i think the more time that goes on the more i realize that digimon kinda clears pokemon on design potential alone
like for pokemon you gotta make your design a monster, right? it can be human-like, but not too human-like. sure, it can have weapons, but play it safe so you dont scare the kids.... maybe make another dog that's a different color from the rest! that always works!
but with digimon... digimon can be anything. like you can have a dinosaur and a cat one second and then a fucking cyborg covered with guns and a flaming tiger man the next. if you can think it, you can make it a digimon. there's so little design constraints with digimon bc theyre just... data, and data can be anything! heck, you like an existing digimon but wanna take it in a different direction? not only are RECOLORS of digimon allowed, but digimon also have MULTIPLE LINES! theres so much freedom of expression! and whats more, because digimon are sapiant, you have to treat them as equals and not just a pet (or well you can, but itll be harder than keeping a pokemon as a pet), so that makes the friendship you have with them even stronger!