Lopunny Cracked Top 15 Favorite Pokemon in Recent Study

by

A new study recently revealed the 15 most popular Pokémon, with some unexpected favorites like Flamigo and Lopunny making the list. With Pokémon Day coming up on February 27th – marking 30 years of the Pokémon franchise – it’s no surprise that more people have been searching for Pokémon online lately.

This week is looking exciting for Pokémon fans! In addition to some changes in the popularity rankings, Game Freak and Nintendo just announced that the beloved games Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen will be coming to the Nintendo Switch after the Pokémon Presents event on February 27th. Beyond that surprise, Nintendo and Game Freak might also share details about Pokémon Wind and Wave, the next generation of Pokémon games. Expect lots of news, reveals, and surprises during the event!

The New Hierarchy Ahead of Pokemon’s Three-Decade Anniversary

A recent study by the online gaming site ACE.com looked at three years of search data in the U.S. to determine the most popular Pokémon as the franchise approaches its 30th anniversary. The top five were Pikachu, Charizard, Squirtle, and – surprisingly – the newer Pokémon Flamigo, along with Charmeleon. Rounding out the top 15 were Grafaiai, Gardevoir, and Lopunny, landing in 13th, 14th, and 15th place respectively. Most of the most-searched Pokémon are from the very first generation of games, with Flamigo, Grafaiai, Gardevoir, and Lopunny being the exceptions.

Rank Pokemon Search Volume
1 Pikachu 685,100
2 Flamigo 374,600
3 Charizard 310,900
4 Charmeleon 250,400
5 Squirtle 215,800
6 Eevee 214,500
7 Mewtwo 209,100
8 Snorlax 207,600
9 Gengar 192,100
10 Ditto 175,500
11 Bulbasaur 171,600
12 Charmander 169,400
13 Grafaiai 166,900
14 Gardevoir 149,800
15 Lopunny 144,900

The study also revealed which states are most obsessed with Pokemon. Montana takes the top spot, with residents searching for Pokemon 117,650 times each month over the past three years – that’s 1,024 searches for every 10,000 people. Washington and Hawaii followed closely behind, with 842 and 825 searches per 10,000 people, respectively. Interestingly, Pokemon Sun and Moon, the games that introduced the Alola region in the seventh generation of Pokemon, were inspired by Hawaii.

Image via The Pokemon Company

Although search numbers don’t necessarily show which Pokémon are the best, they do give us a sense of which ones players are most interested in as the franchise approaches its 30th anniversary. It’s no surprise that Pikachu, who debuted in the original Pokémon Red and Blue in 1996 and is the most recognizable Pokémon, topped the list with 685,100 monthly searches. Surprisingly, Flamigo came in second with 374,600 searches. Lopunny, a more recent Pokémon from Generation 9, ranked 15th with 144,900 searches. Currently, there are 1,025 different Pokémon species, and the upcoming Pokémon Wind and Wave game will likely add even more to the collection.

Flamigo is a pink Pokemon that’s known for its fighting and flying abilities. It doesn’t evolve into any other forms and can be found in the Paldea region. This Pokemon debuted in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, the ninth installment in the long-running series, which launched on Nintendo Switch in November 2022. Over the past three years, Flamigo has surprisingly received more online searches than the incredibly popular fire-type Pokemon, Charizard, who averaged around 310,900 searches per month. Considering the Pokemon series has created thousands of unique creatures over its 30-year history, Flamigo’s popularity is somewhat unexpected, especially given its relatively simple design.

Charizard was first introduced in the 1996 Pokémon Red and Blue games. With the upcoming release of Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen – updated versions of the original Red and Green – Charizard might become even more popular, potentially becoming the second most popular Pokémon, ahead of Flamigo. These new games are expected to feature all 151 Pokémon from the original Pokedex.

Read More

2026-02-26 09:06