Every new generation of Pokemon games brings with it around 70-150 new monsters for players to befriend and battle with. Usually, whatever evolutionary path a particular Pokemon takes is decided in its debut generation and set in stone. However, the series does occasionally bring old Pokemon back into the limelight.
Starting with generation 2, Game Freak started to introduce new Pokemon who evolved from previously introduced ones. Despite how old this practice is, it’s surprisingly infrequent, with generations 3, 5, and 7 all failing to introduce any new evolutions whatsoever. When it has been done, however, it has helped to bring relevance to previously underwhelming Pokemon.
9 Sylveon
Eevee is by far the most privileged Pokemon when it comes to new evolutions. In the original Red and Blue games, it already had three possible evolutions due to its gimmick of being genetically unstable. Five generations later in X and Y, it received its latest evolution.
The Eeveelutions are a hard group of Pokemon to break into, but Sylveon managed to instantly carve out a spot for itself. In many ways, it was the quintessential Fairy-type, helping to introduce the new type to players through a familiar Pokemon, while also packing some respectable power and massive appeal.
8 Farigiraf
The newest new evolution at the time of writing, Farigiraf was revealed as part of the build-up to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. It’s an evolution of gen 2’s Girafarig, a Pokemon who has been lingering in obscurity for about 2 decades now.
Farigiraf’s design plays off its predecessor wonderfully, turning the chain chomp-esque tail into a terrifying helmet and growing it to actual Giraffe proportions. Thankfully, the name is also kept as a palindrome, meaning it reads the same backward as it does forwards. It remains to be seen how good it will be competitively, but everyone is just happy to see Girafarig get some love.
7 Honchkrow
Murkrow was yet another unremarkable gen 2 Pokemon. It was decently useful at first but soon fell victim to power creep over the years. Luckily, gen 4 sought to bless it by turning it into Honchkrow.
For its design alone, Honchkrow is an amazing evolution. Murkrow always had vague mob inspirations, but Honchkrow takes that to its maximum, looking and acting like a genuine mafia boss. This also recontextualized Murkrow as its underlings/gang, making the entire line that much more interesting and memorable.
6 Obstagoon
Generation 7 saw the introduction of regional variants, but it wasn’t until gen 8 that these variants started bringing with them completely new evolutions. The premier example is, of course, Obstagoon, the new evolution for Galarian Zigzagoon and Linoone.
Obstagoon continues the line’s subtle theme of movement (zigzag, line, and obstacle respectively), and takes the Galarian form’s punk rock aesthetic to its natural endpoint. By itself, it also makes a great addition to gen 8’s roster by paying homage to the famous rock band KISS and acting as the perfect partner for the gym leader, Piers.
5 Togekiss
Yet another beneficiary of gen 4’s large batch of new evolutions, Togetic and Togepi played big roles in the Pokemon anime and had a decent amount of in-game usability. Even so, they were slowly being made irrelevant before Togekiss was introduced.
Togekiss is an amazing Pokemon. Competitively, it managed to stay viable for four generations after its debut, receiving an extra bump from the fairy type’s introduction in gen 6. It also pays off the Togepi line’s growth, finally giving everyone’s favorite egg a fully matured, yet still adorable final form.
4 Scizor
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Scizor was introduced in gen 2 as an evolution for Scyther. It was one of the first new evolutions to be introduced and remains a fan favorite to this day. It also acted as an introduction to the new Steel type via an old Pokemon, similar to the way that Sylveon was used to introduce the Fairy type.
Trading in Scyther’s organic green for a sleek, metallic red, and crab-like claws ups the cool factor immensely. Despite having the same base stat total as Scyther, it also managed to be way more competitively viable and still sees some play today.
3 Gliscor
Before gen 4, Gligar had a little bit going for it. It had a competitive niche and a rather cool, if somewhat underbaked design. The introduction of Gliscor, however, worked wonders for its little sibling.
Gliscor is the full package. Just like Togekiss, it is a natural and wonderfully designed evolution of its previous form and has managed to remain competitively viable despite massive power creep. Its existence also allowed Ash’s Gligar in the anime to return and evolve into one of his strongest Pokemon ever.
2 Wyrdeer
Pokemon Legends Arceus was a breath of fresh air for the franchise, taking place in the past of the Sinnoh region and bringing with it new gameplay ideas, and old evolutions. The game also introduced Wyrdeer, an ancient, extinct evolution for the famously unmemorable Stantler.
As the first and primary rideable Pokemon in the game, players get more than enough time with Wyrdeer. As a result, it’s hard to deny that it’s not only a good-looking upgrade to Stantler but also an extremely useful part of Arceus’ gameplay loop.
1 Sirfetch’d
There are a few Pokemon (especially from gen 1 and 2), who ironically, are memorable for being unmemorable. Farfetch’d once existed in this category amongst the likes of Dunsparce and Tropius, but gen 8 sought to change all that. Sirfetch’d was introduced as the evolution for Galarian Farfetch’d, giving the little duckling a rather regal new appearance.
Sirfetch’d’s leek transforms into a spear and shield and it gains a confident, chiseled smile. Not only does this evolution finally give Farfetch’d a much-needed power-up, but it also does so while turning the pity around it into genuine popularity, especially thanks to its role on Ash's new anime team.