Top 10 First Generation Pokemon – Who is the coolest of them all?

top 10 first generation pokmeon

Considering Pokémon has been around for almost 25 years now, I think it is safe to say that most of us have grown up with Pokémon, especially the first generation which was the beginning of many kids’ Pokémon adventures. So let’s take a trip down memory lane and look at the top 10 First Generation Pokemon.

Pokémon Red and Green Version were first released in Japan in 1996 and released as Pokémon Red and Blue Version in North America and Australia in 1998 and Europe in 1999. The first generation of Pokémon remains the best, even to this day with seven other generations created since then. While these other generations have their gems, nothing holds up to the perfection of the first generation, and I’ll show you why with my top 10 first-generation Pokémon.

Keep in mind this list is based not only on the strength of the Pokémon but also on factors including just how cool the Pokémon is. Because let’s be real, some Pokémon we love solely because they look cool.

Top 10 First Generation Pokemon – Number 10. Pidgeot

Growing up, Pidgeot was the first bird Pokémon that made me end up being a huge fan of Flying-type Pokémon later. Pidgeot has a sick design, and honestly just looks like a bad-ass bird. Don’t even get me started on Mega Pidgeot, which adds to its design with longer, blue feathers.

Pidgey is one of the first Pokémon you can catch in Pokémon Red and Blue, therefore it can be a Pokémon that stays with you from the very beginning as it eventually evolves into Pidgeot.

While not particularly strong, Pidgeot has decent Speed and has a couple of good abilities, including Big Pecks which prevents other Pokémon from lowering its Defense stat, as well as Tangled Feet, which allows a confused Pidgeot’s evasiveness to double.

While Pidgeot’s Mega Evolution did not exist in the first generation, it is a great option competitively with an even higher Speed stat and increased Special Attack stat. Mega Pidgeot also has the ability of No Guard, which means the Pokémon’s moves and the opponent’s moves will always hit.

Top 10 First Generation Pokemon – Number 9. Eevee

Credit: The Pokemon Company

I think we all know the reason why Eevee is on this list of first-generation top 10 Pokemon. Eevee can evolve into 8 different Pokémon, with the original three being Flareon, Jolteon, and Vaporeon.

Eevee can essentially become any type that you want it to be, whether that is a Fire-type, Water-type, Electric-type, and much more. It’s sort of like a customizable Pokémon with its own strengths and weaknesses for each evolution.

Each Eevee evolution has strengths in different stats, with Flareon having a high Attack stat and Special Defense stat. Jolteon has a high Special Attack stat and high-Speed stat. Finally, Vaporeon has a high Special Attack stat and a very high HP stat. Depending on what you are looking for to make your team well-rounded, each evolution is a great option and gives you the ability to make Eevee into a type that you prefer.

The design for each evolution is also quite creative, with my personal favorite being Sylveon. It makes sense why Nintendo and Game Freak decided to release not only Let’s Go, Pikachu, but also Let’s Go, Eevee. Eevee’s popularity continues to stay, like Pikachu.

Top 10 First Generation Pokemon – Number 8. Pikachu

confident Pikachu in the pokemon anime
Credit: The Pokemon Company

It would be a crime to not put the face of Pokémon on this top 10 list. Pikachu is recognized everywhere, even for those who have no interest in Pokémon, they would at least be able to pick out Pikachu.

Pikachu is often used in promotional material for Pokémon, and even had its own live-action movie, Detective Pikachu. Pikachu is also one of the cutest Pokémon out there, but everyone already knows that. Especially the original Pikachu design that depicts a much chunkier version, upping its cuteness factor.

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There’s not much to say about Pikachu’s strength, and its evolution into Raichu is also not that impressive. Alolan Raichu is certainly a good contender competitively, but otherwise, Pikachu and Raichu are really just good for their high Speed. Pikachu is best as the face of Pokémon and is cute. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

Top 10 First Generation Pokemon – Number 7. Lapras

Lapras in the Pokemon anime
Credit: The Pokemon Company

Lapras was always one of my go-to Pokémon in the early days. I would spend countless hours trying to find one in some of the newer games as well, like Pokémon Sun and Moon, as they were a bit rarer in those games.

