History EnsembleDarkhorse / Pokemon

* Mewtwo is extremely popular, especially among said older male demographic. Being the original ultimate Pokémon definitely helps.

* [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Flygon]]; its unique typing and design stood out amongst all other Dragon Pokemon...[[OvershadowedByAwesome at least before the Gible line was created.]] Its design is still considered quite unique, though.

---> '''Currently, the only works with EnsembleDarkhorse pages are ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', ''EmsembleDarkhorse/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' and ''EnsembleDarkhorse/{{Transformers}}''. see [[EmsembleDarkHorse/{{Anime}} here]] for a list of anime darkhorses or [[EmsembleDarkHorse/VideoGames here]] for darkhorses from video games.'''

---> '''Currently, the only works with EnsembleDarkhorse pages are ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', ''EmsembleDarkhorse/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' and ''EnsembleDarkhorse/{{Transformers}}''. see [[EmsembleDarkHorse/{{Anime}} here]] for a list of anime darkhorse or [[EmsembleDarkHorse/VideoGames here]] for darkhorses from video games.'''

---> '''Currently, the only works with EnsembleDarkhorse pages are ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'', ''EmsembleDarkhorse/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' and ''EnsembleDarkhorse/{{Transformers}}''. see [[EmsembleDarkHorse/Anime here]] fer a list of anime darkhorse or [[EmsembleDarkHorse/VideoGames here]] for darkhorses from video games.'''

[[/folder]]

* Hippowdon use caught on post-Generation IV with the many additions made in Generation V; increasing the utility of using Sand teams to take advantage of Hippowdon's ability to summon instant Sandstorms. Excadrill's existence, alone, was a staple to having a Hippowdon on the team. Often [[OvershadowedByAwesome overlooked]] due to Tyranitar having the Sand Stream ability as well.

** Ash, or rather ''evil'' Ash who is popular enough to [[NeverTrustATrailer allow the writers to fool the fans in a trailer for a Pokémon movie]].
** [[NerdsAreSexy Conway]], an intended one-shot who was added to two other story arcs (the Pokémon Summer Academy and the Sinnoh League) due to fan popularity.
** Some of the [[OneSceneWonder Characters of the Day]] get this as well. Gligarman (an obvious Franchise/{{Batman}} and superhero parody) was popular enough to frequently get requested to return to the show, especially when Ash had a Gligar/Gliscor of his own.
** Giselle, the DefrostingIceQueen from an early season 1 episode, is rather popular as a [[OneSceneWonder One Episode Wonder]] among older Western fans. It also helps that she is remembered by fans for being the one girl that Ash was crushing on before the producers had officially decided that he would be a ChasteHero [[CharacterizationMarchesOn for the rest of the series]].
** Harley, because he's such a {{Jerkass}} and yet [[CampGay so]] [[CrazyAwesome damn]] [[LaughablyEvil FUNNY]] at the same time. He was also the first genuinely antagonistic rival in the series who remained an antagonist and not change his behavior, which the fans greatly appreciated.
** Ursula, a one-shot character of the day that becomes a full-fledged rival for Dawn in the next season due to fan popularity for being an antagonistic rival; separating her from Zoey, Kenny and Nando.
** [[LargeHam Byron]]. Oh, dear god, Byron.
** [[BadassAdorable Maylene]] for good character development, though getting voiced by Misty's English Voice Actor probably doesn't hurt.
** [[HotBlooded Burgundy]] only appeared in one episode originally. Immediately after her design was shown, fanart exploded, and she became a LauncherOfAThousandShips. Then during the Club Battle arc, she had some {{Character Development}}, and later developed a hilarious VitriolicBestBuds relationship with Georgia.
** Georgia, Iris' "Dragon Buster" rival, is well-liked for having a rounded character and JerkWithAHeartOfGold tendencies.
** Amongst Ash's numerous rivals, Stephan has become one of these. Being less prominent than Trip or Bianca (among others), he nonetheless has a lively and likeable personality, as well as being a {{Badass}} battler from what we get to see of his skills. It also helps that he gets what is, hands down, the ''best'' battle in the entire Unova League.
** The Club Tournament contestants - many don't even get any lines, but their character designs are regarded as among the best parts of those arcs ([[{{Bishonen}} Antonio]] and [[AbhorrentAdmirer Jimmy Ray/Watchog Guy]] especially). Some of these characters, like the aforementioned Antonio, return for the Unova League.
*** Edmund the "Rain Man", who's an (almost literal) OneSceneWonder (he appears momentarily before battling Stephan, and disappears altogether afterwards).
** Despite only appearing in one game and a single episode, Lucy the Frontier Brain is very popular and one of the main characters shipped with Brock.
** Similar to the above Lucy example, several girls are this for shippings with Ash despite not being one of his primary traveling companions.
*** Melody from ''Anime/{{Pokemon 2000}}'' for cheek kissing Ash.
*** Bianca from ''Anime/PokemonHeroes'' for, again, cheek kissing Ash at the end of the movie. (Though, if this was actually Latias has always been up for debate)
*** Frontier Brain, Anabel, maintains a fanbase for Ability Shipping.
*** Angie, a tomboy from the Sinnoh Summer Academy arc for Morpheus Shipping.

