When Pokémon launched in 1996, the world went nuts. Game Boys sold like hotcakes. Schools had to ban students from bringing Pokémon trading cards because fights broke out over bad trades. And parents just wanted to figure out what was so appealing about the weird-looking yellow thing their kids said was a mouse. Pokémon fever was in full effect, and it made a lot of money and fans in its time. Then it just sort of...stopped.

Or at least that's what a lot of nostalgic '90s kids would have you believe. They moved on from Pokémon, so clearly, the rest of the world had to. Except Pokémon continued going strong, releasing on platform after platform even as other '90s icons like Banjo Kazooie and Pogs fell by the wayside. And with each new Pokémon game came a host of great new Pokémon characters. Unfortunately, the '90s kids wouldn't buy that. Hollywood and video games are full of remakes of great '80s and '90s stuff, right? So all the new Pokémon just have to be cheap copies meant to cash in on nostalgia.

In truth, the later generations of Pokémon are even better than the first. Their typing and attacks are more refined, offering deeper strategies. Their designs are more creative since things like "just a bird" and "blue turtle" were already taken. And their Pokédex entries make fan theories like Hypno's Lullaby child's play. So check your nostalgia at the door and take a gander at the real best Pokémon of all time.

25 When You're So Cool They Make You A Dragon

Electric Pokémon are really cool. They're really fast, and hit opponents with lightning bolts. They can even punch you with a fist full of literal electricity. How boss is that? Unfortunately, generation one Pokémon are not the best. Yes, there's Pikachu, but it was too rare all hidden away in the Viridian Forest. At least its spawn rate was too low for impatient ten-year-old me. Voltorb and Magnemite? Not exactly powerhouses. Electabuzz? Alright, it was cool. It could even unleash Thunder Punch. But you know what's even cooler than Eletabuzz? Ampharos! Ampharos starts off as an adorable sheep and becomes a bipedal ram that redeems the electric type. It's so amazing that Game Freak even bestowed it with the coveted form of Mega Evolution, turning it into a dragon ram with a gorgeous head of hair. So now it's got Thunder Punch, is a Dragon type, and has hair even Fabio would be jealous of.

24 The Actual Best Eeveelution

People love their Eevee. It could be the choose-your-evolution concept, but Eevee is many first-gen fans' favorite Pokémon. Eevee evolution cosplay is also the bread and butter of every group of five or more cosplay girls. The thing is, so much focus is put on Flareon, Jolteon, and Vaporeon for being the first.

Let's be real, Espeon is clearly the greatest Eevee evolution. 

It's got a solid design, appealing without being over-stylized. Alongside its equally-awesome counterpart Umbreon, it introduced the idea that Pokémon could evolve based on the time of day. The only reason it edges Umbreon out is because it remains a solid competitive battler to this day. That's due to Magic Bounce, its hidden ability. Magic Bounce makes it so that when opponents try to poison, paralyze, or otherwise change your status, it bounces back on them instead. That's a really strong power for such a tiny cat-dog-whatever thing!

23 When A Children's Toy Beats Bruce Lee

One of the debates that took place during gen one was Hitmonchan vs Hitmonlee. Part of that comes from the fact that you could only have one of them in Red and Blue. When you defeat the Blackbelt in his gym, he gives you a choice of one of the Hitmons as a reward. Naturally, this invites a "which one is better?" debate. Well, the answer actually came in gen two: Hitmontop.

Why take a kicker or a boxer when you can have a spinning capoeira master?

Also, why are the gen one Hitmons named after Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee despite having nothing to do their fighting styles? At least Hitmontop's name references how it fights. It also has one of the best fighting stances in the 3DS games. Just look at its 3D model and tell me it's not the best.

22 Take Your Dragonite And Get Out

There's this tradition in Pokémon games called the "pseudo-legendary." These are Pokémon with extraordinary stats that place them close to legendary Pokémon like Articuno or Lugia. Naturally, these powerful beats are hard to find because having an army of top-tier Pokémon would make the game too easy. Dragonite was the first pseudo-legendary, and many first-gen fans still have nightmares of Lance's Dragonite. That Hyper Beam wielding maniac ruined many a trainer's Pokémon League dreams. But after several more generations of Pokémon, Dragonite has become pretty wack. The first to overthrow it was Tyranitar, the green dinosaur of doom. As one of the first Dark types ever, and the pseudo-legendary of the second gen, Tyraintar wields power that puts Lance's orange creampuff to shame. It even got an upgrade with Mega Evolution. Sure it's quadruple weak to Fighting, but I still wouldn't pick a fight with an angry Tyranitar.

