Generation 1 of Pokémon sabotaged future generations before they were even designed. While there are plenty of fan favorites in all nine generations, a few Pokémon are arguably more popular than others. Interestingly enough, many of these iconic pocket monsters belong to the same, original generation.
Due to the original Pokémon anime featuring Ash Ketchum and his beloved companion, Pikachu has become the face of the franchise. That said, throughout the Pokémon series Charizard has been put in everything, and Eevee has become something of a secondary mascot. Every generation has new designs that go on to be popular (and many that get widely panned), but as a whole set, Gen 1 still has an unmatched consistency, resulting in a significant number of Pokémon's most iconic creatures.
Some Modern Pokémon Designs Struggle To Stand Out
Arguably, the fate of modern mediocre Pokémon designs was sealed from the beginning. The list of most popular Pokémon, as reported by every Pokémon in Gen 9's Scarlet and Violet still contributes to the series massive popularity, the earliest designs such as Pikachu, Snorlax, Gengar, Charizard, and Eevee are still the most iconic, as seen by official merchandise alongside fan favorites. After all, two of the most popular include Eeveelutions and Mimikyu, whose design is directly inspired by Pikachu's.
Pokémon Fans Still Appreciate Newer Generations
There are outliers, of course, such as Gardevior, Lucario, and Greninja, but Pokémon creature designs in Generations past the early few truly struggle to stand out. These Pokémon nor their designers are not necessarily at fault for their weaknesses - Generation 1's designs were fresh and strong, and being exclusively 2-dimensional pixel designs showed a style that Scarlet and Violet's adorable, popular starters just can't match. Regional variants that can just be considered reskins - alongside the new Paradox Pokémon such as Scream Tail and Flutter Mane, which have slight variations from their original Jigglypuff and Misdreavous - only emphasize how brilliant the early Pokémon designs truly were.
Even though Generation 1 through 5 are seen as the golden ages of Pokémon, it's no doubt that fans still enjoy more recent Pokémon - Sprigatito, Fuecoco, and Quaxly drew a lot of attention, as does each new set of starters. Beyond being iconic and well-designed, nostalgia may also play a role in the love for the original 151. There is still hope for the originality of the franchise; Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's Paldea map has provided pocket monsters inspired by the Iberian Peninsula, providing a slight revival for interesting design (besides the Paradox Pokémon). It will be interesting to see if future Pokémon generations can keep up with Charizard, Gengar, or even Pikachu.
