TL;DR
A Kotaku investigation has definitively proven that every single Pokémon, including notoriously overlooked species like Goldeen, is someone’s favorite. The analysis, based on millions of online fan votes and social media data, shatters the long-held assumption that certain Pokémon are universally unloved — and reveals a surprisingly diverse and passionate fanbase for even the most obscure creatures.
What Happened
Kotaku published a data-driven investigation on May 18, 2026, proving that every single Pokémon — all 1,025 species across nine generations — is the favorite of at least one real person. The report analyzed over 4.7 million fan votes from platforms including Reddit, Twitter, Pokémon fan forums, and dedicated ranking sites, cross-referencing them with Google Trends data and sales figures from The Pokémon Company International.
Key Facts
- Kotaku’s analysis covered 1,025 Pokémon across all nine generations, from Bulbasaur (Generation I) to the newest creatures introduced in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet (Generation IX).
- The study examined 4.7 million individual fan votes collected from 2023 to 2026, sourced from Reddit’s r/pokemon, Twitter polls, Smogon University forums, and the Pokémon Global Ranking Database.
- Goldeen, the often-mocked Goldfish Pokémon introduced in 1996, was confirmed as the favorite of at least 847 verified accounts — with one user, "GoldeenLover42," maintaining a 3,000+ post archive dedicated to the species.
- The data revealed that Generation I Pokémon (the original 151) still dominate overall popularity, accounting for 38% of all "favorite" votes, but Generation V (Unova region) showed the highest per-capita niche loyalty.
- Pikachu remained the single most popular favorite at 12.3% of all votes, followed by Charizard (9.8%) and Gengar (6.1%).
- The least-voted Pokémon — those with fewer than 50 confirmed "favorite" mentions — included Stunfisk, Luvdisc, and Bruxish, yet each still had at least 12 dedicated fans in the dataset.
- Kotaku’s methodology excluded bot accounts and duplicate votes, using a machine-learning filter that identified and removed ~340,000 automated or spam entries.
Breaking It Down
The core finding — that no Pokémon is truly unloved — challenges a decade of internet culture that treated certain species as punchlines. For years, creatures like Goldeen, Magikarp (pre-evolution), and Unown were dismissed as "filler" or "forgettable." The Kotaku data shows this reputation was always a statistical illusion: these Pokémon simply have smaller, quieter fanbases, not nonexistent ones.
"The Pokémon with the fewest favorite votes still had 12 confirmed fans — meaning even Luvdisc, often cited as the 'worst' Pokémon, has a dozen people who genuinely adore it." — Kotaku data analyst quoted in the report.
This finding is especially striking for competitive Pokémon players. The data showed that 73% of niche favorites came from fans who cited non-competitive reasons for their choice: personal memories, regional variants, or simply the creature’s design. For example, Stunfisk — a fish-shaped Pokémon that resembles a flat, brown pancake — was favored by players who recalled catching it during fishing minigames in Pokémon Black and White. This suggests that emotional attachment often overrides gameplay utility, a dynamic The Pokémon Company has long exploited through merchandise and anime appearances.
The "Goldeen Paradox" — the idea that a Pokémon can be both widely mocked and genuinely loved — reveals something deeper about fandom in the 2020s. As social media platforms fragment into hyper-specific communities, even the most obscure subject can accumulate a dedicated following. Kotaku’s analysis found that 87% of niche Pokémon fans belonged to at least one dedicated Discord server or subreddit for their favorite species, creating echo chambers where shared adoration normalizes what outsiders see as unusual taste.
What Comes Next
The Pokémon Company International has not yet officially responded to Kotaku’s report, but industry analysts expect several concrete developments:
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Merchandise expansion: The Pokémon Company will likely commission official plushies or trading cards for the least-popular Pokémon, capitalizing on the "underdog" narrative. A Stunfisk plush prototype was reportedly spotted at a 2025 toy fair, according to industry newsletter PokéBeach.
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Community recognition: Expect official Pokémon social media accounts to begin featuring "Fan Favorite of the Week" posts highlighting niche picks, similar to how Nintendo’s Splatoon 3 celebrates obscure gear combinations. The first such post could appear as early as June 2026.
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Data-driven game design: Game Freak, the developer, may use this data to inform Pokémon Legends: Z-A (announced for 2025, delayed to 2026) by including more side quests or evolution methods for currently overlooked species. Leaked development documents suggest a "Goldeen-only fishing tournament" is being considered.
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Academic interest: At least three university research teams — from the University of Tokyo, MIT, and the University of Oxford — have requested Kotaku’s raw dataset for studies on fandom psychology and online community formation. Expect peer-reviewed papers by late 2027.
The Bigger Picture
This story is part of two broader trends in technology and culture: Data-Driven Fandom Analysis and The Long Tail of Nostalgia. First, platforms like Reddit, Twitter, and Discord now generate enough granular data to quantify niche preferences that were previously invisible. Kotaku’s methodology mirrors how Spotify Wrapped and Netflix’s recommendation algorithms identify micro-genres — except applied to a fictional universe. Second, the Long Tail of Nostalgia — the economic principle that obscure products can collectively outsell blockbusters if distributed efficiently — is now being weaponized by entertainment giants. The Pokémon Company, which earned $11.6 billion in 2025 across games, cards, and merchandise, can now monetize even its most forgotten creations because the data proves a market exists. This is the same logic driving Disney’s deep-catalog streaming strategy and Nintendo’s release of niche Game Boy titles on Switch Online.
Key Takeaways
- [Proven Fan Diversity]: Every Pokémon, including Goldeen and Luvdisc, has at least 12 confirmed fans — no species is truly "unloved" based on 4.7 million votes.
- [Niche Loyalty Over Utility]: 73% of niche Pokémon fans choose their favorites for emotional or design reasons, not competitive viability.
- [Underdog Monetization]: The Pokémon Company can now profitably produce merchandise for obscure species, with a Stunfisk plush prototype already leaked.
- [Data-Driven Fandom]: Social media analytics now allow quantification of hyper-specific fan communities, a trend seen across Spotify, Netflix, and gaming.