21 Grass Type's Savior

Charizard is worshipped as the pinnacle of cool first gen Pokémon and Blastoise has a smaller but just as dedicated fanbase. Bulbasaur, however, started a tradition of being the "other guy." The starter Pokémon no one but contrarians and completionists pick. This stigma has haunted the Grass-type starter for almost all of Pokémon history. Chikorita didn't fare any better, and what even is Chespin? Fortunately, the third-gen gave us Treeko. For once, the grass type was the fast one. The cool one. It gets even cooler when it evolves into Sceptile, becoming almost ninja-like with its swiftness and ability to wield a leaf like a sharp blade. Sceptile has enjoyed unprecedented popularity for a Grass starter, making it into Pokkén and getting a Mega Evolution that turns it into a Dragon type. And its pretty much a rule in Pokémon that you've made it big once you become a Dragon type.

20 So Epic It Got Its Own Tier

I wanted to make this list without including Legendary or Mythic Pokémon. After all, Legendaries are meant to be strong, and power creep is just a natural part of gaming. But Rayquaza deserves special mention because it takes the idea of power creep and burns it into tiny cinders. Rayquaza was already a unique case from the start. It introduced the idea of a top legendary Pokémon that ruled over all others in its generation.

That wasn't enough for Game Freak.

In the third gen remakes, Rayquaza gained a Mega Evolution that bumped its stats up even more. Even crazier is the fact that Rayquaza doesn't need a Mega Stone for this. It's the only Pokémon that can Mega Evolve and still hold an item, giving it the most strategic options out of any other Pokémon ever. Mega Rayquaza is so powerful that Smogon had to create a new tier just to account for it.

19 Don't Underestimate Pelistorm

Seriously, though, Pelipper seemed ridiculous when it was introduced in Ruby and Sapphire. A pelican with a comically large mouth? What a departure from the truly creative designs of gen one. Like...literally brown bird and red-winged bird. Unfortunately, Pelipper's typing didn't help its case. Its dual Flying/Electric type made it terribly susceptible to a single Thunderbolt.

So it was that Pelipper remained in the dregs of mediocrity...until gen seven happened.

With a nice buff to its defensive stats, Pelipper gained some much-needed survivability. It also gained access to the ability Drizzle, which calls down an immediate rainstorm. Rain in the Pokémon games boosts the effectiveness of water moves, giving Pelipper a natural advantage. It also makes Pelipper's Hurricane move have perfect accuracy, turning it into a legitimate powerhouse. You might have laughed at first, but take it too lightly and you will be washed away by the Pelistorm!

18 Just Look At It

Gen three is actually the only generation to have two pseudo-legendary Pokémon. It's also worth noting that the majority of pseudo-legendary Pokémon are Dragon types. Imagine Dragonite times seven, and you have an idea of what populates the list. There is Tyranitar, but even that looks somewhat dragon-esque. So meet the only non-Dragon, not even vaguely beastly member of the pseudo-legendary clan. Metagross is so powerful that it forced its way onto the list alongside the expected gen three dragon Salamence. Metagross has it all: defensive bulk, offensive power, and a Mega Evolution that pushes both of those things to new heights. It's also just got a really imposing design. But not imposing in the usual way. Instead of being a giant bird or fierce dragon, Metagross is a weirdly-alien robot. It's like the one Mecha Godzilla in a land full of Godzillas, and for that, it earns my vote.

17 Charizard Who?

Charizard gets a lot of love for being every ten-year-old's dream: my very own personal dragon. Blaziken also earned a lot of fans for being fast, strong, and most importantly a karate chicken. But let me submit this to you: what if there was a Pokémon based on Goku? What if the most powerful martial artist of all time became a Pokémon, and it was a starter that you could have with you for your entire journey? Well, that's what Infernape is. Okay, so technically it's not Goku. Infernape is based more on Sun Wukong, the Chinese legend of the Monkey King. Goku is also based on the Monkey King. It doesn't matter. The point is that Infernape is a martial arts monkey with a head full of fiery hair. And that's much cooler than any other concept for a fire starter Pokémon, dragon or no.

