The REAL First Pokémon Ever Created: 4 Answers That Will Blow Your Mind

The question of the "1st Pokémon ever created" is one of the most enduring and controversial debates in the franchise’s history, and as of December 2025, the definitive answer remains a fascinating split between design history, programming, and in-game lore. While most fans immediately point to the iconic starter Bulbasaur, or the franchise mascot Pikachu, the true origin story—confirmed by the very people who designed the creatures—points to a massive, rhino-like Rock/Ground-type that sits surprisingly deep in the original Pokédex: Rhydon.

This article dives deep into the four distinct answers to this legendary question, exploring the early concept art, the groundbreaking technical decisions of Game Freak, and the mythological structure that defines the entire Pokémon universe. Understanding the true first Pokémon requires looking past the Pokédex and into the minds of its creators, Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori.

The Definitive Profile of the First Pokémon Designed

The most concrete and historically verifiable answer to the "first Pokémon" question is based on its initial design and concept art. This honor belongs to the rhinoceros-inspired creature, Rhydon.

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• Name: Rhydon (Japanese: サイドン Saidon)
• Pokédex Number: #112
• Type: Ground / Rock
• Debut Game: Pokémon Red and Green (1996)
• Primary Designer: Ken Sugimori
• Creation Status: Officially confirmed by Ken Sugimori as the first monster ever designed for the franchise.
• Pre-Evolution: Rhyhorn (#111)
• Evolution: Rhyperior (Introduced in Generation IV)
• Design Significance: Rhydon's design was so crucial that it was often used as the base and template for other early Pokémon designs.

Why Rhydon Was the Original Design Template

The creation of the Pokémon world began not with a lizard, a turtle, or a seed, but with a simple rhinosaurus. According to Ken Sugimori, the lead designer and artist for the original 151 Pokémon, Rhydon was the very first creature he drew.

This initial design was crucial because it helped establish the aesthetic and mechanical rules that all subsequent Pocket Monsters would follow. Rhydon’s design was considered robust and solid, making it an excellent benchmark for complexity and scale. Its two-part typing (Ground/Rock) also helped define the early mechanics of the game’s elemental battle system.

In fact, many early concept sketches for the game, then titled Capsule Monsters, feature Rhydon prominently. This early version of the franchise, conceived by Satoshi Tajiri, focused on collecting and trading creatures via the Game Boy’s Link Cable, a key innovation for the time. Rhydon was one of the first creatures to embody this "monster" concept.

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A fun piece of trivia that supports Rhydon’s status is its early internal index number. While Bulbasaur is #001 in the Pokédex, Rhydon was famously assigned the internal index number of 001 in the game’s code, making it the first monster programmed into the game's data structure.

The Three Other "Firsts" That Cause Confusion

The simple answer of "Rhydon" is often overshadowed by three other legitimate "firsts" that depend entirely on the context of the question—be it in-game, in a manual, or in the deep lore of the Pokémon universe. This is where the debate truly begins.

1. The Pokédex First: Bulbasaur (#001)

For millions of fans who first opened the original Pokémon Red and Green (or Blue/Yellow) Pokédex, the first creature they saw was Bulbasaur. It holds the official, canonical Pokédex number #001. This sequential numbering was an organizational choice by Game Freak to provide a clear starting point for players, positioning the Grass-type starter as the entry point to the Original 151.

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Bulbasaur’s placement, along with Charmander (#004) and Squirtle (#007), established the tradition of the starter trio, which acts as the player's initial partner and the first Pokémon they officially "catch" from Professor Oak. While it is the first in the book, it was not the first creature to be conceptualized or drawn by Ken Sugimori.

2. The Lore First: Arceus and Mew

When the question shifts from "who was designed first?" to "who was created first in the Pokémon universe?", the answer moves into the realm of mythology and cosmology. This introduces two powerful Legendary Pokémon:

Arceus

Arceus, the "Alpha Pokémon" introduced in Generation IV, is widely considered the creator of the entire Pokémon universe. According to the Sinnoh region’s mythology, Arceus emerged from a void and shaped the cosmos. It is said to have created the deities of Time (Dialga), Space (Palkia), and Antimatter (Giratina). In a literal sense, Arceus is the oldest and therefore the first Pokémon to exist within the game's lore.

Mew

Mew, the Mythical Pokémon of Generation I, is often cited as the ancestor of all Pokémon. Lore suggests that Mew contains the DNA of every single Pokémon, making it the genetic origin point for all life in the universe. In some interpretations, Mew represents the primordial life force from which all other species evolved, placing it as the "first" in an evolutionary context, though still subordinate to Arceus's initial creation.

3. The Programming First: Internal Index Numbers

The final layer of confusion comes from the game’s internal code. In the development of Pokémon Red and Green, the monsters were assigned internal index numbers to organize them in the game's memory. As mentioned, Rhydon was assigned an extremely low index number, often cited as the first non-glitch slot.

The internal list is a technical history of the game’s development, showing the order in which creatures were added to the code. This is why the Pokédex numbers (1-151) do not perfectly align with the internal list, which also contains early, unused data and the infamous glitch Pokémon, MissingNo. The fact that Rhydon has such a low, early index number further solidifies its role as the foundational creature of the entire project.

The Enduring Legacy of the First Pokémon

The story of the first Pokémon is ultimately a story of creative evolution. It begins with Satoshi Tajiri’s simple concept, inspired by his childhood hobby of bug collecting (or "Pocket Monsters"), and his desire to use the Game Boy Link Cable for trading. The concept was initially a pitch called Capsule Monsters.

From that initial concept, Ken Sugimori had to translate the idea into a visual reality, and Rhydon was the first success. This foundational design choice had a lasting impact on the franchise, even as the focus shifted to the more marketable Pikachu and the starter Pokémon like Bulbasaur, Charmander, and Squirtle.

The complexity of the answer—Rhydon for design, Bulbasaur for the Pokédex, and Arceus for lore—is a perfect reflection of the Pokémon franchise itself: a blend of technical innovation (the Link Cable), organized structure (the Pokédex), and deep, engaging mythology (the creation story). The next time you see Rhydon, remember you are looking at the foundational ancestor of the entire 1000+ monster universe, a true icon of gaming history.