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The 2020 contest covered Pokémon appearing through Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. Voting ran from February 5 to 14, 2020, through Google search in eight languages. ORICON NEWS reported 6,608,215 votes across the contest. The results show which Pokémon received the most votes in that particular global fan poll, not which character sold the most merchandise or is best recognized by the public.
The top 10 Pokémon in the 2020 global vote
The Pokémon Company’s worldwide results list these ten Pokémon and their vote totals:
| Rank | Pokémon | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Greninja | 140,559 |
| 2 | Lucario | 102,259 |
| 3 | Mimikyu | 99,077 |
| 4 | Charizard | 93,968 |
| 5 | Umbreon | 67,062 |
| 6 | Sylveon | 66,029 |
| 7 | Garchomp | 61,877 |
| 8 | Rayquaza | 60,939 |
| 9 | Gardevoir | 60,596 |
| 10 | Gengar | 60,214 |
What the results say about Pokémon popularity
Greninja won this poll, not every possible popularity contest
Greninja finished with 140,559 votes, 38,300 more than runner-up Lucario. That makes it the clear winner of this poll; it does not establish that Greninja leads every measure of popularity, such as merchandise sales, search interest, game usage or public recognition.
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Pikachu was 19th
Pikachu received 48,060 votes and placed 19th. That result answers how Pikachu ranked in this contest, but it does not show that Pikachu is less recognizable, commercially successful or culturally prominent than the Pokémon above it.
The middle of the top 10 was closely contested
Umbreon took fifth place and Sylveon sixth, separated by 1,033 votes. The lower half of the top 10 was also tightly grouped: Garchomp, Rayquaza, Gardevoir and Gengar each received between 60,214 and 61,877 votes.
Rank #2
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How to interpret an “all-time” ranking
“All time” here means the historical results of one defined vote, not an all-purpose verdict on the franchise. Fan polls measure the preferences expressed by their participants under their particular rules and conditions. Another method could produce a different answer:
- Fan votes record stated preferences among people who choose to take part.
- Merchandise sales measure purchases, which can be affected by product availability, licensing and release timing.
- Search interest measures online query activity, not necessarily affection or recognition.
- Game usage reflects choices in a specific game or format, rather than overall character preference.
- Public recognition would require a measure designed to test what people know or recognize.
A 2020 paper in the Journal of Geek Studies illustrates why poll context matters: it analyzed a separate favorites survey in which Charizard received 1,107 votes and ranked first. The paper discussed factors such as generation and starter representation and meme visibility in that separate survey. Its result is not part of The Pokémon Company’s global vote and should not be combined with it.
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Rank #3
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Sources and scope
The Pokémon Company’s worldwide results provide the ranking and individual vote counts. Its contest announcement describes the voting dates, eligible Pokémon, language options and Google search voting method. ORICON NEWS reported the total number of votes and Greninja’s count. The separate survey findings are in the Journal of Geek Studies paper.
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Rank #4
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