Judge a Pokémon Express: Alola Starters!

Cretacerus

In many ways, Rowlet seems to have gotten the best deal out of the new generation of starters and turned out to be an instant fan favorite the moment it was revealed. Gifted with a useful dual typing in Grass / Flying and a brand new move called "Leafage", Rowlet can be expected to offer great versatility and a nice novelty aspect right from the get-go, making it a highly promising choice for an in-game companion.

Rowlet's greatest appeal, however, has to come from its design itself, which immediately stands out with its originality and unique charm. While many of the other revealed Gen VII Pokémon have been noted to share more or less striking similarities to existing designs, Rowlet can claim an entire design niche almost entirely for its own. Besides holding the title of the first avian Grass-type in the game, the leafy owl only really competes with the Hoothoot line, which was introduced over 15 years ago and has kept a relatively low profile since then.

In comparison to the other Grass-type starters, Rowlet sets itself apart with an unconventional color scheme that effectively conveys its dual typing. The Grass-type elements are limited mostly to a few green quills and of course the prominent leaf bow tie placed right in the center of its stout and compact body, and provide a nice contrast to the white and tan feathering. An interesting detail is the seemingly feathered top half of the beak, a feature characteristic to many owls and previously left out in both Hoothoot's and Noctowl's designs. The round beak in combination with the large eyes gives Rowlet a somewhat curious yet cautious expression, which certainly played a part in making it so popular.

However, the roundness and cuteness that Rowlet emits will be difficult to carry over during evolution, and we can expect the design to become a lot more intricate in the higher stages. Considering that the final evolutions of the starter Pokémon tend to be approximately human sized, a realistic head-body ratio would be increasingly difficult to implement without throwing the owl concept and design off balance. This might very well be for the better, though, by bringing the designers out of their comfort zone and encouraging creativity. Many artists have taken very unique approaches when tackling the Rowlet line, so I'd certainly be interested in which direction Game Freak will go, be it just a bigger owl or perhaps something completely different and unexpected.

Cretacerus

Compared to Rowlet, Litten definitely has a lot more competition to deal with in terms of design inspiration. With the popularity of cats among the target audience, it's no surprise that the series has introduced us to plenty of feline creatures over the years, with at least one new evolutionary line for each generation. Most notably, the XY games recently brought about the Litleo line to represent the Fire-types and gave it a very prominent place in the storyline as a key member in the teams of both the main antagonist and an Elite Four member. Even amidst the few revealed Generation VII designs we already got another cat Pokémon in form of the Sun legendary Solgaleo, which will most likely end up as a Fire-type as well.

With such a crowded design niche, it's all the more impressive that Game Freak actually managed to pull off a simple yet effective design that easily stands out among the competition while still remaining true to its roots. Litten's most distinctive feature is arguably its strong attitude, which perfectly suits the solitary and independent nature cats are known and loved for. It is this serious and disinterested demeanor that sets a nice contrast to the naive and jolly Litleo and the smug and playful Purrloin, amongst others. Litten's large yellow eyes of course contribute a lot to the expressiveness of the design, and a clever color scheme ensures that the viewer's attention is immediately drawn towards them.

Unlike the other Fire-type starters, Litten doesn't simply rely on firebreathing abilities and open flames to justify its typing but instead takes a more organic approach based on inflammable substances. The flavor descriptions attempt to tie this aspect into the feline theme through the use of combustible fur balls, which is certainly a very unique—albeit slightly impractical—technique. Nonetheless, I'd love to see this gimmick be explored further along the evolutionary line, perhaps in the form of other flammable energy sources such as petroleum or even prehistoric tar pits, which are well known for preserving many Cenozoic animals including the famous saber-toothed cats. A potential Fire / Poison or Fire / Rock typing doesn't sound too far-fetched at this point and would definitely be interesting to explore in the games with this starter.

Cretacerus

Rounding off the new starter trio is Popplio with a remarkably lighthearted design that instantly exudes cheerfulness and sets a welcome contrast to the rather stoic nature of its two counterparts. Even though the big smile might at first appear somewhat out of place next to Litten's unamused expression, the more interactive art illustrations and fan art will quickly warm you up towards the quirky little sea lion.

One of the first design elements that catch the eye is Popplio's large forelimbs, which outsize even Rowlet's wings and contribute to the exceptionally lanky proportions of this starter. As seen in the official artwork, the long flippers provide Popplio with a wide range of mobility and give it the upright stance typical for sea lions. Another nice design touch is the external ears, which further emphasize the sea lion concept and set Popplio apart from most of the other seal Pokémon. Together with the prominent nose and whiskers, they add up to an almost dog-like appearance and thus make Popplio look all the more playful and jolly.

The secondary circus theme complements the design rather well and works excellently with the sea lion concept. The hanging ears, round nose, and decorative frill feel very natural and are cleverly integrated into the design without distracting from it. However, at the same time the circus theme also increases the similarities to Oshawott, unfortunately, which has a rather clownish design itself, including a huge round nose, a light blue collar, and even the exact same smile in the official art. And while Popplio's dark blue color scheme might be unique among the first-stage starters and very suitable for a sea lion, it does cause some associations to Samurott, which possesses an incredibly similar coloration and posture.

In the end, though, this doesn't hold back the design as much as one might expect, especially since Popplio still has an entire evolutionary line and generation to distinguish itself and build up its own niche. It's hard to predict exactly in which direction Game Freak will take Popplio, considering that its design provides close to no hints for a secondary typing, but we can at least expect the circus theme to become more prominent in the higher stages. Popplio is certainly the starter I see benefiting most from the evolutionary size increase, which opens up many interesting opportunities for it. Amongst the most popular fan speculations is a potential elephant seal evolution, which seems like a natural progression from Popplio's distinct nose and sets hopes for a possible Water / Fighting typing, though that is only one of the countless promising evolution concepts we can look forward to.