Pokémon Fans Have Mixed Feelings About The Series' 1000th Monster
In the first generation, the number of Pokémon was "150 and more to see." Now, "Pokémon Scarlet" and "Violet" have officially pushed the number to 1000 total unique Pokémon with the latest batch of 'mons. Many fans don't seem to be impressed with the 1000th Pokémon, but they aren't mad about it either.
According to most sources, Gholdengo is the 1000th Pokémon. It's confirmed that there are now over 1000 Pokémon in total but the actual National Dex lineup is still unclear. Some fans seem to believe that Tinkatink, a pink, hammer-wielding humanoid Pokémon, is actually 1000. However, IGN, Kotaku, and others have reported that Gholdengo is the 1000th. Its Pokédex description also seems to fit the bill: "Its body seems to be made up of 1,000 coins. This Pokémon gets along well with others and is quick to make friends with anybody."
Twitch Partner HypeGuy was just one of the content creators disappointed by the reveal. "Idk why my whole life growing up I always thought "oh man Pokémon #1000 is gonna be some crazy legendary/banger Pokémon," he tweeted. "And it's just this buma** Golden coin." Underneath his post are memes comparing Gholdengo to a cheese stick mascot and some selfies with the fella.
It might too be early to celebrate (or complain) about the 1000th Pokémon, though. Here's why.
Is Gholdengo really the 1000th Pokémon?
Joe Merrick, a known authority on all things Pokémon and the webmaster of Serebii.net, encourages fans to wait it out to see how official Pokédex numbers line up. "We have no confirmed National Dex numbering for the new Pokémon. For the first time in many generations, it appears that the in-game text/data order doesn't seem to logically match the National Pokédex," he warned. "I have seen some people just take the order from the Paldea Dex and say it's the National Dex order, and it may be. However, we cannot say this is fact."
Merrick attributes this to the Galar Dex, which added to the National Dex out of order. Like the typical regional dex, Paldea's Pokédex begins with the three starters and includes all the Pokémon in the game. You can't simply filter which are the new Pokémon and which are returning from previously released regions. Shinx, Buizel, and Starly first debuted in "Pokémon Diamond" and "Pearl" with the Sinnoh region, so they already have a number in the National Dex and shouldn't be counted in the lead-up to 1000, for example.
As per Merrick, fans might need to wait to see the official 1000th Pokémon. However, even if it's Gholdengo, Tinkatuff, or something else, it doesn't seem likely it's going to be as much of a "banger" as fans hoped.