I'm not sure how to objectively quantify what counts as an "unpopular" pokemon so if this post makes me seem like a basic bitch know that I did my best

Aside from the trash bag and maybe the gears, this is the line of pokemon that people will point to in order to disrespect Black and White's dex, which is a bit unfair for a couple reasons, but I will give them this: they are literally just ice cream. Despite that, I found myself drawn to the Vanillite line, probably because Vanillite itself is pretty cute, but also because they're the most accessible ice types in the game. They are quite basic, more or less just clicking ice STAB (most importantly, Ice Beam by level-up, helpful when the TM is locked to post-game). Its best coverage is Flash Cannon, which I guess lets it take the Brycen mu, that very important and daunting battle. But idk, I think they're neat.

Bold of me to call a starter trio in one of the most beloved generations unpopular, but think about it, Infernape is a ton of people's favorite for obvious reasons, and Piplup gets by on cuteness factor alone, but how often do you see people stick up for Turtwig? Who on this mortal plane has Torterra as their favorite Sinnoh starter? Me, that's who. I had always overlooked Turtwig in my youth, but replaying it as an adult I came to discover how fun this green tortoise is to use. TL;DR, this thing spams setup like a motherfucker. Curse at 17 already provides you with a powerful boosting move, allowing you to break through most early to mid-game boss fights with maybe a potion or two necessary, but it's when we get to Torterra that things get crazy. SD via the game corner and Rock Polish via Mt. Coronet allow for some hilarious double dancing abilities, and with STAB EQ upon evolution (allowing you to give the EQ TM to something else, very useful) and Wood Hammer via the move tutor, Torterra becomes an absolute monster on the battlefield, and while it has enough drawbacks to not effortlessly sweep, I'd say that makes the payoff all the more worth it.

When thinking of fire types, even just those in Kanto, I can't imagine Magmar wins the popularity contest over Charizard, Arcanine, or even Moltres, but I love this wacky thing like nothing else. Its design is a hot mess (no pun intended), with its duck bill, forehead booba, and bizarre body constructed of circles and ovals, but somehow the reptilian kaiju template (typical of gen 1) brings it together into something fascinating. Gameplay-wise, Magmar's level-up movepool is a big draw for me, it's mostly just fire moves, but a steady series of strong, reliable fire moves is very appealing to someone like me who's accustomed to games where the Flamethrower TM can be hard to come by. If that's not enough for you, Magmar's expanded movepool is quite colorful, including options such as Psychic, Thunder Punch, Focus Blast, and even Thunderbolt and Earthquake when its evolution Magmortar is factored in (not as huge on Mortar itself but hey, hand cannons are still pretty cool). Despite its reputation in its home region as a rare, late-game pokemon, the Magmar line is surprisingly common throughout the generations, being found in Johto, Sinnoh, Unova, and Alola, and being quite solid in all of those game, which thankfully gives me plenty of opportunities to use this fiery weirdo as much as I want. And as the cherry on top of all of things, its Japanese name is "Boober." I mean come on