>>36341282Iconic design. Easily recognizable, if they give you a silhouette you'll know it's Greninja. That's what makes a good design stand out.
Back in late 2013 Greninja was already the most popular pokémon of Gen VI. It was #1 on worldwide polls such as the IGN and Dorkly ones.
Then Ash got a Froakie on the anime which helped to solidify its line's status. Then a week after the games' release, the hidden abilites were revealed and people started using it, also the shiny excels so more reason to get it.
Then in April 2014 Greninja was revealed for Smash and the normies started to like and love it. It is now a nintendo character so its popularity is wider than most other Pokémon, unlike the Pokkén characters.
The icings on the cake were Ash's Greninja, battle bond and the special demo Greninja. All of which made it the popularity juggernaut that is today.
