Character Sheet: The Poliwag Line

POLIWAG/POLIWHIRL/POLIWRATH

Next up, we cover Poliwag, Poliwhirl, and Poliwrath, a line of frog with swirls on their bellies. They also gain fighting, probably because Poliwrath has built up a lot of bulk from swimming. In Gen II, they gain an alternate evolution in Politoed who looks nothing like them and more like a generic Kermit-style frog.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Bubble Beam > Water Gun (II) > Hydro Pump (III)

Side B: Mud Shot > Dynamic Punch (III)

Up B: Rain Dance > Body Slam (II)

Down B: Hypnosis

Final Smash: Ultra Hypnosis

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: A lot of hopping around, croaking, and drumming its belly.

Kirby Hat: The belly swirl.

Kart: The Poke Ball car

Special Move: Hypnosis

Spirit Battle: On S.S. Anne

Victory Screen: Sitting on lily pads and croaking.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Abra teleported out, so Kadabra takes its place.

Character Sheet: The Growlithe Line

GROWLITHE/ARCANINE

Next up, we have Growlithe and Arcanine, based on fu dogs AKA those lion statue things that sit outside of Chinese restaurants, except the dog version. In Legends: Arceus, they gained a Hisuian variant more specifically based on the statues themselves, gaining a Rock type. We'll only be covering the first two today.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Ember > Flamethrower

Side B: Bite >  Fire Fang

Up B: Flame Wheel

Down B: Retaliate

Final Smash: Flare Blitz

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: A lot of dog-based cute actions, and maybe the statue pose.

Kirby Hat: Their furry manes

Kart: The Poke Ball car

Special Move: Flame Wheel

Spirit Battle: On Pikachu's Bedroom

Victory Screen: Getting pet by trainers and enjoying it.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Poliwag takes it for a whirl.

Character Sheet: The Mankey Line

MANKEY/PRIMEAPE

Next up, we have our first ever Fighting types, Mankey and Primeape. They are based on monkeys, mostly indeterminate species, who are just extremely angry all the time. In Gen IX, they gained one more evolution, Annihilape, where they got so angry they straight up died, and then their vengeful spirit lingered on. The single best added evolution there could possibly be, but we'll only be covering Mankey and Primeape today.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Fury Swipes > Focus Punch

Side B: Cross Chop

Up B: Seismic Toss

Down B: Low Kick > Outrage

Final Smash: Spirit of Fury

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: A whole lot of jumping around and throwing a tantrum.

Kirby Hat: The hair and ears.

Kart: The Poke Ball car

Special Move: Outrage

Spirit Battle: On Pokemon Stadium

Victory Screen: Pounding the ground and looking around for someone else to fight.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Growlithe is going to make this legendary.

Character Sheet: The Psyduck Line

PSYDUCK/GOLDUCK

Here's another Pokemon made famous for its role in the anime. Psyduck is a duck constantly clutching its head from its perpetual migraine. Golduck meanwhile has transformed into a kappa (I guess headaches will do that to ducks?) and is one of the fastest swimmers in the game. Neither are Psychic for some reason, despite it being literally in the name.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Water Gun > Hydro Pump

Side B: Confusion > Amnesia

Up B: Tail Whip > Aqua Tail

Down B: Disable

Final Smash: Psychic Explosion

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: "Psy-yai-yai!" and other groans of pain. More cool poses for Golduck.

Kirby Hat: The hair and beak/The spikes and gem.

Kart: The Poke Ball car

Special Move: Confusion

Spirit Battle: On S.S. Anne

Victory Screen: Looking relieved with a hot water bottle on its head.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Mankey gets angry!

Character Sheet: The Meowth Line

MEOWTH/PERSIAN

Next up, we have a Pokemon made famous by its inclusion in the anime, Meowth and its evolution Persian. Meowth is based on the lucky cat statues you'll see in China shops and such, while Persian is based on Siamese cats. They gained Dark-type regional variants in Alola, as well as a Steel-type variant for Meowth in Galar that evolved instead into Perrserker, based on Nordic vikings. We'll cover them later.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Pay Day

Side B: Scratch > Fury Swipes

Up B: Fake Out

Down B: Bite > Power Gem

Final Smash: Gigantamax Meowth > Hyper Beam

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Licking its paw to wipe its face, saying "Meowth, that's right!" for Meowth, other cat things.

Kirby Hat: The ears and coin/gem.

Kart: Based on the Meowth balloon from the Anime

Special Move: Pay Day

Spirit Battle: On Saffron City (possibly with Jessie and James)

Victory Screen: Gold coins raining down from above.

Losing Screen: Fainted. (Or blasting off again)

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Psyduck powers through the pain!

Character Sheet: The Diglett Line

DIGLETT/DUGTRIO

And now for the ones I'm letting in, even though I'm sure they'll be a headache and a half for the theoretical programmers, unless Pokemon suddenly wants to shatter their almost thirty-year streak and actually show what they look like underneath. Either way, Diglett and Dugtrio are based on moles who are perpetually underground with only their heads sticking up Whack-a-Mole style. In Alola, they gained a variant with Pele's Hair attached to them, giving them Steel type. Then in Paldea, Pokemon introduced convergent evolution lines (unrelated species that just happen to look like other lines) based on garden eels, but I will be covering convergent lines entirely separately from their basis.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Bulldoze > Earth Power

Side B: Scratch > Slash

Up B: Sand Attack > Sandstorm

Gives a shield to obscure the body, maybe?

Down B: Dig

Final Smash: Earthquake

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Moving up and down like a Whack-a-Mole, "Dig, Diglett Dig, Diglett Dig, Diglett Dig."

Kirby Hat: Kirby's head sticking out of the ground.

Kart: Burrowing quickly along the track.

Special Move: Dig

Spirit Battle: On Mt. Moon.

Victory Screen: Hundreds of them burrowing together.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Meowth! That's right!

Character Sheet: The Venonat Line

VENONAT/VENOMOTH

Venonat and Venomoth are two Bug-type Pokemon, based on a generic fuzzy cartoon bug and a moth. They are Poison type as well, because moths have dust on their wings or something. I'm not sure, but they do it multiple times with various moths, so it must be a thing. They've never had any add-ons throughout the generations. It's just been them.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Bug Bite > Leech Life

Side B: Supersonic > Psybeam

Up B: Bug Buzz > Air Slash

Down B: Poison Powder

Final Smash: Venomoth Swarm

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Shaking around to release poison powder, flapping, so on.

