Pokémon as a franchise is based around the idea of capturing and evolving Pokémon as you journey towards becoming a champion in a specific region. When trainers come across creatures that don't evolve, it can take a lot of wind out of the sails and relegate that Pokémon to a life inside a PC box. Pokémon that are adored by many players are unfortunately too vulnerable and/or weak to be sent into competitive battle because they lack an evolutionary line.

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Pokémon, a series based on evolution, has way too many critters that don't have one evolutionary stage, let alone two. Let's look at 15 Pokémon that are in dire need of an evolution, ranked from worst to first.

Updated September 15th, 2020 by Hayley Mullen: With there being almost 900 Pokémon in the National Pokédex, it's safe to say that some Pokémon got left behind as the evolution train left the station. The thing fans hate to see most is wasted potential, and the potential for these Pokémon to be amazing is high, if only they were able to evolve, become stronger, and expand upon their original concept and ideas. We've added some more Pokémon we feel deserve evolutions in future Pokémon games.

15 Cramorant

Cramorant was recently introduced in Pokémon Sword and Shield and is the Psyduck of the Galar region. The only difference is that Cramorant doesn't belong to any sort of evolutionary line at all. Considering it already looks like an adult Pokémon, it'd be neat to see it get a previous form.

It doesn't need to be a baby Pokémon specifically, but a smaller and cuter blue bird could flesh out Cramorant on many different levels. Hopefully, it doesn't have to wait as long as Farfetch'd did to get an evolution in the Galar region.

14 Dedenne

Dedenne will be the first, but not last, Pikachu clone that GameFreak tried to use to recapture the magic of the first generation's electric rodent. It's so similar in the fact that most people, even diehard Pokémon fans, have a hard time remembering that Dedenne exists.

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Giving this mouse an evolution would not only bring new life into the idea of capturing and befriending one, but it can also help differentiate it from Pikachu. If you have it evolve into something cool or desirable it could finally carve a path of its own and not feel like a redundant clone of the franchise's mascot.

13 Komala

Pokémon that are already adult-like in design like Cramorant is, are understandable when it comes to not having any evolutions, but when you see small adorable critters that have no future, that's when it's disappointing. Komala is a cute koala-inspired Pokémon that's normal-type and isn't known to evolve into or from any other Pokémon. If the franchise ever introduces a new region influenced and based on Australia and New Zealand they better make giving Komala an evolution their top priority.

12 Pyukumuku

Dark pink and black is a really solid color scheme that is sadly the best part of the Alolan sea cucumber Pokémon known as Pyukumuku. The little thing is simply a water-type with a neat design for what it's based on and unfortunately, it can't evolve into anything currently.

As previously stated, its color scheme is unique and eye-catching and would likely help its evolution pop off the screen. It would be neat if the nubs on its head turned into legs, wings, or something else entirely whenever they decide to give it an evolution.

Falinks is the second Galar native Pokémon on this list and arguably the most interesting candidate for an evolution. Like Magneton, it's a Pokémon that's comprised of numerous individual creatures that come together to fight as one.

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They each are little stubby soldiers with shields and together they form a cool looking centipede of sorts. It would be neat to see these tiny foot soldiers evolve into a large cavalry and form into a larger more intimidating snake or millipede-like creature.

10 Qwilfish

If you were to ask kids what some of the coolest animals are, you'd likely hear pufferfish mentioned quite a bit. They happen to be one of the most perplexing and interesting creatures alive. That's what makes the Pokémon Qwilfish so disappointing, considering it's the only Pokémon based on a pufferfish. An evolution could lean into the expanded form of a pufferfish and make it a round balloon-type Pokémon and its secondary poison-typing could have an influence on the look and color of the barbs all over its body.

9 Plusle/Minun

Plusle and Minun are rather forgettable Pokémon that fell into the camp of creatures designed solely to try and recapture the magic of Pikachu which has happened in almost every generation since Pikachu in Pokémon Red and Blue. These little electric rodents carry positive and negative charges, which is a unique concept, but both Pokémon go uncaptured because their entire existence is redundant. Providing them with secondary forms that play on the idea of them being differently charged could be a neat thing to accomplish.

8 Stunfisk

Stunfisk is a hideous Pokémon that looks like a fish but is ground/electric dual-typed. When the Galar region was recently introduced fans' ears perked up because Stunfisk received a Galarian form that changed it into a dual-typing of ground and steel and recolored it completely.

