20 Missing Pokemon That Should Have Been in New Pokemon Snap

Legendary Birds (Kanto)

Mew made its triumphant return to the Pokemon Snap series, but the other Legendary Pokemon from Kanto did not. Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres were a huge part of the original game, but they seem to be missing from New Pokemon Snap. Obviously, they can’t include every Pokemon, but it’s strange to exclude some of the most iconic ‘mons. They did the birds from Kanto dirty, but at least the ones from Johto can kind of act as a consolation.

Meltan

Meltan was the first Pokemon to be introduced to the world through Pokemon GO and it’s actually quite cute for a blob of metal with a nut for an eye. Seeing a swarm of Meltan in Pokemon Snap would have been so adorable. Plus, it’s the only Pokemon that doesn’t belong to any single region (besides its evolution, Melmetal). It’s also one of the newest Mythical Pokemon with Zarude being the only other one to come out since 2018.

Duraludon

Duraludon is a Steel/Dragon-type that looks like a lighter but can also turn into a skyscraper. How do you not include this Pokemon? It has one of the coolest designs out of all the new ‘mons in Sword and Shield. Seeing this big Pokemon eating a Fluffruit would be hilarious and lighting it up with an Illumina Orb could have looked incredible.

Gyarados

If you’re like me, then you’ve probably wasted a bunch of Fluffruit on Magikarp trying to make it mad and evolve into Gyarados. Sadly, this Pokemon is not in the game at all. Many Kanto designs are pretty bland, but Gyarados has one of the most striking designs from the original 151. What’s more, it also has one of the most unforgettable shiny variations (red Gyarados).

Impidimp

Expect to see a few more Pokemon from the Galar region on this list since the game includes such a small amount of them. Impidimp is no doubt a goofy-looking Pokemon, but that only makes it better for photography of the mischievous Dark/Fairy-type creature. It stands out but it also could have had some truly hilarious facial expressions.

Buzzswole

Buzzswole isn’t the most well-known Pokemon from the Alola Pokedex, but it surely has one of the most ridiculous designs. It’s literally what it sounds like, a swole bug. Lore-wise it might not make sense for an Ultra Beast to show up in Lental region, but it would still be a ton of fun to see a high-quality render of this very popular Pokemon. Sword and Shield looked fine, but there’s no comparison to the models in New Pokemon Snap.

Treecko Evolution Line

The Treecko line has fallen quite a bit from glory. Back in the day, Sceptile was one of the best Pokemon Ash had on his team while battling through the Hoenn League. But now it’s just the only Hoenn starter line not in the game. Torchic and Swampert and quite popular, but so are Treecko and its evolutions. It’s just odd to include two starters from a region but then exclude the third. Unfortunately, this happened to a few regions.

Ditto

I’m not sure if this even needs an explanation, but here we go. It’s pretty clear that including Ditto would be a fantastic choice for New Pokemon Snap. With almost 900 Pokemon total now, there are very few that you can truly say are unique in every way. There’s nothing else like Ditto. It’s a bit ironic since it can appear as any other Pokemon, but that’s what makes it so special.

Kalos Region Starters

Bandai Namco must have forgotten about the Kalos region. It’s the only region that has no representation from its starter Pokemon. I get that Fennekin and Chespin aren’t exactly mascots for the franchise, but Greninja literally is. In both the anime and other video games like Smash Bros., Greninja is huge. Plus, Delphox and Chesnaught have fantastic designs that would have looked great in New Pokemon Snap.

Dunsparce

Poor little Dunsparce always gets the short end of the stick. This lowly Normal-type ‘mon from the Johto region is probably one of the weakest creatures in the Pokemon universe. But that’s just a part of its appeal. It has tiny wings that supposedly used to be able to make it fly. Taking a rare picture of the majestically pathetic Dunsparce soaring through the low brush would have been a life-changing experience.

Galar & Alola Legendaries

Every region got some Legendary ‘mon representation except the two newest regions in the Pokemon universe. Any decision Bandai Namco made wouldn’t have pleased every fan, but it’s just a bizarre choice to not include at least the cover Pokemon from the last two major releases. It just seems like the developers wanted to include more nostalgic Legendary Pokemon like Mew and Ho-Oh instead of the newer species.

Klink

One of the most memorable moments from the original Pokemon Snap was encountering Magnemite for the first time. It always messed with your camera when you tried to take a picture. Of course, you don’t want to repeat the same gimmicks with the same Pokemon, but they could have at least changed up which species was the hindrance. Klink is the ideal change in this case, but sadly neither Klink nor Magnemite made the cut.

Corviknight

Only eight Pokemon from Galar made the cut in New Pokemon Snap and one very big bird is missing. Compared to the other regions, this is a ridiculously small amount of Pokemon. And it’s hard to argue that Corviknight shouldn’t be in the game considering the fact of how important the creature is in the Galar region. Besides the trains, Corviknight is the main mode or transportation in Galar. Despite it’s size, it still could have made for a challenging shot on a night stage since its body is pitch black.

Klefki

People like to give Klefki crap because it’s literally just a keyring or it looks like a Heartless from Kingdom Hearts. But there’s nothing else in the Pokemon franchise that looks anything remotely like Klefki. Sure, it looks a bit funny, but it’s a one-of-a-kind design. And even though it’s designed after an inanimate object, Klefki is kind of adorable.

Dragapult

Yet again, Galar got shafted. Dragapult is one of the most interesting new designs and it has a fun typing (Dragon/Ghost) that’s only shared with one other Pokemon (Giratina). Technically Giratina is Ghost/Dragon, but it’s essentially the same. Dragapult has a cool blue and pink color scheme. But best of all, there are cannons used for launching smaller dragons from either side of its head. It’s an interesting Pokemon to look at and it would be even more fun to take pictures of one.

Ultra Beasts

The Ultra Beasts were a huge part of Pokemon Sun and Moon. Yet, they’re completely missing in New Pokemon Snap. We already mentioned Buzzswole because of his popularity, but there should be at least two in the game. These creatures played such an important role in the story of the previous generation that leaving them out completely just feels weird.

Gigantamax Forms

Let’s just get this out of the way. Yes, Gigantamax form changes can usually only happen in specific areas within the Galar region. But it wouldn’t be a complete stretch Eternatus’ energy could have created power spots in regions other than just Galar. But this is just another instance of New Pokemon Snap not focusing so intently on the latest mainline games.

Alolan Ninetails

The little Ice-type Vulpix made it into New Pokemon Snap, but the evolved form seems to be missing. Oddly enough, the original Ninetails made it into the game and in a snowy location of all places. It would have been perfect for the environment. Also, Alolan Ninetails is one of the most beautifully designed Pokemon with its bright white fur and whispy, fluffy tail.

Sinnoh Legendaries

The Sinnoh region arguably has the best Legendary Pokemon out of any region. Giratina, Darkrai, Cresselia, the Lake Guardians, and Heatran aren’t even all of the Legendaries that you can encounter in Sinnoh. And there are even better ones than those that I just listed. But instead New Pokemon Snap has the much less majestic (but still cute) Manaphy and Shaymin.

Feraligatr

Feraligatr holds a special place in the hearts of those who played Gold, Silver, Or Crystal back in the day. Even if you didn’t pick the Water-type starter, it’s still an important part of Pokemon history. Plus, the two other Johto starters made the cut and seem to have left this ‘mon back in Johto. To add insult to injury, one of the Johto starters that’s not missing, Meganium, is on the cover of the New Pokemon Snap.