As Pokemon fans grow older and reminisce about the older days of the franchise, the Kanto region and the first generation of Pokemon is often the main and only focus of the conversation. Though Pokemon Red and Blue are widely beloved, Pokemon Gold and Silver are the go-to favorites of an entire generation of kids.

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The games took place in the Johto region and were home to new baby Pokemon, the legendary Lugia and many other intriguing new beasts besides. Let's take a look at some of the all-round strongest Pokemon of Johto.

Updated January 1st, 2021 by Tanner Kinney: Johto Pokemon are often seen as just an extension of the Kanto Pokedex. Their designs are certainly in-line with each other, and a lot of the beta designs players discovered seem to be directly connected to Kanto Pokemon. However, while this may make them forgettable, their strengths absolutely should not be forgotten. Some Johto Pokemon can absolutely clean house with ease, while others are just Meganium (despite how wonderful it is). This list celebrates the ones who still terrorize competitive games.

15 Houndoom

Pokemon Anime Houndoom with Mega Stone Equipped

Houndoom has never been an awful Pokemon but usually doesn't crack the RU tier. That is, aside from its Mega Evolution, which absolutely has its uses and is a serious threat in the right situations. With Mega Evolution off the table, Houndoom is back to just being a regular old dog without a green card into Galar.

Houndoom doesn't have incredible abilities, but it does have a good statline. It boasts high special attack, speed, and attack, giving it a great offensive presence. Nasty Plot also allows it to really scale up and rip teams apart. This hound can spell doom for an unsuspecting team.

14 Donphan

Pokemon Anime Donphan and Ethan

Donphan is also waiting patiently for its green card, like Houndoom, but once had a solid niche. Donphan is truly a tank, taking hits and dealing out massive damage with ease. It isn't very fast and doesn't like getting hosed with a Hydro Pump, but Donphan is great at what it does.

Donphan serves a great role in a team by being a supportive Rapid Spin Pokemon that can actually threaten sweepers and other bulky opponents. Earthquake is enough to deal damage to most things, Ice Shard gives Donphan a priority, and Knock Off gives it a way to great stalls. Donphan is a great friend and a serious threat in competitive battles.

13 Quagsire

Several Quagsire in the Bushes, in the Pokemon anime.

Quagsire is a deceptively strong Pokemon. It has a dopey look to it, with its unaware stare and big goofy smile. It has a pretty mediocre statline as well. However, Quagsire's ability, typing, and movepool allow it to be one heck of a strong wall.

Quagsire is a great kind of wall that only needs two attacking moves to be useful. Scald and Earthquake give it nice coverage for most Pokemon it'll have to wall. Being able to status with Toxic and heal with Recover helps as well. Quagsire may look a bit empty-headed, but a good strategy will enable it to succeed.

12 Heracross

Pokemon Anime Ash Heracross

Heracross had a pretty great Mega Evolution that unfortunately is no longer an option. However, Heracross is still capable of bringing the pain as it always has. Sure, it has a poor defensive typing, but that doesn't mean it won't wreck things on an offensive front.

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Moxie is a pretty solid ability for any Pokemon to have, especially a physical attacker like Heracross. Megahorn is an incredible option, and strong Fighting-type moves work as well. There are plenty of offensive options for Heracross, so it has a lot to pivot with. Heracross may be a single-stage Pokemon, but it's worthy of the spotlight.

11 Azumarill

Pokemon Anime Azumarill Happy and Angry

Azumarill, Marill's egg-like evolution, was always a bit of a sleeper threat. It looks to have the stats like any other bulky Water-type, but its secret comes in the ability Huge Power. This ability, plus a Choice Band, give Azumarill a base power of 150. Combine that with a Belly Drum and priority Aqua Jet, and Azumarill has no fear.

Things got even better with the addition of the fairy-typing, which gave Azumarill more STAB options and somewhat better typing. It's a Pokemon designed to inflict big damage, and that should be respected. Always remember to bring an answer to Azumarill.

10 Typhlosion

Typhlosion managed to do the impossible by giving fans of Charizard another really cool third evolution of the Fire-type starting Pokemon. It followed the simple formula of having a base in Cyndaquil that was cute and adorable, then evolving into an awkward middle form, then forming into a cool and intimidating final evolution.

Typhlosion is a Fire-type that may not hold its heart on its sleeve, but it definitely holds its power on its collar. It may not be the Fire-type starter brought up most often, but at least it's not Fire/Fighting-type, right? It's most often seen firing off Choice Scarf Eruptions, which can be darn powerful.

