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RTTP: The Pokemon. All 721 of them, and counting.

Watch Da Birdie

I buy cakes for myself on my birthday it's not weird lots of people do it I bet
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#621 - Druddigon
Dragon

Druddigon's claim to fame is being the "average" Dragon-type Pokemon, the only non-Legendary single stage Dragon-type introduced in the entire series. We have some non-Dragon Pokemon who evolve into their line's lone Dragon, such as Kingdra, but Druddigon doesn't evolve from anyone nor does it evolve into anything---he also happens to be the first other fully-evolved pure-Dragon Pokemon introduced to the series alongside Haxorus. He can't be found till the Dragonspiral Tower in Black and White, right around the end of the game, and even later in XY, where he doesn't pop up till Victory Road, and for a Type that is known as one of the strongest he's fairly average with his only great stat being his 120 Attack. Sure, he's got some good defenses, and that works well with his Type, but other than that he's very slow and doesn't have a niche he fits into. If you ask me though that's his charm, most Dragon Pokemon you feel bad about using because they're overpowered and such but no one will consider you cheap if you roll with Druddigon and to me, well, that's pretty important since my self-esteem is dangerously low. Overall as an in-game team member it doesn't have any thrills, but it's extremely solid, and in the competitive scene it will serve you quite well in the lower tiers. It is a Dragon Pokemon, after all, don't forget that!

Druddigon is another design from Generation V that a lot of people dislike---not to the extent of Vanilluxe or Garbodor where people go rabid at the mere mention of their name, but it's usually one of the first designs brought up from Unova when discussing Pokemon who just don't look right. The sharp edges, the garish colors, and the dull expression come together to form a design that most people consider Digimon-tier at best, child's drawing tier at worst. Most fans do agree though that while its Sugimori art and Gen V sprite didn't look too good, the 3D model in XY was quite an improvement and seeing it looking less "flat" seems to have turned around a lot of people's opinions on it. Not me, though, because I liked Druddigon since Day 1, it's probably my favorite Dragon-type of them all due to its underdog status. Yeah, I'm kind of an iconoclast if you haven't realized that by now when it comes to the Pokemon I like.

We've seen quite a lot of weird Dragon-type Pokemon throughout the franchise, from cotton-candy birds to Fabio sheeps, so it's nice to look at Druddigon and go, "yep", that's a dragon alright. Outside of the strange color-scheme and rock-like body (it really does seem like it could've been Dragon/Rock) it's pretty much your average European dragon in shape and form and that's pretty refreshing. Though it primarily lives in caves it requires sunlight in order to warm its body by using its wings as solar panels and said wings primarily seem to serve that functions as it doesn't seem to be particularly skilled in the art of flying. Though you might be surprised to learn that its weird color-scheme actually draws from a real-life lizard known as the red-headed rock agama, the males of said species being known for basking in the sun and developing bright-orange heads and dark blue bodies. That aside I do think it's a pretty odd looking Pokemon even if there is some real-world basis behind it.

Druddigon got a decent amount of screen time in the show, which made me happy. It first got a filler early on in Best Wishes where it belonged to a young trainer having difficulty with one and thus Iris and Axew got a chance to step in and show their skills as a Dragon Master/Dragon Pokemon combination, and this was the first episode I think the two of them really came across as mature and helpful while in most of the earlier episodes they often failed in their attempts to do anything useful. One also appeared in the Clubsplosion Arc where Georgia took it down, the only Dragon-type I think we ever saw her "bust", and later under Drayden when he battled against Iris where it managed to take down her badass Dragonite quite impressively. Finally Clair, who made a surprise appearance at the end of Best Wishes, ended up catching a Shiny Druddigon (one of the few Shinies where the regular one looks just as odd) and in a post-Best Wishes special it went up against Iris' Dragonite as well and was also able to take her down. Um, writers, shouldn't you let Iris win that second fight to show that she's developed?
 

clemenx

Banned
You say "a child's drawing at worst" but ever since I see Druddigon in that light I dislike him less.

I now choose to believe that's what they were aiming for.
 

