In celebration of April 22nd’s release of Pokémon Diamond and Pokémon Pearl for the Nintendo DS, we’ve decided to give you our picks for the top 25 Pokémon of all-time. We’ve gone through the first three generations’ entire list of 386 different Pokémon, and we’ll be listing out a few of our picks each day over the course of the week until we reach our undisputed #1 pick for our favorite Pokémon of all-time on Saturday evening!

Today we look at Pokémon choice numbers six, five, and four as our list finally winds down towards the end. Which Pokémon were able to beat out all the others thus far for these coveted positions? Click on to find out!

#6 - Dragonite

Who’s That Pokémon?
Somewhere along the line, Dragonair grew arms, legs, wings, a pair of antennae, and changed colors. Dragonite, with the distinction of being numbers as high as #149 in the original games, is a rare and powerful Pokémon that many trainers would love to have on their team. Dragonite are capable of circling the globe in a mere 16 hours of flight, and use echolocation in the dark or fog. They are highly intelligent creatures and have a kind heart, as they will often lead ships stuck in a violent storm to the shores or harbor and will save drowning swimmers if necessary. If you are lucky enough, you may even come across a giant Dragonite.

In the video games, Dragonite is equally as powerful. In the original games, Dragonite had the highest attack stat in the entire game. Many trainers seek to obtain a Dragonite for its effectiveness in battle as a dragon-type by raising a Dratini from infancy or by trading. Its Hyper Beam attack is immensely powerful and will attack an opponent’s weak spot for massive damage.

With two newer generations of Pokémon to compete against and another on the way, Dragonite now has some competition as to what it can do for a trainer’s party. Nonetheless, Dragonite still consistently ranks among the best Pokémon and best dragon Pokémon in the series thus far.

Why did we pick it?
While other gigantic Pokémon spend their time worrying about looking tough (Charizard, Venusaur, Mewtwo, and others), Dragonite is using his size for the greater good. When Mewtwo and Charizard battles get a bit out of hand and entire coastal towns are destroyed, Dragonite would be the very first creature on the scene to save the villiagers from their fiery peril. You can’t help but admire a creature that is as surprisingly kind and gentle as Dragonite is.

While Dragonite might be the most friendly Creamsicle resembling Pokémon in Pokéhistory, he is also one of the most powerful. I used to fear any battle featuring Dragonite, since his Hyper Beam attack makes even Kim Jong Il weep. Ah, the perfect combination of power and compassion, something that very few world leaders possess. By few, I mean absolutely none. Curses to the real world!

#5 - Espeon

Who’s That Pokémon?
We weren’t going to finish this list without at least one form of Eevee. There’s six forms (Eevee and five evolutions), so there were pretty good chances one would make our list. Espeon is the psychic evolution of Eevee, evident in its many special abilities. Espeon’s sensitive hair and nerves help it to predict changes in the environment, such as an opponent Pokémon’s next move or a change in weather conditions. In addition, its precognitive abilities allow Espeon to sense dangerous threats to itself or its trainer, and it will act accordingly to protect itself and/or defend its trainer.

Espeon is obtained by raising an Eevee’s happiness to its maximum and then evolving Eevee during the daytime hours. This was easily done in Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal due to the day and night feature. In Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, the lack of a day/night feature forced players to watch clocks to make sure they were evolving Eevee at the correct times to obtain an Espeon. Otherwise, Eevee would evolve into Umbreon. In Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, the day and night mechanism will be returning, allowing trainers the ease of simply evolving a happy Eevee when the screen is bright.

Why did we pick it?
It’s hard not to like at least one Eevee evolution. There are five existing ones, with two more on the way starting Sunday. Pretty soon there will be an Eevee evolution for every possible favorite type. That said, Christian has a very strong affinity for psychic Pokémon, one of which Espeon happens to be. Espeon’s short hair also gives it a much sleeker look compared to Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon, Leafeon, and Glaceon, and slightly more so than when compared to Umbreon.

While Espeon doesn’t hold up too well against Pokémon with more physical attacks, it can hold its own against special attacks and can dish out even more in terms of its own special attacks. Of all the Eevee evolutions, including the two upcoming ones, Espeon has by far the highest special attack base stat. This comes in handy once Espeon learns Psychic and/or Dream Eater (tutor), as these moves will help to end battles more quickly, reducing the need for Espeon to depend on its weak defenses.

#4 - Articuno

Who’s That Pokémon?
Articuno is the legendary bird of ice, and is essentially a living cold front. Articuno can create and manipulate ice as it pleases, and the flapping of its wings as it flies through the air will instantly convert any water vapor in the air to snow or ice. It is a peaceful legendary bird, living in solitude within snowy mountains and rescuing doomed explorers that happen to lose their way. In the games, Articuno is found on the Seafoam Islands, where most trainers seek to capture it with an Ultra Ball, and yet still have considerable trouble doing so.

In the anime, Articuno has made several appearances. Its first notable appearance was in Pokémon The Movie 2000, when a man sought to create a dispute among Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos, causing a three-way battle that awakens Lugia, as Lawrence III had hoped would happen. On the television anime, Articuno is the only legendary Pokémon to have been defeated by a non-legendary Pokémon in battle. Of course, one could argue that Ash’s Charizard was no ordinary Charizard, but it happened nonetheless.

Why did we pick it?
As the Pokedex says, Articuno has been known to appear to doomed people in icy mountains. That can’t be said for any of the other legendary birds—Zapdos appears in the clouds only to drop lightening bolts on people, while Moltres enjoys making pretty flames with his wings—but Articuno appears to those who seem done-for in the cold mountains. I suppose this is open to interpretation, but I’d like to think that Articuno is friendly and just wants to help people find their way off that frigid mountain peak! Or perhaps it appears to the doomed just to put them out of their misery. All that aside, Articuno is an extremely powerful Pokemon—coupled with strong ice attacks (nothing is sweeter than being able to freeze your opponent in battle!) and mean flying skills, Articuno stops the competition cold in its tracks!

Two more days left! Tomorrow night, we’ll look at Pokémon #3 and #2 on our list, hopefully with a little more added commentary. On Saturday night, we’ll finish off the list by sharing our #1 favorite Pokémon of all-time, setting you up for Pokémon Diamond and Pearl this Sunday, April 22!

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