One of the persistent problems that the Pokémon franchise faces is that, because it found such a perfect formula in its debut games, it’s been hard to meaningfully evolve (excuse the pun) as the decades have passed. Admittedly, it’s a good problem to have, but it does mean that, in the search for new ways to shake up the format, new Pokémon games almost always try to inject new gimmicks.
At the start, it was new regions, new Pokémon (which are always welcome), new skill types, and convenience upgrades like the ability to run or cycle. More recently we had the move into a 3D style and the open-world format – which is, of course, too significant of a change to be called a gimmick. Somewhere in the middle, in Gen 6, Game Freak introduced Pokémon’s Mega Evolution mechanic.
If you’ve ever played the Pokémon games in order, Mega Evolution is a welcome change of pace and a great way to make players revisit older Pokémon with a fresh lens. Mega Evolutions are activated in battle, taking Pokémon like Gyarados or Charizard to the next level. Exciting! Unfortunately, Mega Evolution has been somewhat discarded since its introduction, and now fans on Reddit are debating its return.
Specifically, the question user DeadHeat16 poses is, “If Mega Evolution were to return in a future generation, what Pokémon would y’all want to get one?” Naturally, fans were quick to reply with some brilliant suggestions.
“Johto Starters, Sinnoh Starters, Ninetales, Arcanine, Luxray, [and] Dewgong would be a good start for me,” said one fan, clearly with a preference for older, classic Pokémon. Others used the question to right past wrongs, with a commenter saying that they wanted the Gen 6 starters Pokémon to get Mega Evolution options: “Chestnaught, Delphox, and Greninja. To this day, it baffles me that the starters never received Mega Evolutions in the generation that introduced them…” Other popular choices included Dragonite (of course), Flygon, and Milotic.
Of course, with the Nintendo Switch 2 reportedly releasing later in 2024, it’s not entirely unlikely that Nintendo will release a new Pokémon game to coincide with it. This could, in theory, herald the return of Mega Evolution, meaning that these Pokémon fans might end up getting their wish.
For more on Pokémon, see our picks for the best Pokémon games, and learn about all the latest Pokémon Go codes and Pokémon Unite codes. Or, see our list of the best Nintendo Switch games of all time.
