The first generation of Pokemon games took place in the Kanto region. The one-hundred and fifty Pokemon available in this region have become fan favorites in the franchise and for good reason. This popularity is mainly kept up by GameFreak consistently updating, or reintroducing, these older Pokemon in a new generation. Some Pokemon will receive a new evolution or regional form, while others are included in those games' new battle gimmicks.
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This strategy has worked to keep Pokemon like Muk, Primeape, and fan-favorite Charizard competitively viable options and in the current zeitgeist. With that said, there are still a few Kanto Pokemon who have yet to receive the same attention. Therefore, it would be nice to see them get a buff in generation ten.
8 Kabutops And Omastar
The First Fossils Need A Return
Like with most things in the series, the Kanto region set the template for fossil Pokemon in the franchise. The ancient Pokemon can be found as simple fossils in the game, but later revived and battled with until they evolve into either Kabutops or Omastar, depending on the fossil the player chose.
Every generation has used this fossil mechanic in some way to bring new Pokemon to the region, but the original fossil Pokemon have been forgotten about since they were first introduced. It would be easy to bring these Pokemon back in a new form too, as the region in generation ten may revive fossils differently to introduce new forms of previous fossil Pokemon.
7 Fearow
The Second Regional Bird
When it comes to flying types in the Kanto region, players are normally split right down the middle. Some fans love Pidgeot because its first form can be obtained early in the games, but others prefer the edgier design of Fearow as it is a less conventional option. As such, these two bird Pokemon were considered rivals in the early days of the franchise.
However, Pidgeot received a mega-evolution in generation six, whereas Fearow has been left as it is. It seems that Fearow is in need of a new regional form or even a secondary dark type to keep it as interesting as its early counterpart.
6 Porygon
A Unique Pokemon That Has Been Forgotten For A Long Time
Porygon is a unique Pokemon, both in its theme and how the developers have dealt with it in future generations. This Pokemon is based on a computer virus and is often said to be a man-made Pokemon. The developers of the games even seemed excited by this premise when they gave Porygon a new evolution in Gen 2 and another form in Gen 4.
Despite this attention, Porygon hasn't really appeared much in Pokemon media since its debut. There was some controversy surrounding Porygon when its only episode of the anime first aired. However, that was a long time ago and mostly forgotten. Therefore, Generation 10 may be the perfect time to get some buzz around this Pokemon virus again.
5 Golduck
An Evolution Of A Franchise Legend
Psyduck is a very recognizable Kanto Pokemon, mainly due to its role in the anime and the Detective Pikachu movie. This water type often appears in new generation games, and so too does its evolution, Golduck. However, its constant presence in the games is no longer enough to draw the interest of the player.
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Golduck still remains a solid water type to use in a team, but it is constantly being overshadowed by new or updated Pokemon. Who is going to use a Golduck in Paldea when Palafin and Wugtrio are offering something new and interesting? Most players have always assumed that Golduck is part psychic type, so perhaps giving it this type in Gen 10 would make players want to use Golduck again.
4 Dodrio
Another Kanto Bird Without A Spotlight
The three-headed bird from Kanto is never shown in a list of favorite Pokemon in the Kanto region. Dodrio is a flying type who just cannot match other Pokemon like Pidgeot or Fearow in its own region. Even Farfetch'd received an evolution before it in Galar.
Dodrio is not a completely useless Pokemon, though. It is lightning fast, and its three-headed design leaves it open to some great potential for an evolved form in Gen 10. Perhaps this two-stage bird could end up as a hydra-like bird with more heads and the poison type.
3 Cloyster
A Hardy Pokemon Who Can Still Be Great
This two-stage ice type is one that players of the original Kanto games remember well. It was a hard obstacle to overcome in the Lorelai fight during the Elite Four battles, and it had one of the highest defensive stats in the game. Sadly, many new Pokemon have come out since to overshadow Cloyster in a lot of ways. Even the single-stage Shuckle from Generation 2 is more defensively reliable.
All this leaves a powerful ice-type like Cloyster without any place to be in new generations. It is still a solid Pokemon, but there is no reason to use it over anything else. Cloyster is part of a two-stage line, so maybe it could receive an evolution in the future. It worked out well for Primeape in Gen 9, and there is a lot that the design team could do with a mollusk from the bottom of the ocean.
2 Arbok
A Familiar Enemy From The Anime
The first-ever evil team in the Pokemon franchise had to be adapted to fit the anime series. Instead of a powerful group of mobsters, Team Rocket mainly consisted of two members known as Jessie and James. These villains made an appearance in almost every episode of the show, which also means that their main Pokemon, Arbok, and Weezing, also got a lot of screen time. As a result, these were two very popular Pokemon with the fans.
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Weezing was fortunate enough to receive a regional form in Generation 8, and Arbok is still untouched after its Kanto debut. Fans were excited when it looked like the Generation 3 Pokemon, Seviper, might be an Arbok evolution, so there is some excitement surrounding the cobra. Hopefully, Arbok gets some attention with a new form or evolution in Gen 10 to keep up with Weezing.
1 Dewgong
Possibly The Most Forgotten Kanto Pokemon
The Pokemon, Dewgong, did not get off to a great start in the franchise. Its pre-evolution is literally a bland seal with a horn creatively named Seel. As a result, this Pokemon line didn't exactly the imagination of Pokemon players, and it wasn't helped by the fact that Dewgong is just a slightly larger form of Seel. It isn't interesting to look at, and Kanto has so many better ice types to use in battle.
There are few fans who forget that Dewgong still exists, and it wouldn't be a surprise to learn that GameFreak forgot about it too. This bland Pokemon is a blank slate that could have been updated at any point in the last nine generations. However, Dewgong remains just as uninteresting as ever. Hopefully, Generation 10 has a plan to give this Pokemon its time to shine with some much-needed attention.
