Over the years, The Pokémon Company has exposed fans to nearly 1,000 unique Pokémon. However, this expansive universe has been released bit by bit, introducing fans to a handful of new Pokémon with the release of every generation of Pokémon games.
Aside from the starter Pokémon and legendary Pokémon trios that generally define each generation of Pokémon games, there tend to be a handful of Pokémon that stand out for their own unique reasons. While there is plenty of debate as to whether or not the Generation 2 Pokémon games lived up to fans' expectations, a number of Generation 2 Pokémon have made a lasting impact on the Pokémon universe, as a whole.
Ho-Oh
Without a doubt, Ho-Oh is one of the most iconic Pokémon ever, alongside Pikachu and Charizard. Ho-Oh is a Fire/Flying dual-type Pokémon and the trio master of the Legendary Beasts released in Pokémon's Generation 2: Raikou, Entei, and Suicune.
While fans may prefer any one of the three Legendary Beasts from Generation 2, Ho-Oh is the master of all three. In the Pokémon anime, Ho-Oh appears to Ash multiple times as a good omen for the continuation of his journey.
Houndoom
Alongside the 100 or so Pokémon introduced in Generation 2, there were actually two new Pokémon Types introduced to fans: Dark-type and Steel-type. While there are, therefore, a number of Dark-type and Steel-type Pokémon from Generation 2 that will always be remembered as significant additions to the world, there are a few that stand out.
Houndour and Houndoom, for example, are both defining Pokémon from Generation 2. While Houndour and Houndoom are in fact dual-type Pokémon (Dark/Fire), they are very popular amongst the various teams of villains featured throughout the Pokémon games.
Wobbuffet
While Houndour and Houndoom may be popular amongst the enemy grunts in the world of Pokémon, Wobbuffet is one of the most iconic Pokémon captured by Team Rocket's Jessie and James in the Pokémon anime.
While Jessie's Wobbuffet was acquired accidentally through a trade, Pokémon fans were exposed to this particular Wobbuffet more times than they could count over the years. Wobbuffet is a Psychic-type Pokémon specializing in defense. Without the introduction of Wobbuffet in Generation 2, Team Rocket's Jessie and James would have been left without one of their most memorable teammates.
Lugia
Just as Ho-Oh is the trio master of the Legendary Beasts from Generation 2, Lugia is the trio master of the Legendary Birds from Generation 1. Arguably, Lugia may be even more important to the world of Pokémon than Ho-Oh, as the Legendary Birds were previously left without a trio master.
Lugia is a powerful Psychic/Flying dual-type legendary Pokémon and one of the featured characters in Pokémon: The Movie 2000, released in Japan in 1999 and the USA in 2000. In this movie, Lugia is one of the few Pokémon that's actually able to speak with humans, although Lugia does so telepathically using its Psychic abilities.
Tyranitar
Tyranitar is easily one of the most coveted Pokémon found throughout the entire world of Pokémon. Whether Pokémon fans prefer Pokémon cards or video games, they will always be excited to encounter a Tyranitar. While Tyranitar does evolve from Pupitar (which evolves first from Larvitar) and therefore cannot qualify as a Legendary Pokémon, Tyranitar is one of the few Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon players may capture.
Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon feature stats which add up to exactly 600 prior to Mega-Evolving, and are arguably more versatile than true Legendary Pokémon due to the fact that players can capture Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon at earlier stages in their evolution, rather than facing off against a fully grown Tyranitar.
Sudowoodo
Sudowoodo is a fun Generation 2 Pokémon for a number of reasons. One of the reasons that Sudowoodo is so well-known by Pokémon fans is simply due to the strange mismatch between its appearance and its Type.
While Sudowoodo strongly resembles a small tree, which would imply that the Pokémon is a Grass-type, it is actually a Rock-type. This leads to a number of mixups in both the Pokémon anime and various games. Sudowoodo is particularly prominent in the video games as an obstacle that trainers must face in order to continue their Pokémon journey.
Ampharos
While many Pokémon fans have expressed displeasure with Generation 2 as a whole, it seems that most fans can agree that Ampharos is one of the strongest Generation 2 Pokémon to have on your team in the games. With this in mind, numerous Pokémon players can be found with a Mareep or a Flaaffy, as well, depending on the point they're at in their journey.
Mareep, Flaaffy, and Ampharos are all Electric-type Pokémon introduced in Generation 2 and are some of the most popular Pokémon for players to utilize in the Johto and Kanto regions.
Espeon
While new evolutions of previously seen Pokémon aren't always the most memorable additions to any particular generation, Pokémon fans are always excited to discover new Eeveelutions - evolutions of the Normal-type Pokémon, Eevee.
Espeon is the Psychic-type evolution of Eevee featuring a sleek, yet coy look. While there are now eight different evolutions of Eevee, the release of Espeon and Umbreon in Generation 2 nearly doubled the number of Eeveelutions that players had previously seen.
Umbreon
While Espeon is an essential part of the iconic Espeon/Umbreon duo, Umbreon is potentially even more unique as the first pure Dark-type Pokémon ever introduced to fans. Even as of 2021, there are still only 14 pure Dark-type Pokémon.
Admittedly, there are a few dozen Pokémon now that feature the Dark-type as part of their dual-typing, but Umbreon is, to this day, one of the most iconic.
Togepi
Much like Wobuffett, Togepi is a Generation 2 Pokémon best known for its appearances in the Pokémon anime. While Wobuffett is a fan favorite from Team Rocket's side of things, Togepi quickly becomes one of Misty's closest Pokémon companions in the anime.
With the introduction of Fairy-type Pokémon in Generation 6, Togepi was changed from a Normal-type Pokémon to a Fairy-type. However, Misty's original Togepi was introduced to audiences as a Normal-type. While Misty's Togepi is relatively useless prior to evolving, this particular Pokémon was able to shine in a few precarious situations by using Metronome to surprise and overpower dangerous competitors.