Pokemon Sword and Shield proved to be highly controversial at the time of their release, mainly due to their lack of a National Pokedex. This meant that, in a first for the main series games, Pokemon Sword and Shield wouldn't feature every Pokemon in the franchise. This will be the case for the upcoming Pokemon Scarlet and Violet as well, though Game Freak and Nintendo have yet to reveal a list of all the Pokemon that will be missing from the new games.
It's possible Pokemon fans will have to wait and get their hands on the games themselves to learn about all the Pokemon missing from the lineup, but in the meantime, potential leaks may have let the cat out of the bag early. According to the latest leaks, Pokemon Scarlet and Violet could be missing Chandelure, Minior, and Greninja. By extension, one could assume that the pre-evolutions for those Pokemon won't be featured in the new games either. That would mean no Litwick, Lampent, Froakie, or Frogadier as well.
Greninja is one of the most popular Pokemon in the history of the series, so if it truly didn't make the cut for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, fans are likely going to be disappointed. Besides the fact that Greninja is the fully-evolved form of starter Pokemon Froakie, it has been heavily featured in Pokemon merchandise and media since its debut. In fact, Greninja was even featured on the roster of the two most recent Super Smash Bros. games.
Some fans may also be bummed out that Chandelure is apparently not in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, but for different reasons entirely. The Pokemon Scarlet and Violet gameplay gimmick sees players engaging with the Terastal phenomenon, wherein they are able to encase their Pokemon in gem-like armor and outfit them with a headdress that boosts the moves of a certain type, and even temporarily changing that Pokemon's type in some cases. These headdresses can look like chandeliers, and so some wanted to see Chandelure Terastallized to see what it would look like, and also for the meme potential.
Of course, none of this has even been confirmed at this time, so fans shouldn't worry just yet. However, many of the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet leaks have turned out to be accurate, and so it wouldn't be surprising if these three Pokemon truly don't make the cut for the final roster come launch day.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet launch November 18, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch.