Every Missing Pokemon in Pokemon Sword and Shield

One of the biggest parts of the controversy surroundingPokemon SwordandPokemon Shieldat the time of release wasomission of many Pokemon from older generations of games. The two games only featured a small selection of returning Pokemon, and the rest of the roster was comprised of new additions to the series. This in of itself is not completely a bad thing. However, with the announcement and introduction ofPokemon Home, players learned that if a Pokemon was not catchable in the Galar region, they could not even be brought over to the games viaPokemon Home- and if a Pokemon was inPokemon Homealready, then they are stuck there until a game is introduced on the Switch that the Pokemon is compatible with.

Now, with the introduction of the Isle of Armor and Crown Tundra DLCs, Game Freak is adding more Pokemon back into the games. However, as of the time of writing, there are still 350 Pokemon that cannot be transferred intoPokemon SwordandPokemon ShieldviaPokemon Home.Please note:This does not include any Pokemon that are speculated to be returning in theCrown Tundra DLC that have been found via datamine. This also does not include Pokemon that are unobtainable currently, but can still be transferred intoSwordandShieldviaPokemon Home.For example, Jirachi is impossible to get in-game at the moment, but since it is able to be transferred into the games, it is not a part of this list.

Pokemon Red and Blue

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Generation 1

Generation 1 is missing a fair number ofPokemon- approximately 33% of the entire Kanto Pokedex when looking at it contextually. Lots of fan-favorite Pokemon, like Pidgeot and Dragonite, are iconic Pokemon in the series but fail to make an appearance inPokemon SwordandPokemon Shield.Game Freak really missed a golden opportunity to justify the giant Dragonite in the originalPokemonanime using Dynamax by not having Dragonite make an appearance this generation, and if any more Pokemon were to be added to DLC, Dragonite is a good pick for thesnowy wastes of the Crown Tundra. Here are all of the first Generation Pokemon currently barred from entering the Galar region:

Generation 2

Generation 2 added 100 Pokemon to the franchise when it first launched, however more than 50% of those new Pokemon are painfully absent fromPokemon SwordandPokemon Shield. If these Pokemon fail to return in aSwordandShieldDLC, perhaps we will see them again if Game Freak does afull remake ofPokemon GoldandPokemon Silver:

Generation 3

Generation 3 is beloved by many fans for being a huge step in the right direction for thePokemonfranchise. It introduced a whopping 135 new Pokemon to the franchise, including several who have become long-time staples of the series. However, inPokemon SwordandPokemon Shield,Generation 3 is missing more Pokemon than any other Generation in the series, clocking in with 86 omissions. At least, it seems that the several Legendary Pokemon from Generation 3 will be making a comeback in theCrown Tundra co-op game mode.

Generation 4

Generation 4 is seen as one of the more controversialPokemonGenerations due to its rather mixed reception from the fanbase at the time. However there is a decently sized following of fans who have been crying out for aremake ofDiamondandPearl,as the generation aged well. There are a decent number of Pokemon missing from this Generation, though clearly not as bad as Gen 3. 107 Pokemon were added, but there are currently 58 missing fromSwordandShield(a big percentage when looking at it individually):

Generation 5

Generation 5 marked the release ofPokemon BlackandWhite, and laterBlack 2andWhite 2. This generation brought the most new Pokemon out of any Generation, clocking in at 156 new faces - with only 42 missing fromSwordandShield. Gen 5 certainly got a good amount of love from Game Freak when it was deciding tocut Pokemon from the roster.

Generation 6

Gen 6 marks the leap from DS to 3DS with the release ofPokemon XandPokemon Y. Only 72 Pokemon were added this Generation, and out of those 72, only 31 are still missing fromSwordandShield.

Generation 7

Pokemon SunandMoon(and by extensionUltra SunandUltra Moon)introduced players to the Alola region as well as 81 new Pokemon. That number went up to 88 after the release ofUltra Sun,Ultra Moon, and theLet’s Gotitles. While some of the Pokemon introduced can be transferred, but not obtained, the list remains relatively short compared to some other Generations. A fair number of missing Pokemon are either Legendary or the unlikely-to-be-added Ultra Beasts:

Those are all the Pokemon still unable to be transferred toPokemon SwordandPokemon Shield.The Isle of Armor did a fair job at reintroducing Pokemon to this generation, but hopefully Game Freak will continue this trend until all 350 missing Pokemon can find their home in the Galar region.

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