The 2020 Pokemon of the Year winners are here

Nintendo and The Pokemon Company revealed the top 10 fan-voted 2020 Pokemon of the Year today, including the big winner: Greninja. Here's the full list:  

10. Gengar

9. Gardevoir 

8. Rayquaza 

7. Garchomp

6. Sylveon

5. Umbreon

4. Charizard

3. Mimikyu 

2. Lucario

1. Greninja 

It's no surprise that some of these Pokemon made the cut. I mean, we've got like five different Charizard forms at this point, so there's something for everyone in the big orange dragon category. Gardevoir has been a fan favorite since it was first revealed, Gengar is one of the first Pokemon shown in the original anime (and it has an amazing Gigantamax form in Pokemon Sword and Shield), and I seem to remember Garchomp being a beast in competitive Pokemon. Then there's Lucario, a Super Smash Bros. favorite which even got its own animated movie. 

I'd wager that Greninja claimed the top spot in part thanks to the hype fight scenes it received in the newer seasons of the Pokemon anime. I haven't kept up with the show in recent years, but every now and then a Greninja fight scene will pop up on Twitter or Reddit and I'll have to check out the episode it came from. 

The biggest surprise here may be the absence of Pikachu, the face of Pokemon. No Eevee, either, despite the success of Pokemon Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee. At least we've got Mimikyu repping Pikachu in spirit, not to mention two Eeveelutions in Sylveon (the newest one) and Umbreon (the coolest one). 

The Pokemon of the Year awards are just one part of Pokemon Day 2020 - here's everything you need to know.  

Austin Wood

Austin freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree, and he's been with 12DOVE since 2019. They've yet to realize that his position as a senior writer is just a cover up for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a focus on news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.