** Also, several of Ash's Pokémon has developed rather large Fandoms over the course of the series due to their sheer [[{{Badass}} Badassery]] or quirky Porsonalities. The most notable being Charizard, Heracross, Swellow, Sceptile and Staraptor. Even Ash's ''unofficial'' Pokémon, Haunter and Larvitar, have a place in fans' hearts. Also, the anime made Pikachu one. It was just another Pokémon before that.
** Psyduck and Wobbuffet, two very similar, dopey Pokémon who just won't stay in their Poké Balls.
** [[CryCute Ash's Gliscor]]
** [[CloudCuckooLander Ash's Gible]]
** Croagunk for being a walking RuleOfFunny.
** On Ash's Unova team, there are three: ''Snivy'', beloved for being an ActionGirl TeamMom with a SugarAndIcePersonality; ''Krookodile'', a DarkIsNotEvil CowardlyLion who's also a powerful BoisterousBruiser; and ''Palpitoad'', the underused but strange and powerful trump card...'''especially''' Palpitoad. Just read the comments of fans, disappointed by his [[OutOfFocus lack of screentime]], [[FlatCharacter miniscule development]], and [[TheWorfEffect rare victories]].
** The Ducklett trio from an early ''Best Wishes'' episode, who caused bizarre, yet adorable chaos and trolled the characters several times. Ask any Pokémon forum about them, and you'll see they're almost universally loved.
** The Pokémon movies created several Ensemble Darkhorses; the films contributing greatly to the popularity of characters like [[WellIntentionedExtremist Mewtwo]], [[PluckyGirl Latias]], [[FishOutOfTemporalWater Lucario]], [[DarkIsNotEvil Darkrai]], [[MamaBear Zoroark]], [[BloodKnight Kyruem]] and [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist Fullmetal Swordsman]] Keldeo.
** Ash's Froakie, the GenreSavvy Kalos Starter who saw through Team Rocket's disguises, has also gotten a pretty strong fan base quite quickly.

** The homeless fat guys that usually hang around starter towns and rave about technology. No seriously, just listen to starter town tunes on Youtube, and count how many times you see someone comment on the fat guy standing there. He has become epic, in his own right.

** From ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'', [[AntiVillain N]] and his father [[BigBad Ghetsis Harmonia]] are very popular fan-favorite villains, although [[spoiler: N isn't truly evil, and undergoes a HeelFaceTurn for the sequels]]. N is a big-time [[TheWoobie Woobie]] with complex motives and objectives who ''[[BadAss actually manages to capture a legendary Pokémon and use it against you]]'', while Ghetsis [[MoralEventHorizon pushes the envelope in terms of evilness]] and is a major LoveToHate character.

* Goomy, whom some internet users are jokingly worshiping as a God.
** Its final form, Goodra, is the first pseudo-legendary since Dragonite to be a [[BadassAdorable happy-go-lucky friendly creature (that still kicks a lot of ass)]] rather than a vicious bloodthirsty beast.

