The first generation of Pokémon started it all. The games became a worldwide phenomenon and every kid in the 90s was playing it. It has been over twenty years since the original Red and Blue arrived and the Pokémon we can capture and raise still stand out through the test of time. The games sold millions of copies and Pokémania arrived. They might be outdated graphically and gameplay wise, but along with the anime, it was an amazing time to be a Pokémon fan.

As much as we like to think back on our nostalgia and remember the good old days with the first 151 Pokémon, not all of them were spectacular when you compare some of them to the later generations. To the first generation’s credit, the designs were mostly simple, but that won’t stop Genwunners from saying that they are superior to the new Pokémon. While there are some Pokémon that do not hold up in the current generation, a lot of them still managed to be relevant and awesome in battle.

The Pokémon that are considered inferior is due to their design and usefulness in battle, and the same goes for the ones that are still incredible. The first generation definitely brought us some amazing Pokémon that we still love after all these years, but not all of them are to be looked at with rose-colored glasses. Here are ten Pokémon from the first generation that should be forgotten and ten that still hold up today.

20 Bad: Very Crabby

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Starting off the list is Kingler, the Pincer Pokémon. As Water-types go, Kingler is bulky on the physical side, but its special defense is abysmal.

With more Water-type Pokémon arriving years later, Kingler has become one of the most forgettable ones in the Pokédex.

It has a signature move called Crabhammer, but even then, more Pokémon would be able to get that move and perform it so much better, such as Crawdaunt from the third generation. Its design is also generic, looking like a giant, but simple crab. Ash may have had one in the anime, but who remembers him using Kingler in battle?

19 Good: Ferocious Beast

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Even if Gyarados does not really fit the Flying-type due to the limited moves its type can learn, there is no denying how awesome this terrifying Pokémon still is after all these years. In the classic games, having Gyarados with Hyper Beam is one of the most dangerous Pokémon you would encounter in-game.

After all, Lance has one and it is one of his well-known Pokémon.

Gyarados would later become relevant again in the sixth generation with the introduction to Mega Evolutions. Gyarados would gain the Dark-type and get Mold Breaker as its ability. It also holds up in fans’ memories due to being an obtainable shiny in the second generation games and its remakes.

18 Bad: Digging To Nowhere

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Dugtrio is a strange Pokémon, to say the least. It evolves from Diglett, but how did it go from one mole to three moles? It might have the highest speed out of the Ground-type Pokémon, but that is all it has going for it in battle. It also can learn Dig naturally to help get out of caves, but then you would immediately put it in the PC and not use it again. There are better Ground-type Pokémon to use from the first generation and onward who can take care of its type advantages. At least it gained some fabulous hair in its Alolan form.

17 Good: Quite Legendary

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Arcanine in Red, Blue, and Yellow is always a reliable choice for a Fire-type unless you start off with Charmander. Those that didn’t were in for a real treat for how fantastic Arcanine is in battle. There is a saying that can describe Arcanine, and it is that it has aged like a fine wine.

There are many ways you can set up your own Arcanine.

It can either be a physical attacker or special attacker. If you go with the former, having the ability Justified from the fifth generation and onward would make it a monster if it gets hit with a Dark-type move. Plus, it’s a huge dog, and who doesn’t love dogs?

16 Bad: Overall Useless

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If we’re being serious here, who recalls a Pokémon like Parasect? Since it is a Bug-type Pokémon, almost all of them are incredibly forgettable except for Scyther and Pinsir. Plus, do you want to deal with a Pokémon that has a four times the weakness to Fire and Flying? It also has pitifully low speed, so it is not a good choice when you are hoping to attack first.

If you catch Parasect in the wild, then you better hope that it will have a Tiny Mushroom or Big Mushroom so it can be sold for money. If it is not holding anything, then use it for Pokédex filler.

15 Good: Dangerous Powerhouse

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Gengar might be a strange choice for this list, but it managed to become strong despite its limitations in battle since it is more of a special attacker. Its duo typing of Poison and Ghost were physical moves yet its special attack makes Gengar a great choice for coverage. Thankfully, once the physical-special split arrived in the fourth generation, Gengar became a powerful Pokémon.

