Long-Lost Comment From Pokemon Designer Explains Mega Dragonite’s Awkward Look

Videos by ComicBook.com

Pokemon players have been asking for Mega Dragonite since the X & Y era of the franchise, with fanart and imaginative 3D models filling Twitter and other social media platforms. Because of this, many players had an idea of what this magnificent Dragon-type could look like. For many, the official reveal did not meet expectations stoked by years of imagination.

However, one YouTuber’s deep dive on the topic unearthed an old interview with Pokemon designer Ken Sugimori, and it might be the answer as to why this design feels a bit strange.

Mega Dragonite Got The “Uncool” Effect

In a social media post by YouTuber Cecilily, the Pokemon fan breaks down thoughts on the negative reception of Mega Dragonite.

Since everything I post here these days is going viral, what about this clip from my latest video where Ken Sugimori explains why NO POKÉMON should ever be too cool or to cute.

Their design philosophy is that they need to have something off about them to become memorable. pic.twitter.com/81oln4BRCL
— cecilily (@cecililytweets) July 28, 2025

Cecilily’s YouTube video questions the reasons why fans dislike the new Mega, with key points focusing on the upset over how “cute” it looks. Many of the original Mega designs were sharp, “cool”, and perceived as powerful. One of the biggest negative pieces of feedback for Mega Dragonite is that the design seems too soft, or lacks the edge that some players were hoping for.

Ceciliy argues that this is not a reason to dislike the Pokemon, calling out fans who specifically wanted a more hardcore or “masculine” look for Dragonite. They then cut to a clip of Pokémon designer Ken Sugimori working on designs, with a snippet of an old interview originally posted on Siliconera read aloud.

In the interview, Sugimori explains one of the key elements of creating a “memorable” Pokemon design: “I often tell members in charge of design to ‘take away from designs that are too cool,” but that is probably a sentiment that is difficult to grasp. What’s cool and what’s not is all subjective in the end. To put it extremely, my job is to get something that would look cooler if it didn’t have this or that on it, then put it in on purpose. [laughs] Basically, if it looks too cool then it takes away from what makes it memorable for the players.”

He then goes on to add, “After all, as Pokémon that are being sent out to the world, we want them to always remain memorable; however, I feel that in order to do so you have to add a touch to it. For example, look at Oshawott’s cheeks. It has three freckles, and if you take them away Oshawott becomes cuter. However, taking them away makes its face less memorable. Actually, a lot of people told me “I want you to get rid of the freckles,” but I strongly insisted, “It is better to have them.” Going by my standards, this is the correct way to design Pokémon.”

It is possible that this method is exactly why Mega Dragonite has turned out looking the way that it does. The fanbase imagined versions of Mega Dragonite that were complex, intense, and sharp. The official version has some powerful elements, but tweaks have been made not just to look interesting, but to be memorable. The more complicated something is, the harder it is for that thing to stick in a player’s brain.

By keeping it simple and adding a few quirky details, Mega Dragonite becomes more iconic and recognizable.

This is the first Mega to get mixed impressions from fans. Mega Slowbro is, after all, trapped inside a giant shell. And Mega Glalie is absolutely terrifying.

While Mega Dragonite’s design might be challenging the expectations of fans, there is no doubt that its odd design won’t just be a talking point, but a memorable version of the Kanto Dragon-type.