In 1999, Pokémon Yellow was released in the United States, with some stylistic choices that more closely resembled the anime. This was an enhanced edition of the Red and Blue versions, which kickstarted the franchise in the west. Never released outside of Japan, there was also a Green copy. The catchphrase for the series is, "Gotta Catch 'Em All." However, in the making of Pokémon Yellow, a few Pokémon were decidedly omitted from the Red and Blue versions' Pokédex.
The game takes a different approach from its predecessors, by starting the player with a Pikachu instead of the normal choice of three monsters. This iconic Electric Mouse Pokémon followed trainers in the over-world, a feature most recently seen in Pokémon: Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Throughout their journey, players had the opportunity to recruit all three starters from Red and Blue, similar to how Ash had them in the show. Pokémon Yellow had a unique formula and offered a different experience from the previous versions.
There has been plenty of speculation about the development of this third game in the popular franchise. For example, Nintendo has used a few different naming conventions over the years. Another mystery is why the company chose not to include all 151 Pokémon in the game. One of the main selling points of this version was that players could catch the exclusive monsters from both Red and Blue. Bizarrely, Nintendo decided to make a big change to the Pokédex in Pokémon Yellow, leaving out a few Pokémon.
Pokémon Missing From Pokémon Yellow
While, technically, all the monsters are obtainable through various methods, such as trading, all 151 cannot be caught in Pokémon Yellow. A major nod to the anime comes from Raichu being absent. Trainers are not able to evolve their Pikachu with a Thunder Stone, referencing Ash's Pikachu refusing to evolve. Other Pokémon missing included those related to the game's villain organization, Team Rocket. The Ekans, Meowth, and Koffing evolution lines are all unavailable. While other version exclusives from Red and Blue are able to be caught, Electabuzz and Magmar can not be caught. All 13 missing Pokémon can be found below:
- Weedle
- Kakuna
- Beedrill
- Ekans
- Arbok
- Raichu
- Meowth
- Persian
- Koffing
- Weezing
- Jynx
- Electabuzz
- Magmar
Since its release decades ago, certain aspects of Pokémon Yellow remain a mystery. The Weedle evolution line is the counterpart to the Caterpie evolution line, yet only the former was omitted. Without knowing what the development process was like, it is impossible to understand each decision. If there is ever a remake of Pokémon Yellow, maybe Nintendo will decide to add all 151 Pokémon into the game.