Kirby Hat: The big bug eyes for Venonat, the wings for Venomoth.

Kart: The Poke Ball car.

Special Move: Poison Powder.

Spirit Battle: On Saffron City.

Victory Screen: Fluttering and taking off toward a light.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Diglett tunnels into Smash.

Character Sheet: The Paras Line

PARAS/PARASECT

Another one of my early favorites of Gen I, we have Paras and its evolution Parasect, based on generic cicadas or crabs of some kind, infected by mushrooms very heavily based on the cordyceps mushroom (the fungus that infects the brains of small insects and basically turns them into zombies i.e. the thing The Last of Us is based on). Paras is only infected, while Parasect has been fully zombified. Yikes. This is also another line that has yet to have any additions to it of any kind.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Spore

Side B: Fury Cutter > X-Scissor

Up B: Growth

Down B: Absorb > Giga Drain

Final Smash: Fungal Epidemic

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Scratching at the ground, shaking around and spreading spores, so on.

Kirby Hat: The mushrooms.

Kart: The Poke Ball car.

Special Move: Spore.

Spirit Battle: On Pokemon Island.

Victory Screen: Climbing up to a high point and standing still in the sunlight.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Venonat takes a bite.

Character Sheet: The Oddish Line

ODDISH/GLOOM/VILEPLUME

Next up, we have the Oddish line, including Oddish, Gloom, and Vileplume, with Bellossom added as an alternate final evolution in Gen II. They are mostly based on mandrakes, the little plants whose roots look like misshapen people when plucked and have a bunch of folklore around them, combined with the rafflesia plant, a plant notorious for its stench. This stench is probably the reason for its Poison typing a la Stunky. Bellossom also takes inspiration from a hula dancer, but we'll cover that later.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Absorb > Mega Drain (II) > Giga Drain (III)

Side B: Poison Powder > Moonblast (III)

Up B: Growth

Down B: Acid > Toxic (II)

Final Smash: Leaf Storm > Petal Blizzard (III)

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Lots of hopping around and burying itself in the dirt.

Kirby Hat: The leaves and petals of each.

Kart: The Poke Ball car.

Special Move: Mega Drain

Spirit Battle: On Pokemon Island.

Victory Screen: Throwing bursts of petals into the air.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Paras aims to be the last of us.

Character Sheet: The Zubat Line

ZUBAT/GOLBAT

Next up, we have Zubat and Golbat, mostly based on vampire bats and a lot of tropes generally associated with them, like real vampires and the whole "blind as a bat" thing. They are Poison and Flying, Poison mainly because the PSN status effect is the best equivalent to the effects of being bitten by a vampire in the game (at least that's my take). They have a further evolution, Crobat, in Gen II, but I'll cover that later.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Poison Fang >  Bite

Side B: Supersonic

Up B: Air Cutter

Down B: Absorb >  Leech Life

Final Smash: Zubat Swarm > Golbat Swarm

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Flapping around, covering themselves in their wings, screeching, so on.

Kirby Hat: The ears and wings.

Kart: Just flying.

Special Move: Leech Life

Spirit Battle: A horde battle, on Mt. Moon.

Victory Screen: Clinging to a stalactite and going back to sleep.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Oddish gets plucked.

Character Sheet: The Jigglypuff Line

JIGGLYPUFF/WIGGLYTUFF

Huh? What? Oh, I fell asleep. Need to write my blog. I . . . What the heck is on my face?!

Today we're covering the Jigglypuff line, which I can only describe as cute pink puffballs who like to inflate and sing to put people to sleep. While it started out with only Jigglypuff and Wigglytuff, they gained a baby Igglybuff in Gen II, and then a Paradox Pokemon Scream Tail in Gen IX (should I be counting Paradoxes in these? I don't know), but I'll be covering those later. They also started out as Normal, but then gained the Fairy type retroactively in Gen VI, similar to Clefairy.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Sing

I'm moving it up here, it always felt weird as the Up B.

Side B: Rest

Up B: Pound > Body Slam

I always thought Pound would be the one I got rid of, since it's just kind of a punch. Lo and behold, it's one of Jiggly's STAB moves, and I can't find anything about Rollout anywhere. I'm moving it here, because at least giving it some upward mobility will make it more than just a punch.

Down B: Defense Curl > Gyro Ball

Final Smash: Inflate

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: The famous singing bit, and the getting mad part, then maybe the deflation gag.

Kirby Hat: The head curl and ears.

Kart: Poke Ball car

Special Move: Sing

Spirit Battle: Pokemon Stadium

Victory Screen: Performing a big finish then finding everyone knocked out.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors or hats.

Thanks for reading! Next up, you encountered a wild Zubat. Again.

Character Sheet: The Vulpix Line

VULPIX/NINETALES

Next, we have one of my all-time personal favorites, Vulpix and Ninetales, based on the Japanese myth of the nine-tailed fox, Kitsune. The line is simply Fire type, despite seeming like they might have Psychic, Ghost, or Fairy, but they do get an Alolan variant that is Ice type and gains Fairy. The Alolan versions will be covered later.

Here's the movesets I came up with:

Standard B: Ember >  Flamethrower

Side B: Quick Attack > Flame Charge

Up B: Tail Whip > Fire Spin

Down B: Will O' Wisp

Final Smash: Fire Blast

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Some running around and doing cute fox things, some mystical, mysterious stuff.

Kirby Hat: Their tails for both.

Kart: Poke Ball car

Special Move: Will O' Wisp

Spirit Battle: Mt. Moon

Victory Screen: Vulpix jumping around and playing, Ninetales' eyes burning before it vanishes.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, reference to the Alolan versions, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Jigglypuff takes the stage.

Character Sheet: The Clefairy Line

CLEFAIRY/CLEFABLE

Next up, we have Clefairy and Clefable, a line of small pink fairy creatures that live on Mt. Moon and supposedly came to Earth on an asteroid from the moon. They had a baby form in Cleffa come around in Gen II, and when Fairy type was created in Gen VI, the Clefairy line was the most obvious to retroactively switch from Normal type.

Here's the movesets I came up with:

Standard B: Metronome

Side B: Sweet Kiss > Meteor Mash

Up B: Sing

Down B: Defense Curl > Gravity

Final Smash: Moonblast

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: The dances they do around the asteroid is certainly one of them.

Kirby Hat: Their head curls and ears.

Kart: Poke Ball car

Special Move: Metronome

Spirit Battle: Mt. Moon (assuming that ends up being a stage. It is very high in my Kanto contenders right now)

Victory Screen: A bunch of them doing their little moon dance.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Vulpix prepares for a new tale.

