I don't know if this would be an unpopular opinion or if it belongs anywhere else.
Why isn't Granbull in Sword and Shield?
So as someone who is unfortunate enough to live in the UK, I see Granbull as a Pokemon whose inclusion in SwSh should go without saying. If we ignore the fact that bulldogs are
considered the most iconic dog breeds in Britain to the point of being a national symbol, there's a lot more going on that only makes it seem more natural. While it does have good and bad connotations, it remains a symbol of British courage and pride. Like, fuck, there's a reason we compared Winston Churchill to a bulldog; that WWII speech he gave is still one of the most iconic of all time.
Granbull, considering its Fairy Egg Group, appears to be based on Cu-sith, a "dog fairy" in Scottish (and arguably Irish) mythology. It's also got a few callbacks to Cŵn Annwn in my mind, a mythical spirit hound from Welsh mythology. I take this as a minor form of representation, and it seems Game Freak does too with the Fairy type change in Gen 6. With this and the aforementioned bulldog/mastiff/etc breed in mind, I'd go as far as to call Granbull one of the most British Pokemon you could possibly get.
You could make the argument that including Granbull could be giving power to the negative points of bulldogs in British symbolism. The bulldog has historically been used in British Nationalist symbolism. Additionally, Winston Churchill himself is considered to be a bit of an iffy dude, with some...questionable political beliefs, as well as some war crimes. Regardless, I don't see these as intrinsic reasons for Granbull's exclusion and think they're largely irrelevant. As a "hate symbol", bulldogs aren't really used
too often, they're moreso just a heritage thing. To be honest, every Pokemon should be in at the end of the day, but Granbull should have been included and used in a big way.
I'm going to hazard a guess that Yamper and Boltund replaced our pink friend, so they saw Granbull as an unnecessary addition. I can see why; Yamper seems to be a Welsh Corgi (or as we call it, Cymraeg Corgwn), and Boltund is an English Foxhound, though that's a reach. However, neither of these hold a candle to the level of influence the bulldog umbrella has had on British culture.
#JusticeForGranbull #DownWithBoltund