What was the "breakout Pokemon" of each generation?

greentyphlosion

In Gen IV, Lucario was set up to be a star; right from the moment it headlined a movie, everyone wanted one. It's an objectively cool Pokemon, being based on a jackal and having a fantastic typing as well as great stats and a good moveset. It's been a justifiably popular Pokemon for ages, to the point where you can catch Riolu early on in B2W2 and XY simply gives you one for free early on in the game.

Nintendo seems to have been going for a similar thing with Zoroark in Gen V, but I'm not sure it quite worked. While Zorua and Zoroark were hyped up and promoted to be mysterious and interesting (indeed, they were event-exclusive for most of Gen V) the impression I got was that they weren't nearly as popular as Lucario was. A somewhat dull typing and a slightly gimmicky ability didn't much help either. I personally quite like both Zorua and Zoroark, but I feel like Nintendo were trying to recapture the star power Lucario had and didn't manage it.

If we look back, Gardevoir seems to be the equivalent to this in Gen III. It's a powerful and highly popular Pokemon that's often used by bosses in various games, and has had several boons given to it (a Mega Evolution, a revised typing, a branched evolution). If Gen III had a star Pokemon, I think Gardevoir was it.

So do you think each generation had a similar Pokemon? Some gens seem to have done better in this regard than others - various Pokemon come to mind as cool designs I suspect Nintendo might have hoped would become fan favourites, but I'm not sure all of them did. Part of me wonders if that was why Ash-Greninja was created - Gen VI in particular didn't seem to have an example akin to what I've mentioned.

Which Pokemon do you think were their generation's "breakout" fan favourite, and why?
 
Charizard for Gen 1 definitely. It’s very popular (I don’t really know why) and this popularity is further helped by Gen 1s sentimental value. It was so popular that Gamefreak decided to give it 2 mega evolutions, one to solve its ‘missing’ Dragon-type, and the other to support those that think Charizard is fine as it is. This made Charizard strong in the main games and people who played competitively (aka the entire Smogon community, and then some) liked is as well.
 
gen 8 with Toxcricity taking its 2 different forms and Gigantamax form

gen 4 Garchomp and Lucario with their mega forms.

gen 5 Garbodor with Gigantamax shoking.

gen 7 Komo dragon line together with Silvaly stood out together with Incinearoar taking the movie apperance.
Melmetal.

Seriously from now they could put Gengar and Charizard on the bench for a generation when it comes to new things.
Taking that other starters and pokemon need now more love...

Genagar got nerfed with Levitate but got Cursed Body... Got a mega with trapping ability, now a Gigantamax with trapping move? a little cliche but... They could have stayed with mega and give the spotlight to Durknoir, Trevenant, Dragapult or Polteageist this time.

Gen 1 is interesting how they gave Kingler, Lapras and Machamp the redemption they needed actually.
 
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Matleo said:
gen 5 Garbodor with Gigantamax shoking.
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I think you've misunderstood the question. I'm asking about popularity with fans, not which Pokemon Game Freak decided needed a boost.

Garbodor was never a fan favourite. Ever. It was loathed when it was revealed, and many people still loathe it today.

Toxtricity is undeniably this gen's favourite, though. I think that's why you get one for free, Nintendo anticipated how popular it would become.
 
greentyphlosion said:
I think you've misunderstood the question. I'm asking about popularity with fans, not which Pokemon Game Freak decided needed a boost.

Garbodor was never a fan favourite. Ever. It was loathed when it was revealed, and many people still loathe it today.

Toxtricity is undeniably this gen's favourite, though. I think that's why you get one for free, Nintendo anticipated how popular it would become.
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Hmmm you would need to make a poll what pokemon people like now because new fans could think differently starting with new generations and think other wise about old ones.

Would to cool to know what are most teams build around.

In popularity all 3 starters have nice designs in gen 3. Shave that not grass/rock, water/poison and fire/electric...

Sceptile most in gen 3 thats the type change... all 3 got cool forms but lame that starters can only have hidden abilities, then a Drizzle Swampert could actually fit with it's mega.

