With Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl releasing last week, we’re now all aboard the Pokémon Legends: Arceus hype train, and we don’t expect it to stop chugging along until the game drops early next year. From the Pokémon Presents last August, where we learned of new evolutions for the oft forgotten Basculin and Stantler, to the trailer drop which revealed Kleavor, the continued promise of new evolutions for old Pokémon means we couldn’t get off the hype train even if we wanted to. It's a choo-choo.
As of these three reveals, there are 901 Pokémon in existence, not including regional variants and different forms. Of these hundreds, it's hard to deny that some Pokémon are outright underwhelming — whether because they’re underpowered, do not evolve, or are of questionable design (looking at you, Bruxish).
Sycther, and its new evolution Kleavor (above), is none of those, though, and prompted us to scavenge together the following ten Pokémon we believe deserve an evolution to discover in Pokémon Legend: Arceus’s Hisui region. Let us know your thoughts via the poll at the bottom of the page.
Pinsir, #127
Pinsir must be jealous of its version-exclusive sister Pokémon, Scyther. Not only does Scyther now have two evolutions, Scizor matched the Flying-type Mega Evolution Pinsir received in Generation VI with its own. And since developer Game Freak shelved the Mega Evolution mechanic, Pinsir doesn’t even have that!
We’re not certain if a Pokémon with a gaping, vertical maw filled with vicious teeth can look sad, but we’re certain it isn’t happy being relegated to Sycther’s shadow. If any Generation I Bug-type needs some love in Hisui, it’s Pinsir.
Girafarig, #203
One of the strangest Pokémon introduced in Generation II, Girafarig’s design begs for an evolution. Its Pokédex entries state its tail houses a small brain of its own and often bites or uses mysterious powers to drive away enemies. An evolution could take this idea to the next level, giving the unsettling tail more sentience and power, thus turning Girafarig into a Psychic-type powerhouse akin to a child-friendly Eldritch horror.
Dunsparce, #206
Dunsparce seems incomplete. While not a Bug-type, Dunsparce resembles an insect, almost as if it were the larva of some greater, more imposing Pokémon. Its pitiful base stats for a non-evolvable Pokémon, along with the tiny wings on its back, imply an evolution was planned for it. It’s almost as if Game Freak forgot to program Dunsparce’s evolution into the game way back in 1999 – and then in every game afterward for the next 20 years.
One day, we hope Game Freak remembers Dunsparce exists.
Qwilfish, #211
Like many Pokémon on this list, Qwilfish suffers from mediocre stats. While its design is rather plain, it does have a little flavour in how it puffs up to intimidate other Pokémon and deflates like a balloon soon after. Still, it’s basically just a puffer fish.
With Magikarp and Feebas, there is no shortage of pathetic fish Pokémon, yet both these Pokémon grow up into fan favourites. Pokémon Legends: Arceus seems like a great time for Qwilfish to join their ranks with a truly intimidating evolution, turning it into a Pokémon worthy of our teams.
Mawile, #303
Mawile’s poor stats hamper its great design. As a small bipedal creature with a massive pair of jaws growing out the back of its head, its middling attack and weak defenses are enough to cut it from most teams. Sure, much like Pinsir, Mawile received a Mega Evolution that dealt with this problem, but Mega Mawile is so awesome that we wish Game Freak would make it a permanent evolution instead, or create a new, Hisuian-themed one that plays further into how Mawile wears Japanese-inspired clothing.
Or, y’know, bring Mega Evolution back.
Luvdisc, #370
Why does Luvdisc not evolve into Alomomola? They’re the same colour. They’re both shaped like a heart. Did someone forget to program it in? This grievous oversight needs correction in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. If not Alomomola, Luvdisc deserves something.
But seriously, why does Luvdisc not evolve into Alomomola, Game Freak? ANSWER US.
Pachirisu, #417
Every Generation introduces an Electric-type rodent Pokémon that mimics Pikachu. Yet unlike Pikachu, none of these mousey Pokémon have an evolution. The argument for one could be made for any of them, but we’d argue Pachirisu deserves a Hisuian evolution the most.