Character Sheet: The Nidoran Lines

NIDORAN F/NIDORINA/NIDOQUEEN//NIDORAN M/NIDORINO/NIDOKING

I figure we might as well do these two together, seeing as . . . well, you get it. The Nidoran lines are something of a relic of the past, being an attempt at gender dimorphism before the Pokemon company figured out how to just build gender differences into the base Pokemon. They are based on rabbits who evolve into kaijus for some reason, and have poisonous barbs all over their bodies, also for some reason. There's a reference here I swear, but I have no idea what it is.

Here's the movesets I came up with:

Standard B: Poison Sting > Toxic Spikes (II) // Poison Sting > Horn Attack (II) > Megahorn (III)

Side B: Scratch > Superpower (III) // Fury Attack > Stomping Tantrum (III)

Up B: Tackle > Double Kick (II) // Tackle > Double Kick (II)

Down B: Tail Whip > Toxic (II) > Sludge Wave (III) // Focus Energy > Toxic (II)

Final Smash: Earth Power // Earth Power

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Various cute things for the little ones, then maybe some roaring and stomping around for the big ones.

Kirby Hat: The top of their heads, with spikes.

Kart: Poke Ball car

Special Move: Poison Sting // Horn Attack

Spirit Battle: Definitely in a Safari Zone stage, if there is one.

Victory Screen: The big ones definitely roaring, could have some snuggling the opposite gender variants or something.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, reference to each other, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Clefairy dances in the moonlight.

Character Sheet: The Sandshrew Line

SANDSHREW/SANDSLASH

Next up, we have Sandshrew and Sandslash, our first ever ground types, both of whom are based on pangolins and are known for burrowing in the sand. They also have Ice/Steel type variants in Alola, but we'll cover those later.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Scratch > Slash

Side B: Rollout

Up B: Rapid Spin > Sandstorm

Down B: Sand Attack > Dig

Final Smash: Earthquake

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Possibly just a Defense Curl, scratching at the ground, and such.

Kirby Hat: The top of the head (with Sandslash's spikes on Sandslash's version)

Kart: Poke Ball car

Special Move: Sand Attack

Spirit Battle: On a deserty-themed stage. We'll see if one crops up.

Victory Screen: Finishing its burrow and snuggling into it.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, reference to the Alola versions, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, the Nidorans battle for love.

Character Sheet: The Pikachu Line

PIKACHU/RAICHU

Next up, we have what's probably a pretty lesser known Pokemon line. You know, nobody really thinks about them that much. I think they've been largely forgotten to time. Lol. It's Pikachu and Raichu, the electric mice that won over everyone's hearts to the point that Pikachu's adorable little face is basically synonymous with the franchise as a whole. They do get a new baby form in Pichu in Gen II, and an Alolan variant of Raichu in Gen VII, but we'll cover them later.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Thunder Shock > Thunder Bolt

Side B: Iron Tail > Thunder Punch

I know Pikachu has Skull Bash in Smash, but I've always felt like Iron Tail was an iconic move for him, but maybe that's just an anime thing.

Up B: Quick Attack (or the Balloons he seems to use a lot)

Down B: Thunder

Final Smash: Volt Tackle OR Gigantamax Pikachu (for Pikachu only)

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Pikachu's wave, Pikachu charging electricity, and Pikachu rolling over for a belly rub. I imagine Raichu would have similar.

Kirby Hat: The top of the head with ears and tail.

Kart: Poke Ball car

Special Move: Thunder

Spirit Battle: With Ash, on Pokemon Stadium.

Victory Screen: Pikachu cheering and waving at the camera.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, Ash's hat, maybe Libre or Detective (assuming they don't have their own moveset), so on.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Sandshrew digs down deep!

Character Sheet: The Ekans Line

EKANS/ARBOK

Next up, we have our first proper Poison type line, Ekans and Arbok. They are fittingly based on snakes, specifically rattlesnakes for Ekans and cobras for Arbok, and even their names are Snake and Kobra backwards. There's not much else to say on them really, except for their notability as part of Jessie's team within Team Rocket.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Bite

Side B: Poison Tail > Poison Jab

Up B: Wrap > Coil

Down B: Acid > Sludge Bomb

Final Smash: Snake Pit

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Lots of coiling and hissing. Probably a Snake Charmer dance.

Kirby Hat: The top of the head.

Kart: Poke Ball car

Special Move: Wrap.

Spirit Battle: Something Team Rocket-related might be fun.

Victory Screen: They slither away with an opponent-sized bulge in their bellies.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Pikachu, I choose you!

Character Sheet: The Spearow Line

SPEAROW/FEAROW

Next up is Spearow and Fearow, the only instance I can think of of a "mean" counterpart to the regional bird line. At least, that's how I've always seen them anyway. Spearow is based mostly on a shrike, the bird known for impaling its prey and disemboweling them, while Fearow is more of a heron, which also stabs its prey with its beak. So, for these birds, the concept is basically "stab, stab, stab." This is also our first line that has yet to have anything new added to it. No new evolutions, no regional variants, no mega forms, no gigantamaxing. Just them.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Peck > Drill Peck

Side B: Fury Attack

Up B: Aerial Ace > Fly

Down B: Leer > Take Down

Final Smash: Spearow Swarm > Fearow Flock

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Pecking, cleaning its wings, various bird things. No impaling a Rattata.

Kirby Hat: The wings, beak, and Fearow's crest.

Kart: Just flying.

Special Move: Drill Peck.

Spirit Battle: The forest-themed stage.

Victory Screen: They can fly away with some prey. Still no impaling allowed.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Ekans strikes!

Character Sheet: The Rattata Line

RATTATA/RATICATE

Next up, we have the Rattata line, Rattata and Raticate, the first of what I call the Regional Critters, the rodent and/or other generic mammal mostly of the normal type we typically see toward the start of most generations. Rattata and Raticate are mostly just basic rats, with some muskrat in Raticate, who act as pests in the Pokemon world. In Gen 7, they got new regional variants which gained the Dark type, alluding to them becoming more violent and vicious in Alola's cities. Those won't be covered here yet, but for regional forms, my basic concept is that evolutions will be treated as semi-clones, while regional forms will be full echoes.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Bite > Super Fang

Side B: Quick Attack

Up B: Tackle

Down B: Tail Whip > Sucker Punch

Final Smash: Rattata Swarm > Raticate Swarm

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Various rat things, like the whole "wiping down the face" thing they do.

