Complete Generation 1 Pokemon List: Starters, Legendaries & Locations

Okay, let's talk about the Generation 1 Pokemon list. You know, the original 151. For folks like me who grew up trading Link Cable monstrosities on the playground, this list isn't just data – it's pure nostalgia fuel. But even if you're new to Pokemon GO or the recent games, knowing these OGs is kinda essential. They're the foundation, right? That first generation pokemon list defined everything that came after.

I remember my first playthrough of Pokemon Red. That agonizing starter choice felt like life or death! Bulbasaur? Charmander? Squirtle? Who knew a simple decision could cause so many playground arguments. Looking back, maybe Bulbasaur was the smarter pick for tackling Brock and Misty early on, but who could resist Charmander? That fire lizard had *heart*, even if grinding against wild Geodudes felt like torture until you got to Ember.

So, what exactly makes up this generation 1 pokemon list? We're talking Kanto region exclusives – the creatures you tracked down in tall grass, surfed across oceans for, and sometimes needed weird evolutionary stones to fully unlock. It's a mix of the adorable (Jigglypuff!), the ferocious (Gyarados!), and the downright bizarre (Mr. Mime, seriously?). Let's dive deep into this gen 1 pokemon list and unpack everything you need to know, whether you're building a competitive team for Stadium rematches or just want to settle a debate about the best water type.

The Generation 1 Pokemon Starters: Your First Big Choice

Your journey always starts here. Professor Oak shoves three Pokeballs toward you. No pressure, kid! This trio shapes your entire early game experience. I chose Charmander once and honestly regretted it halfway through Rock Tunnel when my team was still under-leveled. Brutal.

Breaking Down the Starter Trio

See that base stat progression? Venusaur ends up with decent bulk (525), Charizard gets high Special and Speed (534, Flying type added!), Blastoise is a sturdy tank (530). But early on? Bulbasaur's dual typing against Rock and Water gyms is a lifesaver. Charmander players? You're signing up for a challenge run until you get past Misty. Squirtle is the balanced, reliable pick – maybe not flashy, but you won't get stuck grinding for hours.

Finding Every Pokemon: A Location Guide for the Gen 1 List

Trying to complete that generation 1 pokemon list? Good luck! It involved serious legwork (or bike work). Forget online guides – we had rumors and playground whispers. Remember hunting Chansey? Ugh. Hours in the Safari Zone praying it wouldn't flee. Here's a more practical breakdown:

Key Areas and Their Pokemon

Evolution Stones: Crucial for completing the generation 1 pokemon list. You NEED these items for specific evolutions:

• Fire Stone: Evolves Vulpix -> Ninetales, Growlithe -> Arcanine (Found: Celadon Dept. Store, hidden in Cinnabar Mansion)
• Water Stone: Evolves Poliwhirl -> Poliwrath, Staryu -> Starmie, Shellder -> Cloyster (Found: Celadon Dept. Store, Routes 4, 12, 19, 20 via fishing)
• Thunder Stone: Evolves Pikachu -> Raichu (Found: Celadon Dept. Store, Power Plant)
• Leaf Stone: Evolves Gloom -> Vileplume, Weepinbell -> Victreebel (Found: Celadon Dept. Store, Route 2 hidden)
• Moon Stone: Evolves Nidorina -> Nidoqueen, Nidorino -> Nidoking, Clefairy -> Clefable, Jigglypuff -> Wigglytuff (Found: Mt. Moon, Rocket Hideout, Celadon Dept. Store)

The Celadon Department Store basement was basically evolution stone heaven. Farm cash with the Vs. Seeker against rich trainers and stock up!

Generation 1 Pokemon Evolutions: Stones, Trading, and Leveling

Finishing that original 151 pokemon list wasn't just about catching wild ones. Evolution got complicated, sometimes annoyingly so. Some felt natural (leveling Charmander), others... required a friend with a Link Cable who you actually trusted.

High-Level Evolutions

Some Pokemon took forever to evolve. Dragonair -> Dragonite at level 55? Brutal. Dratini were rare (Game Corner prize or Safari Zone fishing spot), weak, and slow to level. Getting that Dragonite felt like a major achievement. Other late bloomers:

• Vulpix -> Ninetales (Fire Stone)
• Growlithe -> Arcanine (Fire Stone)
• Poliwhirl -> Poliwrath (Water Stone)
• Magikarp -> Gyarados (Level 20... but good luck getting there!)