16 Another Goku Pokémon

Lucario is already pretty popular. It's great stats, cool Mega Evolution, and just generally solid design make it one of the best Pokémon of all time. And unlike most Pokémon post generation one, Lucario has actually gotten the attention it deserves. It's a big part of Pokkén (on the game's cover), it got its own movie, and it even replaced Mewtwo in Smash Bros for a bit. So chances are you have already accepted the awesomeness that is Lucario. But here's a fun fact you might not know.

Lucario's voice actor in the English version of Smash Bros. is the same person who voices Goku.

Which makes a lot of sense when you consider that Lucario's signature attack is basically a Kamehameha. Obviously, having Goku as a Pokémon is a lot better than Machamp or Primeape or any other first gen Fighting type.

15 Now That's A Dragon

In the entire first three generations of Pokémon, there were only three sets of Dragon-types. You had the Dragonite family and Salamence. There's also Flygon, a sleek dragonfly. Those are some great Pokémon, and definitely solid additions on anyone's team. But they're also very...basic. They're very much the lizards-with-wings type of dragon that dominates Western pop culture. And a literal dragonfly. Those are certainly must-haves when creating a world of magical creatures, but are also examples of what make later generations of Pokémon so great. All the obvious designs have already happened, and what's left is some amazingly creative stuff. Take Garchomp for example. As the signature dragon of gen 4, it's decidedly un-dragonlike. It's some kind of fighter jet/land shark. It's Mega Evolution also adds some scythes to its arms for good measure. This guy just screams ferocious, and is a big step up from dragons past.

14 Misty's Ally Gets Better

I feel like Togepi was sort of grandfathered into being on par with Pokémon in gen one. It was basically Misty's child, giving it a very strong association with a popular character from the "glory days" of Pokémon. As such, genwunners give it a pass that most gen two Pokémon are denied. But here's the thing about Togepi: it reaches its true potential in gen four. Togekiss manages to keep the appealing, cute aspect of Togepi's design while also being an offensive powerhouse. This is thanks to its Serene Grace ability that gives it a higher chance of having extra effects on its attacks. A popular strategy involves giving Togekiss the attack Air Slash so that it can perpetually make its opponent flinch in battle. It's a nasty little tactic that you wouldn't think such a happy-go-lucky Pokémon would employ.

13 Ghost Type Done Right

You love Gengar. We know. Everyone holds Ghastly, Haunter, and Gengar as the pinnacle of spooky Pokémon. But here's the childhood-destroying truth: Gengar is actually not that great in gen one. Since it has the Poison type as well as the Ghost-type, it's susceptible to the very Pokémon it's supposed to destroy. Also, the only gen one ghost move is Night Shade, which is not a strong attack. It wasn't until later gens that Gengar got hold of attacks like Shadow Ball and really did some work. Then gen five happened, and we got this spook.

Cofagrigus is what a ghost Pokémon should be.

It's literally a haunted coffin, reaching out with spectral hands to drag you to your final fate. Its Pokédex entries even tell of the terrifying things it will do to grave robbers who try to pry it open. That sounds a lot scarier than just being Clefable's shadow.

12 Bow Before Your New Eel Overlord

Electric-type Pokémon have quite an advantage in that they're only weak to one thing: the Ground type. This is wholly unique in the Pokémon world because the other types have at least two weaknesses. Not Electric types. They only have to fear the occasional Earthquake. Unless, of course, that Electric-type happens to be Eelektross. For Eelektross can do one thing most other Electric types can't. It can levitate. That's the ability Levitate, which makes the Pokémon unaffected by Ground-type moves. Which means, as you probably guessed, that Eelektross has no weaknesses. And what's better than a Pokémon with no weaknesses. Move over Pikachu, Voltorb, and Magnemite (Magnemite also has Levitate but as a Steel-type still gets burned by fire). This electric eel came to play.

11 The Pinnacle Of The Dark Type

The Dark type should be the coolest type of them all. In Japan it's known as the Evil type, so let that give you an idea of what Game Freak expects of Dark Pokémon. They should be the most fierce, the most imposing, and the ones most likely to actually rip the opponent to shreds. Unfortunately, few Dark-types really live up to that pedigree. Sneasel is more tricky than ferocious, and Murkrow is not the poster child of imposing. Houndoom gets the look right, but it lacks the battle prowess.