Boss Doggie

all my loli wolf companions are so moe
I wasn't aware totem poles are known for their gliding

I was under the impression they stick into the ground and stand straight up like they had done for 15 years prior.

the totem pole was more of a reference on how Xatu doesn't move, why it doesn't "flap" its wings
 

e105zeta

Neo Member
I always think of him as Trogdor the Pokemon.

I also constantly think his name is actually "Drudgeon" for some reason and think it's "Drudge" + "Dungeon".
 

Spyware

Member
Druddigon looks like it's made out of clay. That's pretty cute. The wings/fins/whatever they are supposed to be ruin it a bit for me tho. if those looked better I would like it.
 

GoldStarz

Member
While I'm not gonna pretend to act like I get why they didn't make it more gray and stone-like since it seems to be semi-inspired by gargoyles, I do still like that they didn't go with that bland and dull coloring and went with something more eye-popping.
 

Xux

Member
Yeah, Druddigon! Next to Altaria, Druddigon is easily the objectively best Dragon, IMO. ...I don't like to say I don't understand things while connected to a super-duper research machine but I never got the knocks against the Sugimori art or the sprite; I think they look great. I like the stompy animation the sprite has and honestly struggle to find the difference between the Sugimori art and the 3D model.

Next Pokemon is another Gen V top-tier Ghost.
 

Strimei

Member
Gen 5 is my favorite overall, and I can find something to like in almost any pokemon in the generation.

Not Druddigon. I think its the wings in particular. They just don't look right to me. Not even like wings, more like...giant leaves or something.
 

Boss Doggie

all my loli wolf companions are so moe
yeah, Drudd's "common-ness" makes him unique in some way.

Much better than Dragonite.


dat muscle detail shading

I think that's what ironically makes him so unique in the Pokemon world. He's no dragon slug, dragon bat, dragon shark, dragon bluebird, dragon ant-lion - just a dragon.

I wonder what dragon combo we still don't got.

A dragon... robot? A dragon warrior? A dragon horse?
 
Pretty awful design. The real problem (or at least the biggest) is usually how the scales on his belly are presented. Occasionally they look alright but the vast majority of the time they just look like the bellows on an accordion.
 

e105zeta

Neo Member
A dragon... robot? A dragon warrior? A dragon horse?

I expect we'll get a Dragon/Fighting dragon warrior soon enough.

As for a dragon horse - they're actually a part of Asian mythology.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Longma
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Journey_to_the_West_characters#White_Dragon_Horse

So I wouldn't be shocked to see us getting one eventually, too. Especially if they want to do a full "Journey to the West" set of Pokemon to go along with Infernape.
 

Boss Doggie

all my loli wolf companions are so moe
Yeah I was hoping they'd pull a Chinese myth creature too, we need more those. A dragon fighter who looks like Shendu would be rad.

A dragon cat and a dragon dog!
 

CazTGG

Member
I do like how Druddigon looks but I don't like the colors that represent said look, it's just a bit rough on the eyes which might be intentional for such a Rough Skin-covered Pokémon.
 

Forkball

Member
Cryogonal: Outside of Sawsbuck, he is who I think of most when it comes to the seasons feature in Pokemon Black and White. Catching him outside of winter would be a pain, and even in winter he's pretty rare. He comes off to me as one of those rare one stage Pokemon you'd find in the Safari Zone.

Stunfisk: This guy is completely ugly, though I guess he is supposed to be. He's mildly interesting... but god so ugly.

Mienfoo line: I get what they're supposed to be, and it is a creative way to introduce Chinese martial arts, but I feel the design and coloring is so bland. They look like Disney characters for some reason. Overall rather forgettable.

Druddigon: This thing looks like it came from a ripoff Pokemon game. I guess you need to have a jobber dragon type, so he serves that role well. He has probably the ugliest shiny in the entire game so that's saying something.
 
