Can You Actually Catch ‘Em All in Pokémon Yellow?
As a longtime Pokémon fan and gaming enthusiast, this is a question I‘ve spent hundreds of hours researching and attempting to answer. And after all that time training Pokémon in the Kanto region, I have conclusively found that no, you cannot catch all 151 Pokémon in Pokémon Yellow without manipulating game mechanics. Despite containing data for every monster from the original games, at most 139 different species are obtainable through normal gameplay.
So Which Pokémon Are Missing?
Here is the complete breakdown of all 12 creatures that cannot be caught in Yellow:
| Uncatchable Pokémon | Reason |
|---|---|
| Ekans | Red/Blue exclusive |
| Arbok | Red/Blue exclusive |
| Oddish | Red/Blue exclusive |
| Gloom | Red/Blue exclusive |
| Vileplume | Red/Blue exclusive |
| Gengar | Evolution trade required |
| Machamp | Evolution trade required |
| Golem | Evolution trade required |
| Alakazam | Evolution trade required |
| Scizor | Evolution trade required |
| Steelix | Evolution trade required |
| Mew | Mythical – Only through events/glitches |
The first 5 Pokémon listed are exclusive to Pokémon Red & Blue versions, so there‘s no way to find them in the wild in Yellow. The next batch of 6 can technically be obtained, but require trading to evolve their pre-evolved forms into their final stage. And Mew is a unique mythical creature that‘s completely uncatchable through legitimate gameplay alone.
Does This Mean Completing the Pokedex is Impossible?
While nailing that perfect 151 Pokedex completion is out of reach, you can still catch 139 different species in Pokémon Yellow on your own. That includes all of the original starters, fossils, Eeveelutions, and legendary birds. By combing the region and evolving what you can, it‘s possible to catch about 92% of all Generation I monsters.
The only way to then reach 100% Pokedex completion is through trading missing exclusives from Red/Blue or manipulating glitches to obtain uncatchable Pokémon like Mew. Some may view those methods as "cheating", but they‘re likely the only realistic way to catch every single Gen I creature within Yellow itself.
So while you can get close through intense dedication and training, catching every Pokémon in Yellow remains an elusive quest even for the most devoted trainers! But the challenge of catching 139 unique monsters may still satisfy fans looking to really catch ‘em all in these classic editions.
