Pokémon Sword and Shield may be the shiny new title on the Nintendo Switch, but it's caused quite the stink among fans. While there sure was excitement from players who were itching to jump into a massive open-world title starring their favorite pocket monsters, that quickly soured when they discovered more than a handful of characters would be missing. Over the years, this franchise garnered a unique following because, regardless of how players play, there's probably a Pokémon that fits their style best. So, when the list of removed characters was revealed, players were upset.
While we understand that a game as big as Sword or Shield it would be a daunting task to include every single Pokémon in a massive open world while introducing new ones as well, it is a little disappointing to see who missed the cut. We're not mad, however, but that won't stop us from talking about those left off. Here are 10 Of The Best Pokemon Snubbed in Sword and Shield.
10 Greninja
With his quick speed and swift agility, the grog-ninja, Greninja, quickly became a fan favorite with his water and dark-based attacks. His ability to compress water with the intention of turning it into throwing stars, Greninja can his hard and fast, splitting metal in half.
Unfortunately, he's weak defense leaves him exposed to be taken down easily, but for players who prefer a fast, hard-hitting, in-and-out style, Greninja will be a great addition to your party. It's a shame we couldn't see a region-specific version of this character.
9 Mudkip Evolution Family
Mudkip is the most memable Pokémon of all time. With a weird frog-like appearance and a face that resembles a Canadian from South Park, this third-gen starter captivated the community when Ruby and Saphire released all the way back in 2003. He was so beloved, that two years after the release of the game "I heard you like Mudkipz" took over the internet!
Aside from the obvious meme-material, Mudkip's final evolution, Swampert, has the best defense, HP, and SP. defense of all the Hoenn starters. He is also useful because he's only really weak to grass. With the ability to learn multiple ice attacks as well, Swampert is a great Swiss Army Knife to keep around.
8 Buzzwole
Before we go into why Buzzwole is a good Pokémon, we have to appreciate a great name when we see one. The jacked-up bug looks like a cross between Schwarzenegger and a mosquito. That's probably why this bug/flying type is the subject of a crazy amount of fan art. Underneath that grizzled exterior, however, is a really useful Pokémon to keep in your party. While a little on the slow side — making it easy to get hit first — Buzzwole is pretty strong and has a pretty varied move-set.
What makes this Pokémon's absence even more strange is how it was just introduced in Pokémon Sun/Moon. This is a recent addition, so we'd love to see some more done with it. Maybe some minor upgrades could be added to make him a little more dangerous, or maybe there could be a special region-based design — but it looks like that won't ever happen in Sword or Shield.
7 Abra Evolution Family
Abra, Kadabra, and Alakazam are generation one Pokémon. Not only that, but the final evolution is one of the better psychic Pokémon available. With a high attack and speed, Alakazam can often hit first and hard. Unfortunately, this good is countered by a low defense and HP, meaning he's pretty easy to take down.
Still, even with those faults, the Abra evolution tree is a big part of Pokémon games. Almost every player has fond memories of trying to catch Abra before he teleports away and watching the cute little upright-fox evolve into a cool Fu Manchu monster with two spoons was fun. With such a deep history in Pokémon, it's a shame this evolution family couldn't make it in.
6 Drowzee/Hypno
When it comes to psychic-type Pokémon, few are as unnerving as Drowzee and Hypno. Starting with the former, the tapir-inspired monster preys on children, eating their dreams while they sleep. Not only that, but they never forget the dreams they consume. What makes it even more creepy is that as a base Pokémon, he's still pretty powerful. Despite this, Drowsy has nothing on his evolution, Hypno. Equipped with his pendulum, this psychic-type humanoid lures children away from their homes in an attempt to kidnap them. These are characters in a children's game!
Still, these two first-generation characters have been included in every main-entry Pokémon game since Red/Blue. Unfortunately, however, when it came to Sword/Shield they were left off. It's a shame too because they could be prime candidates for region-specific designs.
5 Blaziken
While we've kept entire evolution lines in for this list, we Blaziken is the best of his, and his absence really sucks. The final evolution of Torchic, this fire/fighting type Pokémon was rendered somewhat useless for a few years when the franchise introduced Infernape — who could do almost everything Blaziken could do but better. Then, in the fifth generation, he found a new lease on life when Speed Boost was added to his repertoire. While somewhat controversial — Blaziken was banned from the competition — this brought the character back in a major way, making this one of the most popular Pokémon around.
Featured in a plethora of mainline titles, Blaziken also has a role in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Pokken Tournament. Clearly, a pillar of Pokémon, it's a shame Game Freak couldn't find room for this powerful fire-fighter.
4 Garchomp
The final form of Gible is also one of the most intimidating Pokémon ever designed. Inspired by a hammerhead shark with jet engines, this dark-dragon type is fast and powerful. With the ability to fly at the speed of sound, Garchomp is fast and hard-hitting.
His move set is devastating, and his defense is high, meaning he's a threat at almost every position. Garchomp so intimidating that this Pokémon has been included in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Pokken Tournament. He's really the perfect example of a final evolution.
3 Lugia
Out of both Ho-Oh and Lugia, the latter is the better of the two. If the two were to face one-on-one, Lugia would win handily thanks to its advantage as a water type to Ho-Oh, who is mainly a fire-type. Comparisons aside, however, Lugia's mix of water and psychic moves makes him a formidable foe for any Pokémon. Debuting in the movie Pokémon:2000, Lugia became the cover character for Pokémon: Silver. Since then, this legendary is one of the most popular characters of all time.
Maybe its because we're getting a bunch of legendaries in the main Sword and Shield titles along with the recently announced expansion passes — The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra — that some characters had to be left off, but this one should have made the cut.
2 Legendary Beasts
The latest Pokémon Direct revealed a return of sorts for the ancient birds, but all that made us realize is that Raikou, Suicune, and Entei have been snubbed. These powerful dogs represent the same elements as the birds — Raikou is electricity, Suicune is ice, and Entei is fire — but with some great designs.
Originally thought to have died in the Burned Tower, the Legendary Beasts are said to have been revived by Ho-Oh. Still, they try to stay away from humans and are known to wander the lands. Each incredibly powerful, with move lists that hit hard, they have strong attacks, while also being no slouch defensively as well.
1 Rayquaza
As one of the strongest legendary Pokémon, Rayquaza is insanely overpowered. With its Mega Evolution sharing the same base stat total as the Mega Mewtwo, and the ability to carry an item while in its Mega form, it has the community split. For some, the insane power is tantalizing, especially when building the best party possible, however, this particular beast does feel like a cheat code in many ways.
Still, as one-third of the Weather Trio, Rayquaza holds an important place in the lore of Pokémon. That's why, following his debut in Pokémon Ruby and Saphire, he's been included in pretty much every mainline game since.