Pokémon you like in concept, but not design

[WyndonCalling]

Which Pokémon sound great on paper, but fail to live up to your visual expectations? Perhaps there's a certain neat type combination that sounds nifty but is tacked onto a weak design; or maybe there's a certain species of animal that fascinates you in real life but didn't translate well to the Pokémon world?

For starters, I'll lead with Polteageist. I'm a relentless tea-drinker, averaging something like four solid mugs a day. I grew up near an area famous for pottery and crockery, and have my own little collection from the brand of a famous industrialist. I can tell a first from a second by looking at the underside. On paper, Polteageist is 100% my bag... but it's this strange little purple humanoid with too long a body and bizarre, unnatural eyes, twinned with an anemic colour palette for the pot itself. Not my, erm, cup of tea.

 

[Daenerys]

I really like Dhelmise in terms of its type combo, but I tend to hate Pokemon that are based on inanimate objects so I've never used Dhelmise. Same goes for a ton of other similar Pokemon like Palossand and Polteageist.

 

[Daren]

Noivern.

I love Wyverns, but I wasn't happy that the Wyvern Pokémon is sound-themed instead of a Poison/Dragon hybrid, and is cursed to be another Dragon/Flying dual that doesn't have the stats to compete with Dragonite and Salamence but still evolves incredibly late.

 

[Emmy]

Scizor.

The idea of an armoured Scyther is cool but Scizor just looks terrible overall. The Mega form does alleviate it somewhat but still not enough IMO.

 

[Captain Bubbles]

Boltund. I was so excited when seeing Yamper and thought this would be going on my team if I ever played Sword and/or Shield. But then I saw its evolution and cringed. Yamper is so adorable, but Boltund just is not.

 

[Nicolas721]

• Mr. Mime: A mime has a lot of potential, but instead of giving it a classic look they gave it that weird hair and creepy proportions.
• Medicham: Could have been executed much better so it represents more of its Fighting side. I think I prefer the Mega.
• Probopass: Who had the idea that the Moais would look good with clear eyes and a mustache?
• Klinklang: I don't hate the design as much as I hate how little changes are between its evolutions, it should have become a giant steampunk clock or something.
• Accelgor: Its idea of speed seems very...Japanese, so it's a bit hard to understand at first glance. And it needed more developed arms and legs.
• Hydreigon: Hydras has 3 REAL heads and not puppets, you know...And it should be physically unable to fly with those wings.
• Aromatisse: Enough has been said about it, it looks very unpolished in both colors and proportions.
• Goodra: Snails are cool and a fusion with a dragon could be very interesting an unique. But nah, let's redesign Barney and give it unnatural goo despite of the fact that we're on the 3D era.
• Cosmog/Cosmoem: They look extraterrestial, but not exactly "special", I feel like an alien/fairy thing would have worked better.
• Orbeetle: I find the concept wonderful, but the execution doesn't feel right with that thin tiny body.
• Sirfetch'd: It needs to be bigger, and have some references to armor, the way it looks feels too simple (the leek as sword & shield is perfect though).
• Mr. Rime: It needs a justification to be Ice-type and darker eyes. I'd also like to see it in a black-and-white palette (that shiny is such a cop-out...).
• Eiscue: The Cube form should answer the question: how does it breathe? but it's not really bad. The Cube-less form in the other hand is just horrendous, it needs a bigger and more defined face.

 

[Orchid]

Toxtricity.

I've always wanted a Pokemon that has different forms based on Nature. I also absolutely love rock music. A cool Electric/Poison type that can generate a literal electric guitar to attack should be everything I want and more! ...but between its oddly sickly color palettes, its humanoid shoulders and disproportionate froggy limbs, and its sad Muppet face... I just really can't bring myself to like the thing at all.

 

[DCM]

Toxtricity.

I've always wanted a Pokemon that has different forms based on Nature. I also absolutely love rock music. A cool Electric/Poison type that can generate a literal electric guitar to attack should be everything I want and more! ...but between its oddly sickly color palettes, its humanoid shoulders and disproportionate froggy limbs, and its sad Muppet face... I just really can't bring myself to like the thing at all.

lol I hadn't thought about that before but Toxtricity absolutely has a muppet face.

I also think Dhelmise is a really great idea that doesn't translate super well.

I really like the idea of Absol but think it really is just kind of a below average pokemon.

 

[Sheep]

Druddigon would've been so cool if it were designed better. A two-colored, cave-dwelling dragon with spikes all over its body seems like a cool concept but then I just....see it and get underwhelmed. One of my least favorite dragons tbh. ):

Going to agree with Dhelmise too - I really love the idea behind it, but for some reason it just doesn't click with me. Maybe I'll use one in my next playthrough and see if I end up liking it more than now.

 

[Enzo]

Lickilicky.

Like, in theory, it's an Pokemon that works. Because let's take Lickitung in the spotlight for a second. It's a big, lizard-like creature, that's entire thing is about it's long tongue and appetite. So you think: "How can we make it evolve?"

Make it fatter. Greedier. Bigger. Give it an bib-like marking on it's chest. Give it an ''curly updo" that resembles those rich fat boys in child stories. In theory, Lickilickly sounds great as an evolution, right?

