’re referred to as partners. Most people choose Sprigatito because Meowscarada is an amazing mix of cute and cool and I love the magician/phantom thief theme (me and many other people choose a female one to fit the feminine aesthetic and that adds to the idea of this starter design having a clearly defined aesthetic compared to other pokemon). Quaquaval is pretty flamboyant but in a fun way. And it does a great job representing the dancer theme just with how it moves. So I can see why people like it too. And while Fueccoco’s final form isn't bad, it's the one with the least amount of personality due to its more animal looking design and definitely not the most popular (it literally loses all the personality that fuecoco had in its first stage as well). And Skeledirge supposed "popularity" isn't even its own popularity. It's Fuecoco's popularity. Fuecoco is the popular one in the line not Skeledirge. And just because it's a meme. To further prove how this is true. The popularity poll in Japan has Tinkaton (a bipedal/human-like design) as the most popular design from gen 9, with Meowscarada as the third most popular design (putting it as the most popular starter as well) and in the fourth place it's fuecoco. Not Skeledirge, fuecoco. Which further proves that Skeledirge supposed popularity only comes from the popularity of its first stage. Skeledirge is also the least intelligent looking out of the three starters (it really looks as a creature that wouldn't be able to pass the mirror test). And intelligence, sentience and personality are definitely three very important factors in what makes a pokemon popular and cool (and even plays a factor in which pokemon the characters from the anime end up catching). I'm pretty sure that the new female protagonist for Pokemon Horizons is getting a Sprigatito (eventually meowscarada) precisely because of this reason. There’s also this added dimension of movement and personality in a Pokémon’s character design since the games moved past the era of sprite sheets that is better represented with bipedal/human-like designs (you'll never see a fast paced battle with a Skeledirge). With Sprigatito and Quaxley’s final forms people can immediately tell what those two are about just by the way they look and move, people can see them having a wider range of facial expressions (other than angry monster, like in garchomp's case) and they also can see them move in an epic fast paced battle in the anime (which tend to be the most cool looking fights). But this can't be seen with skeledirge. Can you really say that Skeledirge looks like a singer just looking at its design? It doesn't really represents well the singer aspect in its design at all and neither the ghost elemental typing for that matter until it uses its signature move. So yeah, Skeledirge isn't the most popular starter in gen 9 at all, Meowscarada is.

[@AuraStrikeAce]

Interesting analysis. I definitely love Meowscarada the most too.

[@arthurxavier3515]

Interesting take, specially because I've seen people argue exactly the opposite on reddit hahaha I myself prefer pokémon that do not look like a character, so when I first saw the argument opposed to what you said it made sense to me, but now reading yours I don't know anymore. Not saying you are right or that you are wrong. I just wanted to share my opposite view that I know some people share

[@beyond0077]

I disagree, most designs are good, but many do not look like Pokemon.

[@----x-----]

I feel like the entire opposite, I'd rather pokemon be magical monster animals with their own individual personalities than just people wearing a profession's costume and having their whole character defined by that and all pokemon can be sentient calling Skeledirge stupid looking because it walks on all four legs is like calling bulbasaur stupid too and he was one of ash's smartest and most mature pokemon and ended up becoming a mediator between pokemon, it wasn't his profession or part of his design it was a trait he developed as an individual the new anime is featuring a pikachu with a hat and a new personality, that's possible because the pikachu species is not defined by a single personality or profession quirk either so they can adapt and develop in any way magician cat will always be just magician cat, no more and no less, but classics like pikachus and charizards can be anything, ironically by being more like just magical animals they are more human-like than the obviously human pokemon

[@sparktaylor8489]

Volcarona will always be the single best Gen 5 Design and I'll die on this hill.

[@kosmaukaszczyk8401]

for sure one of bests but gen 5 have many great desings

[@turkishundelightful5382]

Bisharp and Simisage are my personal favourites

[@NetConsole]

@@kosmaukaszczyk8401 Gen 5 have many of the best designs and many of the worst.

