I Choose You!

Mewtwo is a legendary Pokémon that was created by scientists after years of horrific gene splicing and DNA engineering experiments. It proved too powerful to control, however, and it escaped into the wild after destroying the laboratory. Mewtwo is said to have the most savage heart among Pokémon, and its psychic abilities augment its strength to unfathomable levels. Mewtwo was a force to be reckoned with in Pokémon Red and Blue. Its stats were incredible, it had one of the best movesets in the game, and it had no real weaknesses that could be exploited. If you wanted to fight a Mewtwo, your best bet was to use another Mewtwo! This isn’t a list of most powerful Pokémon, but it would be hard to overlook how unstoppable Mewtwo was. Eight generations in, there still hasn’t been another Pokémon that has been quite as dominant.

Although Cubone isn’t as powerful as our last entry, every aspiring Pokémon trainer should be terrified of it. Mewtwo might have better stats, but Cubone is the most hardcore Pokémon of all-time. Though relatively small in stature, Cubone makes up for its diminutive size by pushing the boundaries of appropriateness. I don’t want to tell anyone how to grieve, but Cubone takes things to a dark place by wearing the skull of its deceased mother as a helmet and using her bones as a makeshift club. If a human were to headbutt you with the skull of their dead mom, they’d be institutionalized immediately. We look past Cubone’s morbid actions because we can tell that it’s lonely, but its plaintive cries don’t make his behavior any less depraved. Pokémon come in all shapes and sizes, and none are more metal than Cubone.

Psyduck is a water-type Pokémon with mysterious psychic powers. It’s tormented by constant headaches and always look puzzled, but it’s an endearing creature in its own right. In contrast to the other Pokémon on this list, Psyduck doesn’t seem to have any idea what’s going on. It’s a giant ball of nerves that has no control over its faculties, and this makes it easy to rally behind them. How could you not root for the little guy? Psyduck was reportedly considered for the role of Pikachu’s counterpart in Pokémon: Let’s Go, but it ultimately lost the role to Eevee. It’s probably for the best. I doubt Psyduck would have been able to handle the stress. Psyduck was given a major role in the Detective Pikachu movie, however, and it’s one of only six Pokémon that has appeared in every regional Pokédex.

Snorlax weren’t seen in the wild in the first generation of Pokémon games. Instead, they could be found sleeping in inconvenient locations throughout the Kanto region. The massive creatures were not inherently dangerous, but they would impede your progress. If you wanted an opportunity to catch one, you would ultimately need to wake it up with a Poké Flute. Snorlax are docile enough for children to crawl over them, but they are tremendously powerful when they’re drawn into a battle. It would be easy to criticize Snorlax for being lazy. All they do is eat and sleep, after all, and they apparently consume 900 pounds of food a day! Everyone still loves them, though. They can block busy roads for days on end, and society just sort of works around them. In a way, I’m kind of jealous of their lifestyle.

The opening cinematic for in Pokémon Red and Blue showcased a vicious battle involving Gengar. We only got a behind-the-back view of Gengar during these battles, but that only added to the intrigue. (Incidentally, this battle was recreated in the first episode of the anime.) The elusive ghost-type Pokémon was seldom seen in the wild in Generation I, but if you traded a Haunter with another player, it would evolve into a Gengar. This is exactly the kind of unique gameplay mechanic that made Pokémon so much fun. When its not lurking in the shadows, Gengar can be easily identified by its mischievous smile. It reminds me of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland in that regard, but Gengar is more menacing. The ghostly Pokémon is said to mimic the shadows of people and laugh at their fright. How delightfully spooky!

As one of the three starter Pokémon from Pokémon Red and Blue, Squirtle is almost certainly one of the most famous creatures on this list. For millions of gamers, Squirtle was the very first Pokémon they ever registered. As its name implies, Squirtle looks like a cross between a squirrel and a turtle. The tiny Pokémon will retract into his resilient shell in times of danger, but this doesn’t mean that he’s entirely helpless. Squirtle can strike back at his enemies by shooting powerful streams of water out of its mouth. His attacks become more and more powerful as he evolves – Blasoise literally has water canons protruding from its back – but I’m partial to his original form. I was always fond of the cool-as-ice “Squirtle Squad” iteration from the anime, and I was delighted when sunglasses-wearing Squirtle popped up in Pokémon GO.

Without question, Pikachu is the most famous Pokémon there is. The adorable yellow furball played a key role in the anime and manga, and he was the focal point of a Hollywood movie and several video game spinoffs. The rodent-like creature has been plastered on planes, trains, and automobiles, and it’s fair to describe Pikachu as the de facto face of an entire merchandising empire. Although they aren’t especially rare or powerful, Pikachu are known for its dynamic electrical abilities. They’re undeniably cute, too, and Pikachu has been described as Japan’s answer to Mickey Mouse. Many people feel that Pikachu is overexposed, but his influence cannot be denied. If they made a Mount Rushmore of video game characters, there is no doubt that Pikachu would deserve a place on it. It would be ignorant to deny him a place on this list.

Bulbasaur is number three on this list, but he’s number one on the Pokédex! As a dual-type grass-and-poison Pokémon, Bulbasaur was arguably the most useful starter from Generation I. The little guy would be popular even if he wasn’t the clear choice for beginners. The small, quadrupedal creatures look completely harmless, and it would be easy to imagine having one of them as a pet. (Can we talk about how adorable they were in the Detective Pikachu movie?) Bulbasaur is one of the least imposing creatures on this list, and he looks like a cross between a frog and an onion. There are Pokémon that literally breathe fire, but most of Bulbasaur’s attacks involve vines and leaves! They become increasingly more dangerous with each evolution, but they also become less endearing in the process. How can you not love Bulbasaur’s playful demeanor?

Evolution is one of the main aspects in the Pokémon universe, and no Pokémon on this list exemplifies the concept more than Gyarados. The massive serpentine is brutally vicious and enormously destructive, but it begins its life as one of the most pathetic and underpowered Pokémon in the entire series. Magikarp are useless in battle and can only splash around, but Gyarados are capable of destroying entire cities! In case you’re wondering, Magikarp’s evolution into Gyarados is based on a Chinese myth about carp evolving into dragons by swimming up waterfalls. (This phenomena is referenced in Pokémon Snap, and you can see Magikarp evolve into Gyarados by climbing up cataracts.) Gyarados is one of the most imposing Pokémon from Generation I, and it would be worthy of this list even if it didn’t have an extraordinary evolutionary path.

We’ve mentioned Squirtle and Bulbasaur already, so Charmander kind of feels like a glaring omission on this list. Although Charmander was my favorite starter from Generation I, I feel compelled to acknowledge his evolved form instead. Charizard is a lean, ferocious, fire-breathing dragon who represents everything that’s great about the Pokémon universe. He’s another shining example of Pokémon evolution in action, and you truly feel like you’re making progress as a Pokémon trainer as you watch the majestic creature transform before your eyes. Charizard has a prominent role in the anime and the Pokémon Trading Card Game, he’s featured as a playable character in the Smash Bros. series, and he is a force of nature from a merchandising standpoint. With the exception of Pikachu, he’s arguably the most iconic Pokémon in the series.