Pokémon fans in the United States have spoken - Gen 1 still reigns supreme.
According to WorldofCardGames, 8 out of 10 of the web's top-searched monsters in the United States hail from the series' debut generation. The franchise's first round of monsters entered the gaming world in 1996 with the release of Pokémon Red and Pokémon Green, later released as Pokémon Red and Blue in the United States. Even though there are now over 1,000 total monsters in the franchise, Gen 1 is still clearly favored by Pokémon fans. Notably, each Gen 1 monster, except for Eevee, Ditto and Mewtwo, appear as Ash's partners in the Pokémon anime.
The Most Popular Pokémon in the United States
Sitting at the #1 spot on the list is Pikachu, which rose to fame as the franchise's mascot after the release of the Pokémon anime series. While Bulbasaur, Squirtle and Charmander were the standard firsts for fledgling trainers, Ash Ketchum receives a Pikachu as his partner. The iconic duo served as the main stars of the anime for the majority of its run until the premiere of Pokemon Horizons earlier this year. However, the series hasn't entirely abandoned the little electric mouse, as one serves as the partner of Professor Friede, who runs a research crew called the Rising Volteckers.
The second, third and fourth place spots on the list belong to Eevee, Charizard and Squirtle, respectively. Eevee is a normal-type known for its unique ability to evolve into one of eight evolutionary forms. Charizard is the final evolutionary form of Charmander, making it a popular player choice in the games. The dragon's iconic status is also reflected in the Pokémon TCG, as Charizard has several highly-rare cards. After leaving Ash's central team during Johto Journeys, Charizard and Squirtle make frequent cameos in later seasons, often helping Ash triumph in difficult battles.
The fifth and sixth most popular Pokémon are Gengar and Snorlax, respectively. Gengar is a dual ghost/poison type Pokémon and is also the final evolutionary form of Gastly. While Gengar does appear during Pokémon's first season, Ash doesn't catch his Gengar until Pokémon Journeys, which aired from November 2019 to December 2020. Snorlax is a normal-type well-known for being one of the heaviest Pokémon of all time, weighing in at over 1,000 lbs. The ninth most popular Pokémon, Ditto, is known for its ability to transform into any other Pokémon, copying its type, moves and stat values. In the games, it is also commonly used in Pokémon breeding.
The only two legendaries on the list are Arceus and Mewtwo, the seventh and tenth most popular Pokémon, respectively. Introduced in Gen IV, Arceus is widely considered the "God" of the Pokémon world, as it is said to have emerged from an egg at the world's beginning and shaped everything in the universe. Its backstory is explored extensively in the video game Pokémon Legends: Arceus. In contrast, the psychic-type Mewtwo was created by scientists from the DNA of the mythic Pokémon Mew. Mewtwo starred in the franchise's first film installment, Mewtwo Strikes Back, which was released as Pokémon: The First Movie in the United States.
Source: WorldofCardGames