Its Mega Evolution made Gengar too good.

The fact that it has Shadow Tag makes Gengar an instant winner with its insanely high speed and special attack. It' no wonder why it is in Uber according to Smogon!

14 Bad: Just A Simple Bird

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Remember that we mentioned how simple the first generation Pokémon are design-wise? Fearow is a perfect example of that. Unlike Pidgeot who has some potential (and rightfully so when it gained a Mega Evolution), Fearow is just there. Someone who is not a Pokémon fan can look at this and think that it is just a giant bird and nothing more.

Like any other bird, Fearow is fast, but it does not have the bulk or strength to help back it up. For the first generation of Flying-type Pokémon, Fearow is easily the most forgettable and should be that way for the rest of Pokémon’s lifespan.

13 Good: Beautiful Power

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Ninetales is a unique Fire-type Pokémon. It can be regarded as a counterpart to Arcanine, which is convenient since its pre-evolution Vulpix is exclusive to Blue while Arcanine’s pre-evolution Growlithe is in Red. It can act best as a special wall for setting up status conditions with moves like Will-O-Wisp or Confuse Ray.

When the Alolan forms were introduced in Sun and Moon, Ninetales would lose its Fire-typing in exchange for Ice and Fairy. The Alolan form is good, if not better than its regular form. And of course, it is one of the most beautifully designed Pokémon to be conceived.

12 Bad: Just Too Silly

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Remember when Jessie used to own a Lickitung? Even though she did it on accident, trading it off for a Wobbufett saved us from the insanity that could have been. It might be a funny inclusion to the Pokémon Stadium minigame Sushi-Go-Round, but the idea behind Lickitung is overall silly.

And then it gained an evolution in the fourth generation.

Having a Pokémon being centered around licking anything in its sight is pretty gross and disturbing. It is crazy how out of all of the original ideas Game Freak had for what to include in the first games, Lickitung ended up in the first 151.

11 Good: Taking Back The Crown

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To be king, you got to stay relevant and strong, and Nidoking manages to do that for over twenty years since his debut in the first generation. Back in the day, Sludge Bomb and Earthquake were both of Nidoking’s best STAB moves. When the former move became a special attack, Nidoking could easily patch that up with Poison Jab.

Giving Nidoking the ability Sheer Force will leave his trainer in flying colors. In exchange for removing secondary effects, Nidoking’s moves will get a bit more powerful. Crazy how that this Pokemon is still the king despite having competition for many years.

10 Bad: Inferior Bug

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If a Pokémon has the Bug-typing in the first generation, then they are doomed to be one of the worst battlers in the game. With the only offensive moves being Leech Life, Twineedle, and Pin Missile, they make Pokémon like Venomoth unfortunately useless.

There are more bad characteristics than good for this moth-like creature.

With its duo typing being based around physical moves until the fourth generation, all of Venomoth’s STAB moves hit as hard as a wet noodle. Not to mention, with better Bug and Poison-type Pokémon appearing later on, Venomoth will never be able to live up to anyone’s expectations.

9 Good: Got The Quick Feet

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Whenever an Eeveelution is introduced in a new generation, fans will go crazy at how cute it is. Jolteon is more fierce than cute, but that is what makes it one of the best Pokémon from the first generation, along with one of the best Eeveelutions. It is insanely fast and has fantastic special attacks.

It can also be invulnerable to its own typing with the ability Volt Absorb. If you want to go for more speed, then Quick Feet is another great ability. If it manages to paralyze its opponent with an Electric-type move, then it will be a cakewalk for Jolteon, unless it is up against a Ground-type Pokémon.

8 Bad: The Pokémon Of Many Weaknesses

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There is a trend going on with some of the first generation Pokémon. They make a return in Sun and Moon appearing in Alolan forms. Most of them are amazing and bring back great memories while some just make us question, “Why?”

Say hello to Golem.

