Goo Ranking is the biggest ranking site in Japan. It hosts polls on a variety of topics and allows users to vote on what they think is the best in any given category. Polls include, but are not limited to, subjects such as restaurants, retail, and, of course, video games like Pokemon.
The site recently held a poll asking Japanese gamers what they consider the top ten Pokemon games of all time. The poll took place over two weeks between June 7 and June 21, 2020, and saw 1388 people participate, a number typical of polls like this.
- Pokemon Red and Green (159 votes)
- Pokemon X and Y (102 votes)
- Pokemon Diamond and Pearl (101 votes)
- Pokemon Gold and Silver (91 votes)
- Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire (69 votes)
- Pokemon Black and White (44 votes)
- Detective Pikachu (43 votes)
- Pokemon Platinum (36 votes)
- Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver (32 votes)
- Pokemon Yellow (31 votes)
Pokemon Red and Green making the top of the chart by a landslide makes sense since many people love the first generation of Pokemon. Pokemon X and Y and Pokemon Diamond and Pearl basically tied, with X and Y squeaking ahead by just one vote. However, considering that Diamond and Pearl also had Pokemon Plantium make the top ten, one could claim that the fourth generation of Pokemon ended up beating out the sixth.
Both variations of Pokemon Gold and Silver made the top 10 but the originals took the higher slots. It is somewhat surprising that Pokemon Black and White didn't place higher, as both are held in high esteem amongst the Pokemon fanbase. It's also worth noting that Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire didn't make the rankings either.
Funny enough, none of the Pokemon Switch games like Pokemon Sword and Shield made it onto the list. In fact, no home console Pokemon game managed to make an appearance, including games such as Pokemon Snap and Pokemon Stadium. And since Detective Pikachu made the rankings it rules out the possibility that the list could only include core Pokemon RPGs.
Still, it's easy to see that this top ten was heavily influenced by nostalgia. Pokemon X and Y are the most recently released core games on it, and they came out nearly seven years ago. Detective Pikachu is the most recently released title featured, and it was already the list's biggest outlier.
Source: Goo Ranking