Kirby Hat: The ears and tail.

Kart: A Poke Ball car

Special Move: Tail Whip

Spirit Battle: Maybe Saffron City.

Victory Screen: They'll grab a hunk of cheese and take off with it.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Spearow takes a stab at it.

Character Sheet: The Pidgey Line

PIDGEY/PIDGEOTTO/PIDGEOT

Next up, we have the Pidgey line, made up of Pidgey, Pidgeotto, and Pidgeot. They are the first of the regional birds, a standard trope within pretty much every single iteration of Pokemon there has ever been. This line specifically is mostly a hodge-podge of birds but takes most inspiration from sparrows and eagles, despite being named after pigeons.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Gust > Whirlwind (II) > Hurricane (III)

Side B: Quick Attack > Agility (II)

Up B: Fly > Aerial Ace (III)

Down B: Sand Attack

Final Smash: Hurricane > Mega Pidgeot

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Various bird things.

Kirby Hat: The feathery crests of each.

Kart: Just flying

Special Move: Fly

Spirit Battle: Probably in that same forest stage, let's be honest.

Victory Screen: They will perform an aerial stunt and fly away.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Rattata infests the roster.

Character Sheet: Beedrill

BEEDRILL

Next up is the Weedle line, made up of Weedle, Kakuna, and Beedrill, based on bees and wasps, with a similar life cycle concept as Butterfree. Basically it's the "mean" regional bug to Butterfree's "nice" bug (a concept we'll see repeated a few times). Like the Butterfree line, Weedle and Kakuna both lack the necessary moves to be playable, so both will be Poke Ball Pokemon. Weedle will fire a Poison Sting, which will slowly build up damage on the person it hit. Kakuna will be a throwable item just like Metapod.

Here's the moveset I came up with for Butterfree specifically:

Standard B: Pin Missile

Side B: Fury Cutter

Up B: Agility

Down B: Toxic Spikes

Final Smash: Mega Beedrill

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Generic bee movements. Maybe the "waggle dance" if you know what I mean.

Kirby Hat: The wings and antennae.

Kart: The Poke Ball car

Special Move: Pin Missile

Spirit Battle: Same basic forest stage.

Victory Screen: The swarm will fly back to their hive.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, other general colors (maybe based on types of bee and wasp)

Thanks for reading! Next up, Pidgey takes flight!

Character Sheet: Butterfree

BUTTERFREE

Next up, we have the Caterpie line, made up of Caterpie, Metapod, and Butterfree, based on the life cycle of a butterfly (honestly, perfect follow-up to the starters so as to clearly demonstrate what "evolution" means in Pokemon terms). Caterpie and Metapod, sadly, fall into the group of only being able to perform one or two moves, and so a moveset cannot be made for them. Instead, they will be Poke Ball Pokemon, with Caterpie using String Shot to trip up opponents, and Metapod able to be picked up and thrown as a projectile, its Harden ability letting it do a lot of damage.

Here's the moveset I came up with for Butterfree specifically:

Standard B: Bug Bite

Side B: Supersonic

Up B: Acrobatics

Down B: Sleep Powder

Final Smash: Gigantamax Butterfree

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: The spinning love dance comes to mind for at least one.

Kirby Hat: The wings and antennae.

Kart: The Poke Ball car

Special Move: Sleep Powder

Spirit Battle: If I have a basic forest stage, something like Safari Zone or Viridian Forest, it will be on that.

Victory Screen: A swarm of them will fly gently through the air.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, the pink one, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Beedrill will be pretty much the same story!

Character Sheet: The Squirtle Line

SQUIRTLE/WARTORTLE/BLASTOISE

Next up is the Squirtle Line (Squirtle, Wartortle, and Blastoise), the water starter of Kanto based on turtles and tortoises, who get fluffy for . . . reasons in the middle, and then gain tank turrets in the end. Blastoise does also have a Mega Form and a Gigantamax Form we can use.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Water Gun > Hydro Pump (III)

Side B: Rapid Spin > Shell Smash (II)

Up B: Surf > Whirlpool (III)

Down B: Withdraw > Aqua Tail (II) > Iron Defense (III)

Final Smash: Hydro Pump > Mega Blastoise OR Gigantamax Blastoise

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: There has to be a Squirtle Squad glasses moment, otherwise just standard stuff.

Kirby Hat: Their shells (with their extras i.e. Wartortle's fluff and Blastoise's cannons)

Kart: The Poke Ball car

Special Move: Hydro Pump

Spirit Battle: Either on Pokemon Stadium on something like the S.S. Anne.

Victory Screen: Squirtle does a flip and a pose, but Blastoise would blast streams of water into the sky. Wartortle's somewhere in the middle.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, sunglasses, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, I . . . don't choose you Caterpie, but Butterfree can come.

Character Sheet: The Charmander Line

CHARMANDER/CHARMELEON/CHARIZARD

Next, we have the Charmander Line (Charmander, Charmeleon, and Charizard), the fire starter of Kanto and a VERY popular line. It starts as a little lizard with a fire tail, that grows into something more like a velociraptor, and in the end becomes a dragon, with the Flying type added to its Fire. It is mostly based on the Fire Salamander myth that believed salamanders were born from fire. There are also two distinct Mega Forms and a Gigantamax Form we can pull from.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Ember > Flamethrower (II)

Side B: Scratch > Slash (II) > Fire Fang (III)

Up B: Fire Spin > Air Slash (III)

Down B: Smokescreen > Inferno (III)

Final Smash: Flare Blitz > Mega Charizard X OR Mega Charizard Y OR Gigantamax Charizard

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: One I do want to include is Charizard being lazy and laying on its side like the Anime version does.

Kirby Hat: The top of the head (with Charizard's wings when he gets it)

Kart: The Poke Ball car

Special Move: Flamethrower

Spirit Battle: Either on Pokemon Stadium or a volcanic stage like Mt. Chimney or Cinnabar Island if I end up including them.

Victory Screen: Definitely a roar.

Losing Screen: Fainted.

Color Swaps: Main, shiny, stripes, other general colors.

Thanks for reading! Next up, I choose you, Squirtle!

