The 3 new starter Pokemon were announced just 2 days ago and the internet collectively exploded within mere seconds. Rowlett, Litten, and Popplio are your new trio of Pokemon to choose from. An owl, a cat, and a sea lion. Sides were immediately chosen, lines were drawn, and war ensued on the battlefield known as the internet, the likes of which you have never seen (not really). It’s only been 2 days, and there are already hundreds of memes, videos, custom art, maybe even fanfic, although I haven’t looked that hard yet. This is all still new.
Team Rowlett! Yelled one side of the internet. He’s cute! His head turns all cute like, and he’s an owl! Who doesn’t love owls?
Tootsie Pop’s Mr. Owl even tweeted about it. What?
Team Litten! Yelled the other half of the internet (including myself.) It’s a fiery cat! What else do you need to know? Cats own the internet, like they did ancient Egypt.
There’s always a casualty, however, and almost unanimously Popplio was chosen as the one everyone liked least. This was due to a few things. Some argued he looked a little goofy, but I personally think it’s because when you have a cat, and an owl to choose from, a sea lion is going to come up short. Those are the two most popular animals on the internet. Popplion never stood a chance. So, as much of a “Team Litten” supporter as I am, I’d like to come to the defense of Popplio.
This generation’s water type starter is actually a brilliant Pokémon design. The universal image of a circus seal with a ball at the tip of its nose is something that we all immediately recognize. Making its nose bigger to represent the ball is very clever, and if they continue this clown theme as it evolves, I’m actually very excited to see what it turns into. Yes, Rowlett is a cute owl, and Litten is a cool cat, but of the 3, Popplio’s design is actually inventive and creative. The more you think about it, Popplio’s design is fucking fantastic.