Highlights
- Mantine, Noctowl, and Ariados deserve new forms or evolutions in Generation 10 to bring them back into the spotlight.
- Granbull’s design and battle prowess have left it forgotten, but a new regional evolution of Snubbull could make players consider it again.
- Unown’s lore and storyline have been largely abandoned, but Generation 10 could be the perfect time to give it the spotlight again.
Now that there have been nine generations of Pokemon games, it is natural that a few out of the now over one thousand creatures would start to get forgotten. Fortunately, the developers of these games have come up with a few new ways to make older Pokemon relevant in the franchise. They will either give these Pokemon a new evolution in the newest game, a regional form exclusive, or other creative ways of spicing up the life of these classics.
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However, despite this new method of revising old Pokemon designs, there are still some Pokemon from Generation 2 who still need some attention. The Johto region is largely acknowledged as just an extension of the Kanto region, so let’s hope that GameFreak changes this perception by giving some of its Pokemon some attention in generation ten.
7 Mantine
National Pokedex Entry: #0226
Mantine is a generation two Pokemon that takes its concept and does it extremely well. This Pokemon is so well-designed, in fact, that there doesn’t seem to be anywhere to take this often-forgotten Pokemon’s design in the future. This obvious water type is clearly meant to be a manta ray, and the design team pulled off this graceful design with few flaws.
Since the Pokemon games are already so full of water types, it is rare that Mantine ever gets a chance to shine on a player’s team. It did receive the pre-evolution, Mantyke, in generation four, but there seems to be no other reason to catch and evolve one outside of filling the Pokedex. Therefore, Mantine should be high on the list of Pokemon that deserve a regional form in Gen 10.
6 Noctowl
National Pokedex Entry: #0164
After Gen 1, it seemed mandatory that every Pokemon game should include an early regional bird. These tough flying types are worth having throughout a playthrough, and Noctowl was the perfect choice for a Generation 2 bird. This Pokemon even got a bit of a spotlight as a member of Ash’s team in the anime.
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Although, not much has been done with Noctowl since. Even the other flying type in the Johto region, Murkrow, received a new evolution down the line. As such, it is time for the developers to look at bringing some attention back to this unique owl, either with a new secondary type or a regional version.
National Pokedex Entry: #0168
Bug-types have always had the short end of the stick in the Pokemon games. They aren’t a powerful type, and they have the most weaknesses out of any other type. Despite this, even Butterfree and Beedrill from the Kanto region have received updates in the past. Ariados may not be a pretty Pokemon, but it is still worthy of using in generation two with its poison attacks and sticky web being used to lower the opponents’ speed.
Even Koga recognized this, as he used Ariados on his Elite Four team in Johto. As a bug type, Ariados is the perfect team member to have in the early game. However, it is quickly outmatched later in the journey. Perhaps an evolution in generation ten would fix this issue.
5 Granbull
National Pokedex Entry: #0210
- Fairy-type (Nowadays, was originally Normal-type)
The addition of the new fairy-type Pokemon in Gen 6 helped make much older Pokemon interesting again. However, when Granbull was announced as one of the old Pokemon who would be receiving this new type, there were a lot of fans left wondering what a Granbull was. This is because Granbull’s bland design and lackluster battle prowess have left it largely forgotten in the Pokemon community.
This is a shame, especially seeing how Granbull’s pre-evolution, Snubbull, is a cute and colorful Pokemon that many fans recognize. As a result, a new regional evolution of Snubbull that takes its original color design may make players think about Granbull again.
4 Unown
National Pokedex Entry: #0201
The Pokemon, Unown, is never going to be considered worthy as a competitive member of a player’s team. These small, single-stage shapes only learn the move Hidden Power, and collecting all twenty-eight different forms doesn’t accomplish anything in the Johto region.
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However, it is clear that the developers introduced Unown to help expand the lore of the franchise. Sadly, this storyline didn’t amount to much, and it has largely been abandoned in the generations since. Maybe Generation 10 is the perfect time to give Unknown and its lore the spotlight again.
3 Ledian
National Pokedex Entry: #0166
Ledian is the evolved form of an early bug type, Ledyba. This new stage gives the generic-looking ladybug a new superhero aesthetic, but Ledian never gets to shine in this role due to its poor stats. Also, the second generation included a much better bug type to use on a team in the form of Scizor. Even the region’s bug-type gym leader doesn’t use this Pokemon on their team.
Since Scozor got some attention in generation six with a Mega Evolution, perhaps Ledian could also be given something new in the next generation. With superhero media being so popular a the moment, Ledian is the perfect Pokemon to represent that genre in the franchise. As such, there are plenty of options for a new form for Ledian in a future game.
2 Forretress
National Pokedex Entry: #0205
Forretress is a Pokemon that looks and acts like a defensive bunker. Since this Pokemon evolved from the pinecone Pokemon, Pineco, the inspiration behind this evolution line has always been clear. Also, the purpose of Forretress in battle has always remained the same. This Pokemon is supposed to set up spikes and continue to raise its defense until the opportunity for a well-timed explosion presents itself.
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The addition of a new evolution for Primeape gives the Pokemon team a new angle to use when considering furthering the Forretress line in generation ten. Annihilape exists because Primape’s anger causes it to die and become a ghost. With Forretress’ appearance, and its tendency to explode, it is easy to see how a new evolution could be born out of Forretress exploding too much in battle to reveal a new Pokemon hidden inside.
1 Shuckle
National Pokedex Entry: #0213
Shuckle is a rare case when it comes to Pokemon that need some more attention in the franchise. This hardy turtle still has a place in the battle scene, especially since Shuckle has the highest defense stat in the game of 230. Plus, a lot of players have likely used this Pokemon at least once seeing as it is given as a gift Pokemon in the generation two games and their remakes.
Still, a large number of turtle Pokemon have been introduced to the franchise to overshadow this small bug type. Its low attack may make some players feel that Shuckle is in need of an evolution, but its defense has nowhere else to go. Therefore, it would make perfect sense for the developers to give this fan-favorite turtle a new regional form or gimmick in generation ten.
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