The Hisui region is an ancient version of Generation IV’s Sinnoh, which was the generation Pachirisu debuted in. And if that wasn’t enough, Se Jun Park shocked the Pokémon world by winning the 2014 World Championship with the diminutive squirrel as a crucial part of his team. Parchirisu has earned a spotlight.
We’d also appreciate another squirrel-themed Pokémon that is less punchable than Greedent.
Chatot, #441
Chatot is quite unique in both design and mechanics. Not only is Chatot one of the few Pokémon canonically able to mimic human speech, its signature move, Chatter, is one of a kind. In Generations IV and V, Chatot could use Chatter outside of battle to record a new battle cry through the Nintendo DS’s microphone. In battle, Chatter’s chance to confuse was based on the volume of such a recording.
In later generations, it’s not possible to record a new cry, so Chatot lost the unique mechanic behind its signature move, and as it's quite small and not part of an evolutionary line, a Hisuian evolution could revitalize one of the most distinctive Pokémon introduced in Generation IV.
Komala, #755
Do you remember Komala? If you said yes, we’d say you’re a liar. Komala’s design is so uninspired it looks like a caricature drawn for a child's alphabet book (K is for Koala!) rather than a Pokémon.
Still, there’s some potential there. Ursine Pokémon, such as Teddyursa, Cubchoo, and Pancham, begin as cuddly, plain creatures before evolving into towering beasts, giving precedent for Komala to evolve into a more fearsome marsupial. Komala’s Pokédex entries also say it’s born asleep and dies asleep, which reminds us of a frightening Ghost-type Pokémon entry.
We wouldn’t say no to a ghost koala. Either way, the only koala-themed ‘mon deserves better.
Eevee, #133
Yes – Eevee already has eight evolutions. But as far as we’re concerned, Eevee doesn’t have enough until all eighteen types are represented.
The last time we got an ‘Eeveelution’ was in 2013’s Pokémon X and Y with Sylveon. Since then, two generations have come and (nearly) gone without another addition to one of the most popular Pokémon’s evolution repertoire.
Hisui, being steeped in Japanese-inspired myth, surely necessitates a Dragon or a Fighting-type ‘Eeveelution,’ the latter perhaps designed around an ancient martial art. The reveal of such a Pokémon would set the fandom ablaze.
And there you have it – 10 Pokémon we think deserve a Hisuian evolution. Let us know in the poll which Pokémon you think is the most deserving and why, or berate us in the comments for missing one of the dozens of obvious choices that you’d like to see when Pokémon Legends: Arceus launches on 28th January. Long gone are the days where there were only 151 Pokémon, so we’re certain we missed a handful.
Comments 46
“Do you remember Komala? If you said yes, we’d say you’re a liar. Komala’s design is so uninspired it looks like a caricature drawn for a child's alphabet book (K is for Koala!) rather than a Pokémon.”
Komala is one of my favourite Gen 7 Pokémon 🙁
Where's Delibird?
I agree with Pincir, poor thing has always been in Scyther's shadow.
But Komala is the log, not the Koala.
Hisuian evolution? The hell??
Eh, guess that is one way to sell more Pokemon cards.
Emolga should've been a Pachirisu evolution too. It looks a lot like it, and it's exactly what I imagined a Pachirisu evolution would look like. I think the Alomomola/Emolga problem is a problem specifically with 5th gen creating Pokemon that are similar to existing ones to fill the "totally new roster of Pokemon", not with Pokemon as a whole.
Just no more Gen I Pokemon please, they have had their time to shine, many, many times, and there's already two (at least?) featured with new forms in the game already.
I'm all for more love for Chatot. It's a fun design.
Steel and Dragon type eevee..
If we ever get a Fighting-type Eevee evolution, I hope it's called Brawleon and stands bipedal. Kind of like the dog Homer Simpson fights.
Other Pokémon I'd love to receive an evolution are Duddrigon and Jinx (Magmar and Electabuzz got evolutions, why Jinx didn't?)
Bruh Qwilfish?
