16. Fennekin
This feels slightly akin to cheating, since it comes from a game that isnt out yet and has about five details revealed about it besides, but I just had to include Fennekin on the list. I havent fallen in love with a Pokémon so absolutely since I saw Snivy, and Im pretty sure that my passion will only grow stronger as time goes on. Fennekin, as you may have guessed from both name and brief glance at design, is based off a Fennec Fox. These, for all people who are not in the know, are some of the most adorable animals in the world. They live in deserts! And have giant ears! And eat bugs for dinner! If a creature can make reluctantly eating a scorpion look adorable then it is a creature worth cooing over. Being a creature that lives largely in the desert Fennec Foxes are perfect to base a fire Pokémon off of, and Im slightly surprised that nobody ever thought of it before. This is not to say that Im not thrilled, however, that its finally happening and am also thrilled that we finally get a starter that vaguely resembles a dog. As you may guess as you carry on through this list, I have made a habit of capturing every Pokémon that resembles a dog and keeping them in my team no matter how deeply irrational the urge. The fact that I finally have a rational reason to keep a dog-resembling Pokémon on my team is something that may thrill me for years to come. And the fact that it is such an adorable dog-resembling Pokémon is only a bonus. I am not sure why giant ears reduce me to fits of cooing, but they do and it is glorious. Fennekins giant ears are going to be one of its main selling points, and I deeply hope that all of its further evolutions carry those ears on. I dont care if it goes up on two legs, I dont care if everything else becomes nonsensical, I dont care if it becomes a giant pair of ears I just want them to remain, and excite me afresh every time that I see them. Fennekin is the main reason that Im excited for the next generation of Pokémon, and the main reason why Im probably going to buy it when it eventually comes out. This is the first time that Ive ever known for definite that Im going to start with the fire Pokémon, and that is a novelty that I just have to explore. The only thing that Im worried about is that itll be as much of a disappointment as Piplup, and that is a small worry thats easily overcome by flailing.