Pokemon GO released in 2016 and instantly became a cultural phenomenon. Groups of strangers all gathered to play together, running around public areas to catch Pokemon. The thing is, the quest to "catch 'em all" was much easier in 2016, as the game included only the first generation of Pokemon. This generation introduced 151 Pokemon, and GO had less than that due to the game's legendary Pokemon releasing months later. Nearly six years later, developer Niantic just introduced Pokemon from Sun and Moon, the series' seventh generation, into the game. When the generation finishes rolling out, players will be able to obtain 809 different Pokemon species within Pokemon GO.
However, this approach only makes sense if every Pokemon actually becomes available. Long time players of Pokemon GO are unhappy with how Niantic decides to introduce new Pokemon into the game. Players can complete their Pokedex for the first two generations, but gen three and onward all remain impossible to finish. The rollout of Sun and Moon's Pokemon is already well on its way, but Niantic should focus on releasing some missing species before rushing too far past them.
Pokemon GO and the Mysterious Case of Kecleon
Pokemon GO first introduced species from the game's third generation, Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire, in 2017. This generation includes many fan favorites, such as the box art legendaries, Groudon and Kyogre, as well as the ever popular starter, Blaziken. There are a total of 135 new Pokemon from Ruby and Sapphire, yet the grand total available in GO is just 134. Only one Pokemon has eluded making an appearance in the game for five years, and that is, fittingly, the chameleon Pokemon Kecleon.
Of all the missing Pokemon within Pokemon GO, players are most upset about Kecleon. This is mainly due to the fact that it is just one Pokemon missing from the third generation's section of the Pokedex, locking players out from completing that page and receiving a special in-game achievement. Niantic plans to include Kecleon in Pokemon GO, but no further details have been given. Hopefully this introduction will come soon, if only to please all the completionists out there.
Pokemon GO's Other Missing Species
Generation three may only be missing one Pokemon, but that number increases with each successive generation. Gen four's Pokemon Diamond and Pearl is missing four species, while Gen five's Black and White is missing five. Most of these are legendary and mythical Pokemon, like Manaphy, Arceus, and Keldeo, but some other fan favorites, like Zoroark, have yet to make an appearance. The recent release of Pokemon Legends: Arceus perfectly lent itself to Arceus' introduction in GO, but that was unfortunately not the case.
There are not just four or five missing Pokemon from X and Y, the series' sixth generation, but a much larger 17. That is about one quarter of the 72 Pokemon introduced here, not to mention the various missing mega evolutions introduced in gen 6. This is understandable, as Pokemon GO first started to roll out Gen 6 at the end of 2020. New Pokemon releases are usually reserved for special events, so a little over a year is not much time for all of them. The only worry is that gen 7 is already here while 6 still has a way to go. Players are worried that Niantic will continue at this pace, leaving more and more Pokemon by the wayside.
Generation 7, 8 and Beyond
Pokemon GO just started introducing players to the species from Sun and Moon with the game's new Season of Alola. Since just the beginning of March, 21 of the generation's 86 Pokemon became available, with another one on the way next week. Despite players wanting the older, missing Pokemon to make an appearance, the start of a new generation is always an exciting time within Pokemon GO. It is rare that such a large batch of new Pokemon show up all at once - this reignites the fanbase into going out and wrangling them all up.
Interestingly enough, many Pokemon from gen 8, Pokemon Sword and Shield, came to GO last year, dropping long before Alola was anywhere on the horizon. 13 of the 89 Pokemon from this generation are available, consisting of early game Pokemon like Greedent, evolutions of species from earlier generations, like Obstagoon, as well as the two main legendaries, Zacian and Zamazenta. Gen 8's release confused fans, with some thinking that Niantic was skipping Alola entirely in order to catch up with the modern games. This was luckily not the case, as these Pokemon were just released as a teaser for what's to come in the future.
Pokemon GO is all about achieving the series motto of "gotta catch 'em all" in real life, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to do so. Between Pokemon who are long overdue for introduction, future species that are currently unavailable, and the many regionally exclusive Pokemon that only appear in certain geographic locations, it will be some time yet before players can actually complete their Pokedex. Though, at the rate Niantic is going, species from the new Pokemon Scarlet and Violet may be released by the end of the year.
Pokemon GO is available now on Android and iOS.