Gen 2 is a mystery to me, Legendaries, starters where at some point but why do they put them now low put?
 
Alola's breakout 'mon, or at least a solid contender for it, has to be Mimikyu. This little critter took the world by storm with its sympathetic lore about trying to imitate Pikachu for attention, its unique typing, great ability and just general cuteness. It got plenty of attention, including:
-Its own theme song
-An entire trial centered around it in the games, complete with a Totem Mimikyu
-An exclusive Z-move in Ultra Sun and Moon
-Heaps of screen time in the anime as one of Team Rocket's signature Pokemon for the region
-Being a Pokeball Pokemon in Super Smash Bros Ultimate
 
Yung Dramps said:
Alola's breakout 'mon, or at least a solid contender for it, has to be Mimikyu. This little critter took the world by storm with its sympathetic lore about trying to imitate Pikachu for attention, its unique typing, great ability and just general cuteness. It got plenty of attention, including:
-Its own theme song
-An entire trial centered around it in the games, complete with a Totem Mimikyu
-An exclusive Z-move in Ultra Sun and Moon
-Heaps of screen time in the anime as one of Team Rocket's signature Pokemon for the region
-Being a Pokeball Pokemon in Super Smash Bros Ultimate
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Hmmm what about gen 5?
 
Yung Dramps said:
Alola's breakout 'mon, or at least a solid contender for it, has to be Mimikyu. This little critter took the world by storm with its sympathetic lore about trying to imitate Pikachu for attention, its unique typing, great ability and just general cuteness. It got plenty of attention, including:
-Its own theme song
-An entire trial centered around it in the games, complete with a Totem Mimikyu
-An exclusive Z-move in Ultra Sun and Moon
-Heaps of screen time in the anime as one of Team Rocket's signature Pokemon for the region
-Being a Pokeball Pokemon in Super Smash Bros Ultimate
Click to expand...

Agreed. Silvally seems like the obvious counterpart to Zoroark and Lucario, but I think Nintendo probably realised that Mimikyu would be extremely popular.
 
Perhaps this is speaking the obvious, but as far as Gen I is concerned the answer is Pikachu. Possibly the most recognisable fictional character in the entire world right now, there's no competition here. It's literally on-par with Mario and Gollum, which isn't something Charizard or Mewtwo can make claim to (who I believe are 2nd and 3rd place). Gen 1 - Pikachu

Gen II is perhaps more difficult because it's kind of an extension of Gen I. They didn't create a Pokémon to be particularly iconic in wider society because the series was meant to end after these games. Within the Pokémon community, though, I think we have 4 contenders: Ho-oh, Slowking, Unown, and Pichu. Ho-oh for no reason more than for appearing in the very first episode of the anime before it was ever available in games (or even known by name). This granted it a huge amount of mystery and hype. However, I believe that that original burst of popularity hasn't necessarily persisted. On the other hand, Slowking has remained fairly popular since its feature in the 2nd Pokémon movie, in part because it's one of the best films, and in part because the Slowpoke line has received consistent top-ups to popularity since. Slowpoke has received its own song fairly recently, and the item SlowpokeTail has appeared in most games since Gen II, with it even receiving its own location in that generation (Slowpoke Well). Unown is a key character in all Pokémon lore as well as key movies such as the third one. It receives its own location in most games, and often there are rewards for collecting every form. However, this perhaps makes it only more iconic among the more dedicated fans who are interested in those rewards and don't simply play through the story and, even then, some of that fanbase find Unown tedious. Finally, Pichu is probably the answer I would give. It's been in 2 Super Smash Bros. games which gives it an inherent degree of iconography within the wider Nintendo community, and it has received some favouritism within Pokémon such as with the Pichu Bros. anime shorts, the special Spiky-Eared Pichu event, and its own game in Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs. I think Pichu wins this one, but I wouldn't say it's by a huge amount. Gen 2 - Pichu

