Yeah, let me load up Yakuza.

074: Geodude

Our introduction to the Rock type is Geodude. It is a rock. And a dude. That it sure is. Though “Geodude” would imply it being crystalline on the inside, which hasn't been evident in the series before. I'd like to think a Geodude's rocky innards look more like this.

For my money, I kinda wish Geodude had more going on, on its own. It IS the first Rock type, sure, but that doesn't mean it has to be so basic. Abra was interesting despite it being the first Psychic Pokemon. That said, I do have to give it a little bit of credit cause I can't say there's a ton of creatures out there that are precisely the same flavor of rock monster as Geodude, so there is that.

I am a dwarf and I'm digging a hole. Diggy diggy hole.

075: Graveler

While Graveler is a bit more typical for the traditional image of a rock monster, it's still distinct by being little more than a face with arms and the stumpiest little legs. But also a second pair of arms! That doesn't do much, weirdly enough. If Graveler had some geody bits hanging out of it, or at least showing through a crack or two, I might be a bit more enthusiastic about the line as a whole, but as is, it's mostly alright by my book.

It's not just a boulder! It's a rock!

077: Golem

...But then Golem comes and throws a wrench in things. Not that Golem is a terrible design, but I'm not sure why these rock monsters went and turned into more of a lizard with a rocky shell around it. It even ditches its extra pair of arms! Had it not been in the same group here and you knew nothing about Pokemon, you'd probably not realize they were part of the same evolutionary line. Had this been part of a rocky lizard line, I'd probably be more down for it, especially since the idea of a reptile with a rock shell that rolls around like a boulder is fun. But it seems like an odd way to cap of Geodude and Graveler.

To critique Golem itself though, it's still not a design I'm wild about. I still think it'd be cooler if it had some actual geodes going on. The rock scales are a cool look though. I would've had its face be withdrawn into its shell normally, with mean eyes peering out of the black hole like a cartoony turtle shell. Maybe even throw in a more snapping turtle-like mouth and we'd be golden. But as is, it's also merely "fine" by me.

It's hard to get upset at this line's change of pace at the last second just given I wasn't jiving with it to begin with, but this wasn't the way to win me over either. The line overall is one I can definitely see the appeal of and is overall funny. But that's kinda it. The whole line gets the same score, but for different reasons.