Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life
On 27th February, Pokémon turns 30. That’s three whole decades of exploring many and various regions to find monsters, battle monsters, and pocket monsters – and we’ve all got our personal favourites.
And they’re not always just our starter, either! Sure, you build up a special relationship with your first Pokémon each generation, but there are usually a half-dozen winners who work their way into your good books as well as your team – and maybe even your heart, assuming you’re not a cold Rock-type (and they can be awesome, too!).
In honour of this momentous anniversary, we’ll be running a series of polls leading up to the big day where we get your votes for your favourite Pokémon from each generation. Then, we’ll pit the winners against each other in a final nine-generation showdown to find out Nintendo Life readers’ very favourite Pokémon from the 7 million 1,025 discovered thus far.
We’ll be covering a generation every day for the next nine, leading up to the ultimate showdown between the top ‘mons at the end of the month. Each poll will be open for five days after going live.
We’ve looked at starters before, and they’re bound to poll well. We hear Pikachu’s pretty popular, too?
While the choice is yours and we certainly don’t wish to influence your decision, we feel a duty to remind you of some less obvious picks from each gen. So let’s quickly ask Team NL for some underdog candidates they’ll consider before casting their vote. Team?
Dewgong
Lapras is clearly the beautiful Water-type everyone remembers, but what about the elegant Dewgong? Plus, that cry in the anime is amusing.
Deputy Editor, Nintendo Life
Farfetch’d
My Metapod (‘Metapoo’) always made me grin, partly due to his hilarious ineffectualness, and partly because I didn’t know which side his face was on (I still don’t) and couldn’t tell if he had tired or angry eyes. But along with Squirtle, I always kept a feisty Farfetch’d in my squad.
Editor, Nintendo Life
Oddish
My favourite Pokémon are the ones I encounter right at the start of the game. In almost every generation, that means I’ve reserved a spot on the bench for Oddish, my beloved, weird little guy.
Staff Writer, Nintendo Life
Kangaskhan
I don’t quite remember why, but my original Pokémon Blue squad almost always included a Kangaskhan. I think maybe I was enamoured by its sprite, but its constant presence means it became a firm favourite of mine.
Staff Writer, Nintendo Life
Okay, that’s more than enough ado – here’s the poll featuring all 151 Gen 1 Pokémon in National Dex order. Remember, you can only choose one, so pick wisely!
Image: Zion Grassl / Nintendo Life
Thanks for voting! Keep an eye out for further generations in the coming days as we cruise towards Pokémon’s 30th anniversary at the end of February!
Gavin first wrote for Nintendo Life in 2018 before joining the site full-time the following year, rising through the ranks to become Editor. He can currently be found squashed beneath a Switch backlog the size of Normandy.