The Pokémon franchise began in 1996 with the release of Pokémon Red and Green for the Game Boy in Japan. Combined with the international versions—Pokémon Red and Blue—and the anime tie-in Pokémon Yellow, this era is referred to as Generation I, and is set entirely in the Kanto region. Though it seems archaic compared to the flashy and expansive later generations, Gen I is still looked back on fondly for being the one that started it all.
The Pokémon introduced in Gen I number among the most iconic, both for being the first 151, and because several of them have managed to remain viable in the competitive scene even as newer Pokémon are released with each generation. Today, a number of Gen I Pokémon are in great spots thanks to updates, new gimmicks, Mega Evolutions, regional forms, and outings in the anime series.
10
Victreebel
Since each new generation is released as a pair of games, Game Freak likes to make version-exclusive Pokémon to encourage trading to complete the Pokédex. In Gen I, the pair of Grass and Poison-types who needed a Leaf Stone to evolve was Bellsprout, found in Pokémon Green/Blue, and Pokémon Red’s Oddish. Bellsprout’s final form, Victreebel, was meant to be the more offensive of the two, but though it had a good run in the early seasons of the anime as a partner Pokémon to James of Team Rocket, the only attention it’s gotten since was a slight increase to its Special Defence, whereas Oddish at least got a Sun Stone evolution, Bellossom.
Everything changed with the release of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, which brought back Mega Evolution from Generation VI, allowing Pokémon to temporarily change their forms and gain stat boosts in battle. Victreebel was chosen as one of the lucky recipients of a new Mega and saw modest defense boosts and major offensive ones. The addition of more powerful Grass and Poison-type moves since Gen I, such as Power Whip and Poison Jab, further adds to its damage potential.
9
Clefable
Should you choose to use a Moon Stone on the adorable Clefairy, it evolves into Clefable. While a decent Normal-type, it was outcompeted by bulkier options like Snorlax and Nidoking, which proved better choices for the Moon Stone due to superior typing and access to a wide variety of moves. Then Pokémon X and Y were released, and Clefable was changed to the newly added Fairy-type.
The addition of the Fairy-type gave Clefable much better usage, thanks to its immunity to Dragon-type attacks and super-effective damage against common types like Dragon, Fighting, and Dark. With the release of Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Clefable also gained the ability to Mega Evolve. As Mega Clefable, it gains the Flying-type and an increase to all its stats besides HP, but especially its defenses and Special Attack, turning Clefable into a durable nuke of a Pokémon.
8
Alakazam
Some Pokémon can only evolve by being traded with another person or through the use of the Link Cable item. One of the most iconic examples is Alakazam, a powerful Psychic-type and the final evolution of the elusive Abra. Its high Speed and Special Attack made it the premier Psychic-type for most trainers, though its low defenses mean it’ll probably go down in a hit or two, even with the slight increase to its Special Defense it got in Gen VI.
The years have been pretty kind to Alakazam, giving it a wide array of moves like Energy Ball, Dazzling Gleam, and Charge Beam for coverage, while Reflect, Light Screen, and Recover can keep it alive and support teammates. Alakazam also got a very powerful Mega in Gen VI, boosting its Speed and Special Attack to astronomical levels. Now that Mega Evolution has returned to the franchise, Alakzam can serve as a devastating wallbreaker and special sweeper.
7
Gengar
Though Ghost-type Pokémon were meant to be counters to Psychic-types, in Gen I, Ghastly, Haunter, and Gengar were all Poison-types as well, meaning Psychics could still defeat them. That didn’t stop people from using Gengar, however, who proved to be a very effective Special attacker, especially when Pokémon Gold and Silver introduced more moves for it to use. Gengar made several appearances throughout the anime, including becoming a member of Ash’s final champion team, and had an important role in the first Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games.
While the loss of Gengar’s Levitate ability for Cursed Body did hurt it a little bit, it remains one of the best Ghost-types. Its wide movepool consists not just of offensive attacks, but also means of tripping up opponents like Confuse Ray, Taunt, Encore, and Will-o-Whisp. Its Mega was one of the most powerful in X and Y, and though it no longer has Shadow Tag for an ability to trap opponents, it can still blast most Pokémon away with its sky-high special attack.
6
Gyarados
By far the most inspirational story of any Pokémon is that of Magikarp. While initially a helpless fish that can only flop around, with enough time and dedication, it evolves into the massive serpentine Gyarados, gaining the Flying-type and a massive increase to its stats. Though initially hurt when Gen II split the special stat between special attack and special defense, Generation IV divided moves into Physical and Special based on their nature rather than their elemental type, allowing Gyarados to hit hard with Physical Water-type moves.