[@jointser1008]

@@NetConsole ironic that the games are called "black and white"

[@madnessarcade7447]

See that’s your problem you go based on reactionary impressions If you aren’t feeling the design you decide it sucks in the first five seconds of looking at it Maybe if they sit down with the design you get used to it you get to know it you get accustomed and more comfortable around it you would come around to it Don’t be afraid to let it grow on them if you don’t like it at first That’s what I did when I first saw greninja in a leak It was in its hunched over pose and it wasn’t at all what I wanted or pictured But I stuck with froakie anyway and I grew to absolutely loving greninja People need to Stop dismissing starters or any Pokémon just because they seem like bad designs at first They aren’t bad designs they are just so different than what they are used to and what you expected you just need time to let them grow on you It’s literally an allegory for preserving nature The franchise is about being kind to and respecting nature Them hating on Pokémon and their designs literally goes against the themes and intent of the franchise Every design has its own unique charm and that’s what makes pokemon so diverse and special everything appeals to someone Didn’t mean for this to come off as negative or toxic sorry if it did wasn’t my intention I just want the fans to apply the franchise’s messages about friendship to their opinions A fan should practice the positive messages the franchise preaches to prove that they genuinely care about the franchise and this applies to anything and anyone not just pokemon As the og theme said Pokémon is about Oh your my best friend in a world we must defend I will travel across the land searching far and wide each pokemon to understand the power that’s inside Our hearts so true our courage will pull us through you teach me and I teach you”

[@julesgijs8682]

Preach !

[@andrewharris1344]

Good point, while they’re Pokémon I’m not fond of I’ve grown to love a few after using them.

[@god991]

Tbh what makes a design good is completely based on what the community decided or expected it to be For eg the meowscarada line has a pretty good design but people hated it cuz it wasnt on all 4

[@andrewharris1344]

True I think people take their head cannons and fakemon designs to seriously and act like they’re official. Also it’s because the new Pokémon are NEW they haven’t gotten use to them yet, but I bet in gen 10 people while be like maushold was a great design compared to some random gen 10 Mon.

[@douglasnorona6895]

I think some of the hate comes from incineroar... You know, making the Pokemon too human-like when originally weren't

[@SchmergDergen]

Well, if the series was called Pokehuman’s maybe these lame humanoid starters would get more love. Sadly, this isn’t that.

[@SchmergDergen]

@@douglasnorona6895 Incineroar at least looked cool, unlike Quackaval and Inteleon.

[@douglasnorona6895]

​@@SchmergDergen Yeah, the other two are just... weird

[@shane12435]

as a 90s kid / 32 year old man incineroar is perfect because it encomapasses all my interests as a child wrestling and tigers

[@ceruledge7934]

I love almost every Pokémon. They create such unique and mysterious creatures. I love discovering new pokémon

[@user-jl7cz2pe6d]

Here let me help you out here. Is it brown or sometimes golden yellow? Does it have buck teeth? Is it Bidoof? If you answered "yes" to any of these, then yes. It's a good design.

[@andrewharris1344]

Personally I like some of the more complicated designs like Eternatus, or humanoid designs of the later starters due to more personality, but like simple ones ones like maushold to. I think people need to stop putting Some gens over others in terms of Pokémon designs. Every generation has its good and bad. Even in gen 1 they show they want variety not just cool monsters or goofy, or only animals. I think that’s why it works.

[@OriginalGameteer]

Eternatus basically being a sentient dragon skeleton is REALLY cool

[@andrewharris1344]

@@OriginalGameteersame I just wish we got more info on it. Plus finally a official poison type legendary I was really happy.

[@timothissimo]

@@OriginalGameteer i never realised he's a skeleton wtf

[@SchmergDergen]

Making the started humanoid has crippled them. Gen 8’s finale evos are all meh and Gen 9’s just gave the Fueococo line zero competition.

[@blues4509]

Funny, Meowscarada and the entire Sprig line is my favorite starter in Gen 9. I think it's design is great. The coco line comes second and quax is my least favorite by far.

[@DarkestVoid]

I’ll never understand the whole bipedal vs quadrupedal starter argument. People complain about modern games having too many bipedal starters yet we’ve had Venusaur, Meganium, Torterra, Samurott, and Skeledirge as the only genuine quadrupeds while Primarina isn’t really either and Serperior is just a snake. The rest of the starters are bipeds. Also I’ve never understood the hate for the elemental monkeys especially for Simisear. Simisear is imo the best of the three and Simisage is by far the worst of the three.

