10. Houndoom
At the time when the original Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver came out I was going through the beginnings of an ill-advised goth-phase. Im not entirely sure why, the only thing that Im entirely sure of is that it was embarrassing for everybody involved, but the facts still remain at that age I was into black, hell and anything that looked even the mildest bit angry. As a result, Houndoom was yet another Pokémon that was always going to appeal to me. It was a dog Pokémon! A fire breathing dog Pokémon! A fire breathing dog Pokémon that resembled a hellhound! I was hooked from the first time I saw it - and, though I only rarely managed to train one up, thats a feeling thats remained with me for at least ten years. Houndoom is definitely based on the mythology of hellhounds, this can be seen in its devilish horns and general colour scheme. It looks like a creature fully capable of charging out of the underworld. Fierce, angry and fully prepared to eat anything that got in its way. This impression of toughness is aided by the fact that it was also based on such dogs as Dobermanns. A breed that is, in real life, as soft as grease but still looks incredibly tough and something to be afraid of. This tough impression also conveys the full ferocity of Houndooms type. Houndoom is a fire type, as Ive already stated above, but is also a dark type alongside that. A combination which no other Pokémon shares. Due to its design it really does look like a dark fire breather the horns and other such links to hell providing the heat, and the black and grey colour scheme providing the dark. Overall it perfectly conveys its function through its design. Houndoom is a Pokémon that manages to be wonderfully terrifying, amazingly tough looking and capable of conveying its purpose beautifully. It is obviously a fire Pokémon, but also obviously a dark Pokémon with the bony accents around its ankles. It is certainly a Pokémon that you wouldnt want to meet on a dark night. And, even if it wasnt in my favourite shape of a dog, I think that Id appreciate that obvious ferocity no matter what.