It wasn't until gen five that the Dark-type got the hero it deserved and needed.

As the gen five pseudo-legendary, Hydreigon combined the brutality of the Dark type with the power of the Dragon type. It enjoyed a reign of supremacy for a whole gen until Game Freak introduced the blasted Fairy type. Oh well, I still love you Hydreigon, even if you can now be one-shotted by a ribbon dog.

10 Power Ranger Pokémon? Heck Yes!

Gen five was a renaissance for Dark-type Pokémon. Hydreigon came along as the first Dark dragon. Zoroark played a story role as N's sidekick and really embodied the Dark type fighting style with its tricky Illusion ability. And Pawniard was a fairly common Dark type with some strong physical presence. It gets even better when it evolves into Bisharp. First of all, Bisharp just looks really cool. It's like a corrupted Power Ranger with blades for arms. Thankfully, its strength backs up its appearance. Bisharp has access to strong attacks like Iron Head and Night Slash, and a high attack stat to make them scary. Finally, it has Defiant as an ability, which is the perfect counter to all the Intimidate users who might try to stand in its way. With its domineering presence and overwhelming attacks, Bisharp is Dark types the way Dark types should be.

9 Seriously, Charizard Who?

You should know Greninja. It made a splash as one of Ash's best Pokémon during the X and Y seasons of the anime. Ash's bond with it was so profound that it actually unlocked a special Ash-Greninja form. Greninja also made it into Smash Bros and became a pretty popular choice until Sakurai decided to continually nerf the poor guy.

It's safe to say that Greninja has enjoyed as much fame as Charizard. Maybe even more.

The reason for that is simple: Greninja rocks. It's a strong competitive choice with swift speeds and a varied movepool thanks to its Protean ability. Its design is just as awesome, calling back to the simplicity that gen one fans love so much while also adding a little extra flair. Finally, it can make shuriken out of water which is the coolest. Basically, Greninja has everything that made first gen Pokémon so lovable, and then some.

8 ItEm PoKéMoN aRe StUpId

One of the weakest arguments genwunners make is that Pokémon based on inanimate objects are stupid. That Game Freak is obviously running out of ideas if it's making Pokémon based on chandeliers and keychains. Of course, they conveniently ignore classic Pokémon like Grimer and Voltorb. Also known as pile of goo and literally a Poké Ball.

Unbelievable Pokémon designs have existed from the beginning. 

But really, if you read the Pokédex entries and pay attention to the game's story, you'll usually learn that "item" Pokémon have a good reason for existing. Take Aegislash for example. As a floating sword, people will want to roll their eyes at first glance. But look at its typing: it's a ghost sword. The haunted weapon carrying the spirit of the soldier who once wielded it. That's a surprisingly dark backstory, and a much better use of the Ghost type than Ghastly the spooky poison cloud.

7 Mucha Lucha

The Fighting type seems to be quite the challenge when it comes to Pokémon designs. That's because, unlike fire or electricity, fighting isn't a natural thing. How do you show martial arts in their most basic form? And how do you then fuse it with a beast? Gen one elected for the most obvious choices, like with Machop's line just being actual wrestlers. Later generations did it better by being more organic. Hawlucha is a great example of this.

It's a bird! It's a luchador! It's both!

Hawlucha's colorful design and penchant for flashy moves perfectly represent the lucha libre tradition, and they also make great markings for an exotic bird. Hawlucha also took the concept further by introducing the move Flying Press, an attack that deals both Flying and Fighting-type damage. Whether in the ring or the tall grass, this Pokémon is unmatched in its uniqueness.

6 Redefining The Regional Bird

There's a tradition in the Pokémon games of the regional bird. Basically, it's a simple bird Pokémon that isn't very strong but can get players through the beginning and middle parts of the game. Pidgey is the first of these. And the ones that follow are pretty much the same thing. Normal type, Flying type, attacks with pecks and gusts of wind. It took five generations these birds before one finally came and broke the mold. That would be Talonflame. Talonflame got rid of that pesky normal type and took the Fire-type instead. This did wonders to set it apart from the basic Pidgeys that came before. Talonflame also had a high attack and Gale Wings, an ability that made any of its Flying-type moves hit first. These combined made sure that Talonflame hit harder and faster than those other common birds. Sure it was nerfed in gen seven, but it still enjoyed one generation of glory.