In 1996, two little games called Pokemon Red and Pokemon Blue were released on Nintendo's very own Game Boy, and from there, an internationally beloved franchise slowly began to grow. The popularity of these 'Pocket Monsters' skyrocketed and continued to climb with each new release of a game, anime, or spin-off series until Pokemon eventually became one of the largest media franchises on Earth with a formula that tons of other games have attempted to either copy directly or are heavily inspired by.

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There is a lot to love about the games, but obviously, a large portion of this love is pointed in the direction of the Pokemon themselves. Fans love these creatures for many different reasons, and with 1000+ Pokemon to pick from nowadays, it can be pretty difficult to pick a single team of six. So, with Scarlet and Violet's DLC on the horizon, let's take a look back at the past and talk about a simpler age of the strongest Pokémon in the original Pokemon Red/Blue games.

Updated July 4th, 2023: Pokemon is one of those IPs that is honestly hard to even imagine ever falling from the spotlight. These adorable little creatures and the games they're a part of have become a literal landmark in many people's lives. In fact, a large portion of 90s kids (including myself) primarily remember their youngest school days by the games they played such as Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh, and so on. But, back in those days, the Pokedex was pretty rough. There were a lot of inconsistencies in the stats, the Special Attack and Special Defense stat weren't separated yet, and many Pokemon were just straight-up broken in terms of power. So, let's comb through the original 150 and see which ones reigned at the top in terms of base stats because the results will likely surprise most readers.

Disclaimer: A lot of Pokemon in the original Red and Blue Pokedex shared the same base stat totals. To include as many Pokemon as possible, the Pokemon on here are grouped up at times when those groupings make the most sense.

12 Charizard, Blastoise, & Venusaur

This may come as a surprise to many people, even all these years later, but the base stats of the starter Pokemon aren't quite as high as most would expect. The sheer fact that the Eeveelutions are at 430 in the original games while Blastoise, Charizard, and Venusaur sit at 425 is likely shocking to most. These are the Pokemon that follow the player character across their first journey in Kanto, yet they're the lowest on this list. Unfortunately, it's true.

Obviously, this has since changed and the three original starters now have base stats in the 530 range. Additionally, all three Pokemon have had both Mega Evolutions introduced as well as Gigantamax forms, so they've been well taken care of since their original debuts. When it comes to their stats, at least in Gen 1, Charizard is the Speediest, Blastoise has the best Defense, and Venusaur is the Special-based one.

11 Flareon, Jolteon, & Vaporeon

There are quite a few Pokemon that share the same base stat total near the upper echelons of the first Generation, and the first three Eevee evolutions or 'Eeveelutions' (nowadays there are 8 evolutions) are an example of this. Flareon the pure Fire-type Pokemon, Jolteon the pure Electric-type Pokemon, and Vaporeon the pure Water-type Pokemon all share the same base stat total of 430. And, for those who are curious, Flareon is the Attacker, Jolteon is all about Speed, and Vaporeon is the tank with high HP.

In the original Red and Blue games, the Eeveelutions were pretty much top-tier in terms of stats, though they all suffered from a lacking movepool. As new games came out and players really started to break down the mechanics of these games, they started to realize things like Flareon having great attack stats but lacking in easily-accessible fire moves that capitalize on it or Jolteon being speed-based but no survivability or even Vaporeon being the best-all rounder, but getting caught out often due to the lack of speed.

10 Kabutops & Pinsir

Quite a few Pokemon are sitting at a 430 base stat total in the original Red and Blue Pokedex, and that includes the Rock/Water-type Fossil Pokemon Kabutops as well as the pure Bug-type Pokemon Pinsir. Both of these Pokemon were relatively popular in the original games, though future Bug/Fossil Pokemon designs such as Heracross and Tyrantrum became more beloved overall.

As far as their actual stat spreads go, both Pokemon have incredibly high Attack stats with their second being Defense, which is another reason they're paired up here. Sadly, Kabutops hasn't been shown any love by the Pokemon Company since these original games, though Pinsir did get a Mega Evolution in Gen 6, which is something at least considering how horrifying of a Pokemon Pinsir's Pokedex entry reveals it to be.

9 Snorlax

Snorlax may just be one of the most iconic Pokemon of all time, and this holds especially true in the original games. This rotund Pokemon mascot sits comfortably in most Pokemon players' memories as their first major 'roadblock' in the original games. And, Snorlax also served as a great lesson to these same players to save before big battles, as many of them accidentally KO'd Snorlax and missed out on a rare chance to catch them.

