I like them. Magikarp's one of those Pokemon that's inherently funny, and Gyarados is a badass. They're classics from Gen One. Despite my constant criticism of Gen One, it actually was my favorite Gen up until Gen V solely due to nostalgia... Now the Gen One games are my least favorites, but I still hold a lot of nostalgic love for them. I can't bring myself to dislike them, given they were the beginning of something great.
-How is this Pokémon in-game?
Magikarp is infamously and hilariously awful. Gyarados is really damn good.
-How is this Pokémon in competitive play? Are there any interesting strategies you like to use for them?
Gyarados managed to climb back from UU into BL this gen when a lot of other Gen VI powerhouses dropped ( Scizor ;_; ). You can't keep the sea serpent down.
-Do you like this Pokémon's representation in the anime? Are there any moments or qualities in particular you enjoy/dislike?
I liked how James' Magikarp evolved after he kicked it and proceeded to wreck shit.
-How do you think this Pokémon would interact with our world?
Magikarp would probably be seen as vermin, given that they're not good eatin' according to the anime, and them evolving into Gyarados would be an ever-present threat. Gyarados would be friggin' terrifying in reality, since they destroy entire cities when they're pissed off.
-If given the power to, would you change anything about this Pokémon and if so, what would you change?
I would have given Gyarados it's beta dub name, Skulkraken. Because hot damn is that name awesome.
-Have you ever trained up a Magikarp early on in any of the games?
Nope.
-Have you ever bought a Magikarp from the salesman?
Yep.
-How do you think Gyarados fares in battle as a team member and as a foe?
It's good. It's a joke if you have/are up against a decent Electric-type, though... Unless it Mega Evolves, in which case you're still at an advantage, but not as big an advantage unless you're using, like, Xurkitree.
-What do you think of Gyarados’ dubious status as a Dragon?
I'm glad it's not a Dragon; up until Gen VI, it would only have one weakness, and one of my few problems with Gen V is that the metagame became so Dragon dominant.
-Do you like Magikarp more or do you like Gyarados more?
I don't know. Gyarados is badass, but Magikarp is one of those Pokemon that cracks me up. That said, I'm kind of tired of constantly fishing Magikarp up in Gen VII, so maybe Gyarados?
