8 Forgotten Pokemon Evolutions Nobody Talks About Anymore

Evolution is one of Pokemon’s key elements, as it’s basically the mechanic that allowed this franchise to become so popular in the first place. Seeing those little pocket monsters get stronger until they transform into an even bigger creature that can wield brand-new abilities is incredibly satisfying, not to mention that Game Freak always does an excellent job at coming up with clever designs and concepts for them.

It’s common for a Pokemon evolution to be more (or at least, equally) popular than its pre-evolution, but there are sadly many exceptions to this rule. Whether it’s because of their designs, their battle performance, or because they were overshadowed by an evolution introduced in another generation, many evolved Pokemon have been almost completely forgotten by the fanbase, and the following eight are the most notorious examples of this odd phenomenon.

Quick Picks: Forgotten Pokemon Evolutions In 2026 (By Generation)

Short on time? Then here is a quick peek at a few evolutionary forms that are barely a footnote nowadays.

Poliwrath

Nowhere Near As Memorable As Poliwhirl Or Politoed

Introduced in: Generation One (Kanto)

Pokedex number: #0062

Types: Water/Fighting

There’s no denying that Poliwag’s evolutionary line is made up of some of the most iconic Pokemon ever made, but most people seem to gravitate towards its first two forms (Poliwag and Poliwhirl) while they usually forget about Poliwrath. This has mainly happened due to its design, since not only is it way less cute than Poliwhirl, but it also doesn’t look much different from its pre-evolution either, thus making it a lot harder for Poliwrath to properly stand out.

To make things even worse, Generation Two introduced Politoed, an alternative evolution for Poliwhirl that looks way more adorable and actually makes better use of this evolutionary family’s tadpole theme. Additionally, Politoed can have the ability Drizzle, which makes it incredibly popular in the competitive scene, whereas Poliwrath is not considered viable at all and pales in comparison to other Water/Fighting Pokemon (like Keldeo or Quaquaval).

Togetic

Not As Iconic As Togepi Nor As Powerful As Togekiss

Introduced in: Generation Two (Johto)

Pokedex number: # 0176

Types: Fairy/Flying

In a way, it almost seems like Togetic was always destined to be forgettable. After all, it’s the evolution of Togepi, one of the most iconic Pokemon ever made, who’s famous for having been introduced in the anime way before its respective generation, Generation Two, was released in the video games. Yes, Togetic is quite cute, but it’s nowhere near as adorable as its pre-evolution. Crucially, Togetic didn’t have any prominent roles in the anime, and it’s surprisingly weak for what used to be a fully evolved Pokemon.

On top of all that, Togetic received an additional evolution in Generation Four called Togekiss, which maintained the cuteness of its evolutionary line while also being incredibly powerful in battle. As a result, if someone discusses this evolutionary family nowadays, they’ll most likely either mention Togepi or Togekiss, while Togetic keeps fading into obscurity.

Ursaring

Its New Evolution Has Two Different Forms

Introduced in: Generation Two (Johto)

Pokedex number: #0217

Type: Normal

Ursaring was a fully evolved Pokemon for over twenty-three years, and it was relatively iconic due to the fact that it was the quintessential grizzly bear monster (even though its design also possesses elements of the Asian black bear). Since it’s fairly big and strong, fans didn’t ask for nor were expecting it to receive a cross-generational evolution, and yet, that’s exactly what happened in Pokemon Legends: Arceus.

This game introduced Ursaluna, a massive bear-like Normal/Ground Pokemon that is so powerful it eventually became one of the most competitively viable Pokemon in Scarlet and Violet online battles. Furthermore, that game’s The Teal Mask DLC introduced a second form known as Bloodmoon Ursaluna, which is arguably even stronger and, as a result, also became extremely popular among competitive players. Unfortunately, it seems like nobody remembers Ursaring now, nor has talked about it since 2022.

Dusknoir

Its Pre-Evolution Is Way More Useful In Battle

Introduced in: Generation Four (Sinnoh)

Pokedex number: #0477

Type: Ghost

While most Pokemon (like Togetic or Ursaring) are usually overshadowed by their cross-generational evolutions, Dusknoir is a victim of the exact opposite scenario, seeing as its pre-evolution from a previous generation is way more popular. This Pokemon was introduced as an evolution of Generation Three’s Dusclops, but the existence of the Eviolite single-handedly killed its competitive viability.

