Few franchises in the entertainment genre can claim to be as popular or as iconic as Pokémon. What originally started as a fanzine written by two fans of Japanese arcade games of the 1980s became Game Freak — the powerhouse game studio behind Pokémon since Pocket Monsters Red and Green in 1996.
Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori went on to become legends of the video game industry. Tajiri was an avid bug collector and envisioned a game as early as 1990 when Nintendo launched the Game Boy, where players could trade and collect digitized creatures. Sugimori is best known for his designs of the original 151 Pokémon and so many of the iconic characters fans love today.
Pokémon’s success over the last 25 years has transcended gaming, thanks to a generation-defining anime series that made household names of Ash Ketchum and his shock-prone companion Pikachu, as well as a trading card empire that has produced more than 52 billion units to date.
For all of the impressive numbers on spreadsheets that the Pokémon Company can boast, for fans it always comes back to the love of the games and the Pokémon themselves. Everyone has their favorite, whether for aesthetic reasons or an affinity from memories of hard-fought gym battles.
For this reason, Guide Strats has created a definitive list of the most popular Pokémon in each generation, based on the views of more than 75,000 fans online.
What We Did
To find the most popular Pokemon in each of the game’s generations, we analyzed 75,302 user profiles on Serebii.net, a community-driven Pokémon fan website. We ranked the most common Pokémon based on each Serebii user’s favorite Pokémon on their About page, using demographic data on profiles to determine the most popular Pokémon by gender and nationality. We have omitted the latest 3 generations of Pokémon (7-9) from our dataset due to a limited volume of results. It would seem that the newer Pokémon have not been around long enough to work their way into trainers’ hearts and become their favorites on Serebii.
Key Findings
- Charizard (3,105 favorites) is the internet’s most popular Pokémon, beating out Pikachu (1,524) and Eevee (1,430).
- Fire-type starters Charizard (3,105 favorites), Typhlosion (1,067) and Blaziken (1,215) are the most popular from Pokémon’s first three generations.
- Male fans prefer Charizard (2,599) as their favorite Pokémon, while female fans love Eevee (680) more than all other Pokémon.
- Charizard is the most popular among fans in the U.S., UK and Australia, while Canadians prefer Pikachu.
Generation 1 Dominates Users’ Favorite Pokémon
A 2022 poll of 55,000 users on Reddit found that Pokémon fans love first-generation fire starter Charizard above all others. While famously not typed as a ‘dragon’ in the game series, the fire-breathing brute inspired fans from the moment it appeared on the striking box art of Nintendo’s original 1996 titles.
Its legend in the fandom grew stronger when producers chose to make Charizard a central companion of Ash in the anime series, growing from disobedient dragon to ferocious battler as its respect for the protagonist grew. Charizard is also highly sought after in the world of trading cards, and a 1999 shiny card considered ‘the holy grail of Pokémon cards’ sold in 2020 for a record $220,000.
Our analysis shows that 3,105 Serebii.net users love Charizard above all others, securing its status as the internet’s most popular Pokémon. A total of 17 first-generation Pokémon were listed as a favorite, including iconic characters Pikachu (1,524 users) and Eevee (1,430).
Popularity of Fire-Type Starters Transcend Generations
For more than 25 years, Pokémon gamers have faced the eternal choice — Fire, Water or Grass. Each new generation of Pokémon has brought with it a collection of three original new characters to choose from as the main companion. Whether you opt for the ‘best’ choice based on strategy or pick a favorite based on looks, the selection can be tough.
According to our data, however, Pokémon fans have a preference for fire types. Each of the game’s first three starters in their evolved forms is among the favorites from each generation — Charizard (3,105 users), Typhlosion (1,067 users) and Blaziken (1,215).
When it comes to the game’s iconic fourth generation, Lucario’s popularity is unrivaled. 1,760 fans list the fighting and steel type as their most-loved Pokémon. According to the Pokédex, it can detect the auras of its opponents and sense its moves. Based on the Egyptian god Anubis, it has become a true fan favorite, once again thanks to its centrality to the anime and loyalty to Ash in his quest to become a Pokémon master.
Fan Favorite Eevee Most Loved by Female Pokémon Lovers
While our data shows that the ubiquitous love of Charizard extends to male Serebii users (2,599 favorites), female fans are a different story. Their greatest love is Eevee, with 680 users preferring the diminutive mammalian over any other Pokémon. The first generation is an icon of the series, unique in its ability to evolve using elemental stones.
The original is loved by fans for its cuteness and versatility, with a range of evolutions possible. Designer Motofumi Fujiwara originally envisioned an ambiguous animal when designing the original sprites in 1995 that could adopt various types to suit a player’s preference. One such evolution is the dark-type Umbreon, which is loved equally by male (1,089 favorites) and female fans (428).