9 Skarmory

skarmory flying in sky

Skarmory is the Flying/Steel Pokemon you run into a fair amount during your journey through the Johto region. It may not be very strong in the conventional sense, but every Pokémon player has come up against this formidable physical wall countless times. It's just so dang good at what it does.

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Skarmory is a challenge that can sometimes get on the trainer's nerves, due to how sturdy it is in battle. Even when it faces competition from Galar's steel bird, Skarmory is still causing problems and holding its own against the best of the best.

8 Mamoswine

Though Mamoswine wasn't introduced until the 4th generation of Pokemon games, its base evolutions of Swinub and Piloswine are both native to the Johto region. Mamoswine is a very powerful Ice/Ground Pokémon.

While it has some unfortunate weaknesses, it also boasts one of the best STAB combinations in the game. A well-played Mamoswine will punch all kinds of holes in the opposing team.

7 Feraligatr

Feraligatr is often considered the most beloved starter in the Johto region and flips the dynamic of Charizard and Blastoise in the Kanto region in favor of Water-types. Its base evolution of Totodile happens to be one of the cutest starters in existence, whereas Feraligatr is all business and is looking to win.

With great assets like Dragon Dance and the Sheer Force ability, this blue powerhouse will claw its way to victory given the chance.

6 Umbreon & Espeon

The most mysterious of Eevee's line of evolutions, Umbreon comes in at #6. The Dark-type sultry small mammalian is a fan-favorite, boasting great defenses and a neat supporting movepool.

Espeon, meanwhile, is also strong. A speedy Psychic-type sweeper, it lacks quite a lot in the movepool sense but can easily finish off weakened teams once its checks are gone. More recently, it was given the ability Magic Bounce, which is also fantastic.

5 Scizor

Scyther is considered one of the coolest Pokemon in the Kanto region, so it's no surprise that by giving it a metal exoskeleton and watching it evolve you're left with another great design that also happens to be very strong.

Scizor can make the most of both its Bug and steel-typing. This combination of types is one of the best in the game from a defensive standpoint, weak only to Fire. When on the offense, Scizor struggled until it was given Bullet Punch, which is super strong thanks to its Technician ability.

4 Legendary Beasts - Entei, Suicune, Raikou

Like the 3 Legendary birds of the Kanto region, the Johto region is home to three majestic and beautiful 'dogs' known as Entei, Suicune, and Raikou. Unlike the birds' combination of Ice, Electric, and Fire-types, the Gold and Silver Legendary trio are Water, Electric, and Fire-types respectively.

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Entei is the most well-known of the 3 as an entire Pokemon movie centers around him. Suicune is considered the most viable competitively, for its great utility as a defensive Pokémon/bulky booster, but its fellows have their niches too.

3 Tyranitar

In the world of Pokemon, the powerful class of creatures known loosely as pseudo-legendaries have always been super popular. These are Pokémon that often land in each generation's Pokédex near the end of the list, right before you hit the Legendaries for that region. They have a base stat total that tends to far outweigh most of their non-legendary fellows, so they're real mainstays for competitive teams.

Tyranitar is the pseudo-legendary for the Johto region and happens to be one of the coolest looking designs in the entire franchise. It's a powerful Dark/Rock Pokemon that has been causing havoc in the competitive scene for generations now. It's hard not to love a Godzilla-inspired dinosaur Pokémon.

2 Ho-Oh

The 'Guardian of the Skies', most commonly known as Ho-Oh, is a Legendary Pokemon that often gets forgotten in favor of Lugia. This is due in large part to Lugia being the star of Pokémon: The Movie 2000.

Ho-Oh is a Fire/Flying-type that traverses the air high above the Earth. Though it calls Johto home, there are rumors that Ho-Oh was meant to be introduced in the Kanto region. The first episode of the Pokémon anime showed Ash Ketchum catching a glimpse of the legendary bird shortly after leaving Pallet Town on his way to start his journey. It has great Special Defense and Attack stats, allowing trainers to shoot for a defensive/offensive build depending on their preference.

1 Lugia

There are very few animated Pokémon scenes cooler to an 8-year-old than when Lugia swam right under the water's surface in Pokemon: The Movie 2000. It's a strong Psychic/Flying-type that is considered the 'Guardian of the Seas' and was introduced in the Johto region.

While it isn't the greatest offensive threat around, by a long chalk, it truly shines as a defensive Pokemon. Fans have dubbed it The Great Wall because it can just be so darn tough to break through.

Next: The 10 Weakest Johto Pokemon, Ranked