>>33948820There wasn't Owlfag tier falseflagging, but there was a lot of hate initially. Greninja was despised for its tongue scarf and losing the bubbles, and only gained popularity thanks to its ridiculous power and anime presence. Delphox got a lot of hate but largely the dogfuckers settled into contentment with Braixen, which, like Greninja, got focus in the anime and spinoffs. Chesnaught was hated for its coloration and stiff pose, and unlike the other two it never really got any spotlight so it remains the least popular of the three to this day.
It's funny, because neither the gen 6 nor gen 7 starters are as badly designed as the gen 5 starters or gen 2 starters, and those are widely beloved on /vp/. I suppose that has something to do with the latter being in DS games, so for many /vp/ posters they were their first or second starters.
