Updated by Jerrad Wyche on February 8th, 2020: With the expansion pass being announced for Pokémon Sword & Shield, fans are hoping some of the candidates below make it in.
Though Pokémon trainers across the world can't wait to get their hands on Pokémon Sword & Shield, there was a disappointing announcement made by GameFreak concerning the upcoming games.
The National Pokédex for the Galar region was said to be limited and wouldn't include a good number of pokémon from fan favorites to forgotten misfits. This has upset trainers as some of their lifelong buddies won't be usable in the newest Pokémon adventure. Let's now look at the 10 most disappointing pokémon missing from the Galar Pokédex. The recent announcement of the Expansion Pass DLC brings with it the addition of over 200 pokémon into the Galar region. It's unclear which missing creatures are being added as a list of each of the new additions hasn't been provided yet. Here's hoping some of the pokémon listed below make their way into the Galar region via the Isle of Armor or Crown Tundra expansion areas being added to the game in 2020.
16 Luxray
You may be thinking to yourself about why on Earth is Luxray on this list. Well, the answer to that would be that the English and those in the United Kingdom love dogs just as much as Americans do. Luxray happens to be one of the cooler dog related designs in pokémon and electric types can also help power the smaller villages and towns throughout a European inspired landscape like the Galar region. At the end of the day, the world can also use more dogs and preventing people from owning whatever canine they like is pretty disheartening.
15 Aggron
Both the United Kingdom as a whole, and more specifically England, have strong ties to dinosaurs and the discovery of their fossils. That's why it's disappointing that the Galar region doesn't have every dinosaur-related pokémon in its national PokéDex. Aggron is one of those dinosaur-inspired pokémon that didn't make the cut and it's a real shame. The steel and rock-type bipedal triceratops is a force of nature in battle and in many ways looks like a living walking tank. With the Isle of Armor being one of the expansions, here's hoping an armored mammoth gets redemption.
14 Absol
Absol is one of those pokémon, that despite not having an evolutionary line or distinct look, has become a cult favorite among fans. Many of those same fans were hoping that Absol would receive a regional variant in the Galar region as it seemed like the perfect candidate. Fans want these regional variants to be based on pokémon that deserve a second life, but it seems like that's not the primary reason the Pokémon Company chooses who it does. At the end of the day, Absol deserves a second chance and its unclear if it will ever get that opportunity.
13 Torterra
By now anyone who's seen Detective Pikachu is familiar with Torterra. The giant turtle with a living ecosystem on its shell, and a fan-favorite grass-type starter was featured in the film and viewers understood how cool giant versions of them could be. When a creature can have other smaller animals live on it in some way that's always a neat visual. Unfortunately, it didn't make the cut for the Galar region which is a shame. It might be likely due to them wanting the focus to be on the new turtle pokémon Drednaw, as both Torterra and Blastoise got the shaft.
12 Tyrantrum
For a game that has a region heavily influenced by England and the United Kingdom, it's a shame that every royally inspired pokémon didn't make the cut. Tyrantrum is a dragon and rock dual-type from the 6th generation of games that's the king of all dinosaur pokémon. It sports a nice regal white collar and the horn decorations on its head resemble that of a crown. This monstrous beast embodies the very personality of a monarch and would fit right at home in the Galar region. It's easily one of the biggest snubs out there.
11 Garchomp
The Galar region is surrounded by water so it's disappointing that one of Pokémon's most ferocious water-types won't be making the cut.
Garchomp is an intimidating shark-based pokémon that portrays the fighting spirit of the diehard soccer fans that populate the real-world location the Galar region was based on, the United Kingdom. Despite Garchomp not making the cut, the Galar region will still have some fierce-looking creatures in both Drednaw and Corviknight.
10 Scizor
If you were to look up the word cool in the dictionary chances are you'd see a picture of Scizor. For those unfamiliar Scizor is the evolution of Scyther, also not in the Galar Pokédex, and is obtained by trading a Scyther holding a metal coat.
Both Scyther and Scizor happen to feature cool designs that mix the best part of insects and dragons. England and the United Kingdom as a whole have a storied history with stories of dragons and also happen to deal with annoying bugs. Why weren't Scizor or Scyther prioritized?
9 Heracross
Heracross is a beloved pokémon from the Johto region that trainers have loved for years despite GameFreak showing the Hercules Beetle pokémon any love whatsoever.
Fans were hoping that Heracross would receive either a new evolution or a Galar region variant form with the announcement of Pokémon Sword & Shield but now that the full Pokédex has leaked, the dream of some Heracross love died alongside it. Heracross is the perfect example of the untouched potential in the Pokémon world.
8 Metagross
When making a list of the biggest absences in the Galar National Pokédex, most people might not have Metagross come to mind. The big steel and psychic-type powerhouse is a force to be reckoned with and happens to feel right at home wandering the lands of the Galar region.
It's hard to argue that a pokémon with four brains isn't worth it to include in a new game and sadly this is once again a case of a cool pokémon being left out since it's not one of the poster children for the franchise.
7 Mewtwo
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Mewtwo is to Pokémon as what apple pie is to American traditions. The first set of games culminate in an opportunity for brave trainers to go one-on-one with the lab experiment in hopes of capturing it.
Unlike Mew, players can catch Mewtwo fair and square and weren't limited to hacks, glitches, or mall events. Every kid who watched the first Pokémon movie understood Mewtwo's pain and thought of it as one of the coolest pokémon to ever exist. Mewtwo isn't welcome in the Galar region.
5 Dragonite
Is Dragonite a necessary addition to the Galar region? Well, the answer to that is obviously no. The real issue is that Dragonite is a pokémon most longtime trainers have grown accustomed to being by their side and its evolutionary line is so surprising that there's a case to be made it makes Pokémon games better.
It shows new trainers that sometimes the payoff is worth it while at the same time communicating that working towards evolving your pokémon can reward you with unexpected transformations.
4 All Alolan Starters
Finding out that the starters from the Alola region wouldn't be available in Pokémon Sword & Shield was one of the most puzzling revelations as they were just featured in the latest set of games.
Not including the starters from the previous generation seems like an obvious oversight. Why wouldn't you want the players who love your series to be able to use their pokémon from the last game they played? The previous generation should always take precedence when deciding which pokémon to cut from the National Pokédex.
3 Bulbasaur
Bulbasaur is often considering the least desired starter pokémon from the Kanto region, but one quick call to action on the internet will show you that the little grass-type frog is loved by many people.
GameFreak decided that it would be best to include Charmander and his evolutions but leave out the other 2 Kanto region starters. This is disappointed since it's meant to appeal to fans of the first generation of games, but more specifically to all of those people who chose Charmander.
2 Squirtle
When it comes to merchandising and popularity it's safe to say that Squirtle comes in near the top of the list when looking at the entire roster of pokémon in existence.
Most fans would have come to terms with Bulbasaur being left out as it's often the brunt of numerous jokes, but once it came to light that Squirtle and its evolutions also didn't make the cut in the Galar region, that came like a thorn in trainer's sides. They should have either included all 3 or simply left them out.
1 All Johto Starters
On this list, it's been discussed how Charmander was included from the Kanto region, but Squirtle and Bulbasaur didn't make the cut, oddly. For the 3 starters from the Johto region that wasn't even an argument as none of them made their way into the Galar National Pokédex.
When Charmander was first revealed as the only Gen 1 starter people assumed that they may have just picked one starter from every generation, but as it turns out they simply decided to leave many of them on the front porch.