Really?Kingdra doesn't resemble a leafy sea dragon...not even a bit.The leafy sea dragon has those leaf things & a pkmn based on it could use those things for attacks...attacks like Leaf Blade or even Synthesis..so it would be very very different
Well they're not just going to shove giant piles of crap all over it's body. It would look cluttered. They need to stylize it- make it marketable.
But, anyway, the protrusions on Kingdra seem to be inspired by the Leafy Sea Dragons, in factors such as placement and the "jaggedness" of them, though Weedy Sea Dragons in size and number.
Er... Here's a more specific example.
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This is Kingdra.
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A Weedy Sea Dragon. Look at it's head. Notice how it only has one, rather rounded protrusion, near the top of it's head, hanging limply back. Notice how it seems to be branching out of a "pointed" tip of the head.
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A Leafy Sea Dragon. Notice how it seems to have two, separate protrusions on the peak of it's rounded head, that both seem to stick straight up. They also have what appears to be a few other "branches" jutting out of them, as well.
...Now, compare this to Kingdra.
Kingdra has the two, distinct protrusions on top peak of his rounded head, that also seem to have more protrusions on them as well. While they are a lot "cleaner" than the Leafy Sea Dragon's, and don't seem to feature the numerous "leaves" on them, they still seem to be undeniably taken from the Leafy Sea Dragon.
Does this clear things up?