Greninja Voted Most Popular Pokemon by Players

After tallying "millions" of votes from around the world, Greninja has been named 2020's Pokemon of the Year. The final evolution of Pokemon X and Y water-type starter Froakie, Greninja earned over 140,000 votes, topping second-place finisher Lucario by 38,000, according to The Pokemon Company. Mimikyu, Charizard, and Umbreon rounded out the top five. [ignvideo url="https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/02/27/pokemon-sword-and-pokemon-shield-zarude-the-rogue-monkey-trailer"] Aside from its recognition as a Stage 2 starter Pokemon, Greninja is a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and is featured prominently in the Pokemon XY anime as Ash's main companion in the Kalos region. The top vote-getters from each region are as follows:

• Kanto – Charizard
• Johto – Umbreon
• Hoenn – Rayquaza
• Sinnoh – Lucario
• Unova – Chandelure
• Kalos – Greninja
• Alola – Mimikyu
• Galar – Dragapult

Other notable Pokemon in the overall top 30 include Bulbasaur (13), Pikachu (19), Eevee (20), and Blaziken (29). The announcement comes on National Pokemon Day, which also featured the reveal of Zarude, a new mythical Pokemon for Sword and Shield. [poilib element="poll" parameters="id=3ab83d7e-1eda-46e6-a32f-1cd32e0c9ecc"] [poilib element="accentDivider"] Jordan is a freelance writer for IGN.