* Tyrunt and Tyrantrum, the first ''true'' ''TyrannosaurusRex'' Mons in the series. The sauropod Ice fossils Amaura and Aurorus didn't go unappreciated, either.

* Ludicolo has been one ever since it was solidified as Miror B's (a darkhorse in his own right) signature Pokémon.

* Abomasnow is often overlooked, but has it's own loyal fanbase following amongst competitive players; particularly for being the staple of Hail teams as the only Pokemon that can summon instant Hail. It's typing sure doesn't do it any favors; having ''seven'' weaknesses which turns many players away at first glance. However, it turns out that the weaknesses consist primarily of the lesser used offensive types in competitive play such as Poison, Steel and Bug, and that the resistances Abomasnow ''does'' have are actually quite useful in competitive play; Water and Electric specifically. The fact Abomasnow was one of the ''few'' Generation IV Pokemon to receive a Mega-evolution, is no coincidence. On a side note, it's also quite prone to [[MemeticMutation Barack Obamasnow]] jokes.

* Hawlucha, the MaskedLuchador hawk whose SecretArt is the only dual-typed move in the series.

* Hippowdon use caught on post-Generation IV with the many additions made in Generation V; increasing the utility of using Sand teams to take advantage of Hippowdon's ability to summon instant Sandstorms. Excadrill's existence, alone, was a staple to having a Hippowdon on the team. Often [[OvershadowedByAwesome overlooked]] nowadays due to Tyranitar gaining the Sand Stream ability as well through the Dreamworld.

* [[NotZilla Tyranitar]], generation two's pseudo-legendary. It helps being one of the only pseudo-legendaries, apart from Metagross, that's NOT a Dragon type.

* Abomasnow is often overlooked, but has it's own loyal fanbase following amongst competitive players; particularly for being the staple of Hail teams as the only Pokemon that can summon instant Hail. It's typing sure doesn't do it any favors; having ''seven'' weaknesses which turns many players away at first glance. However, it turns out that the weaknesses consist primarily of the lesser used offensive types in competitive play such as Poison, Steel and Bug, and that the resistances Abomasnow ''does'' have are actually quite useful in competitive play. The fact Abomasnow was one of the ''few'' Generation IV Pokemon to receive a Mega-evolution, is no coincidence. On a side note, it's also quite prone to [[MemeticMutation Barack Obamasnow]] jokes.

* Its counterpart, the long awaited Leafeon, isn't that far behind in popularity.

* Spinoff game ''VideoGame/PokemonColosseum'' has Miror B. CrazyAwesome, literal DiscoDan with a Pokeball-shaped afro as the first villain teams boss. He never cares about his duties as boss of a crime syndicate and prefers to practice his dance moves. He also comes with his latino sounding battle theme and got a second appearance in the sequel where you could battle him as often as you want (or until you got all the Shadow Pokémon, whichever came first).

* [[MemeticMutation "Hi! I like shorts! They're comfy and easy to wear!"]] A "Youngster" character saying something along those lines have appeared in ever single game since he first was introduced.

* Leaf, the DistaffCounterpart to Red, hasn't appeared in any game besides her debut and is mostly forgotten by Game Freak nowadays but has quite the following. People are always begging for her to cameo or be fightable in games, potentially being a higher level then Red too.

* Misty and Brock are this in the games due to their anime and ''Manga/PokemonSpecial'' counterparts. In the games themselves they're just early gym leaders, with Misty having a slightly larger role than most gym leaders in the Johto games. However thanks to their counterparts they've become amongst the most popular characters in the franchise.

* [[ShockAndAwe Elesa]] and [[WindFromBeneathMyWings Skyla]], two gym leaders from ''Black and White'' are also popular despite not being more important than any of the other gym leaders. They were even ranked [[http://pokemonblackandwhite.net/?p=4826 fifth and fourth respectively]] in a popularity poll. This is largely due to [[BareYourMidriff their]] [[MsFanservice designs]].
* Cynthia, the first female champion from ''Diamond and Pearl'' has also become quite popular. She's managed to appear in ''[=HeartGold=]'' and ''[=SoulSilver=]'' and [[spoiler:''Black and White'']] which isn't bad considering that ''Pokémon'' has non-linear sequels.

