After 30 years, 9 mainline generations, and over 1,000 officially numbered Pokemon on the Pokedex, someone finally had to sit down and pick the 30 greatest of them all. IGN took on that task in a new video that runs through the top 30 from Bulbasaur all the way to the number one spot, and the choices reveal a lot about what fans value after three decades of monster collecting, battling, and bonding.

The video, titled "The 30 Best Pokemon of All Time," runs just over 22 minutes and covers each pick with brief commentary. The list draws from all 1,028 Pokemon currently registered in the official Pokedex, spanning the original 151 from Red and Blue all the way to the latest additions in Scarlet and Violet. If you were hoping your favorite made the cut, there is a good chance it did.

The list in order

The ranking counts down from number 30 to number 1. Here is the full order as presented in the video:

30. Bulbasaur
31. Arceus
32. Metagross
33. Dragonite
34. Hawlucha
35. Ditto
36. Piplup
37. Flygon
38. Eevee
39. Lucario
40. Mimikyu
41. Dialga
42. Absol
43. Snorlax
44. Gyarados
45. Tyranitar
46. Greninja
47. Gardevoir
48. Ho-Oh
49. Psyduck
50. Garchomp
51. Suicune
52. Mew
53. Squirtle
54. Celebi
55. Gengar
56. Rayquaza
57. Mewtwo
58. Pikachu
59. Charizard

What the list says about Pokemon culture

Any list of this kind is going to provoke arguments, but the choices here feel deliberate. The top five alone read like a history of the franchise: Pikachu is the mascot, Charizard is the most popular starter across all games, Mewtwo represents the original legendary power, Rayquaza is the reigning fan-favorite legendary from the Hoenn era, and Gengar is a constant top-tier design and competitive threat.

The presence of Psyduck at number 11 is a curveball that signals the list is not purely about strength or popularity. Psyduck is memorable for its goofy anime appearances and signature headache-powered psychic outbursts. Absol, Mimikyu, and Hawlucha are similarly picks that reward strong thematic design over raw battle stats.

Starters are well represented. Bulbasaur, Piplup, Squirtle, Greninja, and Charizard all make the cut. That means players from Generation 1, 4, and 6 see their early partners honored. Notably absent from the starter slots are popular picks like Swampert, Infernape, and Decidueye, which suggests the list favors legacy and cultural impact over competitive viability.

Legendaries fill a big portion of the list. Arceus (the creator Pokemon), Dialga (time), Ho-Oh, Suicune, Mew, Celebi, Rayquaza, and Mewtwo all appear. This is expected given their central roles in the plot of their respective games and their overwhelming fan recognition.

What was left out

With only 30 slots out of 1,028, many beloved Pokemon had to be excluded. The list does not include any Pseudo-Legendaries beyond Garchomp, Dragonite, and Tyranitar. That leaves out Salamence, Metagross (who appears but is a different category), Hydreigon, Goodra, Dragapult, and Baxcalibur. The list also skips Eeveelutions besides Eevee itself, meaning no Umbreon, Sylveon, or Vaporeon, which will upset a vocal part of the fanbase.

There is only one Gen 5 Pokemon (Hawlucha) and one from Gen 7 (Mimikyu), which reflects an older-skewing nostalgia bias. The newest Pokemon on the list is probably Greninja from Gen 6, meaning nothing from Sun and Moon, Sword and Shield, or Scarlet and Violet made the top 30. That decision is defensible when you consider how recent those games are, but it will frustrate fans who grew up with later generations.

Design and battle performance both matter

A running theme in the video is that a Pokemon earns its spot through a combination of design, cultural footprint, and in-game usefulness. Dragonite is a friendly dragon that carried everyone through the original games. Gyarados transforms from a weak fish into a raging sea serpent. Ditto is a shapeshifting tool that enables breeding and competitive copying. Snorlax is a walking roadblock that turned into a beloved sleep monster. Each of these picks works because the Pokemon tells a story beyond its stats.

The list also rewards Pokemon that survived through multiple generations of competitive play. Garchomp, Gengar, and Tyranitar have been threats in nearly every metagame since their debut. Greninja gained fame through Protean and Ash-Greninja in the anime. Metagross and Scizor could have easily taken the same spot for similar reasons.

The number one: Charizard

Charizard takes the top spot, and the choice will not surprise anyone who follows the Pokemon community. Since Generation 1, Charizard has been one of the few Pokemon to consistently receive special treatment: two Mega Evolutions, a Gigantamax form, a starring role in the anime, and a warm spot in the hearts of millions of players for whom Red and Blue were their first video games. The list ranks it above Pikachu, which is the literal face of the franchise, because Charizard signals power, coolness, and versatility in a way no other Pokemon has managed for 30 years.

Did your favorite make the list?

The video ends by asking that exact question, and the answer is that most people will find at least one or two personal favorites here. The list is not definitive, no list of 30 out of over 1,000 ever can be, but it serves as a well-argued snapshot of what 30 years of Pokemon look like in hindsight.

For anyone who wants to see the full explanation for each pick, the video breaks down every entry with visual clips and voiceover commentary. The timestamps in the description let you jump directly to your favorites.

Final thought

Thirty years is a long time for a franchise to stay relevant, and Pokemon has done it by creating monsters that feel like real characters. Lists like this one are a way of celebrating that longevity. Whether you agree with every placement or not, the selection shows that the franchise has produced dozens of truly iconic designs, and that even after 1,028 entries, people still care deeply about which ones get recognized.