[@Rarest26]

It's not just that they're bipedal, it's mostly that they push the "humanoidness" too far. Charizard for instance still looks like an animal, standing on two legs is the most humanoid thing it has, and on top of that, it always stood up, so there's more cohesion in its line. Then take Litten going from a small cat and turning into John Cena's fursona and you see why a lot of the modern ones get flack. Same thing for Meowscarada, who looks even more as a human.

[@andrewharris1344]

While I get people wanting more 4 legged starters, personally I don’t care this is the same franchise that calls giving 1 magnet 2 other magnets a evolution I judge based on the singular design not really if its consistent.

[@DarkestVoid]

@@Rarest26 okay and? 90% of the people who whine and whine and whine about bipedal vs quadrupedal designs are doing so without elaborating and just say “WhY dOn’T wE hAvE mOrE qUaDrUpEdS tHaN bIpEdS”. A bipedal design can be good whether it’s new or not. I love Feraligatr but how close to an alligator is it besides the head and tail portions of its design? If you don’t like a design then just say that. You can say there’s something wrong with Incineroar’s design all you want but don’t say it’s because it’s straying far from an animal. Just say you don’t like it’s design. Incineroar was easily the best starter of Gen 7 and I typically hate the furry bait kind of mons but it’s design was great and Decidueye and especially Primarina were garbage tier compared to Incineroar.

[@DarkestVoid]

@@andrewharris1344exactly. I don’t have a preference of one vs the other I just want the design to be good.

[@Rarest26]

@@DarkestVoid I don't even hate Incineroar, I was just using it as an example of WHY people don't like these kinds of starters. And look, Feraligatr might be simple, which it is, but it still looks like a monster, which is what people want.

[@shironasama0445]

Why would you want an ugly crocodile over a beautiful magician cat

[@TheCrazyhusky]

I think with Venusaur you could change plant to various things. Gigantamax form could have been a giant forest with multiple vines instead of big petals.

[@catman-du8927]

Probably didn't want to confuse it with Torterra.

[@TheCrazyhusky]

@@catman-du8927 Torterra only has 1 tree, You can style the trees in many ways and even fruit to them. Besides I don't think people will confuse Venusaur with Torterra, Everyone knows Venusaur.

[@nothingcankilldagrimace]

I like cryogonal’s design. Also, Meowscarade grew on me. Skeleridge is my favorite, but meowscarade feels like an improved Delphox design.

[@diegodelamacorra8901]

Arguable Meowscarada could have a few more things to their design but I like them none the less. From Weed cat, to a cat that no longer wants to be affiliated with the substance, and finally to Weed cat again.

[@NightSkyNyx]

I haven’t watched the whole video as of writing this comment, but I am VERY happy to see Dragapult in the thumbnail as it is one of the BEST and most inspired Pokémon designs I think they’ve ever come up with. It’s based on one of my personal favorite extinct creatures known as the diplocaulus, hence the the ghost typing and Dragapult’s head shape. But the ghost typing and head shape also make it reminiscent of stealth bomber planes, further adding to the ghost typing, it’s ability to turn invisible, and another reason why it’s head looks the way it does. Another neat little bonus is how Dragapult’s tail tip is translucent, referencing how a complete diplocaulus tail fossil has never been found. This might be a controversial take, but I wholeheartedly believe Galar had some of the greatest Pokémon designs ever out of any region because of how inspired they all were, drawing inspiration from so many aspects of the real world culture the region was based on (British, Nordic, etc), while managing to look awesome at the same time 😎👍

[@ryanleatigaga7596]

Reminds me of how Decidueye was based off a stilt-owl, an extinct version of owl that lived on the Hawaiian islands, hence the ghost typing, because they're all dead.

[@Cuprite1024]

I actually like Druddigon. I wouldn't call it complex myself, but it looks cool enough. Just a shame it doesn't have much going for it since it's a standalone mon that's relatively rare.

[@thelastdaybreathinginetern1385]

Meowscarada is awesome so it's all subjective.. I've been playing Pokémon for 20 years so I love seeing the new Pokémon designs when they first release.

[@ShayTheValiant]

One recent example of quote-unquote "bad" designs are the future Paradox Pokémon. I'd say most people don't like the future Paradoxes because they are just robot versions of their original Pokémon and hardly change, while the past Paradoxes actually look different like Slither Wing or Walking Wake. Personally, while I like both the past and future Paradoxes, I actually like the future versions more. I don't know, I just think robots are cool. And maybe I'm biased because I have Violet and not Scarlet.

