Summary
Though the second half ofPokemon ScarletandViolet’s DLC is set to expand its Pokedex one more time with previously unavailable Pokemon, any potential Gen 5 remakes will be the only hope for a few remaining Pokemon who still haven’t made it intoPokemon’s Switch games. The recent leaks ofScarletandViolet’s updated Pokedexfollowing The Indigo Disk appear to confirm which Pokemon from earlier generations will be coming to Paldea. But taking a look at the bigger picture of available Pokemon across the series' various Switch games reveals that there are nine Pokemon in particular who will still be unobtainable on the platform post-Gen 9.
With the uncertainty surrounding the Switch’s future and Nintendo’s plans for its next console, it’s possible that the last chance these nine Pokemon have to join the other thousand-odd on the Switch lies with the highly anticipated remakes ofPokemon BlackandWhite. While it hasn’t been confirmed if there will beBlackandWhiteremakes or if Game Freak will even be developing them, many fans remain hopeful that prospectiveGen 5 remakes will be released during the Switch’s lifetime. However, though these Gen 5 remakes could easily account for eight of these nine Pokemon, there may still be one missing even then.
Pokemon Has A Pokedex Problem On The Switch
Back whenPokemon SwordandShieldwere being launched, Game Freak caused controversy when it announced that it would bephasing out the National Pokedex in futurePokemongames. While it claimed it was doing this to better balance the continuously growing number of Pokemon, many players were disappointed or frustrated at the prospect of being unable to transfer their favorite or oldest Pokemon from earlier games. Ultimately, while almost every Pokemon can now be obtained between the various Gen 8 and Gen 9Pokemongames on the Switch, this has inevitably resulted in nine unlucky Pokemon shown below being completely unavailable after simply not making the cut.
Gen 6
Pokemon Black and White Remakes Can Come To The Switch’s Rescue
There is still hope for these missing Pokemon thanks toBlackandWhiteremakes and other Gen 5 games, as eight out of these nine Pokemon in particular actually belong to the same generation. Firstly, Patrat and Watchog were introduced asBlackandWhite’s traditional Route 1 Normal-type Pokemon, which means they are both virtually guaranteed to appear in any Gen 5 remakes on the Switch. Secondly, another three Pokemon and their evolutions dubbed as the “Elemental Monkeys” are also just as likely to appear, especially since Pansage, Pansear, and Panpour were intentional parallels to the Starter Pokemons' types for players to obtain early into the game.
One Gen 6 Pokemon Might Still Not Make It To The Switch
However, one last Pokemon might not be as fortunate as the Patrat, Pansage, Pansear, and Panpour Pokemon lines, as it is an outlier among these eight Gen 5 Pokemon. Based on the French inspiration forPokemon XandY, Furfrou was introduced in Gen 6 with a unique gimmick of multiple fashionable forms that tied intoPokemon’s new customization features. But given how close thePokemon Brilliant DiamondandShining Pearlremakes were to Gen 4’s source material, it seems highly unlikely that Furfrou will make a surprise appearance inBlackandWhiteremakes if they take a similar approach.
There could be the slim possibility that Game Freak will capitalize on the popular spin-offPokemon Legends: Arceusthat coincided with the Gen 4 remakes if it announces plans for a secondPokemon Legendsgame set in Unova. Just as Pokemon from more recent generations received Hisuian forms, so too could Furfrou be introduced to the Switch through an all-new regional variant. But with Game Freak remaining silent about the future beyondPokemonScarletandViolet’s final DLC expansion, any potential Gen 5 remakes will face scrutiny from fans about whether they will finally add the last nine Pokemon missing from the Switch.
