The sixth generation (Generation VI) of the ''Pokémon'' franchise features 72 fictional species of creatures introduced to the core video game series in the 2013

Nintendo 3DS The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...

games ''Pokémon X'' and ''Y''. Some Pokémon in this generation were introduced in animated adaptations of the franchise before ''X'' and ''Y''. This generation featured the series' largest graphical overhaul: a shift from two-dimensional sprites to three-dimensional

polygons In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two toge ...

. A new type (Fairy) was introduced for the first time since ''Gold'' and ''Silver'' in 1999, bringing the total to 18. Greater emphasis was placed on making Pokémon species more unique and in-tune with the culture and

fauna Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is '' funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. Zoo ...

of Europe, namely

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. All Pokémon were created by a team of roughly 20 artists, led by

Ken Sugimori is a Japanese video game designer, illustrator, manga artist, and director. He is best known as the primary character designer and art director for the ''Pokémon'' franchise. Sugimori is also credited with the art direction for other titles, in ...

and Hironobu Yoshida. For the first time in the franchise, the generation's legendary Pokémon—specifically Xerneas and Yveltal—were not designed by Sugimori alone; he requested the help of Atsuko Nishida to move their designs forward. The following list details the 72 Pokémon of Generation VI in order of their National Pokédex number. The first Pokémon, Chespin, is number 650 and the last, Volcanion, is number 721. Alternate forms that result in type changes and Mega evolutions are included for convenience.

Design and development

Development of ''Pokémon X'' and ''Y'' began in 2010 and the games were released worldwide on October 12, 2013. Director

Junichi Masuda is a Japanese video game composer, director, designer, producer, singer, programmer and trombonist, best known for his work in the '' Pokémon'' franchise. He was a member of Game Freak where he was an employee and executive at the company si ...

revealed the three main themes of ''Pokémon X'' and ''Y'' to be beauty, bonds and evolution. Beauty was the core focus and Masuda felt France to be a prime example of such; he brought a team to the country for study in 2011. With the games taking place in a region based on

(called Kalos), design inspiration stemmed more from European culture (e.g. the legendary trio of Xerneas, Yveltal and Zygarde have their roots in

Norse mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern period ...

). More focus than usual was placed on giving new Pokémon unique elements for this generation. A major design change for the franchise was the shift from

two-dimensional In mathematics, a plane is a Euclidean (flat), two-dimensional surface that extends indefinitely. A plane is the two-dimensional analogue of a point (zero dimensions), a line (one dimension) and three-dimensional space. Planes can arise as s ...

sprites to

three-dimensional Three-dimensional space (also: 3D space, 3-space or, rarely, tri-dimensional space) is a geometric setting in which three values (called ''parameters'') are required to determine the position of an element (i.e., point). This is the informal ...

polygons. This required a larger development team than past games, with more than 500 people involved with the games' development, inclusive of

localization Localization or localisation may refer to: Biology * Localization of function, locating psychological functions in the brain or nervous system; see Linguistic intelligence * Localization of sensation, ability to tell what part of the body is a ...

teams. Emphasis was placed on retaining the iconic style of Pokémon art director

who has been designing Pokémon and creating the franchise's official artwork since ''Red'' and ''Green'' in 1996. A new type was also added into the game for the first time since ''Gold'' and ''Silver'' in 1999: Fairy type. This type was introduced to balance out the Dragon, Fighting, Poison, and Steel types. Dragon was previously only weak against itself and Ice, and only resisted against Steel. Fighting previously was super-effective against five different types (Normal, Ice, Rock, Dark and Steel) and only weak against Flying and Psychic types. Poison was previously only super-effective against Grass, resisted against itself, Rock, Ground and Ghost types and ineffective against Steel. Steel previously was only super-effective against Ice and Rock types and resisted against itself, Fire, Water and Electric types. Aside from this, Ghost and Dark are now neutral against Steel, improving the offensive usefulness of both types. Multiple Pokémon from previous generations, such as

Jigglypuff Jigglypuff ( ), known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species. Jigglypuff first appeared in the video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'' and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed adapta ...

