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It all started with a tweet.
With his blessing, Vulture began a great undertaking: matching each Pokemon with theirSNLcounterpart.
For one thing, comparing humans to semi-sentient pocket monsters can be incredibly cruel.
For another, there are 22,801 possible pairs of Not Ready for Prime Time Pokemon.
The pairings came from different places.
Some were physical, while others came together from evolutions.
If there are three similarly surreal oddballs, they become male Nidoran and his cohort.
Other pairings were more of an instinctual feeling, something that sang out from a dark and primal place.
Bulbasaur: Dan Aykroyd
The OG.
Ivysaur: Mike Myers
An evolution.
Same character-heavy energy, but with stronger catchphrase and visual-style vines.
Venusaur: Will Ferrell
He has his vines in everything.
Venusaur has executive-producer energy.
Charmander: Andy Samberg
Same openmouthed grin.
Also, its very easy to imagine Andy Samberg saying Char!
Charizard: Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy is the foil Charizard ofSNLperformers.
Squirtle: Dana Carvey
Self-explanatory.
Wartortle: Beck Bennett
A beefier turtle man.
Blastoise: Jimmy Fallon
The cannon on Blastoises back fires musical impersonations and giggles.
Caterpie: Melissa Villasenor
The potential to become anything.
Metapod: Colin Jost
Basically inert.
Weedle: Chris Redd
Weedles live on trees, andChris Redd loves trees.
More people should know that.
Pidgey: Gail Matthius
A.k.a.Shirley the Loon.
018: Pidgeot: Chris Parnell
Underrated evolved flying king.
Spearow: A. Whitney Brown
A flying jot down can see the Big Picture.
Fearow: Jim Breuer
Identical haircut and demeanor.
This is her power.
Pikachu: Vanessa Bayer
Adorable.
Powerful, powerful cheeks.
Raichu: Rachel Dratch
Slightly less adorable, but with a stat boost to compensate.
Sandshrew: Michael Che
Allegedly thick-skinned, but with a soft underbelly.
Sandslash: Norm Macdonald
Actually thick-skinned, also prickly as hell.
Nidoran: Michaela Watkins
A cute-ass smile.
Nidorina: Nora Dunn
Nidorina is the most second-wave feminist Pokemon.
Dont you want to live in that world?
Nidorino: Mike OBrien
Mike OBrien used hisSNLtenure to sharpen his poison horn in film pieces.
Nidoking: Will Forte
(Nido)King Weirdo Will Forte.
For what is the Potato Chips sketch if not a Sludge Bomb?
Clefairy: Abby Elliott
Two woodland sprites …
036.
Clefable: Chris Elliott
… From the same kooky family.
Vulpix: Mary Gross
Meek but powerful.
Have you seenTroop Beverly Hills?A perfect shy lil fox.
Ninetales: Laraine Newman
Gorgeous, gorgeous hair.
Wigglytuff: Adam Sandler
Like a Jigglypuff that can hang.
Escape Rope is the Concord in this analogy.
Golbat: Morwenna Banks
Whats even their deal down there (in England and New Zealand)?
Morwenna Banks was an evolution, however, becauseshe found success on British TVafter herSNLstint.
Oddish: Melanie Hutsell
An optimist, Oddish shares Melanie Hutsells Valley Girllike uptalk.
Gloom: Heidi Gardner
Gloom is the Patronus ofBaskin Johns, Goop staffer.
Jeff Garlin in his memoir,My Footprint.
Paras: Aidy Bryant
Like Bryant, Paras juxtaposes her baby-doll eyes with a manic edge.
Parasect: Paul Shaffer
You will never see either Paul Shaffer or Parasects pupils.
Venomoth: Nancy Walls Carell
Nancy can really portray the fragility of a moth.
Diglett: Brian Doyle-Murray
Essentially the Pokemon equivalent of the gopher fromCaddyshack.
Dugtrio: Gary Kroeger
More comfortable undergroundwhere theres less competition.
And what wouldnt you give to see Meowth host the Oscars?
Mankey: Chris Kattan
Mr. Peepersis definitely fighting bang out.
Primeape: Rich Hall
Primeape is theMoe Szyslakof Pokemon.
Growlithe: Jerry Minor
Loyal, and plays a lot of cops.
Jerry Minor is Growlithe if Bob Odenkirk is Officer Jenny.
Arcanine: Tim Kazurinsky
Was literally inPolice Academy.
Although, do Growlithes stop being police dogs when they evolve into Arcanine?
Do they retire to desk duty, or become like SWAT dogs?
Poliwag: John Milhiser
Both possess an adorable, spritely attitude.
Poliwhirl: Paul Brittain
Paul Brittain is an Aquarius, and Poliwhirl definitely bears water.
Abra: Siobhan Fallon
Weak against bug types, and yes, this is aMen in Blackjoke.
Also, she disappeared out of sketches thatwent against her Catholicism.
Kadabra: Dean Edwards
A mid-level impersonation wizard.
Alakazam: Michael McKean
Michael McKean has BSME: Big Stage Magician Energy.
Machop: Jon Rudnitsky
Muscle boy.
Machoke: Rob Riggle
Muscle man.
Machamp: Joe Piscopo
Muscle-est man.
Bellsprout: Noel Wells
Bellsprout has the same expression as Noel Wellss Zooey Deschanel.
Its a 1:1 likeness.
Weepinbell: Julia Sweeney
Like Pat, Weepinbell also has an exactly 50/50 shot at being male or female.
Victreebel: Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Like Selina Meyers, Victreebel isvictorious but toxic.
Tentacool: Sarah Silverman
Sarah Silverman is a cool girl, and only kind of like inGone Girl.
