Listings: 10 Pretty Good Unova Pokemon Desigins

Welcome to Listings - a listicle series in which I will judge things that I like or don't like.  As with anything else, you're free to dispute my claims and provide your own.  Of course, you gotta be respectful and all that jazz.  This is a judgey series but you don't have to be rude about things.  Gosh.  All rebuttals can be left in the comments or sent to rainbownerdblog@gmail.com

Our first list is going to be in honor of the release of Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 that occurred over the weekend.  The games are the ever prevalent "third" game in any given generation now split into two parts with, for the first time in main game history, a sequel number.  While you are treading over territory from the first set of games, there are new places to visit, new people to see, and old Pokemon to catch!

I'll be covering my first impressions later on but I did want to cover the game's release some way.  I, for one, have bonded with many of my gaymer brethren (and sistren?  What's the female version?) over Pokemon so let's bond over who looks good.  Not body snarking or shaming or whatever of course.  We're just going to look at the designs of the Pokemon in this list.  Pokemon Black and White got a lot of flack for some, let's say, uninspired designs.  Though today I'm going to take us all out of the Negative Nelly Zone and bring us into the Positive Pikachu Realm (that's a thing.  Shut up.)

Oh, and, please note that this listicle has nothing to do with stats, movesets, relevant evolutions, EVs, IVs, or what have you.  This is purely an aesthetic thing.  So let's see who in the Unovadex has class.

All photos are from Bulbapedia (which is amazing, by the way.)

Lillipup

Can we talk about how adorable this new dog Pokemon is?  When Black and White was first announced and the trickle of images of new Pokemon appeared I knew I had to have one.  This is hands-down my favorite of the dog Pokemon now.  Sure it may evolve into some sort of mustachioed beast but its first stage, seen here, is just about the cutest thing one can run into at the start of Black and White.

The color scheme is pretty natural and follows it throughout the evolution line which is nice.  The light browns and the cream color allow it to look more like an actual dog so it tugs on your heartstrings even more because you cannot ever have one in real life.  Lillipup also has a very simple design in a generation full of complicated ones.  That simplicity is what makes it stand out more, causing me to favor it over some of the busier but stronger Pokemon.  This generation of Pokemon also had a lot of un-Pokemon-like designs so to see one that looks like a Pokemon and also sort of realistic is good to see.

And look at that expression.  My dogs just give me blank stares like I'm an idiot.

Sawsbuck

I'm not sure how anyone else feels about Sawsbuck, but I really like this design.  The seasonal change gimmick is sort of cheesy but I always find myself excited when I see that change in my Sawsbuck.  Plus they managed to make a Pokemon have a tree on its head without it looking like some sort of mutant experiment from Team Evil.  Usually I'm not a fan of tossing unrelated things together but it works.  The antlers are perfect branches and they don't scream, "I'm a tree!" when you look at them.

Sawsbuck is also a deer Pokemon which we really haven't seen until now.  We have Stantler, but that's a reindeer and always looks pissed off.  Sawsbuck looks noble and proud and like you could hop onto its back and ride off into the sunset.  Maybe that's just me.  Maybe I want to ride a Sawsbuck through Castelia City shouting, "Yeehaw" at the top of my lungs.  Either way, Sawsbuck is another one of those Pokemon who has good coloring (a solid brown base, the colors of its leaves shift with the seasons) and manages to capture that Pokemon-like whimsy.

Emolga

Every generation needs a Pikachu knockoff.  Marril was called Pikablu for forever, remember?  Anyway, the flying squirrel aspect of it is cool, allowing it to actually use it's design in it's play mechanics (I know I said we wouldn't talk stats, shut up).  It's small and has that "Pikachu face" which, when combined, draws you in with it's cuteness.  The color scheme is also very good, solid, and simple.  White, yellow, black.  They don't clash or look jarring (like, say, Druddigon's) and they let you know instantly that it's an electric type.

Although we've already had an electric squirrel with Pachirisu, Emolga still feels fresh enough to warrant a spot here.  Pachirisu was largely forgettable while Emolga stands out.  The color scheme is bolder than Pachirisu's white, light blue, and yellow so you almost get less of a pushover feeling with it than you did with Pachirisu.  Color may not mean anything to most people but if we consider the world of Pokemon, who would a potential enemy fear more?  The Easter egg colored Pachirisu or the dark Batman of the Electric-Types Emolga?

Zorua

I slightly prefer Zorua over Zoroark.  Why?  Zorua's just cuter.  It looks more like a fox than Zoroark and that makes it's more cunning aspects stand out better.  You'd easily trust a little Zorua!  Granted, Zoroark would probably just trick you by creating the illusion before meeting you but there's something about being led on by a cute little fox pup that makes the concept of Zorua/Zoroark stronger.

Zorua's dark coloring also easily identifies it's type and gives it a smokey look.  You get the feeling that it could toss a smoke bomb, blend in, and then pop out looking like your best friend.  Outside of its illusions, you get that fuzzy, soft feeling when looking at it.  The tuft of hair, the grey fur, and the small little body all make you just want to cuddle it.  Sort of like a cheeky Lillipup.  Too cute not to cuddle.

Victini

The legenderies this generation weren't the best aesthetically.  You have a few gems, like Victini, but overall they could have been better.  I guess that's what makes Victini stand out more.  The orange and cream coloring it has is very inviting and warm which is good for Pokemon #000 in the Unovadex.  It's meant to be the Pokemon of victory so you wouldn't want some sort of hulking demon beast to have that title.  This is Pokemon after all.

