I disagree with these takes because these ideas are different and can coexist. You can say some Pokemon are bad, and still agree they have fans and have things that make them likable. You can disagree with the first and agree with the second. (Coincidentally, this is what I believe.) All you need to believe for this is that:
1) Pokemon can have negative traits in addition to positive traits,
2) The negative can outweigh the positive, and
3) Popularity is different from quality (people can like things that are bad).
I agree with all of these claims.
I'll use Rhyperior as an example. I think Rhyperior is bad, but I understand why people like it.
I think people like Rhyperior, even though I think it is bad, because it has relatively
surface level positive traits. It's big and strong and manly, and it has some spikes and stuff, spikes and stuff are cool. If you look at Rhyperior and don't think hard about its existence, it gives a positive impression.
However, to me, Rhyperior has several negative traits, which become more apparent the more you think about it. I will explain this, and by extension why any given Pokemon
can be bad. The core of my argument is this. When you think about them more, Rhydon's design/concept sends a
clear, focused message with its design, while Rhyperior is
unfocused and
undermines itself.
I use and focus on the original Pokemon's sprites here because I want to evaluate them as they were made, without being limited by any concessions to future graphical requirements or new stylistic directions.
Looking at Rhydon makes something perfectly clear. This is a pocket
monster that will run you down and trample you without a second thought. The design elements work
together to communicate this. Its vertical stance towers over the ground. It's built solid, like a rock, like a mountain. Look at that tree trunk torso and legs! Its thick tail also evokes a Godzilla-like behemoth. You're more likely to win the Goldenrod lottery than topple this behemoth. Its narrowed, angry, focused, forward-facing eyes make obvious that it considers you some kind of enemy, even if you don't rise up to the level of "threat", as does its scowl. For all I know, you just looked at it wrong. But may God have mercy on your soul.
Maybe you like cute, friendly Pokemon, so this raging beast isn't really your cup of tea. And that's totally cool. I'm right with you there – some of my favorites are Alcremie, Minun, and
Ledian.
But even if Rhydon doesn't specifically appeal to my tastes, I can appreciate the craft in making it. And, even though it's not my personal favorite, I think it's pretty freaking cool.
When I look at Rhyperior and take the time to think about it, there are clearly some ideas cooking.
Its shoulder spikes seem like blades, its tail like a club, its hand cannons like... cannons. There's some kind of
weapon emphasis. This Pokemon is less about trampling you with brute strength like Rhydon, taking a more passive,
reactive stance preparing to receive blows. This aligns with the Protector integrated into its design, giving it what seems to be a helmet and some scattered protection elsewhere, suggesting it's
preparing to get hit and counter attack. It's almost like
Rhyperior is even more dangerous than Rhydon because it's using these
advanced techniques versus just raw might.
I think these ideas, on paper, look great. It builds on Rhydon with a new and natural progression, finding a creative new way to add danger and menace. Rhyperior won't just take you down, he's ready for whatever you've got and knows how to disassemble you.
Here are the problems when going from ideas to execution, where I think this messaging gets muddied.
1)
The weapons are inherently awkward.
don't know how he's ever hitting me with that stubby tail. Those shoulder blades look totally unwieldy. His hands being cannons means it's awkward for him to grab or punch me. In contrast, I definitely believe Rhydon can run in a line, and whatever was standing there will be gone.
2)
The weapons are used awkwardly.
Whenever you look at Pokedex or flavor for Rhydon, there are two weapons it emphasizes. Mostly its hand cannons, and, to its lesser extent... its natural horn that it already had. Its horn can be used as a drill, but that's just as true for Rhydon, if anything more so. What is the point of this broad weapon theming if it's going to focus on one new weapon and the horn it already had? I'll also note that the hand cannons feel a bit "tacked onto" the design – they aren't visually prominent, and I can't even see them in the sprite I added – which makes this awkward use even worse to me.
3)
The Protector / "armor" is inherently awkward.
First, Rhydon's hide already looked impregnable.
Why are we adding more stuff onto it to make it even more impregnable? I could understand if the grafted material was something important and sensible in its own right – maybe Rhydon found new metals in its environment and got additional elemental resistance from that, for example. However, the Protector is very arbitrarily "thrown out there" as this evolution tool of unknown substance for a Pokemon that was already
very protected.
Next, I put "armor" in quotes because the Protector is far from full body armor. The helmet area is pretty complete, but the torso is just one belt, and elsewhere are just scattered patches to the... knees and
groin. Okay. Why is this important protective armor so
incomplete? Rhyperior simultaneously looks bulky and slow – the Protector is said to be very stiff and heavy – while not looking very protected.
4)
The Protector / "armor" is used awkwardly.
The part of Rhyperior that gets the most flavor emphasis is its ability to shoot projectiles, from its hand cannons. If it knocks some enemy out with a shot rock, it doesn't need to take hits from them, which makes armor less important. Rhyperior's design is all about slow, ponderous bulk, but projectile + heavy armor is generally a bad idea with poor synergy. You'll note medieval knights, not archers, went into battle with a full suit of plate armor. There are definitely exceptions, e.g. poking out from
behind walls or armor to shoot your projectile (think a pavise, a slit in a castle wall, or cover in a shooter), or bulk being necessary to process very
large projectiles (think a catapult or trebuchet). Rhyperior isn't these exceptions, though. Notably, its projectiles are small – rocks, not boulders – and a bulky tail or arm spikes wouldn't help it shoot large rocks anyway.
5)
Rhyperior's intelligence is used awkwardly.
There is a lot of messaging from Rhyperior suggesting it is smart. Its use of weapons and (non-natural) armor, and its reactive fighting technique, certainly seem more sophisticated than Rhydon's blunt force trauma and natural rocky hide. On Rhyperior, the Protector looks like human clothing – a helmet, knee pads, and a cup / crotch guard. This makes Rhyperior look more human like, and suggests it might work around humans wearing similar equipment – doing construction work, perhaps? Helping clear open tunnels for miners? Even its items name, the Protector, suggests a more mature, helpful, defensive role than Rhydon's rampages. Also, Rhydon uses walking upright to show more intelligence than the foolish Rhyhorn, and Rhyperior keeps that trend up. Evolutions are normally smarter than their pre-evolutions, anyway.
Is Rhyperior serving some kind of more humanlike, sapient role in its environment, or working with humans, for this to make sense?
No.
Literally the opposite. It's actively
dumber than Rhydon and all it does is fight. Why is there all this intelligence setup just to do the opposite?
6)
Where do we go from here? Like with Rhydon, Rhyperior's vibe is something I was never that into. I'm not really into macho, bulky guys like it. However, unlike with Rhydon, where I appreciate the craft and enjoy the guy as being super cool, Rhyperior just makes me confused and annoyed. It has lots of cool ideas with potential in another context, but as is, it's clumsy and self-defeating to me, so I can't really appreciate it. In fact, I anti-appreciate it, because it takes the spotlight away from Rhydon, who I believe is better.
