There are currently six generations of Pokemon, but what are Pokemon generations? Let me explain.
Pokemon generations are one of the things you hear often from Pokemon fans. Some of the older fans may know what they are, but some get a few details wrong. Then there are the new fans that have no idea what they are.
Pokemon generations are used to split up all the Pokemon into groups they were first introduced in. Some people incorrectly say generations include the region these Pokemon were first introduced, like Kanto being a generation one area. However, Kanto shows up in generation two games and in the generation three remakes. Additionally, generations are used for video games and the compatibility they have with one another.
- Generation 1 includes Pokemon 1-151, and the video games Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow.
- Generation 2 includes Pokemon 152-251, and the video games Pokemon Gold, Silver, and Crystal.
- Generation 3 includes Pokemon 252-386, and the video games Pokemon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, Fire Red, and Leaf Green.
- Generation 4 includes Pokemon 387-493, and the video games Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Heart Gold, and Soul Silver.
- Generation 5 includes Pokemon 494-649, and the video games Pokemon Black, White, Black 2, and White 2.
- Generation 6 includes Pokemon 650-721, and the video games Pokemon X, Y, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire.
Video games within the same generation usually can trade and battle with each other without any problems. However, video games from different generations cannot trade or battle, but they often can transfer Pokemon to each other in some form.
Generation one and two video games had a time capsule option that allowed Pokemon to be transferred to each other one way within reason. All Pokemon from Red, Blue, and Yellow could be transferred to Gold, Silver, and Crystal, but only the first 151 Pokemon could be transferred from Gold, Silver, and Crystal to Red, Blue, and Yellow, and those Pokemon could not have any moves unique to generation two.
Once generation three came along, the developers prevented compatibility with generation one and two because there were way too many changes with the stat system.
Generation four added even more changes, and allowed players to transfer Pokemon from generation three to generation four, but not from generation four to generation three. It was a one way transfer.
Generation five was the same as generation four. Players could transfer Pokemon from generation four to generation five, but not from generation five to generation four. Additionally, generation three Pokemon could not be transferred to generation five directly. They had to transfer to generation four before being transferred to generation five.
Generation six was the first time there was a real compatibility issue within the same generation. Some new Mega Evolutions and Primal Reversions were introduced in Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire that were not present in X and Y, so those Pokemon could not be battled or traded in between the same generation. The transfer system from previous games was the same as the past two generations. Pokemon could be transferred from generation three to generation four to generation five to generation six. This was a one way transfer, meaning they could not go backwards in generations.
And that’s the basic Pokemon generation system in a nut shell at this time (Generation 6 with 721 Pokemon). I hope this article was helpful! If you still have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below and I will answer them as quickly as possible to the best of my abilities.