bdt2002
Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs superfan
I’m going to mix this up a bit and do this by region instead of by generation. Aside from some examples people have already mentioned like the elemental punches, most moves are at least somewhat similar between generations anyway.
Kanto: Surprised no one’s mentioned the TM for Psychic yet. I always pictured that as the real main TM of Saffron City aside from the one you get in Sabrina’s gym.
Johto: The issue with the elemental punches being my choice for this region is that this is purely a GSC thing. The near-universal consensus is that HGSS is the overall superior Johto experience and most newer fans from the 2000s had access to this instead of GSC. The only move I could nominate that was prominent in both versions is probably Headbutt, as one of the better Normal-Type options pre-Strength that can be taught infinitely in the remakes. Having a more reliable Normal-Type option is nice given the fact Tackle had not been buffed yet.
Hoenn: Everyone and their mother knows the correct answer to this. How could it not be Surf? Hoenn is practically mostly water, and even if Surf wasn’t the most reliable Water-Type move in the game, it cannot be denied just how much of Hoenn gets unlocked after the HM is made available.
Sinnoh: This region introduced the physical-special split, and to Sinnoh’s credit, many of the new Pokémon do a pretty good job of showing it off. The question is how to narrow down which move does the best job while being the most prominent during a playthrough. In the end I’ve decided to go with Dragon Claw, as a move that all of the Dragon-Types in the game (namely the legendaries) all learn.
Part 2 with Unova through Galar coming soon because I need to get lunch.
Kanto: Surprised no one’s mentioned the TM for Psychic yet. I always pictured that as the real main TM of Saffron City aside from the one you get in Sabrina’s gym.
Johto: The issue with the elemental punches being my choice for this region is that this is purely a GSC thing. The near-universal consensus is that HGSS is the overall superior Johto experience and most newer fans from the 2000s had access to this instead of GSC. The only move I could nominate that was prominent in both versions is probably Headbutt, as one of the better Normal-Type options pre-Strength that can be taught infinitely in the remakes. Having a more reliable Normal-Type option is nice given the fact Tackle had not been buffed yet.
Hoenn: Everyone and their mother knows the correct answer to this. How could it not be Surf? Hoenn is practically mostly water, and even if Surf wasn’t the most reliable Water-Type move in the game, it cannot be denied just how much of Hoenn gets unlocked after the HM is made available.
Sinnoh: This region introduced the physical-special split, and to Sinnoh’s credit, many of the new Pokémon do a pretty good job of showing it off. The question is how to narrow down which move does the best job while being the most prominent during a playthrough. In the end I’ve decided to go with Dragon Claw, as a move that all of the Dragon-Types in the game (namely the legendaries) all learn.
Part 2 with Unova through Galar coming soon because I need to get lunch.