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Charizard wouldn't be popular on its own, its because its in pokemon. BUT its mutually beneficial, pokemon wouldnt have been as popular without him either, and his appeal is just that he's a dragon. Dragons are always cool, but charizard is stylized enough to be picked out easily. most franchise's dragons are cool just for being dragons but nonfans wouldn't be able to tell what they're from.
Charizard is perfectly recognizably sugimori's style, but also quintessentially what you want from a dragon (other than typing particular to this series). or it least it gets the job done & fills the cool dragon quota you want in this genre. gyarados does the same for eastern dragons, and dragonite can have a different/beneficent vibe since those two cover the more monsterous kinds.
As for Pikachu its an obvious mascot, it was a good choice, same colors as mickey even. Mewtwo makes a good "villain" for the yellow mouse, being a purple cat.