Character Sheet: The Bulbasaur Line

BULBASAUR/IVYSAUR/VENUSAUR

Now, going into this, I knew I had to cut it down somehow, and this is how I'm doing it. Moving forward, the general working premise of Pokemon lines is that they will be functionally semi-clones of each other, built on the idea that they are the same Pokemon, just at different stages in their life, so their movesets will be based on each other, just with more advanced moves replacing the basic ones here and there. This logic will also follow with any counterpart Pokemon that are part of a set, such as Sawk and Throh or the Legendary Birds. I'm not going to do the list, because that's just going to be gigantic and anyone can look up the Pokedex.

So, first up, we have the Bulbasaur Line (Bulbasaur, Ivysaur, and Venusaur), the grass starter of Kanto and a weird frog-thing with a bulb planted on its back that sprouts over time into what looks like a rafflesia plant. It is Grass and Poison type, implying toxins contained within the plant itself, presumably. It also has both a Mega Form and a Gigantamax Form, for possible final smashes.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Tackle > Bullet Seed (II)

Side B: Razor Leaf

Up B: Vine Whip > Power Whip (III)

Down B: Poison Powder > Seed Bomb (III)

In general, the Down B's from here on out will mostly be the most expendable moves, since using the Trainer System will sacrifice the move for the switch command.

Final Smash: Solar Beam > Gigantamax OR Mega Venusaur (III)

Entrance: Poke Ball.

Taunts: Actually, from here on out, I want to address something. A lot of the extra things that go on below are not going to be focused on, during the dex sections, since a lot of it will be very samey. Like taunts for instance, a lot of it will just be the animal doing stuff, unless I can think of specific references I want to do.

Kirby Hat: The bulb/plant and top of head.

Kart: I think it's pretty much always going to be that Poke Ball car you see sometimes.

Special Move: Razor Leaf

Spirit Battle: For pretty much all of these, it'll just be a Pokemon battle with the line. Generally on a Pokemon Stadium or on one that fits the Pokemon. I don't know one for Bulbasaur yet, but Pokemon Island might be good.

Victory Screen: Again, it'll probably be general cheering motions from all of these.

Losing Screen: Basically all of them will be the Pokemon fainted, with the swirly eyes.

Color Swaps: This is definitely going to be glazed over, since it'll just be me listing random colors over and over again. Generally, there will be the main, plus the Shiny, then just random colors unless there's a specific reference like Ash-Greninja I want to include.

Thanks for reading! Next up, I choose you, Charmander!

Character Sheet: Todd Snap

TODD SNAP

Okay, first things first, this is how the roster system will work for this series. Each generation of Pokemon gets its own roster that you can cycle through. Outside of the Pokemon rosters, there will be at least one additional roster that will contain "non-Pokedex characters." This will include human characters like the three I'll be covering first, as well as Pokemon with distinct movesets that won't be covered in the roster (i.e. Pikachu Libre and Shadow Mewtwo from Pokken, if I deem them distinct enough). On top of that, there will also be the Trainer System, which will give you a list of notable trainers you can choose from, and then once you've picked them, you can then choose three Pokemon for them to use in the battle, while they stand in the back. The game will automatically assign you three, generally picked from the chosen trainer's canon teams, but you can choose to ignore that and pick your own. For now though, let's cover the three "non-dex" newcomers:

1. Pokemon Trainer

2. Card Player

3. Todd Snap

Next we have Todd Snap, the main character of Pokemon Snap. The player from New Pokemon Snap will also be an alternate skin. Todd is a photographer hired to explore an island full of Pokemon and take pictures of them all. He is equipped with a camera, fruit to lure in Pokemon, pester balls to draw their attention, and a vehicle called ZERO-ONE, all of which will factor into his moves.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Camera Flash

He will snap a picture, which will stun his opponent for a second.

Side B: Pester Ball

He will throw these as projectiles. They will only do light damage, but he can throw several in quick succession.

Up B: ZERO-ONE Lift

ZERO-ONE will appear around him and carry him upwards, the way it might at certain points in the game.

Down B: ZERO-ONE

ZERO-ONE will appear around him, this time purely defensively, protecting him completely from all harm.

Final Smash: Illumina Effect

Todd will throw out an Illumina Orb that will cause crystalblooms to appear all over the place, starting to glow and making the fighters glow too, before unleashing a blinding flash.

Entrance: Todd will arrive in ZERO-ONE

Taunts: Up, Todd will point his camera up to check some settings. Side, Todd will take a bunch of quick shots from different angles. Down, he will open up the back to check his film.

Kirby Hat: His famous curly hair.

Kart: ZERO-ONE

Special Move: He can flash his camera, blinding those nearby for a second.

Spirit Battle: On Pokemon Island (or Lental Island, my stages aren't fully worked out yet).

Victory Screen: He'll get his reward for completing the Dex, with some of the best shots behind him.

Losing Screen: He'll hang his head while holding a bunch of photos that didn't develop properly.

Color Swaps: Todd, the New Snap player, Rita, Phil, Professor Mirror, Todd's cartoon appearance, Todd's manga appearance, his older appearance from New Snap.

Thanks for reading! Next up, we move on to the Pokemon. Bulbasaur, I choose you!

Character Sheet: Card Player

CARD PLAYER

Okay, first things first, this is how the roster system will work for this series. Each generation of Pokemon gets its own roster that you can cycle through. Outside of the Pokemon rosters, there will be at least one additional roster that will contain "non-Pokedex characters." This will include human characters like the three I'll be covering first, as well as Pokemon with distinct movesets that won't be covered in the roster (i.e. Pikachu Libre and Shadow Mewtwo from Pokken, if I deem them distinct enough). On top of that, there will also be the Trainer System, which will give you a list of notable trainers you can choose from, and then once you've picked them, you can then choose three Pokemon for them to use in the battle, while they stand in the back. The game will automatically assign you three, generally picked from the chosen trainer's canon teams, but you can choose to ignore that and pick your own. For now though, let's cover the three "non-dex" newcomers:

1. Pokemon Trainer

2. Card Player

3. Todd Snap

Next up, we have Mark, the new girl Mint from TCG 2, and his rival Roland from the Pokemon Trading Card game. For this one, we'll build the moveset entirely from the mechanics of the card game itself. It would be nice if you could somehow scan your own deck in, but in lieu of that, your cards will have a long list that will be randomly selected from.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Advance

You'll start out by being shown six cards, that will sit on the bench down by your health points. Tapping this one, will put the first card in the charging position, floating in the air in front of Mark as he runs around. Tapping this again will let you cycle through the six cards, sending one to the front and the last one retiring back to the bench.

Side B: Attack

The card in the charge position will perform its most basic attack, the Pokemon in question emerging from the card and striking. Your health section could also have an energy meter, with you being able to perform the more powerful attack from the card once it's filled up.

