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393: Piplup

The water starter of this generation is pretty cute, even if it tends to fall within the realm of being a little too safe for description. It has the overall appearance of a well-dressed child, with a somewhat bonnet-like "hood" and buttons on its chest. It serves its purpose as a cute appeal Pokemon.

You got: Shotgun Ice

394: Prinplup

Prinplup, however, is a lot like Monferno in that it's peak "Forgettable mid-stage" for a starter. The odd crest on its head apparently made out of the same material as its beak is weird and interesting, but that's about it.

Personal Score: 6/10

Aw come now, lil' ol' me, a hero? Surely you jestin'.

395: Empoleon

You'd expect a Water-type starter penguin Pokemon to go Water/Ice, but Empoleon surprises us by becoming a Steel type. It is interesting how hard it goes to try and present penguins as cool and badass. Because while penguins are quite badasses for braving one of the harshest, most unforgiving places on this planet, they are nonetheless prey to killer whales and leopard seals. And besides that, are usually more well-known for being cute.

As much as the design very much teeters on being a little too cluttered, we think it's more than made up for by being an overall pun on the term "sharply dressed." As in Empoleon is a well-dressed-looking penguin, but also is covered in sharp angles. Even to the point where its flippers are like blades, and we also enjoy the detail that it has claws there as well. Just enough of a fantastical feature to stand out as monstrous.

Empoleon also has that weird beak-crest-thing in the shape of a trident now, calling the god of the sea Poseidon to mind. There isn't too much to it beyond that, but it does reveal the starter trio's overall theme being all three of them are based on mythology, with Torterra the World Turtle, Infernape the Sun Wukong, and now Empoleon the Poseidon. Quite a fitting theme for the starters of Sinnoh, a place that's known for its folklore and legends!