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Unfortunately, this new form wasn't met with a region-specific evolution, so the weird non-fish fish Pokémon is still left waiting out in the rain. Making the Trap Pokémon look like a bear trap was a neat new design detail, though.

7 Delibird

Delibird is a Generation II Pokémon most well-known as the "Santa Claus" Pokémon, though its official title is the "Delivery Pokémon." Though Pokémon doesn't delve into real-world religions, Delibird has acted as a stand-in for Winter holiday celebrations, with it being Ice-type and having a move called Present.

Delibird could have been more than just that, though. Because of its appearance and the bag it carries around, an evolution that embodies a stork would be quite fitting and possibly rather powerful, too. Conversely, it could lean further into its seasonal themes and become a large and jolly bird of the Winter.

6 Chatot

Chatot is simply a Pokémon who deserved better. A musical-themed bird who could repeat what players said was a novelty that could have evolved into so much more, but sadly Chatot has remained a novelty to this day. The possibilities are truly innovative, though. Some fans have imagined Chatot having two branching evolutions for the bird, one resembling a musical treble clef and one resembling a bass clef.

There are many strong bird and Flying-type Pokémon in the series, and Chatot's evolution could have been among the likes of Staraptor, Braviary, and even the legendary trio of Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. Instead, we have a small copycat who will forever be remembered as the Pokémon who got banned from Wi-fi battles in Generation V due to its move Chatter.

5 Maractus

To be fair, an existing evolutionary line of Cacti already exists in Cacnea and Cacturne, but Maractus provides the unique trait of being a beautiful flowering cacti. It's almost criminal not to allow those flowers to bloom further by giving Maractus a fitting evolution, as most Grass-types have.

Having the ability to evolve would allow it to compete for a spot on players' teams, as Maractus is often passed over for other Pokémon that can use Spikes. Players could finally have a tall and blossoming cactus that would join the ranks of "magical girl"-esque Grass-type Pokémon such as Roserade, Lilligant, and Florges. It's really what Maractus deserves.

4 Eiscue

More than one Sword & Shield player will agree that although cute in its own way, Eiscue is rather disappointing. There is something to be said for risk-taking in the creative process, but Eiscue is not it. It could be improved upon, however, with an evolution that makes Eiscue's gimmick work.

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By giving Eiscue a stronger and more appealing evolution, it would be a great way of testing and rewarding players' dedication to Pokémon that are unconventional and less popular. It would be interesting to see how Eiscue's unique ability Ice Face would function with an evolved form and potentially more intricate design.

3 Dunsparce

Dunsparce happens to be one of the very few Pokémon that landed the disappointment trifecta. Not only does it not have an evolutionary line, but it is also normal-type on top of being kind of ugly. This gives trainers three different reasons to ditch this thing the moment they come across it in the wild. The worst part is that encountering this thing is kind of rare, but due to its overall lack of potential or interest, the rarity of it goes unnoticed. It's about time Dunsparce received some love in almost any capacity.

2 Marshadow

Many players would acknowledge that Marshadow is overlooked (though most shadows are), most likely due to its lack of availability and lack of purpose in the Generation VII games. This dual Fighting/Ghost-type Pokémon legendary is unique, sure... but with the Pokémon franchise being 8 Generations deep, simply "unique" is not enough to capture hearts anymore. This small mystery of a creature was introduced as an event-only Pokémon late in Generation VII's history and is the last entry in the Alolan Pokédex.

Giving a legendary an evolution isn't unprecedented, but it would fit the theme of Alola's other evolving legendary Pokémon, as well as make Marshadow much more valuable to competitive players. It would certainly be a challenge for GameFreak to see if they could make Marshadow larger and more threatening while still keeping its cuteness factor. Not every evolution has to be more monstrous!

1 Kangaskhan

For years fans have wondered what exactly does Kangaskhan carries in its pouch. There have been theories surrounding it and have led to conclusions all over the map. Some believe that Cubone are baby versions of Kangaskhan and the skull they wear makes them evolve into Marowak. So essentially Cubone whose mothers don't die, evolve into Kangaskhan. They need to give it a pre-evolution so the baby in its pouch can be more than the center of weird internet Pokémon theories on Youtube.

NEXT: Pokémon: Every Johto Starter Evolution, Ranked