Since the dawn of the Pokemon, Pikachu has reigned supreme as the sole icon and mascot for arguably one of the most iconic franchises in entertainment history. Despite being another long-time fan-favorite, it wasn't until the Pokemon Let's Go games that Eevee was finally given some of the recognition he deserves and was held up as an equal. But where Pikachu has both an evolution and a pre-evolution that are largely ignored, one of the most important and beloved traits of Eevee are its many Eeveelutions.
Originally debuting with three different evolutions of varying types, Eevee currently has eight possible evolutions that players can choose from, all introduced between generations one through six. Pokemon Sword and Shield's National Dex has easily been one of the most controversial the series has seen and while multiple Generation 1 Pokemon are coming back or getting new forms for the Galar Region, there won't be a new Eeveelution.
Introduced in the first-generation, Eevee won fans over pretty quickly for its adorable demeanor and its ability to evolve in three different Pokemon: the Water-type Vaporeon, the Electric-type Jolteon, and the Fire-type Flareon. At the time, players having the ability to choose between multiple evolutions and types was unique to Eevee and all three evolutions, dubbed Eeveelutions, became favorites in their own right. The second-generation of Pokemon gave Eevee two more Eeveelutions in the form of the Psychic-type Espeon and the Dark-type Umbreon, the fourth-generation added the Grass-type Leafeon and the Ice-type Glaceon, and finally, the Fairy-type Sylveon was introduced in the sixth-generation.
While the majority of Pokemon types were introduced in the first-generation, Dark, Steel, and Fairy were all added later on which leads to a total of eighteen different types. With only eight types being used for Eeveelutions in Pokemon Sword and Shield, including that Eevee itself is a Normal-type, there's still a lot of options for new Eeveelutions in the eighth-generation. After factoring in all of the types that have already been used, that still leaves Fighting, Flying, Poison, Ground, Rock, Bug, Ghost, Steel, and Dragon.
Right now, we don't know exactly how many new Pokemon are going to be introduced in the eighth-generation. However, its confirmed that Pokemon Sword and Shield's will include new Pokemon, existing Pokemon from previous generations, and brand new forms of existing Pokemon. On top of that, trailers have confirmed that Eevee and all of the existing Eeveelutions are featured in Pokemon Sword and Shield, so the developers are clearly still set on pushing Eevee as a face of the franchise. So the big question is: why aren't Game Freak and The Pokemon Company pushing for a new Eeveelution?
Based on the history of the franchise, a new Eeveelution has been introduced every two generations since Pokemon Gold and Silver and the last new evolution came in Generation VI with Sylveon. It's not "Farfetch'd" to say that enough time has passed for fans to not only expect a new Eeveelution but to desperately want one. An entire generation has come and gone, Sylveon released over six years ago, and new fan art for multiple Eeveelutions goes viral around the internet at least once a year.
Pokemon Sword and Shield's standard Pokedex and its National Dex will bring back dozens to hundreds of older Pokemon from previous generations, with some coming back in their original forms, while others have been completely overhauled with a new Galar form design and type including the new Psychic variant of Ponyta. A similar thing was done with the Alola Region in Pokemon Sun and Moon and it helped breathe new life into existing Pokemon. If there isn't going to be a brand new Eeveelution, why not explore new forms of Eevee?
A lot of major leaks have been making their way online over the past couple of weeks and it's possible that the entire Pokedex for Pokemon Sword and Shield has already been revealed, especially considering we already know all of the version exclusives. For now, it looks almost guaranteed that there will be no new Eeveelution and that's incredibly disappointing given the push for Eevee in recent years and the potential of the remaining ten types and new Galar Forms.
Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield release on November 15, exclusively on Nintendo Switch.