This Pokémon gives me a lot of nostalgia... I always wanted it to be on my team in the old games! It was so sweet, with a cute little belly and an adorable tail. And the evolutions beef up while still retaining some of that early charm!

Well, before I go off on a rant about how much I love this Pokémon, let's dive into the chapter, shall we?

Type Factor:

Although both Poliwag and Poliwhirl are simply water types, Poliwrath has the addition of the fighting type. This means that Poliwrath doesn't have advantages over only fire, ground, and rock types, but also over normal, ice, dark, and steel types. Wow, that's a lot! The disadvantages this Pokémon is faced with include electric, grass, flying, and psychic types. Which, when considering how many advantages Poliwrath has, four disadvantages doesn't seem all that bad!

Design Factor:

I love it. No more discussion needed.

Just kidding!

I love this design because Poliwag is adorable, Poliwhirl is adorable yet tough, and Poliwrath is tough. It's like a gradual metamorphosis—just like a frog! It's very fitting!

Lore Factor:

According to the Pokédex information, this evolutionary line is a very adept swimmer. Poliwag is pretty clumsy on land, struggling to walk with its newly grown legs. Upon evolving to Poliwhirl, this guy can walk just fine, but prefers to stay in the water nonetheless. And Poliwrath is capable of swimming the entire Pacific Ocean and back without breaking a sweat! Clearly, this line is formidable when placed in water!

Stats Factor:

Poliwrath doesn't have any wildly impressive stats, but they're all fairly strong. It gives this Pokémon good balance!

The strongest base stat is its defense, while the weakest is a tie between special attack and speed. So keep that in mind when teaching this guy moves: special attack isn't the way to go, not unless you have special items or abilities!

Evolutionary Factor:

This evolutionary line is great! As I've said already, the design factor is fantastic for this line, and the final type combination is a unique one. So when it comes down to it, this evolutionary line is pretty neat!

Conclusion:

Overall, this Pokémon is definitely a contender for my favorite of this generation. It's a great Pokémon with wonderful qualities. So, if you're looking for a strong and sturdy water type, look no further!

To my fellow researchers:

Do you have a nostalgic favorite? If so, which?