Are Pokemon getting stronger?

[Kindrindra]

I don't have the interview on me right now, but I remember seeing a Pokemon Platinum interview with Junichi Masuda, and they interviewer asked something along the lines of "Is there a them you follow when you create a new generation of Pokemon?" I recall him saying that the theme for Gen IV was "ultimate". Apparently they purposely tried to make some of the toughest Pokemon this time around.

^Actually, I have the Nintendo Power issue with that interview. He said that they decided on the ultimate pokemon of each type first (Ex: Legends and final stages), then worked their way down. In other words, they make the last stages first, then logically decide what the lower stages of that pokemon would look like.

 

[Kindrindra]

I don't have the interview on me right now, but I remember seeing a Pokemon Platinum interview with Junichi Masuda, and they interviewer asked something along the lines of "Is there a them you follow when you create a new generation of Pokemon?" I recall him saying that the theme for Gen IV was "ultimate". Apparently they purposely tried to make some of the toughest Pokemon this time around.

^Actually, I have the Nintendo Power issue with that interview. He said that they decided on the ultimate pokemon of each type first (Ex: Legends and final stages), then worked their way down. In other words, they make the last stages first, then logically decide what the lower stages of that pokemon would look like.

 

[Prinplup]

They are getting a bit to stronger....

 

[Gligarz]

Let`s just hope they will get a bit even.

 

[Grei]

^Actually, I have the Nintendo Power issue with that interview. He said that they decided on the ultimate pokemon of each type first (Ex: Legends and final stages), then worked their way down. In other words, they make the last stages first, then logically decide what the lower stages of that pokemon would look like.

Does that necessarily mean that they tried to make Gen IV the "Ultimate", then?

I feel like they could be, though a lot of the older Pokemon are still stronger.

 

[RocketGrunt]

unown those little buggers!

 

[Jb]

they may be getting more powerful, but imo, less original. I would rather see a uu well designed pokemon everyone can understand than a ou boring pokemon.

this^.......

 

[Rom]

There's gonna be a good average of weak and powerful ones. Sinnoh probably just had the upper hand on this one.

 

[Spire]

It's not only the Pokémon themselves that are changing, but the in-game strategies are as well, which is evident even in this generation.

Basically, when DP first came out, Stall was extremely prevalent, but as time wore on, offensive teams have become more and more popular.

 

[RDSchley]

4th gen pokemon were made with the physical/special split in mind, thus they are geared towards physical or specially with a higher extreme than most pokemon from previous generations.

Also, with every generation comes more ubers.

More legendaries = more ubers
more legendaries = more crappy movies that can be made to milk the populous

 

[sparkywonderplus]

well yes, of course. they make new evolutions, i don't think that effects the original pokemon's stats, but - especially if the pokemon is strong already - it's evolved form ends up more powerful.

also, they probably make the games slightly harder as they go along, so they have to make stronger pokemon to even it out.

 

[joerachi]

they aren't getting stonger. do you think EVERY single pokemon from the previous gen gets better? the fact that more pokemon were added probaly is why.

 

[swampertlover5712]

uh... nope!
cooler: yes
stronger: nada

 

[Victreebong]

Well, there's Blastoise and Feraligtr, which hang out at the same base stat total with no frills...

Then there's Swampert with the highest base stat total of all the starters, 4 resistances, 1 weakness, and 1 immunity. And then there's Empoleon, while being tied with the first two nostalgic critters for base stat total, its also tied for being the second most defensive Pokemon to date. Couple this with an amazing move pool, high special attack, and boosting abilities, its no surprise that its a contender with Swampert for highly overused on Smogon, and the first 2 are hardly seen even in UU.

Of course one example wouldn't do justice to your claim; so we'll just count the 22 other existing-Pokemon-given-evolutions that were slapped into the DPPt roster and take into account how many of them are OU and BL, and the plethora of new moves added that hit for 70 base damage and above (mostly due to the split), hit with increased priority, have poor distribution but have incredible side effects, and the additional frequency of abilities which make some Pokemon now contestants in the Uber tier.

Yes, Pokemon are getting stronger.

 

[Abysmal Flames]

You also have to think along these lines:

Each game takes place in different regions. You have to consider the idea that in real life, species have evolved over millions of years to adapt to the region that they live in.

For example, you cannot evolve Magneton into Magnezone in HGSS (no Mt Coronet). Can't evolve Eevee into Leafeon and Glaceon either in HGSS (No grass and ice rocks).

Also we are encountering more diverse weather effects. I would expect existence of stronger Pokemon in these harsher environments that would lead to opening up a new evolutionary path. We genetically engineer plants and animals. So the concept is just extended to the game.

Pokemon are gaining access to new moves in these new environments. However, HGSS disprove this because you can still evolve some Yanma, and Piloswine, and Tangela because they retain their movesents in from DPPt to HGSS. It would have been more interesting if they kept their movesets separated so that people wouldn't be so quick to abandon DPPt games (doubt that will happen anyway). However, this supports the idea that some Pokemon are learning new moves to get new strength. Then when they find this new strength, they somehow evolve. After all, a lot of these Pokemon that require a new move to evolve have existed for 10+ years now.

Lastly, humans are developing new items that trigger evolution (Magmar, Electabuzz, Rhydon, etc). It shows how humans are striving to engineer Pokemon. This is not a new concept because of Mewtwo and Porygon.

So yes, Pokemon are getting stronger. However, I have no explanation for the starter Pokemon since they are no where to be found in the wild on our games (other than Torchic from the Pokewalker). That's just one mystery we may never understand.

 

[Pokefreak113]

You're officially the smartest person I know.

 

[kingmassa]

Pokémon are increasing in strength because the developers are becoming more aware of what sort of base stat spreads are good for pokémon. They're quite well aware of which pokémon will be at OU level, as you can see from the different games in battle tower/frontier or in games such as PBR.

Also, a big factor in which pokémon are good and which aren't currently is the transition from Stat Exp. to EVs. When every stat could be maxed out, 100 in every base stat was amazing. Pokémon with low defences could still take a hit or two, some could even take super effective hits if they were 2x. Balanced stats were not that bad, obviously very focused stats were great too, as we saw with pokémon like Gengar and Alakazam being monsters in their own right. Now however, if your stats are balanced, you lack the focus in stats, making them generally inferior choices. With limited EVs, a Bellyzard can't take a hit at all, so it's a really risky glass cannon. (Not to mention SR nowadays).

With EVs came the need for a obvious focus in a pokémon's stats. Decent abilities go a long way too, but focus in base stats is key. High speed and attacking stats for sweepers. Sweepers don't need great defence, they're not meant to be hit. Likewise with walls and more bulky supporters, a good defensive typing with the right stats in HP and defence(s). If you look at the starters over the years, you see more focus in their base stats.

Charizard and Typhlosion well rounded, Blaziken had great attacking stats, Infernape has great attacking stats AND speed.

Likewise with Blastoise > Feraligatr > Swampert > Empoleon, you see the greater focus in stats, although it all really started after 3rd gen.

The point is, pokémon are being given better distributions which work well with the system of EVs. So yes, they are getting stronger, because the developers understand now what constitutes to a powerful pokémon.

 

[Kyogre911]

i don't know if pokemon r literally getting stronger, but movepools at least keep getting better. altho, we still haven't seen flareon with flare blitz...

 

[_Skippy_]

Yes, mainly because the game got competetive during the R/S/E era...well actually thats just my theory.

 

[I like Pikachu]

Yes it is because they want newer players like us to have a better shot than the older fans. see, Nintendo wants to make $, right? So this means they don't care about the older fans and help the new ones.