[@jmurray1110]

Also iron valiant

[@OriginalGameteer]

I don't dislike the Future designs, but I do think there's some missed potential as shown with Treads, and to a lesser extent Bundle imo (I love its spring loaded head) I feel like they could've done a little more with the machine aspect, like leaning towards Hydreigons scrapped tank concnpet or going more in with the side heads now being floating drones

[@thealientree3821]

I dislike the Future Designs, but Iron Treads and Iron Valiant are cool. And Iron Moth.

[@danielferrieri7434]

Video Idea: Which Ride Pokémon is the Best

[@user-jl7cz2pe6d]

Charizard because it can fly

[@FTChomp9980]

Basculigion because it's a giant Salmon that can swim and gives u a boost!

[@yocarter9221]

This will get a weird comment

[@banjito]

Machamp

[@Rexred09]

@@user-jl7cz2pe6dSo Can like, a hundred other pokemon.

[@josephjaimeolnanigon1653]

I play to much showdown to care about pokemon design anymore, especially the starters compared to other people. But if you ask me my favorites they are: Gen 1 - Venusaur Gen 2 - Typhlosion Gen 3 - Swampert (1st) Gen 4 - Torterra Gen 5 - Serperior Gen 6 - Greninja Gen 7 - Decidueye Gen 8 - Cinderace (2nd) Gen 9 - Quaquaval (3rd)

[@c0mpu73rguy]

Hey, don’t badmouth Meowscadra, the only bad gen 9 starter is the Clown croc.

[@joshiethepoketeen6357]

Quaquaval is the worst!

[@Jarekthegamingdragon]

I disagree about the anthro designs. Some of the most popular designs are bipedal. Lucario and hell, greninja is literally the most popular of all time. The bipedal part is irrelevant here. It's a singing fire crocodile with skull design on its head. Of course it'll be popular anthro or not.

[@andrewharris1344]

True i mean everyone complains we want more four legged Pokémon but who are usually the most popular and well received the bipedal Pokémon. When the last time anyone cared for Meganium or Torterra.

[@brenoborba5433]

meowscarada and quaquaval's designs are way more cool to me than skeledirge's, but i like skeledirge too

[@nicholetheotter1957]

I also seem to prefer Meowscarada and Quaquaval over Skeledirge as well. Skeledirge is overrated because it’s being praised solely for being a rare quadrupedal starter in an era where starters are becoming more humanoid. In fact it’s the first one on all fours since Samurott back in Gen 5, which is over a decade old.

[@sammyhorace7523]

Ok i got agree with both you

[@zexalbrony4799]

I'd also argue personal preferences plays a role in what designs people gravitate towards, like what one's favorite colo is, mine is blue so I gravitate towards many water types and the like.

[@kunik61]

13:05 I love Cryogonal, man…

[@alter6243]

One hill I will die on is that Trubbish and Garbodor are good designs. It’s been almost 13 years since Black and White came out and yet these two pokemon are some of the most recognizable modern pokemon. While many will argue they are only recognizable for being bad designs. I have to disagree. Nobody is going to tell you it’s their favorite pokemon but it’s a good design in the same way Muk and Grimer are good designs.

[@jmurray1110]

I’ve certainly warmed up to them Honestly it kind of reminds me of fat princess from PlayStation all stars battle royal

[@dragoongod1603]

Skeledirge is your favorite not the world, The world love Meowscarada.

[@N12015]

Japan. Say it correctly. Here in the west Skeledirge is more popular.

[@darkandwindie]

The discourse always sucks. The beauty in Pokemon is the variety and how there's something for everyone. Like you said, it's all subjective. I personally enjoy all designs as they are. There's no set criteria nor should there be

[@andrewharris1344]

I agree I can’t stand the constant complaints in Pokémon designs every new generation if you don’t like it that’s fine but don’t treat your opinion as fact, because you thought a Fakemon looked better. Also the hypocrisy they want complex but say “ It’s to complex make it simpler” to “ it’s so basic”.

