Favourite Pokemon

There’s currently 809 Pokemon currently released over all 7 existing generations and there’s probably going to be another 100 or so more when Pokemon Sword and Shield come out. While we can all agree that some Pokemon aren’t as good or as popular or as exciting as others, we all have our favourites and every Pokemon has a fan.

But with sooooo many Pokemon, it’s really hard to pick a favourite. Or at least a definitive favourite. And it really depends on the person.

With someone like aabicus, who wrote in length about the often ignored Rattata, your favourite ends up springing to mind quite easily because said Pokemon manages to do something amazing. In aabicus’s case, a Rattata called Brenna saved his ass and managed to defeat Blue when aabicus first played Pokemon FireRed and proceeded to live alongside aabicus as he made his way through each Pokemon game.

Most of the time though, one’s favourite Pokemon tend to reflect when they first got into Pokemon. I asked my brother what his favourite Pokemon were, and they were things like Koffing, Slowbro and Onix, all Generation 1 Pokemon, because that’s the generation he’s most familiar with. Sure, he as other Pokemon he likes from other Generations, but those are his favourites. But generations aren’t always accurate, after all, my sister loves all sorts of Pokemon, from the old favourite Eevee to Mimikyu from Generation 7 and Xerneas, the beautiful legendary deer Pokemon from Generation 6, but none of us have really ever played Generation 6 Pokemon games.

Then there’s the all-time favourites. The Pokemon that are always popular no matter what. Pikachu is an obvious one because he’s Pokemon’s mascot, everyone knows who Pikachu is and because Pikachu is both cute and has a massive nostalgia vibe, so the little yellow rodent appeals to pretty much anyone who has heard of Pokemon. Mewtwo is another all-time favourite, mainly because he’s a pretty badass legendary Pokemon who keeps on coming back for more, way more than the other Generation 1 legendary Pokemon at least. There’s also some Pokemon who I never realised just how popular they were, like Greninja, the Generation 5 starter Pokemon, a weird ninja frog which uses its tongue as a scarf. I always thought Greninja wasn’t anything special but clearly I’m wrong.

Nostalgia is a huge part of one’s favourite Pokemon though. Your first starter. Your first Pokemon card. Your favourite manga or anime episode. And so on.

As for my favourites? Well I simply can’t decide on a number one favourite. The #1 spot has always been empty but lots of Pokemon have vied for it over the years. Thing is, most of the Pokemon I like tend to be legendary Pokemon and I don’t like the idea of being that sort of person who only likes the super powerful, potentially overpowered stuff.

Then again, Pikachu is probably the most powerful Pokemon in existence and everyone likes Pikachu.

I do have some favourites that I’ve always liked though. My first Pokemon cards were of Ponyta and Dratini, and back then I enjoyed things like My Little Pony and cute little dragons (don’t look at me like that, I was 8!) so those two do have a bit of a soft spot in my heart. But the Pokemon I really like are ones I like for almost no reason. I have no prior connections to Pokemon like Growlithe and Houndour, but I really, really like them. I also really like Noivern, who is quite obviously a noise-based dragon, and that was a Pokemon that popped up out of nowhere for me.

But if I had to pick one favourite, right now? It would have to be Groudon. Because Groudon is basically a massive cross between a digger, a dinosaur and a dragon. That and Groudon is fucking enormous. Or at least he feels like he is.

I still can’t decide on a definite number one favourite though. After all this time. There’s just too many to choose from.