#133 - Eevee
Normal
So it begins. The biggest Pokemon family of our time! Like Ditto, Eevee is another Normal-type Pokemon where its Typing is more of a requisite, as making Eevee any specific-Type wouldn't mesh with its unique gimmick. In Generation I, Eevee was the only Pokemon to have more than one evolution, three in fact, and in Generation II that number jumped to 5, then 7 in Generation IV, and recently 8 as of Generation VI. Currently, Eevee's evolutions, or Eeveelutions which is now an official term (Vuis in Japan), covers each Type that was considered Special prior to the Physical/Special split except for Fairy, which didn't exist back then but probably would've been Special, and Dragon. Most people think Dragon is the next one to come, and I've even seen speculation that perhaps Eevee might receive a Mega Evolution that could serve as his Dragon Eeveelution. What's next for Eevee after that? Will we see the Physical-types covered? Each Eeveelution receiving its own Mega Evolution to go even further beyond? Baby Eevee? Personally I think Game Freak should just make a Dragon Eeveelution and leave it at that, we really don't need any more Eeveelutions in my opinion, but you know we really didn't need a lot of things they've added recently.
But let's talk about Eevee himself, who is usually ignored in favor of his Eeveelutions. Being a Pokemon whose gimmick is based around evolving as you'd expect Eevee itself doesn't have any particular notable traits in terms of competitive battling, although it does have a few moves that its Eeveelutions do not learn, thus there is a benefit to keeping it around unevolved for awhile, although none of its unique moves are particularly useful I believe. For example, the final move it learns at Level 45 is "Trump Card", and if you actually know what that attack does off the top of your head, congratulations, because it's one of the oddest and obscurest moves there is. An interesting thing to point out is that Eevee's natural move set has never been affiliated with any non-Normal Type---you may point out it has Sand Attack and Bite, but remember it's had those two moves since Generation I where they were Normal-typed, and thus it's an after-the-fact deal. This held true till Generation VI, where Eevee interestingly now naturally learns two Fairy-type moves, perhaps hinting at which Type it naturally may be associated with, but that's just my speculation. It's TM learnset is quite varied, although originally in Generation I it was also pure-Normal except for a few support Psychic-type moves that weren't specifically associated with psychic abilities like Rest and Reflect, and also Toxic, which almost every Pokemon could learn.
Eevee's always been a major cornerstone of the Pokemon experience, given out as a gift Pokemon in Generation I, a tradition which has continued in almost every game it's appeared in, although it's also possible to catch them in the wild on rare occasions in later games. In Generation I, every player only got one Eevee, and since breeding didn't exist yet, this means the player was tasked with a huge decision to decide which of the three original Eeveelutions they wanted to use. This choice was likely made based on aesthetics of the evolutions, as well as what part they'd fit into the player's team, but I imagine there were a few wafflers out there who took the easy way out and simply never evolved Eevee. Eevee is somewhat of an "honorary" Starter Pokemon, although I'm surprised Game Freak has never actually made it a Starter in any of their games except for Yellow, where your Rival got it. Its closest appearance as a starter in a main series game is in Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness, and was also used as the Starter in Pokemon Conquest, as well as the first two Mystery Dungeon series. Eevee's multiple evolutions naturally makes it ripe for giving it to beginning players to teach them the importance of Type Advantages, team construction, and the importance of choice in the Pokemon series, and I think I'd be up for a true main series game making it the Starter one day. Imagine, if you will, the "20th Anniversary" games are based around the original Eevee forms and have you experience Kanto while beginning with an Eevee? I'd be down for that, I mean XY just gave us the Kanto Starters again so they can take a break for awhile.
So, concerning Eevee's design, what actually is Eevee? Depending on who you ask he's either a cat, a dog, a fox, or various other kinds of mammals, but one interesting theory I've grown to like is that he's a "tanuki". You probably know the tanuki from Mario 3, or the fact that they have giant balls, but there are a lot of other little details about the tanuki that you're probably not aware of. While tanuki nowadays specifically refers to the Japanese raccoon dog, in the past it originally was more of a catch-all word for a variety of medium mammalian creatures, such as wild cats, and you can thus how that's perhaps represented in Eevee's ambiguous appearance. Furthermore, by placing a leaf on their head (although I believe I have heard a stone used as well), tanuki can shape-shift into different forms, and one legend in fact specifically states that they have eight transformations. Wait a second...eight...did Game Freak plan this ahead all along? Anyway, while I don't think Eevee is meant to represent the tanuki entirely, I think there's evidence to suggest that may have been part of its influence alongside a general "pet", and possibly the kitsune as well, another creature known for its transformation abilities.