Magikarp deserves special mention. Spending ages leveling up a useless fish using only Splash and Tackle until level 20? Painful. But oh man, evolving it into the monstrous Gyarados felt amazing. Worth the grind? Debatable. Memorable? Absolutely.

The Legendaries and Mythical Pokemon on the Gen 1 List

The crown jewels of the generation 1 pokemon list. Finding Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and the elusive Mewtwo wasn't just about filling the Pokedex; it was about power. These guys dominated battles.

Legendary Bird Locations

Mewtwo: The ultimate prize on the generation 1 pokemon list. Found deep within the Cerulean Cave (accessible only after becoming Champion). Level 70. Insane Special stat (154!). Moves like Psychic, Recover, and Amnesia made it almost unstoppable. Catching it usually involved paralyzing or sleeping it and chucking dozens of Ultra Balls (or the Master Ball!).

Mew: Ah, the myth! Not officially obtainable in-game without glitches or events. The truck by the S.S. Anne rumor? Total fabrication, but we all tried it! The real Mew distribution events were incredibly rare. Missing out on Mew meant your gen 1 pokemon list felt perpetually incomplete.

Unconventional and Glitch Pokemon

Beyond the official generation 1 pokemon list, Gen 1 was famous for its glitches. Some became legendary themselves.

• MissingNo.: The most famous glitch Pokemon. Caused by the Old Man glitch near Cinnabar Island beaches. Messed up your graphics but could duplicate items in the sixth slot. Risky (potential save corruption!), but tempting for infinite Rare Candies or Master Balls. Not a *real* part of the generation 1 pokemon list, but an undeniable part of its history.
• 'M (00): Another glitch entity, often accessed via similar methods. Even more unstable graphics corruption.

These weren't intended features, but they added bizarre lore and utility that kept players experimenting long after finishing the main game. Trying to explain MissingNo. to someone who never played Gen 1 is... difficult.

Competitive Corner: Strong Gen 1 Pokemon

While the meta has evolved drastically since the 90s, looking back at the original 151 pokemon list reveals who the true powerhouses were in Stadium or Link Cable battles. The Special stat ruled everything! Psychic types were outrageously overpowered due to a lack of strong Bug or Dark moves.

Gen 1 Power Players

• Alakazam: Insane Special and Speed (135 each!). Psychic STAB was devastating. Barrier boosted its already solid Defense. Needed a trade, but worth it.
• Starmie: Amazing typing (Water/Psychic), fantastic Speed (115), huge movepool (Surf, Psychic, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Recover). A Swiss Army knife.
• Exeggutor: Double Powder (Sleep Powder, Stun Spore) user. High Special (125), Psychic STAB. Grass typing was a liability against Fire/Ice/Bug, but its utility was top-tier.
• Rhydon: Physical powerhouse with Earthquake and Rock Slide. Huge Attack (130) and Defense (120). Destroyed by Water and Grass due to its 4x weaknesses.
• Snorlax: Incredible HP (160) and Special Defense (65 base, but high HP pool). Could tank hits forever and hit back hard with Body Slam or Hyper Beam. Self-Destruct for desperation plays.
• Chansey: Highest HP in the game (250!). Used Minimize and Softboiled to stall, then Toxic or Seismic Toss. Infuriating to fight against.
• Tauros: Blistering Speed (110), great Attack (100). Body Slam (STAB + paralysis chance) and Hyper Beam were deadly. A physical sweeper king.
• Gengar: Unique Ghost/Poison typing. Fast, good Special. Hypnosis + Dream Eater combo was risky but potent. Immune to Normal/Fighting moves.

Honorable Mention: Jolteon (Amazing Speed, Thunderbolt, Pin Missile for Psychics), Lapras (Bulk, Surf, Ice Beam, Sing).

Overrated? Charizard. Cool? Absolutely. Top-tier in Gen 1? Not really. Weak to Rock Slide/Earthquake/Rock Slide everywhere, and its Special wasn't high enough to overcome its frailty against common threats. Venusaur was often more reliable due to Sleep Powder and Razor Leaf's high critical hit ratio.

