>>47251460they're too complex with no focal point. they are fantastically designed secondary characters, but few to none feel designed to be a primary character, least of all the actual primary characters. A good, marketable design needs simplicity. One primary color, one or two secondary colors. Simple idea, one or two identifying marks or oddities. Any mascot character that gets big is gonna have these features. The more complex it is, the less its outstanding features identify it. There's also a distinct lack of shape-driven design, shape theory is all over OG pokemon, but newer pokemon just look like OCs, with all the amateur baggage that comes with an OC. Too many ideas communicated at once means no single idea dominates.
You can't have your badass wolf be an angel and a vampire and a spirit detective with tail swords and a leg missing. Stick to one theme. Communicate it in as few ways as possible while still making it clear. Brevity is the soul of good character design.