Up B: Flip a Coin

The player will be flipped into the air, a novelty coin flipping underneath him before he lands back down.

Down B: Support Card

The player will be able to send out a support card from their hand, which will boost their forward card in some manner. (A Mulligan that gives you six new cards could be interesting too, but I'd rather represent the support cards).

Final Smash: Full Deck

The player will toss out their full deck, which will then encircle their opponent, each one coming to life and doling out a small amount of damage.

Entrance: The player will be shuffling their deck.

Taunts: Up, the player performs one of those "over-the-head" deck shuffling tricks. Side, the player will do a quick shuffle of their deck. Down, the player will excitedly open up a pack he just bought.

Kirby Hat: A Pokemon card taped to his forehead.

Kart: A car that looks like a flying carpet version of a card.

Special Move: Like the Piranha Plant item, where a card appears before them and the Pokemon inside lashes out at anything in front of it.

Spirit Battle: On TCG Table.

Victory Screen: The trainer will accept their opponent's cards and add them to their own deck.

Losing Screen: The trainer will hang their head, adding the last of their cards to the discard pile.

Color Swaps: Mark, Mint, Roland, all three in team GR uniforms, Biruritchi, Dr. Mason.

Thanks for reading! Next up, Todd Snap smiles for the camera!

Character Sheet: Pokemon Trainer

POKEMON TRAINER

Okay, first things first, this is how the roster system will work for this series. Each generation of Pokemon gets its own roster that you can cycle through. Outside of the Pokemon rosters, there will be at least one additional roster that will contain "non-Pokedex characters." This will include human characters like the three I'll be covering first, as well as Pokemon with distinct movesets that won't be covered in the roster (i.e. Pikachu Libre and Shadow Mewtwo from Pokken, if I deem them distinct enough). On top of that, there will also be the Trainer System, which will give you a list of notable trainers you can choose from, and then once you've picked them, you can then choose three Pokemon for them to use in the battle, while they stand in the back. The game will automatically assign you three, generally picked from the chosen trainer's canon teams, but you can choose to ignore that and pick your own. For now though, let's cover the three "non-dex" newcomers:

1. Pokemon Trainer

2. Card Player

3. Todd Snap

First, we'll have the Pokemon Trainer, generally representing your playable character in any given game, the color swaps allowing you to be any of them from Red to Kris to Hilda to Elio and so on. This moveset will pull from the trainer's actual displayed abilities in game outside of battles.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Poke Ball

The trainer will toss a Poke Ball at their opponent and trap them inside it for a while before they break out.

Side B: Bicycle

The trainer will hop on their bicycle and ride across the stage.

Up B: Fly

The trainer will release their HM Flier, typically the final form Regional Bird of their specific series (so Pidgeot for Red and Leaf), and then fly up while hanging from it.

Down B: HM

This could also be the Side B, with something like Potion as the Down B. Either way, the Trainer will release a Pokemon that will perform a standard HM move like Cut, Rock Smash, Surf, and so on. I figure they will have five and will cycle through them. The Pokemon in question will typically be a frequent user of that move from each generation (Red has Scyther for Cut, Ethan has Scizor, and so on).

Final Smash: Team Attack

The Trainer will release their full team, which will all attack at once.

Entrance: The trainer will step out of their starting house from their game.

Taunts: Up, the trainer will raise a Poke Ball into the air in triumph as if they just caught something. Side, the trainer will pull out and read their Pokedex. Down, the trainer will release a Pokemon and pet it like in the camping sections of later games. Secret taunt, a Pokedex entry perhaps?

Kirby Hat: Red's iconic hat

Kart: Their bicycle.

Special Move: Throwing a Poke Ball and trapping another racer inside it for a short time.

Spirit Battle: With six randomly selected Pokemon on Pokemon Stadium.

Victory Screen: The trainer will catch a Poke Ball and then raise it into the air in triumph.

Losing Screen: The trainer will do a defeated pose and turn away.

Color Swaps: Red, Leaf, Ethan, Kris, Lyra, Brendan, May, Lucas, Dawn, Hilbert, Hilda, Nate, Rosa, Calum, Serena, Elio, Selene, Chase, Elaine, Victor, Gloria, Rei, Akari, Florian, and Juliana. (Unless Chase/Elaine and Rei/Akari end up being different).

Thanks for reading! Next up, the Card Player shuffles his hand.

Pokemon Stadium

POKEMON STADIUM

This is the game Americans would know as the first Pokemon Stadium. This one is similar in concept to the first one, except this time, we have all 151 playable. You also have a Gym Leader Castle, where you can battle the Kanto gym leaders, as well as a bunch of minigames. These include a Clefairy teaching you to dance, a Sandshrew digging, Ekans being tossed as a hoop onto Digletts, Magikarp splashing around, Metapod and Kakuna hardening against rocks, a Rattata running on a treadmill, Drowzees putting each other to sleep, Lickitungs in an eating contest, and Pikachu and Voltorb charging a lightbulb. There's not much else to say, so let's move on.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Red/Pokemon Trainer: Poke Ball, potion, bicycle, fishing rod, HMs, Hey You items

Mark/Roland/TCG Player: card game mechanics and rules

Todd Snap: Zero-One, camera, food, flute, pester ball

All Pokemon (Barring all one to two-movers)

Candidates for possible trainer system idea:

Red

Blue

Mark

Roland

Oak

Brock

Misty

Lt. Surge

Erika

Koga

Sabrina

Blaine

Giovanni

Jessie

James

Team Rocket Grunt

Lorelei

Bruno

Agatha

Lance

Stages:

Pallet Town

Viridian City

Viridian Forest

Pewter City

Mt. Moon

Cerulean City

Lavender Town

Vermilion City

S.S. Anne

Celadon City

Fuschia City

Safari Zone

Saffron City

Seafoam Islands

Cinnabar Island

Indigo Plateau

Pokemon Stadium

Bedroom

Ochre Woods

Springleaf Field

Cobalt Coast

Olivine Lake

TCG Table

Pokemon Island

Pinball Table

Thanks for reading! Next up, the Pokemon Trainer begins their journey.

