Since it was announced as a starter Pokémon for Pokémon Sun and Moon, Rowlet has received generally positive reception. Riley Little of GameRant called it "the greatest Pokemon ever", and wrote that "fans throughout the internet have erupted to proclaim their preference in terms of the Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon starter, and the resulting posts on social media that contain fan art for the feathered fighter have quickly begun to spread like the super effective wildfire the beast was always meant to be swept away in".[2] In a poll conducted by the staff of the website Polygon, Rowlet was named the "best pick of the new starter Pokémon trio".[3]
Christian Hoffer of Comicbook.com reported the results of an official Nintendo poll voted on by over 50,000 Pokémon, writing that "with 41% of the total vote, Rowlet narrowly defeated Litten as the presumptive Internet favorite".[4] Months later, in regards to Rowlet's appearance in the anime series Pokémon: Sun & Moon, Hoffer referred to it as "incredibly adorable".[5]