Lapras has the ability to use Surf and is known for taking people across bodies of water, sort of like a Pokémon ferry. It’s a large but calm Pokémon, and definitely has a bit of the cuteness factor going on there. And its size contributes to its strength.

Lapras has a very high HP stat, so opponents will have a harder and longer time knocking Lapras down. Although, because it’s so big, it only makes sense that its Speed takes quite a hit. Other than that, though, Lapras is a great addition to your team from the first generation and has abilities like Shell Armor that prevent it from being hit by critical hits.

While maybe not as strong as it used to be and not often used in competitive Pokémon, it still remains a great choice for the Top 10 first generation Pokemon and makes for a nice teammate.

Top 10 First Generation Pokemon – Number 6. Mewtwo

Pokemon Anime Mewtwo
Credit: The Pokemon Company

I feel like this one is probably on everyone’s top 10 Pokémon list. Mewtwo has a very cool design, with a sort of alien-like appearance, and is quite intimidating. It makes sense, considering its stats are insanely high in pretty much every area. Mewtwo has a completely different aura from Mew, which is Mewtwo’s cuter and more docile counterpart. Both Pokémon are not to be underestimated by their looks, though. Mewtwo might appear smaller than other Legendary Pokémon, but the size is not everything.

Where to start with Mewtwo’s strengths and abilities? Not only is this Pokémon put under the Uber tier according to Smogon, meaning that in many competitive scenes, it is banned from use, but every stat it has is quite high. The highest for Mewtwo is its Special Attack and Speed, some of the highest for first-generation Pokémon.

Also, this isn’t even mentioning its two (yes, two) Mega Evolutions, Mega-Y, and Mega-X. Base Mewtwo and Mega-Y Mewtwo are both Psychic types, but Mega-X is Psychic and Fighting, with an extremely high Attack stat. Mega-Y Mewtwo has a very high Special Attack but takes a hit toward its Defense. All of these evolutions, though, are incredibly strong and would certainly beat out most other opponents. Psychic-type is already one of the best in the game, and Mewtwo’s versatility just makes it even more of a scary opponent.

Top 10 First Generation Pokemon – Number 5. Gyarados

Credit: The Pokemon Company

The fact that Gyarados evolved from the extremely weak Magikarp is impressive. Magikarp is somewhat of a sad Pokémon, flopping around and using Splash to no avail, and is often considered one of the weakest Pokémon. And then it evolves into Gyarados, an impossibly powerful Pokémon that is perfect for a balanced team and definitely deserves its spot in the top 10 first-generation Pokémon. Its design is a bit scary, which is a big jump from the wimpy Magikarp.

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Gyarados has very high stats, especially its Attack. Its current type is Water and Flying, which is not a common combination but makes for strong effectiveness against many Pokémon. It also has a Mega Evolution that increases its strength even further and makes it into a Water and Dark-type Pokémon. It is safe to say this Pokémon is impressive and because of it, it is often banned competitively.

With the combination of Water and Flying-type, it is hard to match Gyarados’s strength. It also has the abilities of Moxie, which raises its Attack stat by one stage if it KOes another Pokémon, as well as Intimidate, which lowers the Attack of the opponent when Gyarados is switched in.

Top 10 First Generation Pokemon – Number 4. Snorlax

top 10 pokemon
Credit: The Pokemon Company

Everyone loves Snorlax. I can relate to Snorlax on every level considering all it does is sleep all day and gets up only to eat. Apparently, Snorlax eats around 900 pounds (400 kg) of food per day and is not really a picky eater. Snorlax is also quite docile and will let children play on its stomach, now that is a good sport right there.

In Pokémon Sword and Shield, Gigantamax Snorlax has what appears to be a whole island on its stomach, and is quite hard to catch. I personally went through many Gigantamax Snorlax battles and ended up not being able to catch the Snorlax at the end, or even getting blown out of the den because Snorlax is just that insanely strong.