I figured I'd chime in about the whole flying 3D models thing since it keeps coming up. I love, love, love, that they mandated that most flying Pokemon must have flying animations. There are definitely a few that should have remained grounded, like Xatu and Skarmory, and the perpetual gliding thing that's going on with Swellow and Mega Pidgeot should have had them doing regular wing flapping, but I consider the few duds a worthy sacrifice for the rest. Flying type is my favorite typing and it always drove me insane that the Stadium/Colo/XD 3D models always grounded the vast majority of them. Articuno and Moltres look so much better in flight than with their static pose used in Stadium and onward. Talonflame, Noivern, and Yveltal would all look much worse if they were grounded. It's really going to suck that because, given this is Gamefreak, when sky battles stop being a thing next gen, they might start grounding a lot of flying types again who'd look better in flight.
 

GoldStarz

Member
I figured I'd chime in about the whole flying 3D models thing since it keeps coming up. I love, love, love, that they mandated that most flying Pokemon must have flying animations. There are definitely a few that should have remained grounded, like Xatu and Skarmory, and the perpetual gliding thing that's going on with Swellow and Mega Pidgeot should have had them doing regular wing flapping, but I consider the few duds a worthy sacrifice for the rest. Flying type is my favorite typing and it always drove me insane that the Stadium/Colo/XD 3D models always grounded the vast majority of them. Articuno and Moltres look so much better in flight than with their static pose used in Stadium and onward. Talonflame, Noivern, and Yveltal would all look much worse if they were grounded. It's really going to suck that because, given this is Gamefreak, when sky battles stop being a thing next gen, they might start grounding a lot of flying types again who'd look better in flight.

Unlikely, those models were made to last them through a couple of Generations before they switch over. Also it's not like they didn't have flying sprites before, many flying types have had their sprite depict them as being mid-air, so Pokemon have consistently been portrayed as such. Meanwhile many Flying Pokemon remain grounded despite being flying types.
 

Mirrintu

Neo Member
Wow, amazing thread!

It might just be nostalgia, but I am still a loyal Pokemon Red fan. I started to lose interest after the silver/gold expansion, and it only deteriorated from there.

When a pokemon evolves into household appliances someone needs to draw a line... I'm not sure if I am playing pokemon or watching the Brave Little Toaster.

rotom-forms1.jpg
 

GoldStarz

Member
Wow, amazing thread!

It might just be nostalgia, but I am still a loyal Pokemon Red fan. I started to lose interest after the silver/gold expansion, and it only deteriorated from there.

When a pokemon evolves into household appliances someone needs to draw a line... I'm not sure if I am playing pokemon or watching the Brave Little Toaster.

rotom-forms1.jpg

Wow, you have terrible opinions, Rotom is one of the most popular electrics type and is a great Pokemon.

When are we going to talk about Volcarona?

S'while. We gotta cover 8 Pokemon families, however 2 of those families are connected to one another, so they might be grouped together.
 

Azuran

Banned
Unlikely, those models were made to last them through a couple of Generations before they switch over. Also it's not like they didn't have flying sprites before, many flying types have had their sprite depict them as being mid-air, so Pokemon have consistently been portrayed as such. Meanwhile many Flying Pokemon remain grounded despite being flying types.

I do find it interesting that it appears some of the flying Pokemon actually have ground models as seen in the latest distribution:

ChiRxz1XEAAI-BQ.jpg
ChiRx4EXEAQAP06.jpg

ChiRx2sW0AAdgAu.jpg
 

CassSept

Member
Mirrintu, you might try reading Birdie's entries about some of your less liked Pokemon, there's a lot of great stuff there that might just change your mind about some of the designs.

That aside I do think it's a pretty odd looking Pokemon even if there is some real-world basis behind it.

That's the boat I'm in. It's cool that it has a real-world basis, but it doesn't make the red head any less garish.
 

Kurita

Member
Wow, amazing thread!

It might just be nostalgia, but I am still a loyal Pokemon Red fan. I started to lose interest after the silver/gold expansion, and it only deteriorated from there.

When a pokemon evolves into household appliances someone needs to draw a line... I'm not sure if I am playing pokemon or watching the Brave Little Toaster.