Gen III also didn't really have a breakout Pokémon. I'd argue the contenders, though, are Metagross, Grovyle, Deoxys, Gardevoir, Blaziken, and the Lati twins, all for fairly small reasons. Metagross is pretty important in Gen III itself, but only in Gen III. It's Steven's ace, Beldum is a gift Pokémon in Emerald, it's Nascour's Shadow Pokémon in Colosseum, and is the first Pokémon you use in XD: Gales of Darkness. Grovyle is iconic to the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series, being the main character of by far the most popular version (Explorers). Ash's Sceptile also stayed as a Grovyle for 95 episodes, which is a pretty long time for a mid-stage evolution, and a lot of its feature episodes were had during this period. Deoxys received its own movie and has its own location in every game except SwSh because it needs its mechanic of meteorites to evolve, and is pretty popular just because it's a cool design. Gardevoir is used by rival character Wally in its introductory game, and by later bosses like Nascour and Diantha. It's also a character in Pokken Tournament. Blaziken is perhaps the most iconic character for the Pokken Tournament series of games, and also features heavily in the anime as May's ace. The Lati twins got their own movie and their own feature in ORAS -- Pokémon Soar -- and also were used by the boss of Mt. Battle in the Orre games. Overall, though, while all of these Pokémon are fairly evenly matched, I think Grovyle edges this out -- circumstantially because a lot of people my age who grew up with the DS as their main console had Mystery Dungeon Explorers giving Grovyle a little more iconography in wider society (moreso than Pokken Tournament has managed), and because Mystery Dungeon Explorers is one of the best-regarded Pokémon spinoffs in the entire franchise. I can see this going other ways, though. Gen 3 - Grovyle

Gen IV is an easy one. Lucario is in Super Smash Bros., has its own movie, is a gift Pokémon in Sinnoh, received a mega, was Maylene's ace (and put up a tough fight), had an utterly iconic battle in the anime under Maylene, and is overall just extremely popular. Gen 4 - Lucario

I agree with the OP that Zoroark was the intended icon in Gen V, and I think they were probably more successful with it than any other Gen V Pokémon. The only contenders I can see are Volcarona and Hydreigon. Hydreigon was Ghetsis' ace, and Volcarona has a really cool design and its own room in the Desert Ruins. However, Zoroark got its own movie, was N's ace (who is the most iconic character from Gen V), and its own area in B2W2 -- Lostlorn Forest. Gen 5 - Zoroark

Gen VI is Greninja. It's in Super Smash Bros. and apparently got phenomenally popular in Japan. Plus, there's no competition because most of the designs in this gen weren't the best. Gen 6 - Greninja

Gen VII is Mimikyu, I agree with the above posts. The only competition is Silvally, which I think they're still trying to push to be more popular than it is. Mimikyu's totem battle is also incredible and the best part of Gen VII, which certainly helped its organic popularity. Gen 7 - Mimikyu

Gen VIII it's still pretty early to tell because nothing's been pushed too much yet. However, I'd argue the future contenders are Wooloo, Corviknight, Toxtricity, and Copperajah. Of these, Wooloo has the most prevalence in the main game, being the key character in the first plot point, first gym, and being Hop's secondary ace to the point of featuring in the first rival battle -- the first instance of the main rival having 2 Pokémon in the first battle (iirc). Corviknight is the main part of the taxi service and you see them dotted around the region, with an entire trainer class (Cabbie) being based on using the Pokémon. It's also just a really cool design that lends itself to some inherent popularity. Toxtricity is mentioned in this thread, but beyond it being awesome, a gift Pokémon, and featuring in the only cinematic of the credits alongside Rillaboom, I don't really see it being pushed that much. It's possible that it will get to the level of Zoroark perhaps, but that won't mean it's iconic, and currently I think it's less popular than Wooloo (which I'm predicting will feature heavily in the SwSh anime). Copperajah simply for being Chairman Rose's ace and featuring in a cutscene, alongside being an awesome design that could be pushed later on. For now, though, I'm saying Gen 8 - Wooloo

This is an interesting thread and thought experiment, thanks for creating it! If people disagree with my conclusions I'd be interested in hearing responses, as most of them are certainly subjective.
 