Today, Gyarados is still a favoured pick when it comes to bulky Water-types. While its Flying-type does leave it with a massive weakness to Electric attacks, it also makes it immune to Ground, while its Intimidate ability can reduce the opponent’s attack stats, further adding to its survivability. The introduction of terastallization in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet allows Gyarados to swap its type out for a more defensive one, and while abilities were removed from Pokémon Legends: Z-A, this did return Gyarados’ Mega form, turning it into Water/Dark and further increasing its already respectable bulk and physical power.
5
Raichu
Everyone knows Pikachu: the original Mouse Pokémon has been the mascot of the franchise ever since he was chosen to accompany Ash Ketchum in his adventures to be a Pokémon Master. Sadly, the yellow mouse’s fame has led to Nintendo and Game Freak all but ignoring its evolution, Raichu, especially with the introduction of the Light Orb, which boosts Pikachu’s stats. Sure, it’s natural to give the mascot lots of attention, but Raichu isn’t a bad Pokémon, and it deserves more than just a regional Alolan form.
Generation VI gave Raichu a tiny 10-point increase to its Speed, but the real buff would come in the Mega Dimension DLC for Pokémon Legends: Z-A. It gave Raichu two Mega Evolutions, with Mega Raichu X getting better defense and Physical Attack, while Mega Raichu Y got better Speed and Special Attack. It’s not quite enough to make up for the years of neglect, but it’s a step in the right direction.
4
Charizard
Next to Pikachu, Charizard is by far the most iconic Pokémon. Evolved from the first Fire-type starter, Charmander, it has captivated audiences the world over thanks to its draconic design, versatility in battle, and for being one of Ash’s strongest Pokémon that even refused to follow his orders for a time. It’s fitting that Ash’s final battle to become the number one trainer in the world saw his Pikachu face off against Leon’s Charizard in the finale of Pokémon Journeys: The Series.
The return of Mega Evolutions allowed Charizard access to its exclusive forms from Pokémon X and Y. As Mega Charizard X, it finally becomes a Dragon-type by giving up its Flying-type, and becomes a physical attacker, which has been made even better with the introduction of new Dragon-type attacks like the multi-hitting Scale Shot. Mega Charizard Y does suffer a bit from the loss of abilities, since it can no longer set up intense sunlight, but it remains a strong special attacker.
3
Starmie
Though overshadowed by its pre-evolution, Staryu, in the anime, Starmie has consistently been one of the best Gen I Pokémon in every subsequent generation. It’s got the right stat distribution to be a fast special sweeper, access to a wide movepool that includes both Ice Beam and Thunderbolt for good type coverage, and the dual Water/Psychic-typing. New methods for harvesting evolutionary stones mean it’s also easier to get an excess of Water Stones, meaning that you don’t have to be conservative regarding which Staryu you’ll evolve.
Legends: Z-A decided to further elevate Starmie by giving it a Mega Evolution with a whopping 120-point increase across the board, compared to the usual 100-point increase. While its human-like design has been met with equal parts praise and ridicule, its stat distribution turns it into a monster with extra Speed, offensive power, and defenses to keep it in the fight longer. Curiously, its Physical Attack is higher than its Special, allowing Starmie to trick up opponents with physical moves like Zen Headbutt and Waterfall.
2
Dragonite
Back in Gen I, the only Dragon-type Pokémon were Dratini and its evolutions, Dragonair and Dragonite. Combined with its resistance against the three starter types — Fire, Water, and Grass — and Dragonite’s use as the signature Pokémon for Lance of the Elite Four, it helped make dragons in Pokémon feel mythic in quality. Although it did suffer for a bit due to the introduction of stronger and faster dragons like Salemence, Garchomp, and Dragapult, recent games have seen Dragonite soar high.
Historically, despite Dragonite’s fantastic attack stat, its low speed and quadruple weakness to Ice-type attacks held it back. Terastallization allows Dragonite to circumnavigate this weakness by adopting a new type, such as Steel for better defense, or Normal for a damage boost on its Extremespeed attack. It also received a Mega Evolution that gives it more bulk, speed, and special attack, allowing Dragonite to better take advantage of its diverse movepool.
1
Mewtwo
The true final boss of Gen I wasn’t your rival, Blue, but the Psychic-type legendary Pokémon, Mewtwo, created by cloning the mythic Pokémon Mew. Since first encountering it deep in the Cerulean Cave, Mewtwo has been a favourite among long-time fans, especially thanks to the great character work it received in Pokémon: The First Movie — Mewtwo Strikes Back. Mewtwo’s popularity would see it appear several times in the anime and other films such as Genesect and the Legend Awakened and Detective Pikachu, as well as various video game appearances.
While far from the most powerful Pokémon these days, Mewtwo is still a powerful legendary capable of utilizing a wide array of moves across nearly every type. It also got two megas in Gen VI: the Psychic/Fighting-type Mewtwo X, who mixes things up by turning Mewtwo into a bulky physical attacker, and Mewtwo Y, who retains its Psychic typing and goes all-in on Speed and Special Attack. Whichever form you choose, Mewtwo is sure to live up to its reputation.
