I think hoopa's meant to be a take on a djinn, and hoopa unbound could be a take on Shiva the hindu god of destruction. Or possibly nezha from taoism and chinese. Bulbapedia is worth a read on that.
In general you get this sense of awe with most pokes, what with them being these magical creatures and in some cases massive ass god tier powers, but some just don't seem to fit as a pokemon.
Take Drifloon for example, it's an animate balloon whose lifes purpose is to kidnap children.
which...