Dragonite Among Most Loved Pokémon by U.S. Fans
When Pokémon left Japanese shores and its marketing juggernaut entered the U.S. market in 1998, few had any idea how successful it would be.
America soon became gripped by ‘Pokemania.’ IGN gave Pokémon Blue a perfect 10/10 score, describing the game as a ‘masterpiece.’ Its debut movie, ‘Mewtwo Strikes Back’ made more than $30m on its opening weekend in 1999, and the series’ iconic soundtrack ‘Gotta Catch ‘Em All’ was an unlikely hit on the Billboard Hot 100.
Our data shows that Pokémon fans from the U.S. are still gripped by ‘90s nostalgia, with seven of the ten most popular Pokémon appearing in the original game series. While Charizard (526 fans) remains most loved, there is space in fans’ hearts for Dragonite (286 fans). The original dragon type is one of the game’s most powerful thanks to its versatile move set, but its fandom reached new levels when Ash finally caught one in the Journeys series of the anime in 2020.
Umbreon a Surprise Hit Among Brits
More than 25 years after Pokémon’s global launch, the franchise continues to be supported by its fanbase. In the UK, ninth generation Pokémon Scarlet and Violet became the UK’s biggest physical launch of 2022, despite the game’s performance issues. It also ranks as Britain’s eighth most successful video game franchise of all time by revenue.
But when it comes to the Pokémon, fans seem to have adopted second-generation Umbreon (75 fans) as an alternative to Charizard (135). The dark type was a worthy introduction to the style, introduced with the release of Pokémon Gold and Silver in 1999. It takes inspiration from the fortune of black cats in Japanese culture, and its distinctive yellow rings are also said to glow in the dark. Umbreon is also considered to be one of the strongest in Pokémon GO.
Mew and Arcanine in Australia’s Top Five Pokémon
The Pokémon phenomenon didn’t leave Australia out. Nintendo’s 1998 release of Pokémon Yellow, following up on the success of Red and Blue, was launched in Australia first after leaving Japan. The later launch of Mewtwo Strikes Back was so successful that Australia earned a full re-release in 2015, recapturing the height of Pokémania in the late 1990s.
The impact of the movie on Australian audiences is perhaps why legendary Mew is among the five most preferred Pokémon (32 favorites) by fans down under. Also appearing in Australia’s top five is first-generation favorite Arcanine, who is preferred by 33 fans. Rumors and fan conspiracies still swirl about the tiger-dog Pokémon’s status in the lore, with many believing that producers intended for Arcanine to have legendary status in the games and anime.
Canadians Love Pikachu
No Pokémon popularity contest would be complete without mentioning the franchise’s most recognizable character. The lovable electric rodent has been at the heart of Pokémania since becoming Ash’s powerful sidekick in the anime series. But Pikachu has transcended its status as a Pokémon, becoming the face of the franchise and a pop culture icon that can rival Mickey Mouse.
Canadians recognize this more than any other nation. They choose Pikachu over all others as their favorite Pokémon, with 68 fans declaring their love for the game’s high-voltage mouse (or squirrel), more than Charizard, with 62 favorites. Second-generation Eeveelutions Umbreon (38 fans) and Espeon (30 fans) are also loved by Canadians, with their cat-like appearance a hit among residents of a country where cat ownership has surged since 2020.
Gotta Catch ‘Em All – But Which Pokémon Is Your Favorite?
Where do your most-loved Pokémon rank in our list? The full list can be found below, including a breakdown of favorites by country and Pokémon generation.
With the 2022 release of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and a ninth generation, there are now more than 1,000 Pokémon to choose from. But for many fans, it always comes back to the franchise’s original 151, reminding fans of the nostalgia-tinged days of the late 1990s when Pokemon and its merchandising juggernaut took center stage around the world.
Our research shows that fans still love many of those famous faces from the first generation, and Charizard in particular. Whether stoking the flames of friendship as Ash’s powerful companion in 25 seasons of the anime series, wiping out the competition as one of the game’s strongest and most intimidating Pokémon, or as a collector’s item and the face of the world’s most valuable Pokémon cards; Charizard reigns supreme as the ultimate fan’s favorite.
How We Did It
To find out the most popular Pokémon in each generation, we analyzed 75,302 user profiles on Serebii.net, the world’s most popular Pokémon fan website. Here, users can add information about their favorite Pokémon on their About page.
We ranked the most common Pokémon overall using demographic data on user profiles to determine the most popular pokémon by gender, nationality and for each Pokémon generation.
Generations 7, 8 and 9 were excluded from our dataset due to the limited volume of results.
The data in this analysis is correct as of July 2023.
Note: We excluded Abomasnow as an outlier, as it was the first option in the alphabetical list and many users had it by default.
