Oh I love Cheetos Puffs!

037: Vulpix

This is definitely one of those Pokemon where the shallow side of my taste shows. I've criticized a ton of mammalian Pokemon for being a little too plain, but make it a vulpine and suddenly I'm super on-board.

But look at it! It's such a cutie! I'm shamelessly all about these absurdly adorable foxes, but I'm sure anyone that knows a thing about me already knows that. Vulpix isn't exactly a particularity genius design, nor would I use it as a highlight of Pokemon's creativity. All of the buttons Vulpix pokes are the right ones. Lovely colors, overly fluffy in one way or another, it's one of my favorite animals, along with being a reference to my favorite mythical creature, the kitsune! Or, nine-tailed fox.

I adore how fancy Vulpix looks. The curled tails and “hair” give it a cute little charm that I don't see a whole lot of in newer generations. Just like the blank-looking animal eyes. I kinda wish more modern Pokemon had those. I don't mind the cartoony eyes they use a lot, but they're mostly just serviceable as a default. I love its little “socks” too. That's just a fox thing, but I love it. Vulpix is just one of those Pokemon that, if Pokemon were real, I'd totally keep one just as a pet.

That's kind of the thing with some of my favorites. They're not the most impressive or clever designs ever, and they're not even THAT good for having a conversation about them. But Vulpix here is just such a nicely rendered baby kitsune that I would carry with me everywhere cause I love foxes a lot. And that's just the conversation there is to be had about it. A good chunk of 10/10s can have my rambling on for half a dozen paragraphs worth of talk, but then Vulpix is here and my input is just "It's nice. :)"

That said, I do love that they have this mythological air to them despite how normal they seem, and how much their designs don't overtly scream that there's something supernatural going on with them.

Don't worry Ammy, you got about 2 more final bosses after this.

038: Ninetales

Ninetales is very solid as well! I don't like it as much as Vulpix, but 'tis the risk of making an evolution that's a different flavor from its predecessor. Ninetales goes for being more majestic, which is still a logical conclusion for the line to come to. Its very plainly colored and patterned, even by Gen 1 standards, but the flow of Ninetales is really nice. I wish the orange on the tails went a bit further down the tail, but oh well.

With Pokedex entries talking about it cursing people and having powers it describes as supernatural or mystic, you would think Ninetales would be Fire/Ghost. Or at least Fire/Psychic. But no, it's still just mono-Fire. Which is such a shame, because both would have been such unique typings for the time. But like I said, it's oddly refreshing that this curse concerning Ninetales could actually just be superstition and nothing more. Makes the world of Pokemon feel more fleshed out and cultured when not every legend within it is 100% true.

I'm sure I don't have to explain a nine-tailed fox, since they're VERY common in Japanese media. But they're basically advanced kitsune. I feel like if Ninetales were to be designed today, they'd take their ability to disguise as humans as an opportunity to make it bipedal. I'm not sure how to feel about that, I would rather Ninetales stays on all-fours.