7 Surprising Pokémon Evolutions in FireRed & LeafGreen

There's an iconic line from Forrest Gump: “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.”

While that's not something that always applies to Pokémon, you'd be surprised at how many times a FireRed and LeafGreen evolution completely changes everything.

We'll have some obvious changes that we'll talk about here (looking at you, Eeveelutions), as well as perhaps the most famous Pokémon evolution of all time. Some of them, though, may surprise you.

7 Jolteon, Vaporeon, and Flareon

Since we just talked about the Eevee evolutions, this seems like the obvious place to start, especially considering how iconic these Pokémon are.

Eevee is a normal type Pokemon that has the unique characteristic of being able to evolve into a variety of Pokémon. In FireRed and LeafGreen, there are three options: the electric type Jolteon, the water type Vaporeon, and the fire type Flareon.

Subsequent games would add in more types of Pokémon Eevee can evolve into, but this is where it all began. No matter what generation, though, one thing is for sure: Eevee will always evolve into something completely different.

6 Butterfree

You'll be excused for assuming that Caterpie and Metapod are pretty useless. I mean, in a lot of ways, they are.

Not only do you encounter them fairly early in the game, but it felt like every Metapod would only use Harden and nothing else. I hated how often I'd run into them in Veridian Forest. Not exactly a Pokemon that strikes fear into its opponents, nor was it one I honestly cared about utilizing in battle.

Eventually, Metapod will evolve into Butterfree. It's still a bug type, but its moveset is greatly expanded, allowing you to catch unsuspecting opponents off guard thanks to a respectable Special Attack stat.

5 Beedrill

This is just the physical version of Butterfree. Same exact concept, evolving from the much weaker Weedle and Kakuna before becoming something that's at least respectable. Like Metapod, Kakuna is completely useless, and I absolutely hated it. Seriously, it did nothing!

Beedrill also has the added benefit of being a Poison-type Pokémon, which has its own pros and cons that come with it.

I'm not saying that Beedrill is a late-game powerhouse, but it certainly played a role early on for me in the past. It also features an intimidating presence, and nine-year-old Jake thought it was the coolest thing in the world.

4 Kabutops

While on the subject of the bug evolutions, it seems like the perfect time to bring up Kabutops.

One of two fossil Pokémon, it evolves from the unassuming Kabuto, which is best described as a weak-looking crab thing.

Kabutops, however, is imposing, intimidating, and looks ready to strike at a moment’s notice. I was always team Kabutops for this reason. It looks incredible and far better than its counterpart, Omastar. Plus, it has a far more dramatic evolutionary change, too.

Sadly, Twitch Plays Pokémon didn't agree with me and went with the Helix Fossil. It was their loss, if you ask me.

3 Dragonite

If you told me that the cute and cuddly Dratini and Dragonair would evolve into one of the best Pokémon in all of FireRed and LeafGreen, I would have never believed you.

Dragonite already gets the benefit of the Dragon type, which it shares with its predecessors, but the stats take things over the top. The massive Attack statline, combined with the Pokémon typing and respectable baseline stats, makes it a true force to be reckoned with.

I'm not going to lie: I didn't think anything of Dratini and Dragonair until battling Lance and his Dragonite in the Elite Four. That changed my tune quite quickly.

2 Seaking

This is less about Seaking and more about the fact that Goldeen is a pushover. It is small, it is weak, and its lasting legacy is how it flops around in Super Smash Bros. There was nothing as demoralizing as picking up a Poké Ball, using it, and then hearing "Goldeen Goldeen!"

While there are several other superior options for water-type Pokémon in terms of stats, Seaking does have a very respectable attack stat line. Combined with its gigantic horn, Seaking will make Goldeen loyalists happy.

Seriously, does anyone even respect Goldeen? It's without a doubt one of the worst water Pokémon of all time, but it's outclassed by a certain useless fish that becomes something magical.

1 Gyrados

Magikarp is useless. Like, completely useless. Even I knew that when some random guy tried to sell me one. I knew better, but maybe that guy was up to something.

Despite only knowing the useless Splash move, Magikarp eventually evolves into Gyrados, one of the most impressive Pokémon in all of FireRed and LeafGreen.

The second I learned this as a kid, I immediately rushed to capture a Magikarp and did what I could to evolve it as soon as possible. All that work was well worth it. This represents the very best of Pokémon and how something so innocent and unassuming can transform into something amazing. Sometimes, it's a literal Pokémon, but other times, it's a humble trainer who embarks on their very own Pokémon journey.