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This pure Normal-type Pokemon also sits at a base stat total of 430, with its primary stat being HP and its secondary being attack. Sadly, while Snorlax did get an amazingly well-designed Gigantamax Form in Pokemon Sword and Shield, it didn't make the Pokemon any more viable in a competitive setting.

8 Tentacruel & Starmie

First up are two Water Pokemon, Tentacruel and Starmie. Tentacruel is a great Pokemon despite how commonly it appears on seafaring Routes, as it has a great base Speed and Special, meaning it had a pretty powerful Special Attack and Special Defense. And, time has been kind to this evolutionary line, as its pre-evolution Tentacool, as well as Tentacruel, even have unique new forms in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet called Toedscool and Toedscruel.

Starmie has a lot of the same qualities as Tentacruel statistically, but it has the advantage of being a powerful Psychic-type, which was far and away Generation 1's best type since most Psychic-types had high Special stats so they could use Special Attacks, but once again this also meant their Special Defense was equally as strong. That said, time has been less kind to Staryu and Starmie, as it hasn't received any new evolutions, forms, or gimmicks between then and now.

7 Rhydon & Aerodactyl

Next up, let's talk about some Ground and Rock types with Rhydon and Aerodactyl. Rhydon is a physical beast in every sense of the word, while it is slow in regards to its Speed, it is also blessed with innately high HP, Defense, and Attack stats, with Attack being the highest overall. In regards to its utility in the first generation, however, Rhydon is just 'okay'. While it was bulky and could learn great moves like Surf and Earthquake, the lack of Speed and low Special stats really caused it to suffer. Plus, since it evolves from Rhyhorn all the way up there at level 42, it takes a bit too long to start showing its full worth. Thankfully the Pokemon Company realized this later on and introduced a new evolution for Rhydon with Rhyperior in Generation 4 alongside other Gen 1 icons such as Electabuzz, Tangela, and Lickitung.

Meanwhile, Aerodactyl the Fossil Pokemon has the rare quality of being a fast Rock-type Pokemon with its impressive Speed stat, which combines wonderfully with its great Attack stat, though it does show up pretty late into the game overall and its Rock/Flying-typing makes it pretty susceptible to certain Trainers and members of the Elite Four. Like Rhydon, Aerodactyl also got a bit of an update in a later Generation with Mega Aerodactyl being introduced in Gen 6.

6 Tauros & Lapras

Both of these next Pokemon are sadly only single-evolution Pokemon that also both have a base stat total of 450. Many probably weren't aware of how powerful Tauros was in the original games, given that it's a single-evolution basic bull-looking design. But, Tauros had great Speed, Attack, and Defense so it makes for a surprisingly speedy tank-type Pokemon. After Gen 1, most people forgot about Tauros for the most part, however, it suddenly got some new regional designs in Gen 9. To be more precise, it has three unique Paldea regional forms known as Aqua Breed, Blaze Breed, and Combat Breed. Whereas most other Pokemon games separated themselves by having a couple of version exclusives, Scarlet and Violet switch things up by making Tauros' Aqua Breed unique to Violet while the Blaze Breed is only found in Scarlet.

Lapras, on the other hand, is a much more beloved Pokemon that, for some reason, also didn't receive much love from Game Freak (AKA the Pokemon Company) for the longest time. Even though players seem to adore this Pokemon much more than Tauros overall and it's also a tank (though a lot slower than Tauros), it never got any new gimmick or evolution. Well, that is until Scarlet and Violet gave it the amazing Gigantamax form which basically turns Lapras into a massive living cruise liner.

5 Arcanine & Exeggutor

Arcanine is an all-around amazing Pokemon that's adored by the Pokemon fanbase, especially this early on in the franchise as it has a fantastic stat spread, a lot of TM's it can learn, and players can evolve their Growlithe into Arcanine as soon as they find a Fire Stone. The only downside is its rather-lacking movepool until players get the right TMs for it. Like most of the other early-generation Pokemon on here, Arcanine received a new form later on in the game franchise, though it's technically an 'old' form, as the Hisuian variation of Arcanine is introduced in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, a game that takes place in the distant past.

Moving on to Exeggutor, this Pokemon is also surprisingly strong in the first Generation of games. It's actually pretty similar to Arcanine in its fantastic stat spread, though Exeggutor trades even better Special for a big downgrade in Speed. And, as if anyone ever took this goofy-looking Pokemon seriously anyway, The Pokemon Company somehow made it even goofier with the Alolan Regional form of it introduced in Gen 7.