[@ElvishPrinceling]

It's the opinion of the person looking at the pokemon, nothing more. Charizard isn't more popular bc it's a better design, it's popular bc it's a dragon and dragons are cool. Ain't that deep. You're also praising for Greninja the same thing that you're putting down Incineroar for? Greninja and Incineroar both incorporate key design elements that stay the same/similar through the lines, and the final evos clearly show their inspiration IN their designs (and much more than Skeledirge does). Greninja is a frog ninja. Incineroar is a wrestler cat. You just don't like the second one and do like the first one. Which is fine, but you've presented it like it's an objective opinion that Greninja does these things better than Incineroar, but shown no evidence of how other than just "well it's popular so obviously". Pikachu is popular and loads of people frigging hate it. Same with Charizard. Meowscarada follows it's line's evolutionary logic and core design elements and incorporates it's inspiration just as well as Skeldirge does, you just don't like the final design as much. That doesn't make Skeledirge a better design, bc if you take a surface look at it? Skeledirge literally is just a fire crocodile with a super overstylized face that kind of resembles a sugar skull but also looks like key (esp with the teeth). This could equally suggest ghost and steel, there is nothing in Skeledirge that tells you on sight that it's a ghost type. Nothing AT ALL in the design says "singer" and the DOTD link is a stretch when you just look at the thing with no context. It's only once you actually look at the connections and inspirations that the elements make sense, they're not conveyed in the design itself nearly as effectively as "cat magician, duck dancer".

[@TheCorey1734]

3:13 Y is the best most aesthetically pleasing of the Mega forms to me.

[@Keegan006]

At I ask why not juading just woundering Im an X guy myself

[@cristhianmontoya6648]

No design is bad. Some are meant to be cool, creepy, cute, weird, or wtver else. Each one has their own inspiration. Except Mr. Mime. He can go back to the drawing board.

[@andrewharris1344]

I think that’s the best way to look at Pokémon they focus more on variety to appeal to a wider audience instead of sticking to one idea.

[@jericho86]

The thing that makes charizard so flexible is that it's "just" a dragon. If you ignore the fact that dragons are mythical, then charizard is just an ordinary animal, not an ordinary animal plus cannons or ordinary animal plus a back flower. There's much less risk of losing its identity when you make variants.

[@MidoriOfTheShuinsen]

I think Meowscarada is the best Paldean starter, and one of the few good things Scarlet and Violet has done. People who hate Meowscarada are the ones who bandwagon Fuecoco because they wanna seem cool

[@StateBlaze1989]

Simple answer: personal taste. Despite what polls you decide to look at or surveys you make, no single pokemon is universally liked or deemed a good design. Even pokemon, like your scizor example, have people who dislike it. Design features that one person loves about a pokemon could be the exact same ones that are the reason another hates it.

[@Aioba3846]

"Personal preferences". Yes. That's all.

[@wegtgttg]

I dont like skeledirge because the pre evos all stand on 2 legs so I thought it was going to evolved into some godzilla looking pokemon and not some clown crocodile

[@virtualcolt]

Lets face it, the only reason all of you hate Meowscarada is because its a furry, LIKE EHEM.... LUCARIO, OR DID YOU FORGET? Ill never shut up about this until people stop being ridiculous

[@nothinghappened7599]

It's about the execution actually Lucario works because it stayed consistent with its type and its previous form Riolu. It makes sense for an anthropomorphic dog sphinx fighter to be a fighting type. Meowscrada started out as a grass cat on fours and its final form which is bipedal didn't blend well to the evolution line and it's not even a fighting type last time I checked. Same goes with Incineroar. He looks like a football team mascot than a Pokemon tbh. Really it's a missed opportunity to have a sabertooth fire tiger as Litten's final form.

[@andrewharris1344]

Deep down I feel their are people who secretly like some of the humanoid starters but are so afraid of being called a furry even if they aren’t. Personally I don’t care.

[@virtualcolt]

​@@andrewharris1344 Yeah that is the whole problem, it seems to be a universal agreement that the only furry Pokemon you are allowed to like is Lucario, otherwise you suck.

[@mothh]

I think pokemon needs “badly” designed pokemon to make the good designs seem better than they are

[@peterparker1683]

Typhlosion’s design may be simplistic but that’s what makes it so cool! It’s fire badger with aggression. I do agree about the flames tho as it’s the defining factor of his design. Still my all time favorite starter

[@jpa596]

Meowscrada is easily the best final evolution from Gen 9, idk what yall are smoking.

