Pokémon has grown into one of the most popular franchises on the planet and the series’ evolution into anime, trading cards, and so much more hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down. The core Pokémon series has never been stronger, but there’s been a greater level of experimentation with the franchise, like the American live-action film, Detective Pikachu, and its take on the universe.
Detective Pikachu found massive success and it expertly found a way to bring some of the best and weirdest Pokémon to life. Detective Pikachu doesn’t get even close to featuring every single Pokémon, but there are some important monsters that fans would like to see show up in a sequel.
10 Scorbunny
The new Pokémon that come along in each new game are always exciting, but it often feels like there’s extra attention put into the special Pokémon that are designated to be that generation’s trio of starters. Scorbunny is the Fire-Type representation from Pokémon’s latest Sword and Shield entries and it’s gained a strong following in both the video games and anime. It makes sense that Detective Pikachu primarily features Pokémon from the earlier generations of the games, but a sequel should be willing to mix in some of the more modern bunch and Scorbunny has earned a shot.
9 Rockruff
Rockruff is one of the newer Pokémon to come around and he’s an addition that came along in Generation VII’s Alola region. Rockruff isn’t an incredibly powerful or rare Pokémon, but its design makes it look like an adorable dog. Part of the fun in a movie like Detective Pikachu is to make some of the more impossible Pokémon a reality, but it’s also satisfying to see cute creatures like Rockruff come to life. A Pokémon dog park full of smaller Pokémon would make for a delightful aside.
8 Raichu
Pikachu is a Pokémon that’s largely become synonymous with the franchise as a whole and it’s not surprising that it’s the centerpiece of Detective Pikachu. The film does a strong job to establish Pikachu to the audience that it’d be satisfying to see the next movie experiment around with Pikachu’s other evolutionary forms.
Raichu is an Electric-Type Pokémon that can get overlooked, so it’d be nice to give it a spotlight in live-action. A Raichu could even be treated as a new character’s Pokémon companion and treat it as a counterpoint to what it did previously with Pikachu.
7 Gengar
Ghost-Type Pokémon are some of the more unusual and mysterious Pokémon and it’s been fascinating to see how there are now more and even spookier creations with each new game. Gengar is arguably the most famous Ghost-Type Pokémon and he’s been around since the very first game. He also has an appearance that could be terrifying, but could also come across as cute with the right work. Detective Pikachu strayed from featuring Ghost-Type Pokémon and the complications associated with them, but if any Ghost-Type deserves a shot it’s Gengar. It’s a good area for a Detective Pikachu sequel to explore.
6 Meowth
Meowth is quite the interesting Pokémon because it’s often seen as a villain, due to its association with Team Rocket in the Pokémon anime series. Meowth also stands out because the anime makes him one of the very few Pokémon that’s able to talk. Meowth has a simple design for a live-action look, but to play with its ability of speech could also lead to some entertaining sequences. The new Galar version of Meowth has also become very popular and it’s charming in a totally different way. Either of these Meowth would be appreciated in a Detective Pikachu sequel.
5 Dragonite
Detective Pikachu does a pretty good job at showing off most of the original 150 Pokémon from the first games. Dragonite is an obvious exception and even though there have been more powerful Dragon-Type Pokémon over the years, Dragonite still stands out because of its stereotypical appearance.
For this reason, it’d be a lot of fun to bring Dragonite into the world of Detective Pikachu. It’d have to be a gigantic seize that verges on Kaiju status, but there are ways that the film could handle a Pokémon of this stature.
4 Ho-Oh
Legendary Pokémon comprise some of the most powerful and interesting creatures from the series. Each new title introduces a new breed of Legendary Pokémon, but they’re still a rare group that causes a lot of excitement. Detective Pikachu heavily involves Mewtwo in its story, but it’s otherwise light on the use of Legendary Pokémon. Generation II’s Ho-Oh and Lugia are both fine choices for the next Detective Pikachu to visit. Bird Pokémon wouldn’t be hard to convey, and the spectacle of Ho-Oh’s look would be amazing to see outside of video games and anime.
3 Mimikyu
There are so many Pokémon that exist at this point that it’s not a colossal waste if certain creatures feel more like jokes or ambitious risks than something that’s actually practical. Mimikyu is a “Disguise Pokémon” from Sun and Moon that looks like a child’s poor sketch of a Pikachu. It’s a deceptive creature that takes some of its cues from Ditto, which did happen to get a showcase in the first Detective Pikachu. The shocking use of a Mimikyu would be even more entertaining.
2 Pichu
The Pokémon franchise understands that Pikachu is its secret weapon and so the games have slowly introduced other evolutionary forms and variants on the classic creature. Many of these new Pokémon are adorable, but Pichu was the first to come along and deserves the most credit. It’s one of the more endearing Baby Pokémon and there are a lot of ways that Pichu could be worked into the Detective Pikachu fold, even if it’s just through another Pikachu feeling like they’ve aged a lot in their years.
1 Mew
The first generation of Pokémon games regarded Mewtwo as the ultimate Pokémon and it’s why it’s been prominently featured in not just Detective Pikachu, but also the Pokémon anime’s first feature film. Mew is a more mythical Pokémon that’s often treated like the gentler counterpart to the aggressive Mewtwo. It’s understandable that Detective Pikachu doesn’t try to throw too much at the audience and holds back on Mew, but it definitely feels like a Pokémon that will be around for the next outing, especially if Mewtwo isn’t completely eliminated.