* No Ensemble Darkhorse list can exist without mentioning Pikachu, who was just a normal Pokemon until its popularity made it the mascot of the franchise. Even though nowadays it's more of a BaseBreaker, and the core fanbase tends to prefer other {{Mons}} due to the increased emphasis on the games[[note]]in which Pikachu and other creatures get roughly equal emphasis,[[/note]] rather than the anime[[note]]in which Pikachu has always been a one-{{Mon}} SpotlightStealingSquad[[/note]] it's still the most recognized character in the whole franchise, and what usually comes to mind when one brings up "Pokémon".
* Charizard, easily the most {{Badass}} of all starters with no serious competition until Generation III. He has seen a resurgence in popularity as of 2012/2013 in Japan, with new merchandise including collectible and action figures and a special edition Nintendo 3DS LL with his likeness [[note]]available only at Pokemon Center stores, though[[/note]]. Also, on March 2013, Pokemon Center stores will release a whole line of themed accessories including: iPhone cases, pencil cases, coloring pencils, ties (yes, business ties), tiepins, and ''cufflinks''. It is currently the only Generation I starter... nah, the first Generation I ''Pokemon'', period, to receive such a treatment.
* Cubone and its evolution Marowak are remembered partially because of their interesting design, use of bones as clubs, tearjerking backstory, and the fact that they're the only Pokemon in G1 to have actual story relevance (the next closest to having to do with the plot was Snorlax who simply was a BrokenBridge).
* Pidgey. Still liked by many fans despite its shortcomings for being the original ComMon bird. Perhaps its the fact that it may have been the very first Pokémon to actually be caught by the first Pokémon trainers, or simply because its cute.
* Similarly, Ratatta is liked due to the top percentage meme mentioned above, and the fact that its also the center of the "FEAR" strategy.

* [[MagikarpPower Gyarados]], simply for being that {{Badass}} Pokemon that spawns from Magikarp, the very first (intentional) [[JokeCharacter joke Pokémon]]. Its also very strong despite its AchillesHeel to electricity.

* Pinsir was another [[AwesomeYetPractical well-liked]] bug Pokemon from the first generation, but lost a lot of support over the years due to being [[OvershadowedByAwesome overshadowed]] by the likes of Scyther (Scizor), Heracross and Scolipede. Generation VI however, finally throws Pinsir a bone and bestows upon it a Mega-evolution; putting Pinsir back on the map for the fan-base.
* Starmie. [[AwesomeYetPractical A unique duel-typing and incredible stat distribution]] has Starmie high on the tier list every generation.

* [[LightningBruiser Jolteon]] for being one of the few Pokemon that could take down Psychic types in the first generation due to its blazing speed. Its still considered the best of the Eevolutions to this day.
* Flareon gained quite a following other the years mostly for being the [[FanOfTheUnderdog underdog]] of the ''Eevolutions''; getting constantly screwed over for never receiving any moves to take advantage of its monstrous attack stat until Generation 6.
* Vaporeon as an Eeveelution and as a highly competent [[StoneWall Bulky Water]] competitive use Pokemon

* Mew, the [[CuteKitten kitten-like]] predecessor to Mewtwo, is popular due to its rarity (being an event-only Pokémon, unless glitches are used), cuteness and overall versatility, as it can learn every single move that can be taught with an item in the game.

* The two Eeveelutions of this generation; Espeon and Umbreon, are also immensely popular. They are competitively useful, have powerful stats and are [[VideoGame/PokemonColosseum Wes's starter and signature pokemon]]

* Forretress. Created specifically to StoneWall the normal-type kings from Generation I, and later becomes one of the best Pokemon to [[AwesomeYetPractical set up entry hazards]].
* [[BigBadassBirdOfPrey Skarmory]], considered to be one of the best StoneWall flying Pokemon in the game.

