>>26641769No. Its not at all like those. There's a key difference.
You don't see people complaining about Tyranitar or Salamence for a reason. They start off in their first forms as reasonably more similar to their final stage, go through a coccoon transformation that differs greatly, then emerge as an enhanced version of the base stage.
If Dragonair was a cocoon in a similar fashion, then going from a serpent to a six limbed dragon would be less odd. But the major difference is, Dragonair expressly carries the same visual theme that Dratini does. Its set on a specific arc, then shifts rapidly with no sign of doing so. You dont see that arc with Tyranitar or Salamence. Conversely, you DO see that same major shift with Samurott's line, where the first two are set on one path, then a major shift occurs last second. Thats why so many people dislike Dragonite.
To a much lesser degree, Wartortle and Blastoise have this issue (though its less dramatic, given that you can look at Squirtle and easily imagine its transformation to Blastoise without the need for a dedicated shifting point like a coccoon or what not)
Also, I really dont believe that was ever the point of the line to begin with. I think it can be reasonably inferred that Dragonite's design was a result of messy design work to begin with. A lot of pokemon were designed first in the game in sprite form by people other than Sugimori back in the original Red and Green. Sugimori then went through and finalized their design post Green. That's why there's so many design shifts, interpretation was a huge part of the game.
Ever notice how Dratini originally had a striped stomache, and Green's Dragonite was more serpentine?