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Celever said:
Perhaps this is speaking the obvious, but as far as Gen I is concerned the answer is Pikachu. Possibly the most recognisable fictional character in the entire world right now, there's no competition here. It's literally on-par with Mario and Gollum, which isn't something Charizard or Mewtwo can make claim to (who I believe are 2nd and 3rd place). Gen 1 - Pikachu

Gen II is perhaps more difficult because it's kind of an extension of Gen I. They didn't create a Pokémon to be particularly iconic in wider society because the series was meant to end after these games. Within the Pokémon community, though, I think we have 4 contenders: Ho-oh, Slowking, Unown, and Pichu. Ho-oh for no reason more than for appearing in the very first episode of the anime before it was ever available in games (or even known by name). This granted it a huge amount of mystery and hype. However, I believe that that original burst of popularity hasn't necessarily persisted. On the other hand, Slowking has remained fairly popular since its feature in the 2nd Pokémon movie, in part because it's one of the best films, and in part because the Slowpoke line has received consistent top-ups to popularity since. Slowpoke has received its own song fairly recently, and the item SlowpokeTail has appeared in most games since Gen II, with it even receiving its own location in that generation (Slowpoke Well). Unown is a key character in all Pokémon lore as well as key movies such as the third one. It receives its own location in most games, and often there are rewards for collecting every form. However, this perhaps makes it only more iconic among the more dedicated fans who are interested in those rewards and don't simply play through the story and, even then, some of that fanbase find Unown tedious. Finally, Pichu is probably the answer I would give. It's been in 2 Super Smash Bros. games which gives it an inherent degree of iconography within the wider Nintendo community, and it has received some favouritism within Pokémon such as with the Pichu Bros. anime shorts, the special Spiky-Eared Pichu event, and its own game in Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs. I think Pichu wins this one, but I wouldn't say it's by a huge amount. Gen 2 - Pichu

Gen III also didn't really have a breakout Pokémon. I'd argue the contenders, though, are Metagross, Grovyle, Deoxys, Gardevoir, Blaziken, and the Lati twins, all for fairly small reasons. Metagross is pretty important in Gen III itself, but only in Gen III. It's Steven's ace, Beldum is a gift Pokémon in Emerald, it's Nascour's Shadow Pokémon in Colosseum, and is the first Pokémon you use in XD: Gales of Darkness. Grovyle is iconic to the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series, being the main character of by far the most popular version (Explorers). Ash's Sceptile also stayed as a Grovyle for 95 episodes, which is a pretty long time for a mid-stage evolution, and a lot of its feature episodes were had during this period. Deoxys received its own movie and has its own location in every game except SwSh because it needs its mechanic of meteorites to evolve, and is pretty popular just because it's a cool design. Gardevoir is used by rival character Wally in its introductory game, and by later bosses like Nascour and Diantha. It's also a character in Pokken Tournament. Blaziken is perhaps the most iconic character for the Pokken Tournament series of games, and also features heavily in the anime as May's ace. The Lati twins got their own movie and their own feature in ORAS -- Pokémon Soar -- and also were used by the boss of Mt. Battle in the Orre games. Overall, though, while all of these Pokémon are fairly evenly matched, I think Grovyle edges this out -- circumstantially because a lot of people my age who grew up with the DS as their main console had Mystery Dungeon Explorers giving Grovyle a little more iconography in wider society (moreso than Pokken Tournament has managed), and because Mystery Dungeon Explorers is one of the best-regarded Pokémon spinoffs in the entire franchise. I can see this going other ways, though. Gen 3 - Grovyle

Gen IV is an easy one. Lucario is in Super Smash Bros., has its own movie, is a gift Pokémon in Sinnoh, received a mega, was Maylene's ace (and put up a tough fight), had an utterly iconic battle in the anime under Maylene, and is overall just extremely popular. Gen 4 - Lucario