Eviolite is a held item that boosts Defense and Special Defense stats by 50%, but only if they are not fully evolved. Since Dusclops was already a highly defensive Pokemon from the get-go, the introduction of both Dusknoir and the Eviolite turned it into an almost unstoppable defensive wall that is very popular among competitive players to this day. On the other hand, Dusknoir is more of an attacking Pokemon with a solid Attack stat, but it doesn’t possess enough unique elements that help it stand out from either its pre-evolution or other physical Ghost-type Pokemon.

Bisharp

Its Generation Nine Evolution Is One Of The Most OP Pokemon Ever Made

Introduced in: Generation Five (Unova)

Pokedex number: #0625

Types: Dark/Steel

Bisharp suffered a similar fate to Ursaring, seeing as it was a fully evolved Pokemon for many years until it suddenly received a cross-generational evolution in a modern game, even though no fan thought it really needed one. Scarlet and Violet introduced Kingambit, which not only looks way more intimidating than Bisharp, but it’s also considered one of the most overpowered Pokemon in the entire franchise due to its stats and its exclusive ability, Supreme Overlord*.

To be fair, Bisharp still sees some slight usage in competitive formats due to the aforementioned Eviolite item, but it is nowhere near as popular or strong as Kingambit and has definitely been overshadowed by its brand-new evolution. Who knows? The very same thing could happen to another fully evolved Pokemon in Generation Ten when Winds and Waves comes out in 2027.

Flapple/Appletun

Dipplin And Hydrapple Make Better Use Of Their Unique Concept

Introduced in: Generation Eight (Galar)

Pokedex number: #0841 and #0842

Types: Grass/Dragon

When Sword and Shield initially came out, Flapple and Appletun quickly became two of the most beloved Galarian Pokemon. Their concept of “a wyrm stuck in an apple” was absolutely brilliant, and both it and their designs really resonated with players. With time, Appletun became much more popular than its counterpart (mainly due to its adorable apple pie theme), and Flapple slowly began fading into obscurity.

Appletun would eventually share the same fate, however, when the DLCs for Scarlet and Violet introduced yet another member of the Applin evolutionary line called Dipplin, which is based on a candied apple. While it didn’t make much of an impact when The Teal Mask released, everything changed when The Indigo Disk introduced its new evolution, Hydrapple, thus making Dipplin the only member of this trio who could evolve even further. Hydrapple has a much more distinct design that makes better use of its family’s core concept, and, to no one’s surprise, it’s way more powerful in battle than any of its predecessors.

Wyrdeer

Stantler’s Long-Awaited Evolution Was Immediately Overshadowed By Farigiraf

Introduced in: Generation Eight (Hisui)

Pokedex number: #0899

Types: Normal/Psychic

Stantler was one of those Pokemon that people spent decades begging Game Freak to make a cross-generational evolution for, and this wish finally came true in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, which introduced Wyrdeer. To make things even better, it also had a prominent role in the game, seeing as it was one of the Ride Pokemon that allowed players to reach their destination way faster.

Unfortunately, however, it seems like Wyrdeer was forgotten by most fans shortly after the release of Scarlet and Violet. This can be chalked up to a multitude of reasons, like the fact that evolving Stantler was quite annoying (not to mention that Wyrdeer can only exist in Scarlet and Violet if it’s transferred from a Pokemon Home account) or that it’s not very good in battle due to its slow Speed stat and limited move pool. However, what finally sealed Wyrdeer’s fate was the introduction of Farigiraf, another cross-generational evolution of a Johtonian Pokemon (in this case, Girafarig) with the Normal/Psychic typing that not only boasted a much more creative design but also saw a lot more usage in competitive formats due to its stats and abilities.

Oinkologne

Trying To Top Lechonk Was Always Going To Be An Impossible Task

Introduced in: Generation Nine (Pladea)

Pokedex number: #0916

Type: Normal

Shortly before Scarlet and Violet came out, Game Freak and The Pokemon Company revealed Lechonk, which quickly went viral due to its adorable design and its brilliantly charming name. Fans spent months making memes and posts that reflected how much they loved this little pig-like Pokemon while they were anticipating what it could evolve to. Sadly, once the games came out, Lechonk’s evolution, Oinkologne, failed to make an impact on players.

Lechonk was beloved both for being cute and round and for its clever pun name, two factors that are completely absent from its evolutions. While the fact that Oinkologne has a slightly different design (complete with different stats and abilities) depending on its gender was a somewhat interesting idea, it still wasn’t enough to help it stand out, especially when considering that both forms look more like generic pig Pokemon than their pre-evolution. Some people still talk about Lechonk today, almost four years after the release of Scarlet and Violet, while Oinkologne sadly remains as one of the least popular Paldean Pokemon.