This is (1) insane and (2) evidence that he is a water pop in.
Geodude: Chris Rock
Both rock pop in.
Also Geodude got a bad edit in the anime, which echoes how Rock got shafted atSNL.
Graveler: Patrick Weathers
Graveler looks like conceptual art, and Patrick Weathers owns several art galleries now.
Golem: Terry Sweeney
Played No.
1 stone-cold bitch Nancy Reagan.
Ponyta: Denny Dillon
A Broadway hoofer!
Slowpoke: Chris Farley
Slowpoke literally livesby a river.
In a van?Hard to say.
Slowbro: David Koechner
Such a bro.
Farfetchd: Jon Lovitz
Same eyebrows.
Dodrio: Anthony Michael Hall
The heads are named Anthony, Michael, and Hall.
Seel: Kevin Nealon
Kevin Seel-on.
Were not beneath this joke.
Dewgong: Seth Meyers
Both exude a certain serenity.
Grimer: Pete Davidson
Grimer vapes.
Cloyster: Yvonne Hudson
Her breakout sketch was Bad Clams, and Cloyster is a bad clam.
This isnt rocket science.
Gastly: Michael ODonoghue
Dead, with adark sense of humorlike the prankster Gastly.
093: Haunter: Tom Davis
Dead, and bff to Gengar.
094: Gengar: Al Franken
Dead, to us.
Hypno: Randy Quaid
Hypno would 100 percent be a conspiracy theorist.
Krabby: Harry Shearer
Notoriously cantankerous.
Kingler: Christopher Guest
Krabby stars inA Mighty Wind;Kingler directs it.
Voltorb: Dan Vitale
Prone to exploding.
Electrode: Ben Stiller
Has channeled his explosive tendencies more productively.
Exeggcute: Jay Pharoah
An egg of many faces.
Exeggutor: Bill Hader
Slightly fewer faces, but more mobility with the faces he has.
Cubone: Mikey Day
Any questions?
Marowak: Bobby Moynihan
Ay papi!
Hitmonlee: Jim Belushi
All Belushis are fighting key in.
Hitmonchan: John Belushi
The difference is the power of the punches.
Lickitung: Kate McKinnon
Thanks to theLast Call sketches, McKinnon has probably licked the most people inSNLhistory.
Koffing: Colin Quinn
Extreme smoker energy.
Weezing: Dennis Miller
Everything Dennis Miller says is a poisonous cloud.
Rhydon: Tony Rosato
Tony Rosato haslivedalife.
He endured hospitalization, and having to relearn improv.
He needed a Pokemon equivalent with some strong base HP.
Rhydon takes a hit and gets back up.
Chansey: Phil Hartman
A nurturer.
Too good for this sinful earth.
Kangaskhan: Damon Wayans
Both know how to rock a bald head.
And that makes Damon Wayans Jr. the baby Kangaskhan in the pouch.
Horsea: Nasim Pedrad
Nasim Pedrad justisa seahorse.
Imagine her floating through a kelp forest, or squirting ink at an attacker.
Seahorses dont squirt ink, but Horsea does, and thats what makes Horsea so good onScream Queens.
Goldeen: Maya Rudolph
The most glamorous Pokemon, with Rudolphs half-lidded gaze.
Seaking: Fred Armisen
Same facial expression.
Seaking used to be in a band, but hes doing his own thing now and thats chill.
Staryu: Finesse Mitchell
Who could forget Mitchells recurring Update character, Staryu-kisha?
Starmie: Beth Cahill
As a costume designer, Cahill deserves the Pokemon that looks most like a sequin.
Mime: Taran Killam
Regardez-vousLes Jeunes des Paris,sil vous plait.
Scyther: David Spade
Scyther can only gesture in air quotes with his forelegs.
Much like Spade and his forelegs.
Jynx: Victoria Jackson
Politically insupportable.
Electabuzz: Ellen Cleghorne
Was buzzy enough to get her own sitcom.
Pinsir: Robin Duke
Large mandibles for a biting wit.
Tauros: Laurie Metcalf
Met-CALF, get it?
Also shes an unstoppable force and can literally break boulders with her skull.
Magikarp: Brooks Wheelan
It had to be someone.
Lapras: Kenan Thompson
Much likeKenan, Lapras carries people across deep and choppy waters.
Ditto: Darrell Hammond
Look at the effort he put into even being Colonel Sanders.
He values accuracy of impersonation over everything, even the funniness of the impersonation.
Eevee: Gilda Radner
The Ur-cutie.
Can evolve into …
134.
Vaporeon: Ana Gasteyer
The cool fox.
Jolteon: Molly Shannon
The hyper fox.
Flareon: Cheri Oteri
Or the fiery fox.
Firefox, if you will.
Porygon: Gilbert Gottfried
Seizure-inducing.
Omanyte: Emily Prager
You dont see much of Omanyte, under that shell.
Kabuto: Tom Schiller
Ancientking of pretapes.
Aerodactyl: Bill Murray
A legendary fossil.
Snorlax: Horatio Sanz
A dormant powerhouse.
Sanz doesnt get up as much as some of hisSNLcohort, but when he does its extremely impactful.
Articuno: Tina Fey
Legendary, a bit cold.
Zapdos: Kristen Wiig
Legendary, electric.
Moltres: Amy Poehler
Legendary,spits fire.
Dratini: Ego Nwodim
Lithe and full of potential.
Dragonair: Sasheer Zamata
Elegance personified.
Dragonite: Mark McKinney
How does sleek Dragonair turn into this goober?
Mewtwo: Chevy Chase
A megalomaniac.
A mistake of science.
Mew: George Coe
Mysterious.
The lost original Not Ready for Prime Time Player.
Did he ever really exist?
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