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Generation II · Johto

Generation II: Johto.

Johto is the love letter. After Kanto, Game Freak said "what if you could go back?" and tacked the entire post-game onto a second region. Gold and Silver shipped on the same Game Boy hardware as Red and Blue but felt twice as large. The Dark and Steel types arrived. So did Pichu and the breeding system that made every later Pokémon feel like a project.

Release1999
HardwareGame Boy Color
New species100
Dex range#152-251

The mechanic that defined Gen II

Day / night cycle, breeding, and held items.

Gold and Silver introduced a real-time internal clock that triggered evolutions, controlled which Pokémon spawned, and gated friendship growth. Breeding turned the metagame from "best stats wins" into "best IVs and movesets win". Held items added a permanent layer of build customization.

Signature moves introduced this generation: Crunch, Iron Tail, Aeroblast, Sacred Fire, Shadow Ball.

Starters

Chikorita
No. 152
Chikorita
Grass
BST 318
 Cyndaquil
No. 155
Cyndaquil
Fire
BST 309
 Totodile
No. 158
Totodile
Water
BST 314

Box legendaries

Lugia
No. 249
Lugia
Psychic Ho-Oh
No. 250
Ho-Oh
Fire

Top 12 by base-stat total

Lugia
No. 249
Lugia
BST 680
 Ho-Oh
No. 250
Ho-Oh
BST 680
 Tyranitar
No. 248
Tyranitar
BST 600
 Celebi
No. 251
Celebi
BST 600
 Raikou
No. 243
Raikou
BST 580
 Entei
No. 244
Entei
BST 580
 Suicune
No. 245
Suicune
BST 580
 Kingdra
No. 230
Kingdra
BST 540
 Blissey
No. 242
Blissey
BST 540
 Crobat
No. 169
Crobat
BST 535
 Typhlosion
No. 157
Typhlosion
BST 534
 Feraligatr
No. 160
Feraligatr
BST 530

Key dates

  • Pokémon Gold and Silver release in Japan.
  • Gold and Silver release in North America.
  • Pokémon Crystal launches with the female protagonist option.
  • HeartGold and SoulSilver remakes ship in Japan with the PokéWalker accessory.

Iconic trainers: Falkner, Whitney, Jasmine, Lance, Silver (Rival).

Games in this generation: Gold, Silver, Crystal, HeartGold, SoulSilver.

Full roster (100 Pokémon)

Chikorita No. 152 Chikorita Bayleef No. 153 Bayleef Meganium No. 154 Meganium Cyndaquil No. 155 Cyndaquil Quilava No. 156 Quilava Typhlosion No. 157 Typhlosion Totodile No. 158 Totodile Croconaw No. 159 Croconaw Feraligatr No. 160 Feraligatr Sentret No. 161 Sentret Furret No. 162 Furret Hoothoot No. 163 Hoothoot Noctowl No. 164 Noctowl Ledyba No. 165 Ledyba Ledian No. 166 Ledian Spinarak No. 167 Spinarak Ariados No. 168 Ariados Crobat No. 169 Crobat Chinchou No. 170 Chinchou Lanturn No. 171 Lanturn Pichu No. 172 Pichu Cleffa No. 173 Cleffa Igglybuff No. 174 Igglybuff Togepi No. 175 Togepi Togetic No. 176 Togetic Natu No. 177 Natu Xatu No. 178 Xatu Mareep No. 179 Mareep Flaaffy No. 180 Flaaffy Ampharos No. 181 Ampharos Bellossom No. 182 Bellossom Marill No. 183 Marill Azumarill No. 184 Azumarill Sudowoodo No. 185 Sudowoodo Politoed No. 186 Politoed Hoppip No. 187 Hoppip Skiploom No. 188 Skiploom Jumpluff No. 189 Jumpluff Aipom No. 190 Aipom Sunkern No. 191 Sunkern Sunflora No. 192 Sunflora Yanma No. 193 Yanma Wooper No. 194 Wooper Quagsire No. 195 Quagsire Espeon No. 196 Espeon Umbreon No. 197 Umbreon Murkrow No. 198 Murkrow Slowking No. 199 Slowking Misdreavus No. 200 Misdreavus Unown No. 201 Unown Wobbuffet No. 202 Wobbuffet Girafarig No. 203 Girafarig Pineco No. 204 Pineco Forretress No. 205 Forretress Dunsparce No. 206 Dunsparce Gligar No. 207 Gligar Steelix No. 208 Steelix Snubbull No. 209 Snubbull Granbull No. 210 Granbull Qwilfish No. 211 Qwilfish Scizor No. 212 Scizor Shuckle No. 213 Shuckle Heracross No. 214 Heracross Sneasel No. 215 Sneasel Teddiursa No. 216 Teddiursa Ursaring No. 217 Ursaring Slugma No. 218 Slugma Magcargo No. 219 Magcargo Swinub No. 220 Swinub Piloswine No. 221 Piloswine Corsola No. 222 Corsola Remoraid No. 223 Remoraid Octillery No. 224 Octillery Delibird No. 225 Delibird Mantine No. 226 Mantine Skarmory No. 227 Skarmory Houndour No. 228 Houndour Houndoom No. 229 Houndoom Kingdra No. 230 Kingdra Phanpy No. 231 Phanpy Donphan No. 232 Donphan Porygon2 No. 233 Porygon2 Stantler No. 234 Stantler Smeargle No. 235 Smeargle Tyrogue No. 236 Tyrogue Hitmontop No. 237 Hitmontop Smoochum No. 238 Smoochum Elekid No. 239 Elekid Magby No. 240 Magby Miltank No. 241 Miltank Blissey No. 242 Blissey Raikou No. 243 Raikou Entei No. 244 Entei Suicune No. 245 Suicune Larvitar No. 246 Larvitar Pupitar No. 247 Pupitar Tyranitar No. 248 Tyranitar Lugia No. 249 Lugia Ho-Oh No. 250 Ho-Oh Celebi No. 251 Celebi

Legacy

Johto is the most-requested remake target in Pokémon discourse for a reason. Every later generation that added a feature was iterating on the day/night/breeding template that Gen 2 set. The fact that a Game Boy Color cartridge contained two full regions is still a technical-design touchstone.