Replacing its typing from Ground to Electric does not help its weaknesses. Plus, you have to evolve it from Graveler which requires trading, which is an annoying way of evolving Pokémon. Perhaps Game Freak is trying to make Golem relevant today, but it didn’t work. This Pokémon can get blown away by its many weaknesses such as Water and Grass-type moves.

7 Good: All-Around Awesome

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You just know that one of the original starters have to appear on this list, so here is Blastoise. Starting off as the lovable and cool Squirtle, evolving into Wartortle and then Blastoise is one of the most epic moments when playing through the classic games. This tough tortoise is balanced and strong to take out its type advantages.

Its Mega Evolution is not half bad either. Mega Blastoise can utilize moves like Water Pulse, Aura Sphere, and Dragon Pulse thanks to the ability Mega Launcher. It might be a bit slow, but who needs speed when you can have an amazing starter with amazing stats and move pool?

6 Bad: What A Nice Stick

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Farfetch’d does a great job in not only being forgettable, but also being useless, as it has nothing worthwhile to keep in your party - except if you lack a flying Pokémon. Judging by its name, it’s hard to convince people that this bird is a good Pokémon. Its stats are just the worst, but that is to be expected with some Pokémon that do not evolve.

It has a unique item, simply called Stick, which boosts Farfetch’d’s critical hit ratio, but its attack does not help it in the slightest. How many people are you going to see with a Farfetch’d in their party?

5 Good: Reliable And Bulky

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Here’s another Eeveelution on this list! Vaporeon has remained useful and improved greatly thanks to its high HP and decent special attack. The third generation gave it the ability Water Absorb, which makes it invincible and gains health instead of dealing damage.

Vaporeon can work out perfectly as a healer and damage dealer.

Whether you want your Vaporeon to be a Wish/Baton Pass support Pokémon or go for status condition moves such as Toxic or Scald, this adorable creature can be of service in any playstyle for battle. Just like Jolteon, Vaporeon still remains one of the best Eeveelutions to date.

4 Bad: Will Leave You Sinking

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Believe it or not, Water-type Pokémon appear the most in the National Pokédex. There are a lot of variety of them, being either special attackers or physical attackers. There are some that don’t hold up well, such as Seaking.

It gets outclassed by the Water-type Pokémon from the generation it came from and more in future generations.

It might combine the words “sea” and “king,” in its name, but the name also sounds like the word “sinking.” Like a goldfish, Seaking is more simple than anything spectacular. Do yourself a favor and use better Water-type Pokémon and forget about this fish.

3 Good: Psychic Prodigy

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Alakazam is one of the coolest Pokémon in the first generation. Being a Psychic-type in the first generation means that it is essentially invincible. Not even Gengar can compete since it, unfortunately, has weak Ghost-type moves back in the day. Despite having a weakness, Alakazam still has the effort to be one of your most powerful Pokémon after all these years. While its Mega Evolution is hit or miss, its normal form is still one of the best Pokémon. It might have gained some competition, but fans know that it still has its use in competitive battling and being outstanding.

2 Bad: Nothing But Slime

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Muk, along with its pre-evolution Grimer, are contenders for the least original designs in all of Pokémon. Genwunners beg to differ, but for what they are based on, you will immediately feel revolted and grossed out.

Its Alolan form isn’t doing any favors either.

Muk can easily be taken out by Psychic or Ground-type moves and again, the design is not outstanding in the slightest. Out of any of the Pokémon that should be forgotten by everyone in the first generation, Muk is easily the perfect choice. Other than its inclusion to Sun and Moon, there is nothing significant about this sludgy Pokémon.

1 Good: Underrated Gem

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Poor Bulbasaur, it is overlooked by fans who would rather go with Charmander or Squirtle, but its final evolved form Venusaur shows that it has awesome potential. It has a lot of bulk on both physical and special moves, and it can use moves on both sides too.

Thanks to its Mega Evolution, Venusaur became so much better.

Gaining the ability Thick Fat helps get rid of its Fire and Ice-type weaknesses while also getting more bulk to help tank hits like a boss. Out of all the three starters that gained Mega Evolutions, Venusaur easily has the best for competitive battling.