Fuck Shudo. Cubone should obviously have been a shoe in for Ash's original team. It's literally the one pokémon(besides Mewtwo) that gets it's own storyline in the original game so of course it deserved the spotlight but nope, doesn't even get a single dedicated episode.
This is a pokémon that got multiple signature moves when even having one was rare, a pokémon that was on the original first batch of few pokémon ever designed, with it's storyline significance ingame riding home the fact that it meant a lot to the devs.
It boggles my mind how they didn't take advantage of it, all the groundwork was laid out, there was no need to invent personalities like they had to for Pika, the starters, Meowth, Jiggly and Psyduck. A weak scared crybaby that turns into a strong badass over time is something that would be very digestible and relatable to kids, it was all there.
Not to mention that Cubone embodies the classic Kaiju archetype(upright standing dino shape) which the franchise derives from and owes so much of its spirit to, all while not being hard to market and a logistical nightmare to animate like Nidoking/queen, Rhydon and Kangaskhan (that naturally all got snubbed in the show as well).

That said it's not like I care strongly about the anime, it's more that I understand the role it had in culture and the popular conscious and I feel like Cubone deserved all the recognition it didn't have the chance to have. The anime got a million other things wrong but I reckon this is one of its biggest injustices.

Cubone(and Marowak) Appreciation Thread I guess, just keep that Hawaiian shit out.