Am I the only one who is horribly disappointed with the duck’s final evolution?

[PageEmp]

Unpronouncable name, idiotic design, unrealistic proportions coming from a bird, too many overdesigned elements, disastrous design. Is… it supposed to be a peacock? Then why not make it an actual one instead of some dude in a costume that barely looks like an animal?

The final forms for the Grass and Fire starters are much better in practically every aspect (especially in stats from what I've seen) and I'll die on that hill. Although I thought i was gonna use the same 'too humanoid' thing with the Grass starter, I picked it for my playthrough and it's animations made it more creature like than I expected, so there. The Fire starter is just good altogether.

The Gen9 Water starter just has an atrocious design overall, and I'll never understand why I'm the only one who feels this way. I just find there to be nothing to like about it. Every other panned starter I can find one thing I enjoy better than the duck. Every other humanoid starter at least looks either cool or could pass of as an actual mon, but not the duck. I just get increadibly angry just looking at that thing.

So your thoughts?

 

[Sweet Serenity]

In terms of appearance, I am disappointed in the design as well. Normally, I don't even care about a Pokémon's design, but Quaquaval's overall design is horrible. I don't like anything about it. It has way too much going on at once, including its colors, annoying dancing animation, weird body shape that looks like it has a BBL gone wrong, peacock-like tail thing made of water, ridiculous Dragon Ball Z hairdo, and so on. Despite that, it has good stats, good hidden ability in Moxie, and a great move in Aqua Step that works great with Moxie. In spite of all this, I still couldn't bring myself to choose Quaxly because I didn't want to spend my entire playthrough training this thing. I was expecting a tough, sailor or pirate-like duck, similar to Donald Duck or so, but instead, we get this. I am so happy I picked Sprigatito, as Meowscarada is slowly becoming one of my favorite Pokémon.

 

[Sandslash Fan]

I don't like starters becoming too humanoid as well (I am trying to avoid the F word). Really jarring compared to older Pokémon styles. Meowscarada was done right, comparatively.

 

[NoobMaster_6ix9]

Snowflakes would get offended & I'd get banned off of this forum if I gave my opinion on that duck pokemon's final evolution... lol

It's team Cat/Sprigarito for me

 

[Corveone]

I'd say "Still better than Galar"....

But yeah, I'm not a fan of humanized starters, which is why Fuecoco was an easy choice for me. The one Paldea starter whose final stage actually looks and acts like a plausible monster/animal, and not like a person/human character wearing Pokémon clothes (which, yeah, it happens with certain mons but I think it shouldn't happen with starters)

 

[Sheep]

The two main things I'm disappointed with for this form are 1) the feet, and 2) the behind. It bothers me a little that his behind is at a literal 90 degree angle from his back, seems like it'd be uncomfortable for him to crack his spine/bones like that lol. Wish I could find the fanart I saw someone post that gave him better-looking feet and a more naturally-curved back. Overall I think he's cool though and like all 3 starters when they're fully evolved.

 

[Maserati777]

Theres a few things I don't like about the design. The feet don't resemble duck feet like Quaxly but instead sausages?

The rear end makes the design too feminine and I don't designs for starters that flow too far one way or the other.

I don't love the dancing idle animation. I don't hate the concept in general but don't like it for a starter.

Finally I'm not a biggest fan of humanoid designs for starters. Walking on 2 feet isn't what makes a Pokemon humanoid btw, Charizard and Typhlosion are not humanoid designs.

On terms of names I really liked when the name is two words mashed together and I feel like a lot of the starters names in gen 9 are too complex for a starter pokemons name. And also don't follow the formula.

On a side note the shinies for the starters are so disappointing.

 

[Orion☆]

I have an easier time pronouncing its name because my first language is Spanish, but I agree with most of the criticisms posted here.

I've got a few of my own as well:
-It's. Just. Plain. Creepy! I thought Inteleon and to an extent Rillaboom were in the Uncanny Valley, but my god, Quaquaval was born there. The dance movements, the shapes, the eyes... nothing resembles a duck or even a peacock! It's just a person in a suit! At least Incineroar, whom so many people are inclined to bash in the same manner, had a defined cartoony cat face!
-As if that weren't enough, its cry reminds me of a modernized version of that of Jynx - THE Uncanny Valley Pokémon.
-It has a justification in the PokéDex, but still, it's a starter based on South American carnivals like the Brazilian Carnaval do Rio de Janeiro, or the Argentinian Carnaval de Gualeguaychú, in a region based on Spain. Normally this wouldn't be too offensive if it weren't for the fact that 1. conflating Spanish culture with any South American cultures is a tired trope already, 2. the trope was already done with Skeledirge, which takes inspiration from the Mexican Dia de los Muertos festivities. I feel that if they had saved Quaquaval or heck, the entire Quaxly line for a region based on Brazil, it would have been much better received. It would still look creepy, but some of the geographically-based "off" factor would be mitigated.

That's all for now. All of the final evolution starters are awful, but Quaquaval is easily the worst of the three. Yikes.

 

[moon]

I like its color and it's idea, it definitely works fine. Bipedal / humanoid final starter forms is generally something I prefer tbh. I just think it's the weird body angle and the "wide pants legs" that make it feel like an incoherent design to me. It doesn't look pretty nor cool, and a few fixes would just make it be both. I found this picture (don't know the source) for example:

 

[NoobMaster_6ix9]

I have an easier time pronouncing its name because my first language is Spanish, but I agree with most of the criticisms posted here.

I've got a few of my own as well:
-It's. Just. Plain. Creepy! I thought Inteleon and to an extent Rillaboom were in the Uncanny Valley, but my god, Quaquaval was born there. The dance movements, the shapes, the eyes... nothing resembles a duck or even a peacock! It's just a person in a suit! At least Incineroar, whom so many people are inclined to bash in the same manner, had a defined cartoony cat face!
-As if that weren't enough, its cry reminds me of a modernized version of that of Jynx - THE Uncanny Valley Pokémon.
-It has a justification in the PokéDex, but still, it's a starter based on South American carnivals like the Brazilian Carnaval do Rio de Janeiro, or the Argentinian Carnaval de Gualeguaychú, in a region based on Spain. Normally this wouldn't be too offensive if it weren't for the fact that 1. conflating Spanish culture with any South American cultures is a tired trope already, 2. the trope was already done with Skeledirge, which takes inspiration from the Mexican Dia de los Muertos festivities. I feel that if they had saved Quaquaval or heck, the entire Quaxly line for a region based on Brazil, it would have been much better received. It would still look creepy, but some of the geographically-based "off" factor would be mitigated.

That's all for now. All of the final evolution starters are awful, but Quaquaval is easily the worst of the three. Yikes.

I only like Sprigarito's final evolution Meowscarada.

https://www.serebii.net/pokedex-sv/meowscarada/