Pokemon Pinball

POKEMON PINBALL

Since Pokemon has a small round ball as part of its core concept, naturally a pinball spinoff is easy. There's not much too it, just a standard pinball game with tables based on various locations and Pokemon popping up across the boards in various capacities. Not much else to say, really.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Red/Pokemon Trainer: Poke Ball, potion, bicycle, fishing rod, HMs, Hey You items

Mark/Roland/TCG Player: card game mechanics and rules

Todd Snap: Zero-One, camera, food, flute, pester ball

All Pokemon (Barring all one to two-movers)

Candidates for possible trainer system idea:

Red

Blue

Mark

Roland

Oak

Brock

Misty

Lt. Surge

Erika

Koga

Sabrina

Blaine

Giovanni

Jessie

James

Team Rocket Grunt

Lorelei

Bruno

Agatha

Lance

Stages:

Pallet Town

Viridian City

Viridian Forest

Pewter City

Mt. Moon

Cerulean City

Lavender Town

Vermilion City

S.S. Anne

Celadon City

Fuschia City

Safari Zone

Saffron City

Seafoam Islands

Cinnabar Island

Indigo Plateau

Pokemon Stadium

Bedroom

Ochre Woods

Springleaf Field

Cobalt Coast

Olivine Lake

TCG Table

Pokemon Island

Pinball Table

Thanks for reading! Next up, Pokemon Stadium 2! Or is it 1? One of those things!

Pokemon Snap

POKEMON SNAP

Pokemon Snap is a rather unique game in the Pokemon series. You play as Todd Snap, a photographer hired by Professor Oak to explore Pokemon Island and snap pictures of as many Pokemon as possible. In essence, it's a very simple and basic game, where you mostly enjoy the scenery and watch Pokemon interact in their natural habitats. You do have food you can toss, your camera, a ball you can pester the Pokemon with, and a flute to wake up sleeping Pokemon, all in the service of getting a good shot. And then there's your ZERO-ONE vehicle.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Red/Pokemon Trainer: Poke Ball, potion, bicycle, fishing rod, HMs, Hey You items

Mark/Roland/TCG Player: card game mechanics and rules

Todd Snap: Zero-One, camera, food, flute, pester ball

All Pokemon (Barring all one to two-movers)

Candidates for possible trainer system idea:

Red

Blue

Mark

Roland

Oak

Brock

Misty

Lt. Surge

Erika

Koga

Sabrina

Blaine

Giovanni

Jessie

James

Team Rocket Grunt

Lorelei

Bruno

Agatha

Lance

Stages:

Pallet Town

Viridian City

Viridian Forest

Pewter City

Mt. Moon

Cerulean City

Lavender Town

Vermilion City

S.S. Anne

Celadon City

Fuschia City

Safari Zone

Saffron City

Seafoam Islands

Cinnabar Island

Indigo Plateau

Pokemon Stadium

Bedroom

Ochre Woods

Springleaf Field

Cobalt Coast

Olivine Lake

TCG Table

Pokemon Island

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's play a game of pinball.

Pokemon Trading Card Game

POKEMON TRADING CARD GAME

While the video games were the central focus of the Pokemon series, it rapidly started expanding out into other mediums, including trading card games. Naturally, a video game was released alongside the trading cards, working in tandem with them. The game features a young protagonist named Mark who is given a starting deck by Dr. Mason and sent out to compete in tournaments against Club Masters, Grand Masters, and his rival Roland. Kinda the same setup as the main games, just with cards. From there, he plays the card game mostly the same as you might in real life, with all the basic rules and concepts of the game.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Red/Pokemon Trainer: Poke Ball, potion, bicycle, fishing rod, HMs, Hey You items

Mark/Roland/TCG Player: card game mechanics and rules

All Pokemon (Barring all one to two-movers)

Candidates for possible trainer system idea:

Red

Blue

Mark

Roland

Oak

Brock

Misty

Lt. Surge

Erika

Koga

Sabrina

Blaine

Giovanni

Jessie

James

Team Rocket Grunt

Lorelei

Bruno

Agatha

Lance

Stages:

Pallet Town

Viridian City

Viridian Forest

Pewter City

Mt. Moon

Cerulean City

Lavender Town

Vermilion City

S.S. Anne

Celadon City

Fuschia City

Safari Zone

Saffron City

Seafoam Islands

Cinnabar Island

Indigo Plateau

Pokemon Stadium

Bedroom

Ochre Woods

Springleaf Field

Cobalt Coast

Olivine Lake

TCG Table

Thanks for reading! Next up, let's go Snap a few pics of the next game.

Hey You, Pikachu!

HEY YOU PIKACHU!

As Pokemon exploded in popularity, one single Pokemon rose to prominence as the mascot of the series. How do you cash in on that popularity? Toss together a cheap Tamagotchi/Nintendogs type game where you follow Pikachu around and watch it do cute things. That's basically what this game is. You are a kid hired to help Professor Oak train a Pikachu, and you just kinda hang out with it and help it do stuff. You have a selection of areas for Pikachu to play in, including your bedroom, Viridian Forest, Ochre Woods, Springleaf Field, Cobalt Coast, and Olivine Lake, all of which have various Gen I Pokemon for Pikachu to play with. You also have a box to carry various items for Pikachu, including a ball, cupcake, fishing hook, harmonica, lucky hook, megaphone, watering can, watering pail, and a flying acorn. There's not really much else to say.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Red/Pokemon Trainer: Poke Ball, potion, bicycle, fishing rod, HMs, Hey You items

All Pokemon (Barring all one to two-movers)

Candidates for possible trainer system idea:

Red

Blue

Oak

Brock

Misty

Lt. Surge

Erika

Koga

Sabrina

Blaine

Giovanni

Jessie

James

Team Rocket Grunt

Lorelei

Bruno

Agatha

Lance

Stages:

Pallet Town

Viridian City

Viridian Forest

Pewter City

Mt. Moon

Cerulean City

Lavender Town

Vermilion City

S.S. Anne

Celadon City

Fuschia City

Safari Zone

Saffron City

Seafoam Islands

Cinnabar Island

Indigo Plateau

Pokemon Stadium

Bedroom

Ochre Woods

Springleaf Field

Cobalt Coast

Olivine Lake

Thanks for reading! Next up, who's up for a card game?

Pokemon Yellow

POKEMON YELLOW

Pokemon Yellow is the first in a long-standing tradition (that I think has gone away now courtesy of the rise of DLC) of third games that release a short time after the first two, that acts as a sort of combined/finished version of the previous two. Or sequels. It's a whole thing. Pokemon Yellow specifically has the distinction of having had changes made to make it more in line with the anime.