That thing is pretty good anyway if you build your team/the pokemon properly. Imagine it gets an evolution and you get use it with Eviolite. Hell, people.
It would be great if you could get better RPG elements into each and every Pokemon, so regardless of the form it could be an absolute beefcake!!
Dunsparce is, no joke, my ABSOLUTE favorite pokemon
It's nice to see some love for Girafarig, it really wants to be a novel critter and there's a lot they could do with it. Maybe as an evolution the tail could do some kind of dark type damage with its own animation. At least they could use that as inspiration for a theme... can't just make a psychic giraffe Pokemon and leave it out to dry right?
@Dragonite89
I'm dreaming of a Dragonite Mega with that typing that I can nickname DragonKnight!
I would like to see Hisuian versions of Gardvior and Gallade or better yet the Noble versions.
Eevee uh? Strange way to spell Raichu!
Ninetales or Vulpix would be a good fit for the old school kitsune Japanese theme but they already made the Alolan version so bummer.
I had completely forgotten that Komala existed. Are we sure it actually does?
Great list! It's refreshing to see people outside of the competitive community talk about the importance of stats. On Twitter, all anyone seems to care about is design and lore, unless you specifically follow the accounts that cover the meta.
I really like the idea of Garafarig's back turning into a nightmarish creature!
Pinsir just needs a good signature move - something akin to Megahorn. Or some utility moves like Wide Guard. Or simply Fake Out.
His stats are good enough, I think and his coverage, too.
So many possibilities and cool evolution concept to considere but let's keep it simple:
I selected only 1 single form pokemon for each of the 8 generations revealed so far.
Here it goes:
Gen 1: Pinsir
Gen 2: Skarmory
Gen 3: Tropius
Gen 4: Carnivine
Gen 5: Druddigon
Gen 6: Hawlucha
Gen 7: Pyukumuku
Gen 8: Cramorant
That's about it for now.
-PokeGui24
I’d like to see Hisuian Honedge and Doublade, shaped like katanas. Instead of Aegislash, how about samurai armor brought to life? Lmao
Pinsir and mawile definitely need to either get a new evolution or just make their mega forms a normal evolutionary end point. They suck without them and unlike certain pokemon, these two megas, while powerful, are not broken and offer a cool offensive edge to a competitive team.
Dunsparce has been overdue an evolution for years
@HammerGalladeBro From the way eevee works, there won't be a fighting type eeveelution. It only evolves into special types, and there's only one special type left for them to actually use.. with that being Dragon.
Jynx is based off of Japanese folklore, so it'd be neat to see her get an evolution lurking around the snowy mountain.
Dunsparce obviously..
Shuckle definitely deserves one!
Dunsparce is already a perfect being, and I reject any assertion to the contrary.
@Mario_maniac : I suspect that Jynx would have received an evolution back in the original Gen IV games, as Jynx, Magmar, and Electabuzz were something of a trio, all being humanoid/bipedal, with similarities in stats/moves, and new pre-evolutions in Gen II, and post-evolutions in Gen IV, but since the “controversy” surrounding Jynx (primarily due to some indignant activist circa 1999/2000), she was most axed from the anime and merchandising/marketing etc.), I suspect that her evolution ended up on the cutting room floor, which is such a shame, because I love Jynx and would have loved for her to get an evolution.
I would love to be surprised and see a new form for her, but I doubt it will ever happen.
Magikarp. Its own lore keeps suggesting that it was much stronger in the past than Its current wimpy self.
Murkrow gang wazzupp
Johto houses so many useless forgettable filler pokémon. That's why I hate Gold and Silver (remakes included).
Pinsir's counterpart may have originally been Scyther, but it's long since switched to Heracross in all games that have both creatures. There's no need to evolve Pinsir, just as there's no need to evolve Heracross.
As others have said, Eevee only evolves into one of the 9 Special Types (well, 8 special types plus the obviously would-have-been-special Fairy type). It doesn't evolve into Physical types, so Fighting is as off the table as Poison and Ghost are. Plus, we already have a martial arts cute little thing evolved into a martial arts master - they're call Kubfu and Urshifu.