I agree with the OP that Zoroark was the intended icon in Gen V, and I think they were probably more successful with it than any other Gen V Pokémon. The only contenders I can see are Volcarona and Hydreigon. Hydreigon was Ghetsis' ace, and Volcarona has a really cool design and its own room in the Desert Ruins. However, Zoroark got its own movie, was N's ace (who is the most iconic character from Gen V), and its own area in B2W2 -- Lostlorn Forest. Gen 5 - Zoroark

Gen VI is Greninja. It's in Super Smash Bros. and apparently got phenomenally popular in Japan. Plus, there's no competition because most of the designs in this gen weren't the best. Gen 6 - Greninja

Gen VII is Mimikyu, I agree with the above posts. The only competition is Silvally, which I think they're still trying to push to be more popular than it is. Mimikyu's totem battle is also incredible and the best part of Gen VII, which certainly helped its organic popularity. Gen 7 - Mimikyu

Gen VIII it's still pretty early to tell because nothing's been pushed too much yet. However, I'd argue the future contenders are Wooloo, Corviknight, Toxtricity, and Copperajah. Of these, Wooloo has the most prevalence in the main game, being the key character in the first plot point, first gym, and being Hop's secondary ace to the point of featuring in the first rival battle -- the first instance of the main rival having 2 Pokémon in the first battle (iirc). Corviknight is the main part of the taxi service and you see them dotted around the region, with an entire trainer class (Cabbie) being based on using the Pokémon. It's also just a really cool design that lends itself to some inherent popularity. Toxtricity is mentioned in this thread, but beyond it being awesome, a gift Pokémon, and featuring in the only cinematic of the credits alongside Rillaboom, I don't really see it being pushed that much. It's possible that it will get to the level of Zoroark perhaps, but that won't mean it's iconic, and currently I think it's less popular than Wooloo (which I'm predicting will feature heavily in the SwSh anime). Copperajah simply for being Chairman Rose's ace and featuring in a cutscene, alongside being an awesome design that could be pushed later on. For now, though, I'm saying Gen 8 - Wooloo

This is an interesting thread and thought experiment, thanks for creating it! If people disagree with my conclusions I'd be interested in hearing responses, as most of them are certainly subjective.
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Great post! Thanks for your thoughts.

I missed the Grovyle hype entirely (I've never played Mystery Dungeon). But I agree that Gen III had a bunch of fan-favourite designs - Blaziken probably has as much of a claim to being a star Pokemon than Gardevoir does. It's worth noting that the anime allowed May's Torchic to evolve all the way, so they clearly felt it was marketable (as opposed to Dawn's Piplup). Metagross, like Lucario, tended to be "overused" in the series (it's been used by at least one boss in every game since RSE) so I think the developers recognised they were on to a winner.

Toxtricity's popularity is mainly what I've seen online since the games came out. Before they were released it was definitely Corviknight, though. Wooloo is popular but I don't think it's a "star" in the same vein as Lucario - the "breakout" Pokemon tends to be one that's competitively popular, too. Not always, obviously, but generally. I don't see Copperajah becoming wildly popular but I might be wrong.

Gen II is the hardest to pin down IMO. People love Ampharos, Houndoom, Scizor, and Tyranitar, but none of them are really superstars. When Pokemon Go introduced the Gen II critters, I felt a little like they were trying to push this with Mareep considering that it was extremely rare and only hatched from 10KM eggs - it certainly reinvigorated my enthusiasm for the line. Marill and Pichu were hyped before the games came out, true. But I think the contenders for "breakout" Pokemon are most likely Espeon and Umbreon - they've always been highly popular and sought-after. The leadup to Gen II was a really mysterious and exciting time when I was a kid. I've still got the guidebook of all the new Pokemon which only has limited information on most of them. Very nostalgic.
 
OK so this is going to sound stupid for a number of reasons but,

for gen 7


Eevee

now, look I get it. Eevee has always been popular. It's been around since gen 1. It's extremely cute, it has a million marketable evolutions, Sylveon was the crux of the fairy typing marketing.