These changes include the protagonist not having the choice of Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle to start with, instead having him given a Pikachu as his starter, while Blue will take an Eevee as his, while the starter trio can be gained through other means throughout the game. Likewise, two Team Rocket grunts now have the distinct designs of Jesse and James, complete with their Ekans, Koffing, and Meowth partners.

Otherwise, basically the same game. Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Red/Pokemon Trainer: Poke Ball, potion, bicycle, fishing rod, HMs

All Pokemon (Barring all one to two-movers)

Candidates for possible trainer system idea:

Red

Blue

Oak

Brock

Misty

Lt. Surge

Erika

Koga

Sabrina

Blaine

Giovanni

Jesse

James

Team Rocket Grunt

Lorelei

Bruno

Agatha

Lance

Stages:

Pallet Town

Viridian City

Viridian Forest

Pewter City

Mt. Moon

Cerulean City

Lavender Town

Vermilion City

S.S. Anne

Celadon City

Fuschia City

Safari Zone

Saffron City

Seafoam Islands

Cinnabar Island

Indigo Plateau

Pokemon Stadium

Thanks for reading! Next up, the first BIG cash-in on Pikachu's burst of popularity.

Pocket Monsters Stadium

POCKET MONSTERS STADIUM

Next up, we have the first of the Stadium games, this one only released in Japan. The concept of the stadium games is simple, it basically lets you have full 3D Pokemon battles without all the standard Pokemon game around it. Which is a concept you'd think would have lasted to the modern day, considering how big the competitive Pokemon scene is, but then again, I've never been part of the competitive scene, so I have to assume they're satisfied with whatever medium they do use for battles.

This game technically only has forty playable Pokemon of the original one hundred and fifty-one, the rest at least having 3D models you can view through the game's Pokedex. The game also has a tournament mode with sixteen challengers who are apparently based on the contestants of the Nintendo Cups for 1997 and 1998. I'm . . . probably not going to include them in my trainer system list (unless I decide to include the trainer classes alongside the main characters, I'm still divided on that).

Anyway, that's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Red/Pokemon Trainer: Poke Ball, potion, bicycle, fishing rod, HMs

All Pokemon (Barring all one to two-movers)

Candidates for possible trainer system idea:

Red

Blue

Oak

Brock

Misty

Lt. Surge

Erika

Koga

Sabrina

Blaine

Giovanni

Team Rocket Grunt

Lorelei

Bruno

Agatha

Lance

Stages:

Pallet Town

Viridian City

Viridian Forest

Pewter City

Mt. Moon

Cerulean City

Lavender Town

Vermilion City

S.S. Anne

Celadon City

Fuschia City

Safari Zone

Saffron City

Seafoam Islands

Cinnabar Island

Indigo Plateau

Pokemon Stadium

Thanks for reading! Next up, Pikachu presents his very own Pokemon Yellow!

Pokemon Red, Green, and Blue

POKEMON RED, GREEN, AND BLUE

Ah, Pokemon. A massive beast of a franchise with tons of content, tons of characters, and so much more. Ground rules, right off the bat: I will be covering the games in sections by generation instead of by type. I do not want to do the entire Pokedex in one solid block. That just sounds like a nightmare. So, our first batch will be the main games, plus the first Stadiums, Snap, Hey You Pikachu!, and so on. Secondly, I'll get this right out of the way immediately: EVERY Pokemon is in, except for those who are designed to be limited in their moveset. So, the larva and cocoon Pokemon like Caterpie and Metapod are out, Abra is out, Beldum is out, Unown is out. So on and so forth. Ditto and Smeargle are not out, however, owing to the fact that their "one" move allows them a wide range of subsequent moves. Make sense to everybody? I hope so. Also, I struggled for a bit with characters like Diglett and Dugtrio, considering mobility would be a massive issue, but I've decided to include them, and just leave that part as an issue for the theoretical game designers to solve.

The first games are a bit weird to talk about, seeing as they started out with Pokemon Red and Green in Japan, later released an updated version in Pokemon Blue, then American releases came out later as Pokemon Red and Blue. They're all functionally the same games, just with some version differences, like some Pokemon only being available in one game but not the other, which encourages trade between the two versions.

The plot follows a young player character named Red who is given a starter Pokemon by his neighbor Professor Oak and sent out on a journey to explore the region of Kanto, collecting and training Pokemon and challenging the game's eight gyms. One hundred and fifty-one Pokemon exist in this country, all of which have their own moves and typings that determine how strong they'll be against others. Most of that will be covered later. As for Red himself, his demonstrated abilities include throwing Poke Balls to catch Pokemon, riding a bike, fishing, and using HMs (special moves that Pokemon can use outside of battle): these games include Cut, Fly, Surf, Strength, and Flash.

Other characters of note include Professor Oak, Oak's grandson Blue who acts as a rival to Red, the eight gym leaders: Brock (Rock type), Misty (Water type), Lt. Surge (Electric type), Erika (Grass type), Koga (Poison type), Sabrina (Psychic type), Blaine (Fire type), and Giovanni (Ground type). Giovanni is also the head of Team Rocket, the game's villains more or less based on the Yakuza. After the eight gyms are completed, you take on the Elite Four, including Lorelei (Ice type), Bruno (Fighting type), Agatha (Ghost type), and Lance (Dragon type). Non-trainer NPCs of note include Red's mom, Oak's granddaughter Daisy, and the computer guy Bill.

The entire game takes place in the country of Kanto, which is more or less based on the real world Tokyo and some of the surrounding areas. Places of note include Pallet Town, Viridian City, Viridian Forest, Pewter City, Mt. Moon, Cerulean City, Lavender Town, Vermilion City, the S.S. Anne, Celadon City, Fuschia City, the Safari Zone, Saffron City, the Seafoam Islands, Cinnabar Island, and the Indigo Plateau.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Red/Pokemon Trainer: Poke Ball, potion, bicycle, fishing rod, HMs

All Pokemon (Barring all one to two-movers)

Candidates for possible trainer system idea:

Red

Blue

Oak

Brock

Misty

Lt. Surge

Erika

Koga

Sabrina

Blaine

Giovanni

Team Rocket Grunt

Lorelei

Bruno

Agatha

Lance

Stages:

Pallet Town

Viridian City

Viridian Forest

Pewter City

Mt. Moon

Cerulean City

Lavender Town

Vermilion City

S.S. Anne

Celadon City

Fuschia City

Safari Zone

Saffron City

Seafoam Islands

Cinnabar Island

Indigo Plateau

Thanks for reading! Next up, technically the first Pokemon Stadium, but not the one we know as Pokemon Stadium 1.