[@lbelypokelbely1137]

Meowscrada

[@CYeoung]

somewhere out there, simisear is someone’s favorite pokémon

[@Archenemy95]

Meowscarada is definitely the most popular. Skeledirge’s design is divisive

[@Captainendou]

I like the simple designs of the Johto starters cause its realistic its imposible for something to change so much when it grows.

[@MainChannel9521]

Meowscarada is a great design because I want to breed it

[@IcE-_-Kidd]

Oh Nah You Want To Give It The Vaporeon Treatment

[@timothissimo]

???

[@keylessdragonball1574]

It is not a great design tbh it’s mid at best

[@tBOGGgle]

Silcoon = the softer one that evolves into the more "feminine" butterfly. The design element of that pokemon is more in its name than anything else. I always thought that was kinda clever actually haha

[@theTRUEelectrek]

Died at mentioning that Slowbro was gen 1 and "as white as I am" 😂

[@exposed975]

Pokémon designs should be an accumulation of many different inspirations rather than an animal with one fantasy element. I prefer the more monster based designs.

[@TheIndifferentGamer]

I think this shows how subjective a lot of the designs are. Because I think the gen 4 starters are some of the weakest designs.

[@andrewmolk8557]

Silcoon/Cascoon I always thought were easy to tell. Silcoon has a fuzzy eye and cascoon looks angry.

[@MidwestArtMan]

A lot of my favorites are edgelords: Cubone, Houndoom, Mightyena, and Zangoose. Meloetta (singing form specifically) and Roserade are great, too, but in a pretty way.

[@jmurray1110]

I wouldn’t call cubone edgy but all those Pokémon you mentioned are great

[@thetrainerknownasx]

Okay now Simisear is by no means anywhere close to my favorite. However, he saved my ass back in Pokemon Black when I didn't know how the hell to get past Cilan, so out of respect and honor, I can't put him at the bottom of my list.

[@cucumbermainline]

It's time to step up the design of bird pokemons. Let me see a mon based on Secretary Bird and flightless birds. Give a birdmon some gimmick based on bird swarms, just like wishi-washi.

[@Array_EB]

I find it interesting that you say it’s obvious that Fuecoco and Skeledirge are related considering they have the most drastic changes in design apart from being 4 legged. Meowscarada still looks like a grass cat and has the same face and Quaquaval looks like a humanoid adult Quaxly. Crocalor and Fuecoco look so much more similar than Skeledirge does. This feels a bit subjective.

[@herounited18930]

I'm sorry if this seems rude, but this video seems stupid and pointless. I understand that people have opinions, and I respect that, but this while video just seems to be that, an opinion. Pokemon designs are subjective. You are saying something is bad, but that doesn't mean everyone is going to agree. And it goes both ways. Especially when some designs are considered simple and are trash on and some are complex and get praises.

[@FreelanceGenie]

Skeledirge is by no means the clear favorite of the starters. In an English language poll from PokeJungle it was admittedly the most popular, but only by 0.6 percentage points(WELL within the margin of error. Meanwhile Meowscarada is nearly 5 times more popular than Skeledirge in Japan.(A little ways outside the margin of error. Just a little. ) I'd be willing to bet Meowscarada is the most popular worldwide, and possibly even the most popular in general if you were to poll casual crowds who aren't scared of being called a furry for liking it.

[@kunik61]

10:33 fans: *love a certain Pokémon just because it is related to dragons. Also fans: *consider Druddigon “ugly”. Why?

[@johnax4124]

idk just make em not ugly Yeah Skeledirge is very naturally blended... but I do like my funny thief cat

[@kylebuffkin7514]

Ngl, at first I thought meowscarada was phugly, but seen it's animations in game I totally changed my mind

[@jaeger3905]

The fact that you believe a generic flying lizard, a balding crocodile, and a dead dorito that constantly looks like it's stoned and can't tell if you're a cop as good pokemon designs leads me to believe that you also think mayonnaise is spicy.

[@lyteabhishek]

I completely disagree with skeliderge being one of the most popular design on decade. Not even comparable to greninja and decidueye heck Meowscarada is way more popular than him. I was expecting a more unbiased video not the same humanoid bashing narrative.

[@jacobdeweil3553]

Still holding out that mons like Druddigon and meganium get a new typing or evolution to bring them into the spotlight.