Girafarig is a good choice for an evolution. I'd prefer one that makes it more palindromatic, maybe the tail takes over and now we have the chainchomp like face on both sides. Or else lean the other way and make an Okapi-based evolution… Okapako?
Sunflora with added fire type
Why give Pokémon that already a have a Mega another form, instead of giving it to the ones without any form?
@Silly_G Eh, I dunno that I ascribe to the theory that Jynx has been left in the dust because of all that. She still gets recognition in the TCG, and she got at least one plush and a shirt design in recent years. She's part of the OG group so that's obviously why she got that merch, but all the same she's still being recognised. If it came down to being a PR issue, she would have been written off entirely.
I don't expect an evolution for her either, but if for whatever reason the theory that Jynx can't be developed further because they're going with the blackface theory is actually true, the devs should just address her Yokai origins and call it a day already. I've always appreciated the 122-126 Pokémon — and frankly, I want both Jynx to have an evolution AND Scyther to have a pre-evo so they're each (mostly) on the same level as each other.
The only one I don’t want to see an evolution for is Pachirisu. Since gen3 onwards we have had a new electric rodent each gen and none evolve (2 gave us Pichu instead), the only electric rodent that does evolve is Pikachu. I like that.
So Plusle, Minun, Pachirisu, Emolga, Dedenne, Morpeko and Togedemaru should not evolve in my opinion.
I’d love to see Girafarig’s pre-evolution from the Space World (?) demo - Twinz - revisited. It was such a cool concept that it’s a travesty that it ever got trashed. Likewise with Slowbro’s Shellder taking a life of its own. Perhaps they could revisit these concepts in a potential Legends: Celebi sequel? Gens II and IV take place concurrently, after all, and it would make sense for there to be a Gen II remake followed by Legends: Celebi, followed by Generation IX.
@Narrator1 : I’ve said that time and time again over the years. Ideally, such a Magikarp should be revivable via a fossil, and perhaps have an exclusive evolution (perhaps one even more frightening than Gyarados), or perhaps things can come full circle and it can evolve into a fairly pathetic Pokémon with only a very modest buff in stats (or none at all).
Similarly, I was hoping that the true complete fossils from Sword/Shield would have made available exclusively via an event. While I love the concept behind them, and Arctovish is perhaps the single most ridiculous Pokémon design ever conceived, I want to see their true variants as well, and the Pokédex feels empty without their presence..
@Ashunera84 : Hell yeah! Or an evolution. Either way, the Sunflora line is in desperate need of a buff.
I've always felt that Dunsparce was supposed to evolve, so disappointed it hasn't yet. 😞
Komala had a pretty big part in the Sun and Moon TV series. So yeah, I remember. My kids multi-binged that show.
Isn't this game supposed to take place in the past? Giving it new evolutions is kinda backwards, don't you think? Or what, did all these new evolutions just went extinct in the present/future timeline or something?
I feel like Dunsparce was (and still is) a perfect candidate for a mega evolution. It's an iconic design and I think any evolution would end up being a disappointment, whereas mega evolutions just build upon the existing design and aren't permanent. Then again, the benefit of getting a real evolution would be that Dunsparce itself could then use Eviolite.
But actually, Dunsparce already got an evolution in the form of Zygarde, they just forgot to link the two together.
@nintendoknife : Why not both? They could give us an evolution and a Mega or even make all of our Christmases come at once and give us a pre-evolution as well.
But I think such would be far more likely in a Legends: Celebi game than one focused on Gen IV. I don’t recall Dunsparce even being in the Gen IV dex.
I would much rather get a Legends game where Eevee evolves into a Normal type evolution upon reaching a certain level, but ancient Eevee long desires to be able to take on new forms of differing types, hence its desire to head to new terrains and environments, enabling it to take new forms in the future and leave behind its original evolution, in the past.
@Chibi_Manny in history, sharks were Megalodons, gigantic sharks that have evolved into the smaller sharks we know today to better adapt to their environments and require less food. Same with any other animals so Pokémon Evolutions that are practical at the time, dying out as they are lost to the ages, makes sense.
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