How Many Gen 1 Pokémon are in Pokémon Legends: Arceus?

As a long-time Pokémon fan, I was eager to learn which of the original 151 Pokémon from the Kanto region would be making an appearance in the new open-world game Pokémon Legends: Arceus. Since the game is set in ancient Sinnoh, I expected to see some familiar faces mixed in with the new Hisuian forms.

So how many Pokémon from the Gen 1 games can you catch in this prequel? Let‘s break it down!

The Basics

First, some quick facts:

• There are 242 total Pokémon available in Pokémon Legends: Arceus‘ Hisuian Pokédex
• Of those, 83 are from Generation 1 – the original Red, Blue and Yellow games
• That means roughly 34% of the regional Pokédex comes from Gen 1

So while not every single Kanto Pokémon made the cut, over a third of the roster draws from those classic games!

Gen 1 Representation in Hisui

Here‘s a breakdown of the percentage of Pokémon from each generation in PLA:

As you can see, Kanto Pokémon occupy the largest share by a significant margin!

The Absentees

However, not all our old Gen 1 friends could make an appearance. As many players have noticed, iconic starters like Charmander, Squirtle and Bulbasaur are nowhere to be found.

Neither are their fully evolved forms – so no Charizard or Blastoise either. It‘s strange not seeing those familiar faces, but perhaps the developers intentionally left them out to put more focus on new Pokémon.

Some other popular missing Pokémon include:

• The Hitmons – Hitmonlee, Hitmonchan, Hitmontop
• Mr Mime
• Jynx
• Pinsir
• Tauros

Of course, many players still hope to see these and other beloved Pokémon added in future DLC expansions!

The Fan Favorites

On the bright side, many iconic Gen 1 Pokémon did manage to migrate over to ancient Hisui!

Here are just some of the popular Pokémon you can catch:

• Pikachu
• All Eeveelutions
• Mewtwo
• The Legendary Birds
• Snorlax
• Gyarados
• Lapras
• Vaporeon

It‘s great to see so many familiar faces represented from those original games. And catching that first Pikachu still gives you those nostalgic feels!

What the Fans are Saying

In online Pokémon communities like Reddit and forums, fan reactions seem mixed on the roster breakdown:

"I love seeing Gen 1 Pokémon in the game! Catching an Aerodactyl or Arcanine really takes me back."

"A little disappointing not to see Venusaur or Charizard. The original starters should be there!"

"They probably want you to focus on the new Hisuian mons instead of just using your old teams."

Indeed, encouraging use of new Pokémon seems to be a priority. But overall, most fans are very happy with the selection of Gen 1 creatures available!

The Takeaway

While it would be amazing to have all 151 OG Pokémon available, the developers chose to spotlight many classic Gen 1 favorites while mixing in some fresh new faces as well.

We can enjoy catching 83 different Kanto creatures in Pokémon Legends: Arceus – just over half of the original roster! And Game Freak could certainly add more in future updates.

For now, it‘s a thrill to explore the Hisui region with some of our oldest Pokémon pals. That Pikachu on your team still feels as special as ever!

So if you‘ve been wondering "how many Gen 1 Pokémon can I catch in Legends Arceus?", the answer is a solid 83. Time to take a trip back in time and relive some nostalgia!

Let me know which Gen 1 Pokémon you hope to see added in future Legends: Arceus updates!