Common Questions About the Generation 1 Pokemon List

Let's tackle some frequent queries about the gen 1 pokemon list:

How many Pokemon are actually in Generation 1?

The core generation 1 pokemon list comprises 151 Pokemon, starting with Bulbasaur (#001) and ending with Mew (#151). This excludes glitches like MissingNo.

What was the hardest Pokemon to find in Gen 1?

For many players, it was a toss-up between:

• Chansey: Extremely low encounter rate in the Safari Zone and a notoriously high flee/catch difficulty rate.
• Dratini/Dragonair: Only reliably found via the Game Corner (costly!) or extremely rare fishing spots in the Safari Zone.
• Porygon: Exclusively a very expensive Game Corner prize (9999 coins!).
• Lapras: Only given freely once per game as a gift in Silph Co. (after defeating Team Rocket). Miss it? Tough luck.

Are there any Pokemon unique to Pokemon Yellow?

Pokemon Yellow didn't add new Pokemon to the generation 1 pokemon list. However, it changed wild encounters significantly to align with the anime:

• Starter Pikachu follows you (unique feature).
• You receive all three Kanto starters (Bulbasaur from Cerulean, Charmander from Route 24, Squirtle from Vermilion) through in-game gifts.
• Wild Pikachu appear in Viridian Forest (much more common than in Red/Blue).

Why were Psychic types so overpowered in Gen 1?

Several factors made Psychic types dominate the generation 1 pokemon list metagame:

1. Broken Mechanics: Ghost-type moves were supposed to be super effective against Psychic types. However, due to a programming error, the only damaging Ghost move (Lick) was *not* super effective. Bug moves (like Pin Missile or Twinneedle) were super effective but weak and rare.
2. High Special Stat: Psychic types typically had very high Special stats (which governed both Special Attack *and* Special Defense). This made them hit hard and take special hits well.
3. Amazing Moves: Psychic (the move) had high power (90) and a chance to lower Special. Recover healed. Amnesia sharply boosted Special. Barrier sharply boosted Defense.
4. Few Counters: Effective physical attackers were often frail or slow. Alakazam and Starmie outspeed almost everything.

What are the best HM Slaves in Gen 1?

You needed Pokemon to lug around HM moves without ruining your battle team. Useful ones on the generation 1 pokemon list included:

• Doduo/Dodrio: Fly, useful Attack stat. Learned Fly naturally.
• Surf Users: Starmie (if not using it competitively), Lapras, Gyarados, Blastoise, Vaporeon. Strong Water types often learned Surf well.
• Cut/Strength/Rock Smash: Primeape, Nidoking, Raticate, Dugtrio – Pokemon with decent Attack but often not top-tier for battling.
• Flash: Pretty much any spare Pokemon. Often a Butterfree or Beedrill.

Sacrificing one or two team slots for HM utility was often necessary to navigate Kanto smoothly.

Generation 1 Pokemon in the Modern Games

Even decades later, the gen 1 pokemon list still gets massive love. Game Freak knows nostalgia sells. Here's how the originals fit in now:

• Regional Variants: Alolan Forms (like Alolan Vulpix/Ninetales, Alolan Raichu), Galarian Forms (like Galarian Weezing, Mr. Rime - evolved from Galarian Mr. Mime). These give old designs new life and typings.
• Mega Evolutions: Introduced in Gen 6, gave temporary power boosts to specific Pokemon. Mega Charizard X/Y, Mega Mewtwo X/Y, Mega Gengar, Mega Kangaskhan, etc., became huge parts of the meta.
• Gigantamax Forms: Gen 8's Dynamax mechanic included unique Gigantamax forms for Charizard, Butterfree, Pikachu, Eevee, Meowth, Lapras, Gengar, Kingler, and Machamp. Adds spectacle.
• Consistent Availability: With very few exceptions, the original 151 are almost always catchable in some form across the main series games and remakes (FireRed/LeafGreen, Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee).
• Pokemon GO: Gen 1 forms the core foundation. Community Days, Shinies, Shadow versions keep them constantly relevant.

The generation 1 pokemon list isn't just history; it's consistently integrated into the franchise's present. Knowing these 151 gives you a solid understanding of Pokemon's roots that still influences the games today. Whether battling online with a modern Alakazam or hunting a shiny Ponyta in GO, the legacy of that first generation pokemon list is everywhere.