10 Pokémon Who Appeared in the Anime Before the Games
Descriptions
When a new generation of Pokémon is on the way, it's a natural marketing move to debut a few species early that are sure to be fan-favorites. While sometimes these new Pokémon appear in spinoff games or other media, the most common place for a brand new, never-before-seen Pokémon to make its pre-release debut is the anime. This helps build excitement among the most dedicated fans and even gets people who might not otherwise watch the Pokémon anime to tune in, if only to see a new Pokémon for the first time.
Sometimes these new Pokémon are a major feature of an episode or movie, or even become recurring characters across multiple episodes. Other times, it's a simple cameo, teasing that the vast world of Pokémon still has plenty of surprises in it. The entries on this list are ranked primarily by how significant their appearance is, but what makes it significant isn't just raw screen time; the impact on fans of this particular reveal is also a factor.
10 Zoroark
Zoroark first appeared in the 13th movie, Zoroark: Master of Illusions, one of only two movies with a Pokémon in the title that's not Legendary or Mythical. As a result, there was some confusion over Zoroark when the film was first announced, with some thinking it would eventually be revealed as such. In the film, Zoroark is being abused by a villain who captured it, using it to cause chaos around the city. The Zoroark's baby Zorua gets Ash and co. to help rescue its parent and prevent the bad guy from achieving his goals. Zoroark's movie debuted just two months before the release of Black and White, and was actually the only fifth generation Pokémon to debut in the anime before the games.
9 Wynaut
Wynaut made a very casual debut in the anime episode "Fangs for Nothing," where it simply caused some mischief for Team Rocket. Amusingly, though, Team Rocket never actually sees Wynaut, meaning this is one Pokémon that was only revealed to the audience, not the characters. Wynaut would go on to appear in a few more episodes as a recurring troublemaker, similar to Jigglypuff in the early days of the anime. Wynaut was first shown in Japan about five months before Ruby and Sapphire's release date, and was likely chosen because of its connection to Team Rocket's Wobbuffet, which is Wynaut's evolved form. Together, the pair's names form a call-and-response in Japanese, so Wynaut's debut was really all for a bit!
8 Munchlax
Munchlax made its debut in the episode "Berry, Berry Interesting," where it was actually caught by May. Baby Pokémon like Munchlax and Wynaut are common choices to debut early in the anime, as they're often quite cute and make excellent choices for merchandise. Munchlax first took a shine to May when it tasted her Pokéblocks, which it loved despite the others hating it. When May tried to catch it, it actually ate the Poké Ball, but for whatever reason, it still counted as a capture. Munchlax is pretty unique in that its anime debut was a whopping 18 months ahead of Diamond and Pearl's release in Japan, and it went on to be a regular member of May's team, showing up in several later episodes. Munchlax also had a small cameo in Destiny Deoxys prior to this, but May's Munchlax is much more significant overall.
7 Lucario
Lucario is the other Pokémon, aside from Zoroark, to star in a Pokémon movie without being a Legendary or Mythical. Lucario is, of course. the focal point of the film Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, where a Lucario that was sealed away by its trainer long ago must work with Ash to help him recover Pikachu after it was taken by Mew. The film actually featured three other Sinnoh Pokémon in smaller roles: Bonsly, Mime Jr., and Weavile, all of which are either baby or evolved forms of Pokémon from previous regions. Still, Lucario's appearance is obviously the most prominent, and it became quite popular after the movie as a result.
6 Lugia
Lugia was the first Legendary Pokémon to appear in the anime before its games were released, as seen in Pokémon the Movie 2000. It also appeared alongside Slowking, another Johto Pokémon that was first revealed in the anime. Lugia is an interesting case in that it was primarily designed with guidance from Takeshi Shudo, the head writer of the Pokémon anime's early days, rather than by Game Freak itself, and thus was tailored to the movie. Evidence from leaked Gold & Silver beta versions suggests that despite being a cover Legendary, Lugia was one of the last Pokémon added to the game, and as such it almost became an anime-exclusive Pokémon. It debuted just four months before the games' release in Japan, making it a very late addition indeed.
5 Blaziken
A rare early debut for a starter Pokémon, Blaziken first appeared in an episode entitled "Pop Goes the Sneasel!" where it was seen under the command of a trainer named Harrison. Harrison was competing in the Silver Conference tournament against Ash, and his Blaziken proved difficult to counter for Ash's Charizard, even in spite of type advantages. Blaziken won the fight, ending Ash's shot at becoming the Johto champion. Its appearance in the Silver Conference episodes was a mere two months before Ruby and Sapphire came out in Japan, and surely impacted many a young fan's choice of starter Pokémon.
4 Marill
Marill was one of the earliest second-generation Pokémon to appear in the anime, debuting in the episode "The Crystal Onix." Marill was noteworthy in that it belonged to Tracey, a major character for the Orange Islands arc, and thus Marill got quite a few appearances throughout the storyline. Tracey mainly used its sensitive ears to help track Pokémon he wished to sketch, while also making use of its diving abilities to search watery areas. Marill also became a hot topic in schoolyard debates at the time, as many kids thought it as the much-rumored "Pikablu" finally being confirmed. Marill appeared about six months before the release of Gold and Silver.
3 Kecleon
Kecleon was the first Hoenn Pokémon to show up in the anime, and first appeared in the episode "The Kecleon Caper." The episode didn't just feature one Kecleon, though; there were actually two: an ordinary green one and a purple one. The purple Kecleon is not, in fact, its shiny form, but rather a unique form that has never been catchable in a mainline Pokémon game (although one does appear in the Mystery Dungeon spinoffs). That makes this the only Pokémon in the list that is technically still waiting for its game debut, at least in one form. The episode aired about 16 months before Ruby and Sapphire were released in Japan, making it quite an early bird appearance.
2 Togepi
The Togepi that would eventually belong to Misty first appeared in the episode "Attack of the Prehistoric Pokémon" as an egg, only 43 episodes into the series. Ash, Brock, and Misty actually competed to see who would get Togepi, but despite Ash's victory, Togepi imprinted on Misty, bonding it to her irrevocably. It hatched four episodes later, becoming the first Johto Pokémon to get a major role in the anime. Misty kept Togepi for a very long time, and it became nearly as iconic as Pikachu for a while. Togepi's debut as an egg was about 18 months before the release of Gold and Silver in Japan, putting it up there with Munchlax for early appearances. But of course, there's one Pokémon who appeared even earlier...
1 Ho-Oh
At the very end of the first episode of Pokémon, Ash and Pikachu see a golden bird flying away over a rainbow--a mysterious, unidentified Pokémon that showed Ash what kind of incredible mysteries lay waiting in the world. Ho-Oh only appears for a few seconds, making this little more than a cameo, but it was the first glimpse of a Pokémon beyond the 151 featured in Red and Blue. While Ho-Oh in this episode does look a bit less colorful than its final form, the design is remarkably similar to its ultimate appearance upon release. The first episode of the Pokémon anime aired in Japan on April 1, 1997, while Gold and Silver wouldn't release until November 21, 1999, making Ho-Oh's debut early by well over two years!
There are actually several more Pokémon who appeared in the anime first, but these are some of the most noteworthy cases. Be they Legendaries, babies, or just regular old Pokémon, these early bird appearances in the anime are excellent for building hype by showing off the Pokémon's abilities under ideal conditions. While the trend of early anime debuts has mostly died off, it's always possible the new Pokémon anime will bring the tradition back.
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