Now, we know what Eevee is based on perhaps, but where did it come from in the game's canon? Well, that's never been quite explained, and why Eevee is the way it is could be considered one of Pokemon's biggest mysteries. For one thing, Eevee is described as being a very rare Pokemon, yet can also adapt to its surrounding environment so it doesn't seem like it naturally died out since it seems quite hardy, perhaps suggesting there were never that many to begin with. Was it created? Its first appearance has it found in the Celadon Condominiums, the home of Game Freak within the games, which is quite meta when you think about it, and doesn't really give us much to go on. Perhaps Game Freak never really planned out a story for Eevee, and its whole purpose is simply to exist as a "tool" to demonstrate the unique elements of the Pokemon Evolution system, but I wonder if there's a connection with the scientists who cloned Mewtwo? The lore, the lore is deep here.
Like Ditto, I think it's easy to say the appeal of Eevee is its very simplistic, cute design, and the idea that it can possibly take on perhaps infinite forms if you get creative, so it's got quite a following in the fandom. Dare I say perhaps Eevee could be compared to Sonic, or the MLP Ponies, a character with an easy design that's ripe for personalization that's quite evident if you've ever searched the Pokemon on Deviantart (don't do this by the way), and thus was really appealing to everyone as a child where we love to put our personal touches on the media we consume---most people grow out of this, becoming perhaps very stubborn in expecting their favorite franchises to obey the canon and never allowing any alternate interpretations to interfere with the status quo, but some keep this innocence about them and I admire that. Well, to a certain extent, sometimes it can get pretty weird. But hey, I'm the guy writing reviews on 721 fictional creatures, so who am I to judge how one uses their time?
The writers LOVE Eevee, pretty sure we've had an episode based around it, or one of its evolutions, like every season. It's also popular among main characters---both May and Serena got one, Gary had one, and for a long time was believed to be his Starter like in Pokemon Yellow, as did other reoccurring characters, like Sakura, one of the Kimono Girls in Johto, and Virgil, that Best Wishes fucker who had the whole lot of them. People think Tobias was some bullshit, but in my opinion Virgil takes the cake. I don't really mind Eevee's role in the games, but to be honest I'm pretty tired of them in the show, there's only so many plots you can do with them and I'm kind of annoyed we've got another Eevee on the main cast now in Serena's, because I remember May's was a total Deus-Ex who was far more powerful than it should've been, especially since it was a newborn. After XY is over, I hope we don't see Eevee in the show for a long, long time---its evolutions are okay if used sparingly though, and not specifically grouped together as part of an "Eeveelution Episode".
Gen I Eeveelutions
Although the individual Eeveelutions have their own style, personality, and techniques, there are traits shared among all of them---besides their obvious resemblance to one another, every Eeveelution has a 525 base stat total, and a stat spread of 130-110-95-65-65-60, but which number corresponds to which stat depends on the Eeveelution. They also have somewhat similar move sets---while they learn different moves, there are usually similarities, such as learning a support move at Level 33. In the localization, every Eeveelution's name ends with "eon", but this wasn't present in Japan, where each "set" of Eeveelutions has their own name ending instead of all sharing the same one. Gen I are "er" (Thunders, Booster, and Showers), Gen II are "ii" (Eifie, Blacky), and the last three are "ia" (Leafia, Glacia, and Nymphia). It's not as neat as the English names as you can see, especially when you factor in writing the Japanese names in English instead of katakana where the sound similarities are a bit more noticeable. Anyway, you could say each Eeveelution also is the "distilled" version of its Type, serving as a general representation of what the Type is all about, its play style, and how the majority of Pokemon belonging to that Type look.
The first set of Eeveelutions---Vaporeon, Jolteon, and Flareon---are the originals, and thus the most popular, although I think the Gen II ones might pose a competition for that title. They evolve through three of the Evolution Stones, and since there's only one Eevee in Generation I, every player can only get one Eeveelution per game. Pick wisely, or you'll regret it for the rest of your life. Who did you choose? To Western players, the Eeveelutions neatly represented the three games of Generation I, but this was likely unintentional, since Japan had Green as well, and Yellow likely wasn't planned. The lack of a Grass Eeveelution via the Leaf Stone, thus representing all the original games and creating a secondary Starter Trio, was a major sticking-point and bothered a lot of folks, and led to years of rumors about a hidden "Grasseon" somewhere in the game. Years later, however, that wish would finally come true!
