15. Sandile
I have always known that I shouldnt be as keen on crocodiles as I am. Theyre vicious creatures, I tell myself often, probably the cruellest in the animal kingdom you should be on the side of those poor chewed-upon herbivores instead! And yet, every time I see them, I usually end up watching them with a fascination that makes me feel slightly guilty afterwards. As a result, I was always bound to love Sandile more than I should. Sandile is quite a cute Pokémon, or at least cute by my standards which are steadily proving to be slightly strange. It has the wide eyes and the small body, that certain compact nature that makes it look almost cuddly. It is also another Pokémon that looks like its permanently smiling. And, despite myself, it is a thing that makes me at least mildly cheerful every time I look at it. Despite how adorable it is, however, Sandile still strongly resembles what it was based on. This gives it an air of danger on top of being adorable, thus not making it a purely cute thing that immediately raises my hackles. Sandile looks like it could lurk in deep water. Sandile looks like it could emerge to drag prey to the watery depths. It is a slightly morbid image, but one that conveys an air of toughness that is almost endearing. Another thing that conveys that air is that Sandile also gives the impression of a thief. The black strip around its eyes is apparently meant to emulate the black strip of cloth worn around robbers eyes. This makes it adorable, yes, and so slightly takes away from any threat but it still makes Sandile a Pokémon that has a lot more depth than expected, and takes it far beyond the realms of annoyingly adorable. Overall Sandile is a Pokémon that looks both cute and capable of taking a few fingers off. It reminds me fully of a crocodile, while still being a creature with an air of originality. And it is a Pokémon that I will probably always feel fond about.