[@shimogane2474]

I think Meowskarada will line up with these mons being humanoid and great desings, no one expected a catmon being desinged so greatly after Incineroar happened.

[@TheGBZard]

I think some amazing designs are garchomp. tapu koko, haxorus, hydreigon and zapdos

[@MoonMoon-cl4co]

Personally- I really love both simple and complex designs! Though gen 1 did have some more complex designs I feel as the gens have gone on we have got a lot more abstract and complex designs but I actually really like that! I think it says a lot that Pokémon can make so many different varying designs but all still fit in this Pokémon world! And honestly to me- everyone Pokémon design is a good Pokémon design! :) (Tho their are some better then others-)

[@andrewharris1344]

I agree there’s enough variety in designs for everyone they why it works.

[@Sobble_99]

Agree

[@WeavyTheSomeone]

"What makes a Pokemon's design good?" Easy. It's all subjective opinions. What one person can call a good design, someone else may think it's a bad design. Both are valid opinions.

[@AlphaladZXA]

I bet if the monkey trio had been a form changing mon like castform for rain, sun, and grassy terrain with actually good stats it be used way more

[@DeathLeprecon]

I have wondered if there's still away to salvage this idea. A secondary starter trio based off the three wise monkeys. But yeah, better stats and secondary typings would go a long way. Better designs as well.

[@jmurray1110]

It would certainly be an interesting idea Kind of like a misfire of rotom and smash’s interpretation of Pokémon trainer

[@turkishundelightful5382]

@@DeathLeprecon I always thought they were part normal typs

[@keganritz4418]

There is no way the fire monkey is less popular than the ice cream cone. I refuse to believe that

[@NitroFury]

I find it funny how the people in this whole discourse, Meowscarada and Cinderace get despised and labeled as “Furry Bait” by the Western side community, yet Mewtwo and Lucario get a free pass despite them exactly BEING FURRY BAIT!!!

[@Keegan006]

Why mewtwo ??

[@andrewharris1344]

It probably nostalgia reasons why they get a pass. Also it seems more like a buzz word for bipedal starters so I don’t take it seriously. Is like if anyone says they hate humanoid Pokémon they better not say they like Gardevoir, because that’s a complete contradiction.

[@pokemonrampagemake]

Interesting video, but surprisingly I find myself disagreeing with a lot of it. While I haven’t played the gen 9 games myself I remember really liking the first two stages of the fire starter but being extremely disappointed in the final form. I was hoping for something along the lines of Sandile where each evolution gains character and expands on the themes, but it kind of goes in the opposite direction. In some cases I also think that there is value to a design being forgettable. Metapod and Caterpie are both fairly forgettable (same for Weedle and Kakuna) , but for a fast evolving line it makes perfect sense and the final evolutions have good payoff imo A first or second stage Pokémon having a very memorable design can sometimes be a problem in itself, best examples of this imo are Haunter and Kedabra. Kedabra is such a good design that his evolution is basically identical and Haunter is so good that it feels like there is a genuine cost to evolving it, since Gengar (while cool in his own right) doesn’t fill the same niche As far as legendaries and pseudo legendaries go I think different rules should apply. While it is cool for starters to have humanoid features, natural legendaries really shouldn’t (it’s why Mewtwo immediately conveys that it is artificial) and sometimes should even be incomprehensible to some extent. To me Palkia looks pretty “bad” as far as aesthetics go, but I much prefer it to something like Latios which looks “good”, because legendaries should be hard to wrap your head around

[@gabrielt.3181]

I probably have a VERY different taste for Pokemon because he said Greninja, Empoleon and Infernape are good designs but I think they are just a radioactive deformed frog, penguin and monkey Honestly, I feel that I'm gonna throw up when I see Greninja. Come on, it's a frog with its tongue around his neck. People hate Delphox because of its hairy ears but looks like nobody thinks about frog's saliva dripping from Greninja's tongue. Sorry, but facts And there's no world possible where Dewgong design is bad. It's just cute, simple, charming, elegant and beautiful

[@MidwestArtMan]

I'm actually not that into Charizard because its head and neck are rectangles, body is a circle (originally), and wings are triangles. The shapes just aren't quite cohesive to me. I like Blastoise.

[@J_A]

i wouldnt recognise eternatus as a pokemon if i didnt know, i hate its design

[@louisthe15th92]

30 year old eeveelution fans favorite design starter goes from delphox to primarina to cinderace to meowscarada in a couple of years i wonder why?