* [[EvilCounterpart Aggron]] who restores mountains and looks like a {{Badass}} metal version of another darkhorse, Tyranitar.

* [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Flygon]], its unique typing and design stood out amongst all other Dragon Pokemon...[[OvershadowedByAwesome at least before the Gible line was created.]] Its design is still considered quite unique though.

* [[SpiderTank Metagross]], only pseudo-legendary that's not Dragon-like and from the only generation to release more then one pseudo-legendary.
* Salamence, generation three's ''other'' pseudo-legendary, a BloodKnight of endless destruction.

* [[PantheraAwesome Shinx/Luxio/Luxray]]

* [[DarkIsNotEvil Darkrai]] is immensely popular for its design, battle style and two, WIDELY, different depictions ([[Anime/PokemonTheRiseOfDarkrai The Movie]] Darkrai and the ''[[VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers Mystery Dungeon]]'' Darkrai have virtually no similarities).

* [[DrillMole Excadrill]], one of the most [[AwesomeYetPractical annoyingly powerful]] non-legendary Pokemon you'll ever fight against.
* Scrafty is also a very well-liked Pokémon from Generation V. It looks cool, has an interesting theme, and is uniquely useful in competitive play; it and Scraggy (its previous form) are the only dark/fighting types, which means they're the only fighting type Pokémon immune to psychic attacks [[note]]Well, at least before Generation VI's Pangoro came along, which is fighting/dark and, therefore, share similar immunities and weaknesses[[/note]], and they get STAB on two very useful types. Scrafty's possible abilities are also very good. Moxie increases its attack every time it defeats an enemy, making it a good sweeper. Shed Skin has a chance of removing a status effect, so it's great for a defensive set. The official Nintendo 2011 Black and White tournament gave out a fairly decent Scrafty as a nod to its popularity as a team fighter. It likely helps that Scrafty is really useful in-game as well, with its typing rendering it good against three of the Elite 4.

* [[AlwaysChaoticEvil Hydreigon]], generation five's pseudo legendary.

* Honedge and its evolutions, the possessed ghost swords

* A strange case is with [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY Yveltal]]. While it clearly is the more popular mascot in Gen VI, being a [[EvilIsCool Cool,]] BigBadassBirdOfPrey, its game was outsold by its comrade [[OurFairiesAreDifferent Xerneas]], largely because ''X'' version has Mega Charizard X, an even ''bigger'' darkhorse.

* Lucario became popular enough to replace ''Mewtwo'' in ''Super Smash Bros.''. That says it all.

* Vivillon, a bug tpe whose region varying colors have created such high demand people will trade legends for them.
* Bancho Pandas Pancham and Pangoro
* Meowistic, the CreepyCute cat

* Goomy, whom some internet users are actually worshiping as a God.

* Tyrunt and Tyrantrum, the first ''true'' ''TyrannosaurusRex'' Mons in the series. The saurpod based Ice fossils Amura and Aurorus

* * A strange case is with [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY Yveltal]]. While it clearly is the more popular mascot in Gen VI, being a [[EvilIsCool Cool,]] BigBadassBirdOfPrey, its game was outsold by its comrade [[OurFairiesAreDifferent Xerneas]] largely because ''X'' version has Mega Charizard X, an even ''bigger'' darkhorse.

* Pidgey. Still liked by many fans despite its shortcomings for being the original ComMon bird.

* [[MagikarpPower Gyarados]], simply for being that {{Badass}} Pokemon that spawns from Magikarp, the very first (intentional) [[JokeCharacter joke Pokémon]].
* [[OurGhostsAreDifferent Gengar]] has always been considered one of the [[AwesomeYetPractical more powerful and cool looking]] ghost-types.

* [[BadassAdorable Dragonite]], Generation I's pseudo-legendary. Dragonite waned in popularity as the generations went on due to being [[OvershadowedByAwesome overshadowed]] by Salamence and Garchomp, but once Generation V bestowed upon it the hidden ability, Multiscale, its usability skyrocketed.

* [[God Arceus]] earned its popularity very, very quickly.