>>56522979I think the Johto starters are great from a design-perspective, even Chikorita who gets dunked on a lot. I think their first stage evos do a good job at hinting what they MIGHT turn into in their third stage so you don't regret picking them later.
Like, the Kanto starters are all cute at stage one, then turn into beasts at stage three. That's a nice idea, but I imagine some kids were disappointed that their monster didn't stay cute. Whereas if you pick Chikorita because it's cute, it's gonna continue to be cute.
Contrast this with much later starters, especially Gen 9, where it's a massive disappointed as they evolve and a total departure from why you originally might've picked them at stage one.
