A huge new study has revealed the most popular Pokemon in every country around the world, and the results range from the expected to the downright bizarre.
Pokemon fans have spent an incredible 25 years catching ’em all, and while we can all agree that it’s one of (if not the) greatest video game franchises in the world, the one thing no one seems to be able to agree on is an answer to that age-old question: Which Pokemon is the best?
Many would argue that OG mascot Pikachu is the greatest, while others think Charizard is the undisputable boss. Maybe you’re a fan of Eevee and all its Eeveelutions, or you simply know that Mewtwo can’t be beaten (we did rank him the best Legendary of all time, after all).
Well, there might just be an answer to that question, as a huge new study from The Toy Zone has revealed the most popular Pokemon in every single country around the world, from the United Kingdom to Greece, from Russia to Japan, and beyond.
Most popular Pokemon in each country
The best part about this study is the methodology that was used, as it actually backs up the results with hard facts and figures. The Toy Zone analyzed Google search data to see which Pokemon gets searched the most in each country, coming up with a definitive list.
- Read More: 10 best Fairy-type Pokemon ranked
All the obvious Pokemon you would expect to see make appearances, such as Pikachu in Egypt and Eevee in the Bahamas, but there are some surprising results too. India’s favorite Pokemon is Paras, apparently, while Ghana clearly has a soft spot for Gloom.
You can see the full results on the global map above, and there are some individual countries including the United States and the United Kingdom highlighted below.
Most popular Pokemon in Japan
We imagine lots of Pokemon fans could have guessed that the most popular Pokemon in Japan is Eevee.
The adorable fox-hybrid is probably the only creature that could give Pikachu a run for its money in the country that birthed the beloved Pokemon franchise. It was even the face of its own Let’s Go! game.
Most popular Pokemon in the United States
Now this one is a little more unexpected. It turns out that the most popular ‘mon in the United States of America is actually Gengar.
The dual Ghost/Poison-type creature is definitely a fan-favorite, but it’s a surprise to see it beat out the likes of Pikachu and Charizard. Appearances in games like Pokken Tournament DX might have helped along the way.
Most popular Pokemon in the UK
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Any Pokemon fan who remembers trading cards in the playground while growing up knows that getting your hands on a Charizard was the ultimate bragging right.
So it’s not surprising at all to see the Fire/Flying-type starter evolution take the top spot in the United Kingdom. In fact, we’d be a little disappointed if it didn’t.
Most popular Pokemon in Ireland
It seems Charizard is a major frontrunner in this study, as it makes a second appearance as the most popular Pokemon in the Republic of Ireland.
Again, nothing too unexpected here. The Gen 1 creature has appeared as a playable fighter in both the Super Smash Bros. series and Pokken Tournament DX, which is a testament to its continued popularity.
Most popular Pokemon in Australia
Down under in Australia, there’s another unexpected choice, as Machamp takes the top spot.
While it’s hard to pinpoint an exact reason for this, Machamp does remain a popular choice in Pokemon Go’s Battle League, and is still arguably the most recognizable Fighting-type in the franchise to this day.
Most popular Pokemon in the world
The Toy Zone also put together a poster that features the original 151 Pokemon ranked in order of global Google search volume combined, rather than by their Pokedex entry number. You can see that below.
It reveals that overall, the most popular ‘mon in the world is Pikachu, which is to be expected. In second place is Charizard – again, expected – but in third place is Onix, which may come as a surprise to some fans.
The least popular searches, according to this poster, are Nidoran (female), Nidoran (male), Mr Mime, Kakuna, and Venonat.
It’s hard to say exactly why some Pokemon are popular in certain countries but not others, but it’s certainly interesting to think about.