But what about magnets and literal Pokéballs with an angry face
 
I do find it interesting that it appears some of the flying Pokemon actually have ground models as seen in the latest distribution:

They are in Pokémon Amie. A lot of the constant flying Pokémon have grounded models in Amie. Xatu, go to Amie, Skarmory, go to Amie, Tropius, go to Amie, Eelektross, go to Amie. Try Pokémon Amie once in a while, some Pokémon do interesting things.
 

GoldStarz

Member
Mirrintu, you might try reading Birdie's entries about some of your less liked Pokemon, there's a lot of great stuff there that might just change your mind about some of the designs.
Don't even bother they fit the 'Genwunner' description to a T. I'll at least give them that at least they're somewhat honest about the nostalgia factor.
 

Mirrintu

Neo Member
Wow, you have terrible opinions, Rotom is one of the most popular electrics type and is a great Pokemon

My comment was more just to poke light fun, there are a lot of equally ridiculous Pokemon in the first gen! Even so not everyone is going to like the same Pokemon, original or not, I have personally never been a fan of the more metal based Pokemon. But like I said I come from more of a nostalgic place :)

Mirrintu, you might try reading Birdie's entries about some of your less liked Pokemon, there's a lot of great stuff there that might just change your mind about some of the designs.

I honestly haven't formed a real opinion about much of the newer Pokemon since I never got a real chance to play them. But this thread is really making me want to explore more into those laters generations, so thanks for the tip!
 
Wow, amazing thread!

It might just be nostalgia, but I am still a loyal Pokemon Red fan. I started to lose interest after the silver/gold expansion, and it only deteriorated from there.

When a pokemon evolves into household appliances someone needs to draw a line... I'm not sure if I am playing pokemon or watching the Brave Little Toaster.

rotom-forms1.jpg

first your wrong about Rotom he doesn't evolve into those, he changes forms

this is what he looks like in his normal form

250px-479Rotom.png


his typing is electric/ghost and common myths about ghosts is that they possess household items. Rotom doesn't become a washing machine or a lawn mower, he just possess them

it's a really smart idea that's well executed
 

Macka

Member
I thought Druddigon looked absolutely terrible in his B/W sprites, but he definitely looks a lot better in 3D. He's charmingly ugly now. :p

Shiny is pretty cool too.
 
I know we aren't there yet, but I kinda want to talk about Reshiram given that it goes along with the flying 3D model stuff I was talking about before. It really disappoints me that they kept it grounded for its 3D model. Reshiram consistently looks better while in flight.

reshiram.png


Long story short, I used to be team Zekrom until I saw the movie with Reshiram staring in it and finally saw it in motion. It quickly became one of my most favorite legendaries. Apparently I got the majestic/angelic wyvern Pokemon I never even knew I wanted. Reshiram's official art just isn't very good and that's what originally turned me off to it. It has these super ungainly wings that even it's Dreamworld art does better.

643.png


250px-643Reshiram.png


So yeah, most other official art tends to make it's wingspan bigger and it look less awkward that way, at least to me. This leads into it's 3D model where they opted to have it awkwardly keep it's wings raised up over it's head like in it's official art and old sprite. The pose didn't look that great as a sprite and it still doesn't look that great here. I know it's the default pose for Reshiram but I expected it to be in constant flight when X and Y came out and I was sorely disappointed. I feel like even that 3D Pokedex app had a better idle pose for Reshiram. Oh, and they also ruined it's cry in X and Y too. They honestly really messed up a lot of the gen 5 cries that didn't even really need tampering with to begin with. Zekrom got hit hard by it too.

Since we're already on the topic, can I just bring up Reshiram's *ahem* extra wing? Seriously, who thought that was a good idea? If there was one thing I would love to chop out of it's design, it's that. It doesn't even make any sense either given that Reshiram is supposed to be feminine to Zekrom's masculine.

Of course, I'm probably the only one in this thread who genuinely likes Reshiram to begin with or even gives a shit about how it looks LOL. Wait until we get to Kyurem. I have nothing but good things to say about it LOL. For now I'll just leave you all with this fan art,

Reshiram.png
 
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