Since its introduction back in the first generation of Pokemon games, Eevee has gone on to become one of the most popular Pokemon in the series. That's quite the achievement really, especially considering that there are now almost a thousand of the little critters to choose from.
While Eevee's enigmatic evolutionary status certainly plays a big part in its popularity, Ken Sugimori's creation has plenty of unique qualities and attributes that really help set to it apart from its peers. It may not be the strongest Pokemon in the franchise, but there's still plenty to love about Eevee.
10 It's An Evolutionary Anomaly
Ever since the very first Pokemon games, Eevee has been unique when it comes to its evolutionary traits. It was the first ever Pokemon with branched evolutions and its eight distinct forms are five more than any other Pokemon in the series has. It's not just the number of evolutions that makes Eevee special either, but also the methods by which these evolutions are triggered.
Each new Eeveelution has brought with it a brand new method of evolving Pokemon; with evolutionary stones and evolutions that are dependent on time, affection, location or movesets all introduced to the series alongside new evolutionary forms. It's also one of the few Pokemon whose evolutionary process has been changed over the years; with Moss and Ice Rocks having been replaced by Leaf and Ice Stones in gen 8.
9 Eevee's Genes Are Easily Influenced By Its Surroundings
It's long since been established that it's Eevee's unique genetic code that enables it to evolve into so many different forms. While environment is incredibly important in this regard though, Eevee's Pokedex entry in Pokemon Ultra Moon sheds a bit more light on the true extent of its genetic abilities.
The entry states that "Even its face starts to look like that of its Trainer"; suggesting that it's not only environmental stimuli that can affect Eevee, but also the people and Pokemon that it comes into contact with. This isn't an idea that's been explored in either the games or the anime, but it's an interesting one nonetheless.
8 Eevee's Name Is Special In Several Ways
As well as being one of the most recognizable, Eevee's is one of just two English Pokemon names that can be written using only two unique letters (Ho-Oh being the other). There are plenty that are comprised of three though, including the likes of Rattata, Doduo and Mew.
The name also has the highest vowel to consonant ratio in the series (4:1) and is also one of only four palindromic Pokemon names (the others being Ho-Oh, Alomomola and Girafarig). Although not palindromes, there are several other Pokemon whose names can be reversed, with Ekans (Snake) and Arbok (Kobra) being two of the more notable examples.
7 Eevee Was Originally Going To Have A Different Name
For as interesting as Eevee's name is, it could very easily have been different had the developers stuck with their original plans. A 2020 data leak revealed that Eevee was originally referred to as 'Eon' in early localization data for Pokemon Red & Blue. The name may not be quite as catchy, but it does perhaps make for a more fitting moniker.
As series fans will know, the names of all eight of the possible Eeveelutions finish with the 'eon' suffix and so it would definitely make sense for Eevee to bear the name as well. It's not exactly clear why the team at Game Freak made the change, but it does seem to have come fairly late in development given that it made its way into the source code for the first gen games.
6 Eevee Has Access To Several Unique Moves
Eevee has one of the broadest learnsets in all of Pokemon and it includes a number of unique moves that can only be used by Eevee. In Sun & Moon, Eevee has access to the Z-Move Extreme Evoboost while in the gen 8 games, Eevee is able to use G-Max Cuddle while in its Gigantamax form. This is just the tip of the iceberg though.
In Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! there are nine special elemental moves that can be taught to Eevee with the help of a move tutor. This is the only game in which the moves appear though and it isn't possible to carry them over to other games in the series through trading.
5 The Partner Eevee In Let's Go, Eevee! Is Different Than A Regular Eevee
As well as having access to these powerful exclusive movies, the partner Eevee found in Let's Go, Eevee also has some other notable differences. The most obvious of these are its base stats, which total 435 rather than the usual 325. This makes Partner Eevee the strongest unevolved starter Pokemon in the series. There's another big difference too though.
Although a male partner Eevee looks the same as any regular one, a female partner Eevee has a unique, heart-shaped pattern incorporated into her tail fur. This difference was carried over to Sword & Shield, making Eevee the only pre-existing Pokemon to have been given a new gender difference after gen 4.
4 Eevee Is The Most Common Starter Pokemon
Anybody who has played Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness will know that Eevee serves as the game's starter Pokemon and this is the case in several of the Mystery Dungeon games as well. Players also start out with an Eevee in Pokemon Conquest and Pokemon Cafe Mix and are given an Espeon and an Umbron when beginning a playthrough of Pokemon Stadium 2.
Eevee is also incredibly prominent in the Pokemon anime and features in the teams of numerous characters. These include May, Serena, Lana and Chloe; thus making Eevee the only Pokemon to have appeared in the teams of more than two of the series' main characters.
3 It's Possible To Influence Your Rival's Eeveelutions In Pokemon Yellow
While there are many games that use Eevee as a starter Pokemon, Pokemon Yellow takes a slightly different approach. While Pikachu serves as the player's starter, it is the game's rival who begins with an Eevee. Despite not owning the Pokemon though, it is actually possible to determine which of the three available forms it will evolve into.
During the early stages of the game there are two specific rival battles whose outcomes will influence the rival's Eevee. If the player wins them both then it will evolve into a Jolteon. Losing or skipping one of the battles though will instead lead to the rival's Eevee becoming either a Vaporeon or a Flareon.
2 Eevee Is The Only Pokemon Whose Nickname Really Matters
The ability to give a nickname to a captured Pokemon has been a series staple since the very first Pokemon games. Other than to personalize Pokemon or perhaps get a chuckle out of a trading partner though, there's very little practical use for the function. Not unless the Pokemon is an Eevee, that is.
In Pokemon Go, the Pokemon that an Eevee evolves into is usually completely random. If the player has given their Eevee a specific nickname, however, it is possible to influence the evolution. 'Rainer', 'Sparky' and 'Pyro' can be used to obtain Vaporeon, Jolteon and Flareron respectively while the other four Eeveelutions currently available in the game also have their own special nicknames.
1 The Term 'Eeveelutions' Was Originally Coined By Fans
While on the subject of Eeveelutions, the term itself was actually coined by fans of the series rather than anybody at Nintendo or Game Freak. It was later adopted into the series' lore though, first appearing in the official strategy guide for Pokemon Stadium 2 and then later in the TCG.
Interestingly, however, the term is yet to make an appearance in any of the mainline Pokemon games; either in dialogue or a Pokedex entry. It does show up in the spin-off game Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia though and this was also the first game in the series in which Eeveelutions can be captured in the wild.