In the original games, sometimes a Snorlax would be blocking a path and you would have to wake it up with a Poké Flute, and that is truly some dedication. I would prefer to just let Snorlax sleep, but unfortunately, we must progress the game.

Snorlax’s strength is impressive and it has a very high HP stat. Its Attack stats and Special Defense are also quite impressive, and Snorlax has multiple abilities including Thick Fat, which halves the attacking stats of Fire and Ice-type moves, and Immunity, which prevents Snorlax from being poisoned. It is also worth noting that Gigantamax Snorlax is considered to be the strongest Dynamax Pokémon. Let that sink in. It makes sense now why I could never catch it.

Top 10 First Generation Pokemon – Number 3. Articuno

Pokemon Anime Articuno
Credit: The Pokemon Company

While some might argue this legendary bird is not the strongest of the three in the first generation, it certainly remains the most insanely cool and majestic looking, giving it a spot on this top 10 Pokémon list. Just check out that gorgeous blue plumage and sick tail. Possibly one of the most visually pleasing Pokémon and just really looks like a true legend. I was always the most excited to catch Articuno in Pokémon Blue when I was younger.

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Strength is obviously a given when it comes to a legendary Pokémon. It goes without saying that this Pokémon is always a good addition to your team, and has a high Special Defense, and all other stats are about even.

In the early days of the first-generation games, Articuno was just as good of an option as Moltres and Zapdos but often falls short to Zapdos in the competitive scene nowadays. The only difference is as I stated before, Articuno is just way cooler than Zapdos. It just has that vibe.

Top 10 First Generation Pokemon – Number 2. Blastoise

Top 10 First Generation Pokemon - Number 2
Credit: The Pokemon Company

I know a lot of people argue about the starter Pokémon and their final evolutions, but personally, my pick has always been Blastoise. I mean, it has cannons on its back. What is cooler than that? To me, a fiery dragon pales in comparison to cannons.

The Mega Evolution is even better, with a third giant cannon on its back. Blastoise’s design is relatively simple but extremely effective and one of my favorites to this day, and therefore had to be put towards the top of this top 10 Pokémon list.

Blastoise has pretty even stats, but most of it lies in its Defense and Special Defense. It also has the ability Torrent, allowing it to increase its attacking stat to 1.5x with Water attacks when it is at 1/3 or less of its max HP.

Blastoise is a great option for a balanced team and is even better in its Mega Evolution. Its Special Attack greatly increases in its Mega Evolution form and has the Mega Launcher ability that allows pulse moves to have 1.5x power, meaning moves like Heal Pulse will now heal ¾ of the target’s max HP.

Top 10 First Generation Pokemon – Number 1. Gengar

Pokemon Anime Ash Gengar
Credit: The Pokemon Company

I do not think anyone could convince me to love any Pokémon more than I love Gengar. Not only is its design amazing and a huge improvement from Haunter and its weird hands, but it’s also kind of adorable, at least for a ghost type.

Gengar just looks like it would be a good boy who just likes to have fun. Gengar continues to maintain massive popularity among many Pokémon fans, including myself. It will be hard for another Pokémon to ever top Gengar for me, and that’s why it’s number 1 in my top 10 first-generation Pokémon list.

Putting aside its design, Gengar is also extremely strong and the best ghost-type Pokémon from the first generation. It has a really high Special Attack and Speed, allowing it to have a higher chance of going first and unleashing a strong Special Attack on the opponent.

Then we have Mega Evolution Gengar, who is insanely powerful and is put in the tier of Uber, according to Smogon, which often houses only legendaries and Pokémon who are practically almost legendaries. It also has the ability Shadow Tag, which prevents opponents from switching out unless they also have the ability. Needless to say, this Pokemon reigns supreme in the first generation.

What do you think of this list? Are there other Pokémon you would argue are cooler than the ones in this Top 10 first generation Pokemon list? Let us know what you think!

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