The most traditional method of evolving your Pokemon is primarily centered on training them to fight, and then they transform when they’re strong enough. You could also expose them to special stones, swap them quickly with a trusted friend to see them come back stronger, or a few other niche methods (looking at you, Milcery).
But an oft-overlooked method of evolving your Pokemon is through boosting their friendship high enough that they’re loved into evolving. There are a few ways to boost their happiness, and the new Pokemon you’ll get on the other side is almost always worth the hassle.
10 Leavanny
You’ll land the Swadloon you’ll need when Sewaddle evolves starting at level 20, but to finish your evolution line, you’ll need to become besties with this grumpy little bug.
We got to see this play out in the anime as Ash grew close to his Swadloon and watched it become a Leavanny, but it takes a bit more work in the games. As a middle-evolution Bug/Grass type, Swadloon isn’t the most powerful, but the way those stats raise notedly when you love it into a Leavanny can’t be beaten.
9 Jigglypuff
Early fans of Pokemon will likely never forget how delightfully aggressive Jigglypuff always was, eager to sing to people and then getting pissed when they fell asleep. However, when we got baby Pokemon in Gen 2, Igglybuff, the new early stage for Jigglypuff, was universally loved.
The Pokedex talks about how Igglybuff’s vocal cords aren’t trained enough yet to sing quite like their older evolutions, but they train by gargling fresh stream waters. The Pokedex also says they’ll never stop bouncing if they start, which is adorable.
8 Clefairy
While the Clefairy mini-game song in Pokemon Stadium may have the strongest staying power of the Clefairy evolution line, the baby form, Cleffa, is a close runner-up. This adorable little pal is shaped like a star and will only evolve into Clefairy if it likes you enough.
To find a Cleffa, simply wait until a meteor shower – it’s said that dozens of Cleffa can be seen during those, and when shooting stars appear. With this evolutionary chain directly connected to the moon, it’s no wonder they’re out of this world.
7 Blissey
This entire evolutionary line has to deal with happiness, and when we met Clefairy in the original Gen 1 games, we weren’t sure it could get much more adorable or helpful. But, when we got up to Gen 2 and continued to love our sweet little Egg Pokemon, we were delighted to find that it could evolve again through the power of our love into Blissey.
While Clefairy’s eggs are also nutritious, it’s said that eating even one bite of an egg from a Blissey can calm the consumer’s emotions almost immediately. Better buffs and a nice friendship? Blissey can’t be beat.
6 Snorlax
Meeting the Sleeping Pokemon in the original games was always kind of a headache, considering you had to wake it up from a nap and either beat or catch it in battle to make it move out of your way. Standing just shy of 7 feet tall and weighing a little over 1,000lbs, this Pokemon is an absolute unit.
But, as of Gen 4, we learned they didn’t always start out so beefy. Munchlax debuted back then as the baby form of Snorlax, standing at a scant two feet and weighing just over 230lbs. It’s still quite dense for its size, but if you give it enough snacks and love, you’ll have a Snorlax in no time.
5 Togetic
Fans of the Pokemon anime can’t forget how precious it was, considering Misty its mom because she was the first thing it saw when it hatched. Misty took on the responsibility of caring for Togepi, who became an anime mainstay for a while until Misty’s love helped it evolve into Togetic.
While it is sad to mark the departure of such an adorable Pokemon, Togetic only amplifies the smiling kindness for which Togepi is known. Able to fly, Togetic finds the purest people and showers them with “joy dust.” We should all be so lucky to have a happy friend like that.
4 Silvally
It’s tough not to feel bad for Type: Null if you played the storyline of Pokemon Sun and Moon, where you learn that it’s a scientific experiment. The Aether Foundation was trying to fight Ultra Beasts and made Type: Null for the job by creating a Pokemon with cells from all types of Pokemon. After a colossal failure, Gladion managed to save one from a deep sleep and made it his partner.
Both Type: Null and the Silvally you’ll love it into are Normal, but this changes depending on the memory you’re using with them. Because of their experimental background, they can both attack using any possible Type of move.
3 Pikachu
When we met the series mascot, Pikachu, in the original Gen 1 games and Kanto anime, we figured it wouldn’t get much cuter. With the help of a Thunder Stone, you can evolve your Pikachu into the powerhouse that is Raichu but to get that Pikachu in the first place; you’ll need to be friends with your Pichu.
Like the other baby Pokemon, Pichu made its debut in Gen 2, and, also like the others, was pretty universally praised. Its ears are oversized, and its nose is just a dot – it’s too cute not to love. Just try not to think about how often your highly-desired Pikachu might get kidnapped...
2 Lucario
Lucario has become one of the more famous Pokemon, appearing in other Nintendo games like the Smash Bros series and winning The Pokemon Company’s poll in 2020 for the most popular Gen 4 Pokemon (finishing second overall, just under Greninja). But if you wanted to get in on the Fighting/Steel-type action, you’d need to evolve a Riolu through friendship (which, heads up, can only be done during the day).
After you befriend your Riolu, it won’t be long before you can harness Lucario’s power. It can understand human speech and read the aura of any living creature a little over a half-mile away, making it an asset to any team.
1 Either Espeon Or Umbreon
While which Eeveelution you prefer is ultimately up to you, your tastes, and the needs of your team, either Espeon, the Psychic-type, or Umbreon, the Dark-type, are solid choices. Both are attained by befriending an Eevee, but which one you end up with is decided by the time of day your Eevee is evolving.
Evolving during the day will net you an Espeon, while nighttime evolutions result in Umbreon. These conditions are superseded if you’re around either a Moss or Ice Rock, but as long as you’re outside one of these areas and don't know a Fairy-type move, which new kind of friend you’d like out of your Eevee is pretty much up to you,
