Wow 20 years….man I feel old. 20 years ago Pokemon roared into all of our lives, I was the mere age of 14 (good god I was just a babe…..this article is going to make me feel so old). So I thought I would talk about my history with gen 1, and then because everyone likes a countdown list I thought me with my co conspirator pianoelf (who will be in red) would list our top 5 favorite gen 1 Pokemon.
When Pokemon came out I was in junior high school, I didn’t even know there was a game until I started watching the anime. After the anime and a babysitting job I got to play the game a little bit on my on my own. It wouldn’t be until Yellow launched that I really showed a strong desire for the game, I liked getting all three starters and Pikachu, I didn’t like having to make the choice at the beginning. It would be my birthday that I would get my first Game Boy and Yellow. I loved the game and played it a lot, coming to rely on other Pokemon not featured in the anime. Yellow would start my Pokemon journey, I would go on to play every single main series entry, and a few side ones.
I don’t remember how old I was when Pokemon first came out, but I remember getting Game Boy Pockets with my two brothers and each of us got to choose Red or Blue. I chose Red, although I really wanted Blue because I loved the color blue. I think at least one of my brothers chose Blue, but at any rate, the next thing we knew, we were in the living room together choosing our first Pokemon. We all chose a different one of course, so that eventually we could see each one. I loved the variety in the different Pokemon seen in the originals (even though the original designs don’t age too well), and caught everything I saw. Since then, I have played at least one entry in each generation of games. While there are things I love in the later games, I will never forget the first one I played.
So on to my top five gen 1 Pokemon (or Pokemon family)
Diglett & Dugtrio: I loved these little ground dwellers. I remember reading in my first Pokemon walkthough a Versus book (which sadly doesn’t exist anymore) that speed wins battles and if there is one thing this little mole Pokemon has, it’s speed. During the course of gen 1 this little guy would more than earn its place on my team. It is also one of the only Pokemon i can consistently draw and when I get bored you can find one or two on the page of a notebook. I wished it aged as well as my love for it because as the generations grew this Pokemon fell out of favor in my teams, to stronger ground types. However, Diglett will always hold a special spot for me.
Pikachu: So cliche, I know, but Pikachu was the first “rare” Pokemon I ever caught. I remember the first one I saw in Viridian Forest, being surprised at never having seen one before (and how cute it was), and then quickly realized how rare it was to encounter one. This little electric mouse may have never made it as a permanent member of any of my teams, but its charm and personality have stuck with me from the very beginning. (Ash’s Pikachu is infinitely adorable too.)
Zapdos: Out of all of the legendary Pokemon in this generation, Zapdos was by far and away my favorite. This wonderful little electric Pokemon would be a firm fighter for me. With Zappy (yes that’s what I named it) by my side I always knew I would make it through. In game Zapdos is truly the key to getting the other legendaries, We zapped Moltres and Articuno and drill pecked Mewtwo. Whenever I see the Zapdos in future games my heart jumps a beat because I know with this bird at my side…nothing will stop me.
Rapidash: When I was looking over the list of the original 151, and looked at good Rapidash and Ponyta I got this warm happy feeling. Like most little girls, I grew up loving horses. I can’t tell you how it absolutely blows my mind after 20 years and 722(?) Pokemon that there are only 3 horse type Pokemon. Rapidash is too often overlooked in my opinion as a fire Pokemon, but it has something that is so key, the same reason i love Dugtrio: speed. It’s not only that. I loved encountering it in Snap. It is beautifully designed, and has the moves and the stats to be a great Pokemon, and she really is.
Butterfree: Yet another Pokemon found close to the beginning of the game! I loved Butterfree even though she was always swapped out later for something more useful. I think it’s because I loved butterflies as a kid, and hated bees (Beedrill is the Pokemon opposite Butterfree). Leveling up a Caterpie or Metapod and then seeing this beautiful Butterfree emerge was always immensely satisfying.
Bulbasaur: Ok let’s be straight here ppl, yes Charmander grows into Charizard which even I will admit is kind of badass, Squirtle grows into a giant turtle with cannons on his back, In comparison Venasaur is not that impressive, even when we got mega this Pokemon got shafted, but to me it will always have a special little place. It was the anime that sold me on him, not willing to change when everyone one else like him did, protective of the weak and friends, tolerant of ones who annoy him and loyal to his friends. Bulba was the one out of Ash’s Pokemon that I identified with, and that’s why I love him.
Eevee & Flareon: Ok, another cute choice, but this Pokemon is not found until much later in the game. You can only get one Eevee, and then you find that Eevee can evolve into one of three Pokemon depending on what kind of stone you give to it. Eevee is cute enough already, but Flareon’s design always attracted me more than the other two options. Flareon just looks so fluffy! Eevee has consistently been a team member in later games, sometimes as its original form, and much more often in one of its now EIGHT evolution choices.
Lapras: By now are you really that surprised to see Lapras here? If you have read my past blogs you know I absolutely love this Pokemon. She has carried me through so many games, but it was Yellow where I first met her. Once I had her by my side I dropped my Blastoise for her and I have never looked back. Lapras has been at my side since the beginning, My love for this Pokemon goes longer and deeper, met in gen 1 and by my side until the end. Beautiful, serene, defensive and strong this one has gotten me though many Elite Fours.
Charmander: I’m sure you can guess by now which Pokemon I got while my brothers got the other two. Charmander has always been my favorite Pokemon, partly because he was the one that started it all. I remember that I didn’t want to evolve my first Charmander, but eventually gave in and Charmeleon and Charizard became heavy hitters as I faced the Elite Four. But in every game since then, I have tried to have a Charmander on my team and never evolve him. There is something about this cute little lizard that makes me happy to have him by my side. Perhaps part of it is seeing Ash’s Pikachu and wanting my Charmander to be the same kind of friend. Ash’s Charmander may have evolved into a stubborn Charizard, but my Charmander will always be my faithful companion.
Well there you have it, our top fives. We both enjoyed revisiting our past, and look forward to replaying the original games in the not so distant future. In the meantime please enjoy the video below, done by natewantstobattle, It seems appropriate to end the article with it.
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