It's signature V for Victory pose also gives it a mascot feel.  This is a Pokemon you could put in your promotional materials and it'd draw people in.  Try putting Kyurem on something and see how many people want that (guess that's why it's fused with the other dragons, hm?).  That mascot look is really what you want in a legendary as well.  If you're going to build a story point around it, no matter how minor, you want it to be something you can show off.  You don't want a Pokemon design that's unappealing because no one's going to want to go on that side quest to catch it for anything other than filling up the Pokedex.  That is where Victini really shines.

Volcarona

Is Volcarona a legendary?  It's not supposed to be but it has the feel of one.  That is what puts it up there as one of the best designs of the Unovadex.  Look at that form, those colors, the almost suave petal-like wings.  This is how you design a Pokemon to be classy.  The color scheme does subtly denote its type as Fire but that burnt orange also gives Volcarona a feeling of regality.  Plus it's shape makes it clear that it's a moth so we know exactly what it is at first (unlike Trubbish who we're just supposed to understand is, in fact, garbage.)

Volcarona even comes off as a bit threatening.  That's not necessarily bad because it's a bug that has the power of fire.  Who wouldn't be scared of that?  Much like how Emolga manages to look sturdier and tougher while staying cute, Volcarona looks like it could hold it's own while also appearing as a Pokemon a rich character would have.  I wasn't sure if I'd like it at first but it's certainly grown on me.

Scolipede

We get a centipede Pokemon and it actually does not disappoint.  It manages to capture the freaky essence of a centipede while also having eyes that are pure sass.  You can't tell me you see that half shut eye and not think Scolipede is snarking you in its head.  Its color scheme is also quite nice.  The purple plays off the reddish color while the black breaks it up to make it seem less like a plain worm.

I didn't like it at first but it's really grown on me.  It has really nice symmetry with the stripes, spots, and what I assume are stingers all nicely aligned and even.  The thing is huge and sassy but it would probably do well in a Contest if those existed in Unova.  Poison-types seem to get the shaft I think so it's good to see one that at least looks cool.

Galvantula

Okay, I hate spiders.  I know they're useful and all but they're freaky and always try to get in my bathroom in the winter.  That said, I really like Galvantula's look.  We needed a new spider Pokemon and giving it Electric as it's second type was a cool idea.  Even though it is a huge spider it looks kind of cute.  Those big eyes with the plump body make it more of a friendly bug.  I really like the use of yellow and blue too.  It's bold and flashy which is exactly what an electric spider needs.  While Lillipup looks good with subtle colors, Galvantua looks great with these bold colors that make it stand out in the cave it usually lives in.

The spiked portions also give off that look of it being fuzzy.  That fuzziness coupled with the colors are what drive it home for me.  I'd probably want a Galvantula around to protect my garden and fill my yard with electric webs.  Imagine those in your haunted house at Halloween.  See, Galvantula has many uses!

Axew

Sadly I have a bias against Axew.  It replaced Piplup in the anime as Pikachu's out-of-Pokeball friend and just is not the same.  Though despite my bias I think Axew is one of the better dragons of this generation.  It's second and third stages register as "meh" on my scale but Axew's got an in with me.  That little green ring around its neck makes it look like its wearing a kerchief which, honestly, is adorable.  The spike on its head and the tusks make it seem more like a dinosaur than a dragon too.  And that's good!  We don't have much in the way of dinosaur Pokemon, likely because they'd be extinct, but Axew sort of fits that bill.

Axew's color scheme varies as it evolves but I like this one the best.  The green doesn't say "dragon" at first but it adds to that dinosaur feeling.  That makes it more of a dragon in a way since dragons have long lifespans and, in Pokemon, take a long time to grow and change which shows that we could look back to the time of dinosaur Pokemon and find Axew's ancestor.  So giving it that dinosaur look and feel, the designer has made Axew actually feel like a dragon that's been around for ages.

Litwick

I'm not doing this list in any particular order but I think I've saved the best for last.  Litwick is probably my favorite Pokemon from this generation.  It and its evolutions tip into the problem theme that Unova Pokemon have where they take on the visage of man-made items, but for this line it's almost negligible.  They're ghost-types so it makes sense that they'd sort of form into what a human would reach for in a haunted house (unlike Rotom who possesses appliances).  

But look at it!  That emo haircut of wax, the little yellow eye, and the curled up smile make it the cutest ghost-type ever.  Sure it may try to guide you to the "Ghost World" (afterlife?) but at least it does so in the cutest way it can!  I love the coloring because it has the blue/purple flame that clearly denotes it as a Japanese spirit with the ghostly floating candle motif of a Western haunted house.  Purple is also my favorite color so that's an extra point for me.  All of these points are pulled together in one, small ghost that has captured my heart.

EDIT: It's recently come to my attention that Litwick has a nose, not an adorable smile.  I still love Litwick and it's line but... I'm still going to falsely believe it's a smile.  Don't judge me, I'm the judge here.


So there you have it.  I think those I've listed are a decent example of the good designs of the current generation.  Sure there are more but as I think I've pointed out, this generation hasn't had the best crop of Pokemon designs.  Though I'm not a snob!  I'll be pointing out some of the bad and good designs from each generation so don't worry.  I give every generation it's due process.  Mostly.