But I want you to think of how Eevee was pushed in gens 1-6 and how Eevee was pushed starting in the lead up to Let's Go and how Eevee has continued to be pushed. They went hard on it, to the point where it feels like they're trying to make it co-mascot of the series alongside Pikachu.
 
R_N said:
OK so this is going to sound stupid for a number of reasons but,

for gen 7


Eevee

now, look I get it. Eevee has always been popular. It's been around since gen 1. It's extremely cute, it has a million marketable evolutions, Sylveon was the crux of the fairy typing marketing.

But I want you to think of how Eevee was pushed in gens 1-6 and how Eevee was pushed starting in the lead up to Let's Go and how Eevee has continued to be pushed. They went hard on it, to the point where it feels like they're trying to make it co-mascot of the series alongside Pikachu.
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Yeah, I think you're right, actually.

Hindsight is 20:20, but when you consider that they were originally going to make Psyduck the other LG mascot, it sounds ridiculous. Of COURSE it had to be Eevee. It does feel now like it's a co-mascot. Perhaps Go (in the anime) will get one?
 
Eevee isn't really a Gen VII breakout as it had got constant exposure through its entire existence through its evolutions, spin-off roles or being used by rivals. Let's Go only increased that spotlight.

The Gen VII breakout is most certainly Mimikyu as it didn't get much attention from official media at first, but its popularity exploded and you could see it from everything it got for USUM.
 
VII was definitely Mimikyu. All Pokémon get fanart, but Mimikyu gets fancomics.

Other gens don’t have anything of quite that reach, I certainly don’t expect to see people mention Metagross anywhere near the amount Char or Mimikyu gets, but some thoughts:
VI...maybe Hawlucha? It’s hard to tell how much is the anime, how much is speedrunners, how much is competitive, and how much is the general population liking it, but there seems to be more there than Greninja despite how hard Nintendo pushed the latter.
V, I think I’ve seen more art of Snivy as Smugleaf than any others. Not a traditional pick, but it’s worth mentioning. The other options would be Garbador or Vanilluxe, with the argument that negative attention is better than no attention.
IV, I kind of agree that Lucario is the big star, with the caveat that it feels artificial. It’s like Nintendo said “Lucario is important, pay attention to him”, and the fan base went “Fine, whatever you say”.
III, Gardevoir. Yes, I know, Blaziken is obvious, but I think this being a competitive site warps our perception. Gardevoir was big enough to get a branched evo and a Mega, and she’s shown up regularly on major teams in-game in a way that doesn’t feel like she’s being pushed, feels like people at GF honestly like using her. And there’s definitely an IRL fanbase.
II, it feels like cheating, but Espeon. Yes, it’s an Eeveeloution and gets that free boost, but I think if you put solo merch out for every Gen II mon, Espeon would sell out well before the starters/legends/Pikablu/etc.
 
GenVII has a non-Mimikyu contender in Alolan Exeggutor. It was one of the big name Pokemon advertised before SM were released, it appears on several Alola/SM promo material, it has its fair share of anime appearances, Dragon Hammer as a signature move, and its own island ingame. And of course...the memes. Gamefreak knew what they were doing when they created it.
 
Replying while I compile a list (I'm trying to avoid heavily pushed mons, since I don't consider their popularity to be a sign of breaking out of their role, since their role was already to be featured prominently).
R_N said:
OK so this is going to sound stupid for a number of reasons but,

for gen 7


Eevee

now, look I get it. Eevee has always been popular. It's been around since gen 1. It's extremely cute, it has a million marketable evolutions, Sylveon was the crux of the fairy typing marketing.

But I want you to think of how Eevee was pushed in gens 1-6 and how Eevee was pushed starting in the lead up to Let's Go and how Eevee has continued to be pushed. They went hard on it, to the point where it feels like they're trying to make it co-mascot of the series alongside Pikachu.
Click to expand...
Interestingly, I would have picked Eevee for mascot before LG. Something that can represent nine types and four generations on its own counts for something, and Eevee has been prominent in spinoffs for quite some time, including being a possible or guaranteed starter for Colosseum, XD, Conquest, and the first two MD games (well, only Sky for the latter half). I think it lost a lot when GF decided that their mascots should only be unevolved gen 1 mons, and I probably would pick something else to avoid that association.
 
