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This is a bit of an odd question but I'll explain.
Pokémon is an unusual RPG series (though not unique) in that the vast majority of your opponents are useable by the player and run off the same mechanics--I don't think we had any exceptions until Sun and Moon outside maybe the Pokéstar studio. However, I think it's clear some Pokémon were designed to fill a very specific role in the game design rather than just to add to the cast list.
I once saw it mentioned--and I agree--that Onix back in gen 1 was probably built specifically for the role of "first boss" with the player using one being a secondary concern, with just about everything about it intending to serve this role--his sky-high defense but otherwise medicore stats forcing you either use a type advantage or realize you can beat it down with ineffective special moves thanks to bad HP and special, while it's awful attack power gives time for this to work. It also has an intimidating appearance.
Another teacher was the Caterpie and Weedle lines who are very weak but evolve very quickly and gain good stats for that early point, teaching the player the values of the evolution mechanic. On the opposite end is Dratini, a fairly weak line that ends up (statistically) as one of the strongest in the game when you put in the effort.
For a later game example I suspect Slaking was designed primarily to make Norman a memorable midpoint boss by giving him something very strong but with a clear weak point for the player to exploit and plan around.
What other Pokémon do you think were designed for very specific roles in the game?
Pokémon is an unusual RPG series (though not unique) in that the vast majority of your opponents are useable by the player and run off the same mechanics--I don't think we had any exceptions until Sun and Moon outside maybe the Pokéstar studio. However, I think it's clear some Pokémon were designed to fill a very specific role in the game design rather than just to add to the cast list.
I once saw it mentioned--and I agree--that Onix back in gen 1 was probably built specifically for the role of "first boss" with the player using one being a secondary concern, with just about everything about it intending to serve this role--his sky-high defense but otherwise medicore stats forcing you either use a type advantage or realize you can beat it down with ineffective special moves thanks to bad HP and special, while it's awful attack power gives time for this to work. It also has an intimidating appearance.
Another teacher was the Caterpie and Weedle lines who are very weak but evolve very quickly and gain good stats for that early point, teaching the player the values of the evolution mechanic. On the opposite end is Dratini, a fairly weak line that ends up (statistically) as one of the strongest in the game when you put in the effort.
For a later game example I suspect Slaking was designed primarily to make Norman a memorable midpoint boss by giving him something very strong but with a clear weak point for the player to exploit and plan around.
What other Pokémon do you think were designed for very specific roles in the game?
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