Let's Talk About Pokemon - Rattata and Raticate

019 - Rattata

One more in the train of obligatories-to-be, we've got our first regional Normal type. First rodent. Or something. Can't really think of a phrase as catchy and fitting as "Early bird". Again though, Rattata is likely very banal and not too interesting by intention, meaning to be another Pokemon to introduce you to the concept of the setting in general, so it mostly just gets to be a cartoon, purple rat.

And for what it's worth, sure, it accomplishes the goal of looking very normal, though I do feel like future counterparts manage to make "normal" look more interesting than this. All it has going for it is the swoop of a tail.

020 - Raticate

Rattata becomes the angry lump of fur known as Raticate, which maybe on first glance feels even more bland than Rattata does, seeing as it's brown-furred and straightforward rat-tailed. But what it does have to help it out in the interest department is its physical shape, appearing much more exaggerated in proportions between how its face makes up half its body, and it perpetually keeps that mouth just open enough to show off its rodent teeth!

I also can't help but detect a little capybara influence on the thing, especially given it has surprising access to a couple water moves. And a capybara certainly looks like it fits the bill for "Pure Normal type that happens to be semi-aquatic." It works pretty solidly as a design! Not one I'm wild about or anything, but I think it has more merits than how much it gets easily dismissed.

Personal Score: 6/10

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