It's hard to determine so far but with Gen 8 I think Toxtricity is definitely shaping up to be this generation's Lucario/Zoroark for sure. A Toxel is essentially given to you for free, and Toxtricity is being pushed up to be a special Pokemon with it being portrayed on some statues in Galar and the fact that its G-max form exists but is currently unobtainable, suggesting it's being geared up for a special event distribution. It's already immensely popular among the fanbase (and you can't blame anyone, this thing ROCKS and I absolutely love it!) and frankly, it wouldn't surprise me if we start seeing it have the spotlight in more and more official media in the future (like being a Pokken character, appearing in a movie, and being a character in other spin-offs and having merchandise around Toxel and Toxtricity). I think it's definitely shaping up to be Gen 8's Lucario and it's gonna be a super iconic mon over time. Not that I mind, I absolutely adore Toxtricity and it's one of my favorite new mons up there with Dragapult, Grimmsnarl, and Hatterene.
 
Alright, list is done. Keep in mind I am not counting mons that I believe have been heavily marketed, since I don't believe them to be breakout characters. As such, I've focused on mons that are more prominent in games after their start, with the logic that later appearances are reactions to existing popularity. With that in mind, this is my list:

Gen 1: Gengar

In RGB, gengar ... exists. It somehow manages to have no story relevance despite being the only Ghost type in the only region to use ghosts as a plot point. Actually living up to its ghost typing was hard due to a lack of usable moves and also being poison-type (and a glitch, but we can't hold that against it too hard). It becomes usable in gen 2, though doesn't do much in Hoenn/Sinnoh/Unova. It makes no notable appearances in spinoffs before gen 3, but has appeared in nearly every spinoff since, including a major role in MD rescue team. Gengar only really started getting mainline appreciation in gen 6, with its mega (though it was not one of the mons whose mega appeared during the story of either game) and this being the first time it gets events. It was well-liked enough to win a poll for inclusion in Pokken. In gen 8, it has the only Gmax that's making an active attempt to not lose the concept of its mega.


Gen 2: Tyranitar

The points here apply to pseudo-legends as a whole, but avoiding prominent roles in their first appearance disallows dragonite/metagross/garchomp/hydreigon. It's hard to find and nothing in-game pushes you towards finding it. Despite this, everybody knows how strong it is. For TTar specifically, it starts getting extra stuff by the next generation, despite not getting a push in GSC: a unique ability, the final boss slot in Colosseum, and being equal to Charizard in the big hero department in the first MD games.

Gen 3: Flygon

There's a lot of popular gen 3 mons, but so many are aces of prominent trainers (the player character included). Flygon is thus a bit behind in representation, though it still has a lot of fans. This was going to be recognized with a mega, but that fell through.

Gen 4: Lopunny

Starting off with the wonderful situation of "Why is this in Flint's team, again?" in DP, it loses even that when Platinum lets the Fire-type E4 use more on-type mons. First meaningful role is in MD explorers, getting the playable slot for a special episode in Sky. Much later, gets a powerful (but not frustratingly so, like fellow Normal-type Kangaskan) mega. It ... may not be proper to speculate why it remained popular in the intervening time.

Gen 5: Chandelure

The objectmon that manages to dodge a lot of the hate directed at e.g. vanilluxe. Nothing really sets it apart from the other gen 5 ghosts in the game itself, but it has since received positions in side games, most infamously a playable slot in Pokken.

Gen 6: Hawlucha

I wouldn't normally include a member of Ash's team, but if the anime is going to focus on pushing Greninja far too much, it dulls that problem slightly. Unique typing (the last type to be paired with Flying) and cool design helps, as does the utility in speedruns (though I don't see Nidoking topping any gen 1 popularity charts). Shows up fairly out-of-place in gens 7 and 8, though a relative lack of recent spinoffs makes it hard to tell whether it has non-GF developer fans.