I'm not a fan of the Eeveelutions, but I like the originals the best from an aesthetic standpoint, which is something you won't hear me say too much as personally I prefer many newer Pokemon compared to their old counterparts, but not in this situation. The originals were cute, but not overbearingly so, and I'm not really a fan of how "girly" the newer Eeveelutions look, and they seem a bit duller than the originals in terms of their design. By the way, ever notice only the original three keep Eevee's neck fur, while all the later Eeveelutions drop it. That always bothered me, and I wish they would've done it with the later ones because the lack of a fluff makes them look too skinny and off to me. But anyway, let's talk about the individual Eeveelutions now!
#134 - Vaporeon
Water
Weird, I forgot Vaporeon was first and not Jolteon, who I always pictured as the "alpha". Anyway, Vaporeon is the Water-type Eeveelution and its style of play reflects the ability of water to adapt to any situation, with high HP and multiple moves and Abilities focused on healing, as well as a high Special Attack to drown the opponent, although it usually plays as a great support player. In Generation I, it lacked many of its later unique abilities, and had a hard time standing out among the ocean of Water-type Pokemon, but it got way better over time, briefly becoming a major player in G/S thanks to an Event Eevee given out at the NYC Pokemon Center with Growth, and nowadays is popular due to its staying power and a Wish + Baton Pass combo to heal its teammates. But for those of you who don't really care about a Pokemon who's a team player, and just want a powerhouse, perhaps Vaporeon isn't the Eeveelution you want although it can certainly stand on its own as well.
Vaporeon is pretty much what you expect from a Water-type Pokemon---blue, fins like the myriad of fish-based Pokemon, and visually non-threatening like many Water-type Pokemon (excluding Gyrados), and among the Eeveelutions I feel it has the most elaborate design, although despite having a neater design than the others it seems like most fan aesthetically choose the others over it. At the very least I get the impression it's the least favorite among the original three, perhaps because there were so many Water-type Pokemon available to the player there was less incentive to choose another one? Vaporeon brings to mind a mermaid, and like Dewgong apparently the Pokemon World even mistook it for one, which makes more sense than Dewgong. I mean, I'm not GAF's resident Nintendo Hentai Expert (although that spot's now open), but it seems like there's more of an appeal with Vaporeon than Dewgong, right? Once again, DON'T SEARCH FOR EEVEELUTIONS ON DEVIANTART!
Like Eevee which can adjust its molecular structure to adapt to its environment, Vaporeon can melt right into water in order to avoid detection represented by its "Signature Move", Acid Armor. Yeah, some really anal fans are picky about what constitutes a Signature Move, arguing it's only one if its unique to one evolution line, but Vaporeon's PokeDex references it multiple times, so I consider it as such even if Grimer and Muk learn it too. Vaporeon is also a Water Bender, able to freely manipulate water which I guess isn't that special in the Pokemon World since basically every Water-type Pokemon can do just that, summoning an endless supply of water from their innards, and can also sense oncoming rain storms through the vibration in its tail. The thing about Eeveelutions is that they're pretty simple when examined individually and not as a group, so there's not much to say about the lore associated with them.
I won't bother with the Eeveelutions mentioning when they appeared in the show unless it was an episode specifically focused on them, and not all the Eeveelutions in general. The only time Vaporeon ever played a role all by itself was in a Battle Frontier filler if I remember correctly showing off its Acid Armor abilities and helping Ash train his Water-type Pokemon to make use of its surroundings. There was also a neat Diamond and Pearl episode where two Eevee evolved into a Vaporeon and Flareon to show off during a Contest Appeal which was actually the first time we ever saw Eevee evolve on-screen.
#135 - Jolteon
Electric
Thunder! Thunder! Thunder Cat! Jolteon is the Electric-type Eeveelution and is all about overwhelming the opponent with its amazing speed, second highest in Generation I behind fellow Electric Electrode, and unleashing thunderbolts charged with a respectable 110 Special Attack. But, like many Electric-types, just don't let it take a hit! Its amazing speed has made Jolteon a top Pokemon for years, XY is apparently the first time it's really seen a decrease in competitiveness according to Smogon, and is perhaps the most powerful Eeveelution of them all. Since Electric-type Pokemon were pretty rare, and still are, it seems likely many players went with Jolteon as their Eeveelution of choice. I'm pretty sure I did as a kid, and he's probably my favorite Eeveelution when I think about it, although that's not saying much as I'm not a fan of the line in general.