[@mazharsiddiqi7288]

Great video Surprised there was no Flamigo mentioned for being just a Flamingo without the n

[@JPRPokeTrainer98]

flamigo is already the greatest pokemon ever made so I figured it would be too obvious to discuss

[@FTChomp9980]

Garchomp,Goodra,Hisuin Goodra,Baxcaliber,Salamence,Roaring Moon,and Walking Wake are definitely really well designed Dragon Pokemon! For the Legendary Dragons Dialga and Zekrom are the best ones.

[@kosmaukaszczyk8401]

for me reshiram is tie with zekrom ( i dont like kyurem and its forms) rayquaza is for me better than all listed abowe , zygarde is good but its not typical dragon , i dont like palkia but dialga and giratina are great

[@OMGItsAce]

To be honest there’s not really a single Pokemon i dislike, i always manage to find a way to appreciate every pokemon whether it’s as simple as seel or as complex as giratina

[@kubomagico8853]

0:56 and that's why my favorite pokemon is rotom and my dream is for a rotom watch to be added into the game

[@opswhyyou7216]

As it is with all forms of arts, what is good/bad Pokémon design is a relatively subjective opinion. I myself think greninja is a poor design because his very angular head and flat paws make me think that he looks like a very low-poly computer model. But hey he is immensely popular (although I doubt greninja can be half as popular as he is now if he wasn't a good competitive Pokémon) Gen 6 & 8 starter designs really rub me the wrong way...I guess they are just too humanoid.

[@andrewharris1344]

While like greninja I wish it kept the bubble instead of it’s tongue for the scarf because it feels weird to just give it up.

[@vladimirvilliani6732]

Lol I never liked typhlosion until he got a new form. On the other hand, Blaziken was my favorite fire starter until skeliderge came along

[@Delphox2022]

Braviary is the nightmare I had for a long time. But also how could they just make Ashs lycanroc get destroyed by that. Ashs lycanroc should've taken down Braviary not the other way around.

[@exeggutivejudge3747]

Lycanroc already won Ash the league, so jobbing to Braviary right there was acceptable.

[@maskluigi1370]

I don't know about Skeledirge being the most popular Gen 9 starter... I barely even hear its name brought up.

[@dragoongod1603]

It not the most popular one, That go to Meowscarada

[@Chorongy-]

I like Meowscarade, the signature move is cool

[@spidermangrs7828]

In my opinion I don’t really have any Pokémon designs that I dislike besides maybe a few. I know a lot of people don’t like humanoid Pokemon tbh I don’t really care maybe because I haven’t been dealing with them as long because I really only became a fan maybe 1 year ago so idk. Over all I like Meowscarada I know a lot of people don’t like that they walk on 2 legs but tbh Out of all of the 3 Final evo of the gen 9 starters is Meowscarada followed by fuecoco’s final and then the DUCK. But like I said That’s my opinion so yeah.

[@lindsayssbm]

Find it strange you’re giving Mega Char Y a hard time when X was literally just black Charizard with blue flames.

[@Keegan006]

There is more to X the black woth blue flames you get a second set of horns behind the main the wings change to a more jagged look the blue eyes turn red also the set of shoulder spikes I’m in the camp of both megas look great with my fav being mega x

[@ericlang7987]

To me, I think Garchomp has the most unique design being a combination of several cool things. I also like the design of the entire Gastly evolution chain referencing the three states of matter.

[@akatsukigajou1639]

Pokemon designs are so great that turnsout reshiram and zekrom is just a semi *plaguerize* version of blue eyes white dragon and red eyes black dragon from yu-gi-oh:duelmon while hydreigon and its pre evolve forms are just a semi *plaguerize* version of darkus hydranoid and its evolve forms from bakugan.

[@personguy6987]

Decidueye is an Owl, an animal that stands on two legs. It's also an Archer, and I'm not sure how you're gonna be shooting arrows while hunched over or whatever else other than standing up straight. Edit: It also has backwards knees, just like an actual owl.

[@supervegito9117]

"Good morning" me at 23:00 watching it 💀

[@jonathanunova2856]

12:58 Nah bro, no way you just dissed my two favourite Pokémon lines right after each other

[@Zactoshi]

Quaquaval L You love to see it🗿