Gen 7: Xurkitree

It's hard to tell for gen 7, since it's so recent and later games haven't really been focused on adapting to new fan-favourites. Besides the pushed mons (starters, Mimikyu, Silvally), I'll admit not much stands out. A point could be made for any of the UBs that don't get plot relevance (i.e. the non-poison-types) due to unique designs and, of course, general effectiveness. I chose Xurkitree in particular because I've seen some discussion of wanting it in Smash, as well as its famously goofy walk cycle.

It's almost certainly too soon for gen 8 to be meaningfully discussed, but for completeness' sake I will mention that the fossils are accumulating a degree of infamy for their designs and, in the case of dracovish in particular, their strength.
 
A lot of people are saying Toxtricity could be the Lucario of Gen 8, and placing it as top contender for the generation's breakout Pokemon. That's fine and all, but aren't you forgetting someone?

1575391765331.png

Here's the thing about Sirfetch'd:

-It's an evolution to Farfetch'd, a Pokemon people have been begging to get an evo for years, decades even. It's right up there with the likes of Dunsparce in that regard.
-It has a simple yet cool design that rolls meme value and badassery into one.
-Its popularity is not only immense, but also very organic. To prove this, let's take a look at trailer viewcounts by the official Pokemon Youtube channel:
I can't think of another scenario where the reveal of one Pokemon was able to create this much hype. Even Mimikyu and Alolan Exeggutor back in Sun and Moon had to be revealed alongside other stuff. Sirfetch'd alone was even able to temporarily quell the Dexit discussion, as the former breeding grounds for the rage like the Pokemon subreddit were swarmed by love and fanart for Sirfetch'd. This was Pokemon's equivalent of Ridley finally becoming an official Smash Bros. character, and the numbers back it up.
 
Decided to revive this as we're a generation on from when it was posted and I'm curious as to opinions of what Gen IX's breakout specie(s) have been.

Grafaiai is a pretty wacky and fairly popular mon from what I've seen, but I don't know that it's popular enough to be considered a breakout mon exactly. Paldea has a lot of interesting single-stage species - Bombirdier, Squawkabilly, Tatsugiri, Flamigo - as well as some wackier lines like Scovillain and Palafin, but none of these feel like truly beloved star Pokemon to me. I'd say Gholdengo but even then I've not personally gotten the impression that it's THAT popular. Maybe Tinkaton or Ceruledge?
 
QuentinQuonce said:
Decided to revive this as we're a generation on from when it was posted and I'm curious as to opinions of what Gen IX's breakout specie(s) have been.

Grafaiai is a pretty wacky and fairly popular mon from what I've seen, but I don't know that it's popular enough to be considered a breakout mon exactly. Paldea has a lot of interesting single-stage species - Bombirdier, Squawkabilly, Tatsugiri, Flamigo - as well as some wackier lines like Scovillain and Palafin, but none of these feel like truly beloved star Pokemon to me. I'd say Gholdengo but even then I've not personally gotten the impression that it's THAT popular. Maybe Tinkaton or Ceruledge?
Click to expand...

The last 2... and also Pawmot. Cute, strongest pikaclone ever, has 2 signature moves (one shared with Rabsca and hopefully in a future Gen with Ho-oh too) and the rival uses it.
 
I think it’s kind of hard to judge the last two gens because there wasn’t anything that was immediately super popular like Mimikyu, and it hasn’t been long enough for anything to become iconic like the likes of Gardevoir.

I’d say the best candidates are Ceruledge and Tinkaton. Maybe Gholdengo too.

e: re Toxtricity, I think the intention WAS for it to be the Lucario/Zoroark of the gen (gift Pokemon, that random mural of its gigantamax form, those random statues of it) but they cut most of that content for whatever reason and never even revealed it pre release. I don’t think gen 8 really has a breakout star.
 
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