The Pokémon Company has revealed the 2020 Pokémon of the Year, and it’s a Generation 6 favorite.
The frog-like Water and Dark type Greninja bested 806 other Pokémon to claim the top spot. The Gen 6 starter bested popular favorites, including Charizard, Rayquaza, and Pikachu, who didn’t even make the Top 10.
The results come after a huge Google survey held by The Pokémon Company over several weeks. During that time, players could vote for their favorites from each generation before the top Pokémon clashed against each other. Overall, a wide selection of Pokémon from various generations made the Top 10. Gens 1, 2, 3, 4, and 6 each got two representatives, and Gen 7 got one. Meanwhile, only Gens 5 and 8 were left out in the cold.
Greninja made his debut in the Generation 6 games X & Y. The final evolution of the water starter, Froakie, Greninja quickly gained popularity. Since X & Y’s launch, Greninja has been the Kalos starter of Ash Ketchum, a playable character in Super Smash Bros., and played a prominent role in the Detective Pikachu film. Now, he’s also the 2020 Pokémon of the Year.
- Greninja (Gen 6)
- Lucario (Gen 4)
- Mimikyu (Gen 7)
- Charizard (Gen 1)
- Umbreon (Gen 2)
- Sylveon (Gen 6)
- Garchomp (Gen 4)
- Rayquaza (Gen 3)
- Gardevoir (Gen 3)
- Gengar (Gen 1)
The latest entries in the Pokémon franchise, Sword and Shield, are available now on Switch.