But in pratice,,, no. It doesn't resembles it's pre-evo at all. The head and mouth shapes are too different, the tail looks a lot smaller than it should be, it doesn't resembles an lizard anymore, the tongue is way too short, the belly is too big to the point where the entire shape of the Pokémon changes too drastically... It looks weird. And I get it: it's a goofy Pokemon. But while Lickitung has this sort of "odd, gross cuteness'' it's evolution just looks stupid in the worst way possible.

And wanna knows what pains me? To me, the only worse thing than an ugly, messy design, it's a design that had everything going on for it to be great in it's own right, but got screwed up at the last minute.

 

[SodiumChloride]

Duraludon
The idea of a metal dragon sounds really cool, but what we ended up getting is some ugly tube thing
I mean I totally love weird designs, but those weird designs have to be good too.

 

[Epic Spheal]

Samurott: well actually I like the design...just not in the Oshawott line. I was hoping for the Oshawott Line to stay bipedal

Incineroar: really not that much of a fan of the design, this is a design that I think would've really benefitted from staying Quadrupedal

Noivern: echoing another user above, I love wyverns but Noivern's design doesn't appeal to me. We definitely need a poison/dragon wyvern

 

[Camille]

Eelektross: such a cool concept, not to mention its huge movepool and Levitate, but it looks absolutely hideous.
Cryogonal: I do like the fact it is fast, unlike many other Ice-types, but its angry face just creeps me out.
Diggersby: Huge Power is amazing, its movepool is diverse, and its typing is unique, but I still find it incredibly ugly.

 

[Chidamari Sketch]

Rolycoly's entire line: I've ranted about it multiple times in this site, so I'll make this short. Rolycoly is a cycloptic coal creature that rolls around in a little coal wheel. This thing could've been a badass locomotive monster, and yet not only did they remove the cool eye with an ugly dino head with Carkol, but they ditch the entire coal/cart/wheel concept in favor of a generic 'kaiju dinosaur' bipedal design.

Kabutops and Armaldo: I greatly prefer their counterparts Omastar and Cradily over those two. The 'bladed' fossils just look... ugly. Especially Kabutops and its stupid face, but Armaldo isn't a saint, either; also falling into the curse of changing into a bulky, ugly dino thing. For one thing, they changed what is distinctively a radiodont's mouthparts into mere limbs and just gave it a dinosaur's jaws.

Drapion: Too bulky and angular. I don't dislike it at all compared to the rest, its just that it looks like an accordion tube thing than a menacing scorpion monster.

Goodra: Really? A slimy Dragonite? It evolves from being exposed to rain, and its pre-evolution is noted to have lost its eyesight and thus uses its antenna instead and has its brain situated in a sort of shell-like tumor; and yet their big payoff they did was turn it into yet another Barney-esque thing?

Scyther: This thing's stupid fake-dino face has always bugged me. It may not be one physiologically, but Lurantis is a true mantis in both countenance and spirit.

Hoopa: A portal-utilizing imp that has a then-unique Psychic/Ghost typing would've appealed to me, maybe. But... This thing's design bothers me. Its body has way too many oval/circular protrusions which makes for an awkward, bumpy silhouette, and its face doesn't gel with me, either. I'm not a fan of its face as is, and the blush stickers plus forehead hoop thing feels like one pattern too many.
...and its true form... is much worse. Looking at it reminds me of the Gen 4 mascot Legendaries, and since I hate those; that is clearly not a compliment at all. Just like the 'Confined' form, there's way too much going on in its body. And since I've looked at it, I noticed that its detached limbs seem to be 'stored' into its limbs like they're lids on a bottle, which I kind of want to like as an idea, but with an already busy-looking body as is; it just feels like a visual gimmick slapped on to an utter mess. I especially don't like the lower-body. Maybe its just the official art, but the front area of the lower body looks unnatural flat, angular, and jutted out, while it has these vaguely Palkia-esque legs and demon tail protruding out of it. Just... all around a really messy looking thing.

....Jeez, I'm seeing a lot of my favorite Pokemon here in other people's posts. >->;

 

[nickdt]

Cinderace - Its a human in a bunny suit. When i first played through the game, i choose Sobble (Meaning Hop had Scorbunny). So when it appeared next to Hop at the end of the game, i seriously was under the impression Hop was going to introduce another Human character to me, before i realized it was Cinderace.

 

[Neyo]

Lanturn. It has a cool typing and abilities, but the design looks like a dolphin drawn by a 6-year old. It looks like they couldn’t choose between investing in the Pokémon being cool, or cute.

 

[MadisonSteel]

Galarian Meowth and Perrserker. Cats are my favorite animal, and steel is my favorite type. Plus I love history. But Meowth and Perrserker are really weird looking and I don't really like them.

 

[PinkIceFox]

I would love Galarian meowth ten times more if it were just a giant poof ball instead of that being a beard

 

[R1ke]

I like the idea of there being a wizard pokemon, but Delphox just isn’t it for me. It’s so weird to look at. I don’t really have a problem with fennekin or braixen even but whether it’s the proportions, ‘robes’, underwhelming battle prowess or even the lack of notable anime appearances even I just can’t stand it. Really hope they try again with another wizard mon though.

 

[Maniacal Engineer]

Klinklang.

Don’t get me wrong, the design isn’t terrible, but they could have done so much better for a Pokémon based on gears. Hell, it could have evolved into a badass clock tower Pokémon.

Also, Coalossal should have been a steam engine locomotive, and you will not convince me otherwise.