Inteleon

I suspect you know why, but you want to express your affection for it, so you don't want to admit it in this thread.

You like what you like. It's fine. Admitting that there are flaws or reasons to dislike something you like doesn't mean you aren't allowed to like it.

Do you want to elaborate on why it's "a bit strange"?

Well, alright. If you really don't understand, even though you yourself said it is "a bit strange", I can elaborate on why I and others might not like it.

Firstly, there is a trend of disliking humanoid Pokémon. Especially when it comes to starters. A lot of people think Pocket Monsters should look more like animals or fantasy creatures than humanoids.

Personally I do not mind humanoid Pokémon. In fact, many of them are some of my favourites. (Mewtwo, Buzzwole, Deoxys, Gardevoir and Lucario are just a few examples of humanoid Pokémon I like.)

But I do not like it when previously non-humanoid Pokémon evolve into humanoids. In many cases, it feels like a betrayal of their original concept and design. I think many people also feel this way, again, especially for starters.

Inteleon also changes Sobble's design and demeanour quite substantially. Sobble is small and round, with bright colours (and many consider it cute, though personally I think it looks pathetic and annoying).

Inteleon by contrast is tall, slender and rather sinister, with a lot of dark colours. Not only is this off-putting to many by itself, but again it feels like a betrayal of the original design concept that attracted a lot of people to Sobble in the first place.

One key design aspect I have heard several people cite as distasteful is Inteleon's fingers. They are very long and slender, but also appear prominently during its attack animation. It doesn't bother me, but I have heard that people do not like it.

I am sure there are other reasons that make the design less appealing to certain individuals. It's a very personal thing. Taste is subjective. While there are aspects about each Pokémon's design we can judge objectively, at the end of the day, you like what you like, and you don't like what you don't like.

And again. If you like it, that's fine. To each their own. It is absolutely fine to like unpopular things, and equally to dislike popular things. I wouldn't worry about people disagreeing with you and just focus on enjoying the things that appeal to you.

I think that was the thought behind ALL the Galar starters designs. Sobble the crybaby, Drizzile the moody teen, Inteleon the agent. Scorbunny the energetic little kid, Raboot the withdrawn, Cinderace the soccer player. Grookey the noise lover, Thwakey the young drummer, Rillaboom the professional drummer.

Claiming to have a theme does not inherently make something good. I can claim that my last bowel movement "explored themes of nature, the effects of modern food refining processes on the human body, and the human condition" but you wouldn't like to wake up to it on your pillow tomorrow morning.