When people think of Pokemon, it's usually Pikachu that first comes to mind, but a recent study reveals that while this may still be the case, the actual most popular Pokemon don't include the iconic yellow mouse. As the Pokemon anime leaves Ash Ketchum and Pikachu behind after twenty-five years, one can't help but feel that it's the end of an era for the Pokemon franchise. Another Pokemon will soon take the spotlight, and the thought has strangely been comforting for many Pokemon fans who are eager to see what the future has in store.
The Pokemon Company recently released Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, and though the ninth generation has had an extremely buggy launch, it would seem that fans across the globe have greatly enjoyed the games despite the technical issues. Though the games have only been out for a month, there are already rumors of an expansion in the works. The DLC for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is expected to be unveiled at the start of 2023, hopefully expanding on the foundation re-established with Gen 9.
As Pokemon players build out their Gen 9 roster, Solitaire Bliss has gathered and analyzed search data from Google, Yahoo, and Bing to determine the definitive list of Pokemon's top 10 favorites. The research claims that the most popular Pokemon is Charizard, but a particularly curious fact about its results is that they seem to omit Pikachu from the list entirely. There's a wide variety of Pokemon featured on the list that hail from several different generations, but Ash Ketchum's famous companion seems to be missing.
Most Popular Pokemon
- Charizard (Gen 1) – 240,700 total monthly searches
- Gardevoir (Gen 3) – 158,400 total monthly searches
- Sylveon (Gen 6) – 137,300 total monthly searches
- Lucario (Gen 4) – 126,200 total monthly searches
- Gengar (Gen 1) – 113,500 total monthly searches
- Umbreon (Gen 2) – 113,000 total monthly searches
- Garchomp (Gen 4) – 93,700 total monthly searches
- Mimikyu (Gen 7) – 84,300 total monthly searches
- Rayquaza (Gen 3) – 82,400 total monthly searches
- Greninja (Gen 6) – 73,100 total monthly searches
The curious lack of Pikachu shouldn't distract Pokemon fans from a very positive takeaway: newer generation Pokemon are just as popular as old generation giants such as Charizard and Blastoise. There is no doubt that the Pokemon franchise has evolved over the years, and the continued creativity of The Pokemon Company ensures that it may take a long while until it becomes stale.
Though some might find the lack of Gen 9 standouts such as Palafin or Baxcalibur disappointing, it's quite possible that it simply takes a while for new Pokemon to establish a following. The best Gen 9 Pokemon aim to make the rounds in competitive play, which implies that they have a good shot at making the list in a few years from now as the community gets more acquainted with them.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet is available on the Nintendo Switch.
Source: Solitaire Bliss