4 Cloyster & Gyarados

Moving back to a pair of Pokemon with more similarities than differences, there's Cloyster and Gyarados, both with an impressive base stat total of 480. Cloyster's massive Defense stat along with its offensively strong Ice typing makes it quite the formidable Pokemon, and it's shockingly fast at well with a great Speed stat. The only place it struggles is against a Pokemon using Special Attacks, as Cloysters Special stat and HP stat are a bit low. And, in a unique case, Cloyster is actually one of the few Gen 1 Pokemon on her who has still yet to receive any type of new form, new evolution, or new gimmick in the modern Pokemon games.

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Gyarados, meanwhile, is one of the classic "always has been good" Pokemon, and it's one of the most recognizable Pokemon overall. There are only two places Gyarados falls a bit short in as far as Gen 1 is concerned, its mediocre Defense Stat, and its hyper-weakness to Electric-type attacks. It covers one of these weaknesses with the Mega Gyarados form added in Gen 6, but in actuality that 'covering' of the Electric weakness also introduced a new weakness to Fairy types, so it may not have been all that worth it.

3 Articuno, Zapdos, & Moltres

From anything above 480 total stat points, it starts to get into the realm of the Legendary Pokemon, and the three legendary birds of Kanto absolutely count as Legendary Pokemon. And, as the Spanish numbers in their names suggest, Articuno is first, Zapdos is second, and Moltres is third, which each one's base stat total increasing by 5. All three Legendary Birds have their own specialties, with Articuno having the highest Defense, Zapdos having the highest Speed, and Moltres having the highest attack. Though, none of that matters if players don't manage to catch these birds when they encounter them in-game, and that tends to be a very difficult task.

As far as Legendary trios go, these are still some of the most memorable, though who knows how memorable the Loyal Three will end up being in Scarlet and Violet's Area Zero DLC. And, that's not all, as The Pokemon Company actually gave all three birds Galarian forms in the Crown Tundra DLC for Pokemon Sword and Shield. When it comes to Regional variants for Pokemon, the designs are always a topic of debate, but just above everyone agrees that Galarian Articuno, Galarian Zapdos, and Galarian Moltres are all fantastic designs that switch up the way these birds would be used in a team in some interesting ways.

2 Dragonite & Mew

As for the only non-Legendary Pokemon, this high-up, Dragonite is tied in base stats with one of the original Legendaries and the genetic 'predecessor' of all Pokemon, Mew. Dragonite is a Dragon/Flying-type Pseudo-Legendary that has been a fan favorite and also the bane of their existence when it comes to Elite Four Champion Lance's Dragonite. This Pokemon has always looked goofy by design, but its power is no joke, as the only stat it even slightly falls behind in is Speed. Funnily enough, for such an iconic Dragon-type Pokemon, Dragonite has been left alone by the Pokemon Company in terms of new forms, evolutions, and so on, though that won't stop fans from coming up with their own theoretical designs.

Meanwhile, Mew is a Pokemon that was the focus of many 'legends' on the playground back when Pokemon Red and Blue first came out. Anyone who played those games around the time of their release likely heard the story from someone whose dad 'totally' worked at Nintendo about Mew being under a truck behind the S.S. Anne. And, while this did a lot for Mew's notoriety, it's also just a fantastic Pokemon in battle. With an even stat spread of 100 in every category, Mew is also the only Pokemon in existence that's able to learn every single TM, HM, and Move Tutor move that's ever existed. Like Dragonite, Mew has also been left alone in terms of new designs or changes, which is extra interesting considering the Mega Evolutions its duo counterpart received.

1 Mewtwo

Finally, capping it all off with the scariest Legendary of the first generation, Mewtwo. This thing is truly terrifying in all formats whether it's the games, anime, or movies, Mewtwo seems basically unstoppable. And, it's not like trainers have guns or something to fight against Mewtwo as they would in Palworld, they have to rely on their well-raised Pokemon. Mewtwo is a pure Psychic-type Legendary Pokemon with the highest overall base stat total of 590. 'Phenomenal' does not even begin to describe Mewtwo compared to the rest of the Pokemon in Gen 1. Its stats are demonstrably heads-and-tails above the rest with the closest thing to a 'weakness' being its relatively decent Defense stat. Mewtwo also has a better-than-usual movepool for Gen 1 standards. As if all of that wasn't enough, its typing makes it all the stronger, since Psychic's weaknesses in Ghost and Bug Pokemon were near to non-existent in Red and Blue, and the type only benefited from the lack of separation between Special Attack and Special Defense.

Additionally, Mewtwo also has two Mega Evolutions that were introduced in the sixth generation, Mega Mewtwo X and Mega Mewtwo Y, either of which are fantastic additions to any team. And, though not ever available in the mainline games, Mewtwo also has its 'Shadow Mewtwo' form that was seen in the spinoff Pokken fighting game (which absolutely deserves a sequel).

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