Jolteon's always given off a different impression compared to the other Eeveelutions. While they're all rather cute, soft, and friendly looking, Jolteon looks like a rabid hedgehog, and I remember its dubbed voice in the show was a really intense "JOLT!" that made it clear it meant business whenever it appeared. It also lacks a noticeable tail, although one of its spikes might be its tail but merely blending in with the rest of its quills. Perhaps this uniqueness is what makes Jolteon so appealing to me? Like Eevee and Vaporeon, Jolteon may be inspired by a mythical creature known as the Raiju, basically a wolf/cat/fox/weasel, depending on interpretations, made of lightning known for becoming extremely agitated during thunderstorms, which does fit Jolteon. I feel like many of the Eeveelutions have slight traits of mythical creatures, but only one of them in Gen II feels like a solid representation of a mythical creature while the others just borrow a few elements in general, and in fact later Pokemon embody said mythical creatures far better, such as a more proper Raiju Pokemon appearing in Generation III.
The Signature Move of Jolteon's is Pin Missile, referenced in its PokeDex as being its primary means of offense other than simply blasting the foe with 10,000 volts of electricity, and you gotta wonder why? Pin Missile is a ridiculously pointless move for Jolteon---it was useful during Generation I to counter Exeggutor though---with low, luck-based power, and doesn't mesh with Jolteon's low Attack whatsoever. And why in the world was Jolteon the only type Pokemon in Generation I apart from Beedrill to learn a Bug-type move other than String Shot and Leech Life? It seems like they should've created an Electric variant of Pin Missile to give him instead by now, honestly, but I guess keeping it is tradition at this point. Well, at least he has moves, unlike our next Eeveelution...
Jolteon's first solo appearance was an Orange Islands filler where he acted like a sheep dog for Magnemite. Yeah, the writers were just trying to give Pokemon focus episodes at that point and did the best they could. Years later in Diamond and Pearl, he was used by the Electric Type Gym Leader to battle Ash, which I think was the first time we had an Eeveelution used by a Gym Leader if I remember it right. Only one other Eevee has been used by a Gym Leader, I believe.
#136 - Flareon
Fire
Flareon's the jobber among the Eeveelutions, the eternal underdog---or undercat perhaps---who never quite found his niche. Flareon had an uphill battle though from the beginning, as the Fire-type Eeveelution it had to compete with Pokemon like Charizard and Arcanine, as well as all the stuff designed to absolutely destroy Fire-type Pokemon such as Earthquake, Surf, and recently, Stealth Rock. Vaporeon and Jolteon represent their Types quite well in terms of playstyle, but Flareon is kind of odd---the high Attack its the offensive nature of Fire-type Pokemon, but then the focus on Special Defense as opposed to Speed seems kind of off for a Fire-type Pokemon and none of these stats work out for it. You've heard it plenty of times by now, by Flareon being a Physical attacker totally doesn't work with his focus on mainly Special-type attacks, and even with Physical Fire-type moves introduced in Generation IV, Game Freak still didn't give him the tools he needed. Water-types and Ground-types giving him trouble? Guess what, he's the only fully evolved Fire-type incapable of learning Solar Beam to take care of them. Still, as a kid no one cared about these issues, and Fire-types weren't too plentiful, so I bet a decent amount of people went with him because, hey, fire is cool.
It's weird Flareon's stats give the impression of a powerful physical force, because he looks absolutely delicate, like a purse pet basically. Out of all the Eeveelutions, he shares the most similarities with Eevee in the looks department, and I always found him really dull because of that. It's hard to design unique Fire-type Pokemon as we've seen, but Jolteon and Vaporeon had somewhat unique elements to them other than simply using the color-scheme most commonly associated with the Type. Flareon doesn't strike me as being similar to any mythical creature like the others, but perhaps he's meant to be one of the kitsunes associated with fire, a mini-Ninetales basically. A lot of people seem to love his design though, he's possibly the "cutest" among the Eeveelutions among fans, and perhaps part of that is because people feel pity for him due to the poor hand Game Freak gave him in life, but he's always been my least favorite of the original three. You know, I'm starting to realize I really don't care for most of the popular Fire-type Pokemon, the only Gen I Fire-type I genuinely like is Magmar really who is usually considered the oddball.
Fire Pokemon lore is usually pretty generic, and Flareon is no different, simply talking about how hot its body is and throwing out a bunch of high numbers which most people probably gloss over becausethere's nothing particularly interesting about large numbers with no point of reference. Unlike Jolteon and Vaporeon, nothing in its PokeDex suggests that it has a particular Signature Move, which is kind of disappointing because I liked that detail with Vaporeon and Jolteon even if Acid Armor and Pin Missile had dubious use. Maybe it's time Game Freak gave it one that could help turn its life around?
Flareon only had three solo appearances in the show, once in a Johto filler focused around the one Fire-type Pokemon even more pathetic than it is, and later popping up in a Hoenn Contest under the command of May's Rival of the Day. And the evolution scene with Vaporeon in Diamond and Pearl I already mentioned, which Flareon later then actually took part in the battle round of the Contest.