Are Froakie, Frogadier, and Greninja in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet?

While Pokémon Scarlet and Violet are introducing plenty of new Pokémon to the series, which is always a high point for players, they’re also bringing back a lot of old favorites. Part of the fun of recent franchise entries is to search through new regions for Pokémon you already know and love and to see them in different environments alongside new friends. It’s one of Pokémon’s simple joys.

First introduced in Pokémon X and Y, the Froakie-Frogadier-Greninja evolutionary line is one of the most well-known and beloved groups of Pokémon in the entire series. With fans diving into Scarlet and Violet for the first time, many are curious to know whether Froakie and his powerful evolutions will be available, either in the wild or through different means.

Here’s everything you need to know about Froakie, Frogadier, and Greninja in Scarlet and Violet.

Froakie, Frogadier, and Greninja details

Unfortunately, Froakie, Frogadier, and Greninja are not available in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s base game. They can’t be found in the wild or obtained through normal gameplay. This is common for the series: previous games’ starters or their evolutions generally can’t be found in the wild in newer games. Often, they must be imported or traded in from previous games. Games like Pokémon Sword and Shield that only use a small portion of the total Pokédex don’t allow for some starter Pokémon to join the game at all.

This doesn’t mean that Froakie and his pals will never be a part of Scarlet and Violet. The entire evolutionary line may be added later on when Pokémon HOME compatibility is added in 2023. HOME allows players to transfer and store Pokémon from previous games and from 3DS storage utility Pokémon Bank.

Froakie, Frogadier, and Greninja may also be added in the future as part of potential DLC. While no DLC has been announced or teased, Sword and Shield’s DLCs were popular and successful, so developer Game Freak may decide to expand Scarlet and Violet similarly down the line. There’s no guarantee that DLC will happen or that Froakie’s line will be a part of it, though. In the meantime, Greninja fans will need to wait patiently for any more news on the subject from Game Freak.