Gardevoir Gardevoir, known in Japan as , is a List of Pokémon, Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon, ''Pokémon'' media franchise. Designed by Game Freak for the video games Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, ''Pokémon Ruby'' and ''Sapphire'' ...

and Marill, were retroactively assigned the new type while 13 new Pokémon, most notably Sylveon, donned the type. A new mechanic called Mega Evolution—a temporary form change akin to normal

evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

—was also added for more dynamic battles and stemmed from the concepts of bonds and evolution. Mega Evolutions "refined designs to a new extreme" according to Yoshida and required considerable effort. They were made temporary to retain balance in battles and only made possible when a Pokémon is holding their respective Mega Stone to prevent players from giving them a different advantageous hold item. The only Pokémon from Generation VI capable of Mega Evolution is Diancie. A variant of Mega Evolution called "Primal Reversion" was introduced in ''Omega Ruby'' and ''Alpha Sapphire''; this mechanic is exclusive to the legendary Pokémon Groudon and Kyogre. The titles ''X'' and ''Y'', representing the x-axis and y-axis—also reflecting different forms of thinking—were chosen early in development. The simplicity of the names was also related to the simultaneous worldwide release of the games. Designers additionally sought to make the Pokémon names the same in every country whenever possible. Masuda expressed that this effort proved exceptionally difficult as the names have to feel fitting to their physical appearance and not infringe upon any rights. At the request of Masuda, the shapes "X" and "Y" were used as the framework for the boxart legendary Pokémon: Xerneas and Yveltal. Normally, Sugimori designs the legendary Pokémon by himself; however, he required assistance from designer Atsuko Nishida to create Xerneas and Yveltal. Finalization of their designs took about 18 months, 3 times longer than normal. Manga artist Hitoshi Ariga was requested to assist in creating Pokémon for ''X'' and ''Y''; Ariga ultimately designed ten species for the games. It is speculated by fans that the designs for the Chespin, Fennekin and Froakie evolutionary lines stem from typical role-playing game character classes, such as those in ''

Final Fantasy is a Japanese video game, Japanese science fantasy anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and developed and owned by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and ...

''. Chespin represents the knight, paladin and fighter classes; Fennekin represents the witch, mage and magician classes; and Froakie represents the ninja, thief and rogue classes.

List of Pokémon

* Chespin * Quilladin * Chesnaught * Fennekin * Braixen * Delphox * Froakie * Frogadier * Greninja * Bunnelby * Diggersby * Fletchling * Fletchinder * Talonflame * Scatterbug * Spewpa * Vivillon * Litleo * Pyroar * Flabébé * Floette * Florges * Skiddo * Gogoat * Pancham * Pangoro * Furfrou * Espurr * Meowstic * Honedge * Doublade * Aegislash * Spritzee * Aromatisse * Swirlix * Slurpuff * Inkay * Malamar * Binacle * Barbaracle * Skrelp * Dragalge * Clauncher * Clawitzer * Helioptile * Heliolisk * Tyrunt * Tyrantrum * Amaura * Aurorus * Sylveon * Hawlucha * Dedenne * Carbink * Goomy * Sliggoo * Goodra * Klefki * Phantump * Trevenant * Pumpkaboo * Gourgeist * Bergmite * Avalugg * Noibat * Noivern * Xerneas * Yveltal * Zygarde * Diancie * Hoopa * Volcanion

Mega-Evolved Forms

Venusaur Venusaur ( ), known in Japan as , is a Grass/Poison-type Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's '' Pokémon'' franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Venusaur first appeared in the video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Green'' and subsequent ...

Charizard Charizard (), known in Japan as , is a Pokémon in Nintendo and Game Freak's '' Pokémon'' franchise. Created by Atsuko Nishida, Charizard first appeared in the video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'' ( ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Green'' in ...

* Charizard X * Charizard Y * Blastoise * Beedrill * Pidgeot * Alakazam * Slowbro * Gengar * Kangaskhan * Pinsir *

Gyarados is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's '' Pokémon'' franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Gyarados first appeared in the video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Pokémon Blue'' and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchan ...

* Aerodactyl *

Mewtwo Mewtwo is a Pokémon, a fictional creature from Nintendo and Game Freak. Created by Ken Sugimori, it debuted in the video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'', and later appeared in subsequent sequels and spin-off titles, such as '' Pokken Tour ...

* Mewtwo X * Mewtwo Y * Ampharos * Steelix * Scizor * Heracross * Houndoom * Tyranitar * Sceptile * Blaziken * Swampert *

* Sableye * Mawile * Aggron * Medicham * Manectric * Sharpedo * Camerupt * Altaria * Banette * Absol * Glalie * Salamence * Metagross * Latias * Latios * Rayquaza * Lopunny * Garchomp *

Lucario is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's ''Pokémon'' franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Lucario first appeared as a central character in the film '' Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew'', then a cameo in '' Pokémon Mystery Dun ...

* Abomasnow * Gallade * Audino * Diancie

Primal Forms

* Kyogre * Groudon

Notes

References

{{Pokémon directory, state=expanded Lists of Pokémon Video game characters introduced in 2013