Kanto - Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee

[Sheep]

In the Kanto games, you can obtain your choice of either Hitmonchan or Hitmonlee from the Fighting Dojo in Saffron City once you defeat them!

Which do you remember picking in your first playthrough, and did you use them?

 

[Devalue]

Cannot remember. Maybe Hitmonchan? Doubts using them. Probably committed to a team before that.

 

[Elite Overlord LeSabre™]

Probably Hitmonchan for my very first Blue playthrough, though I've been picking Hitmonlee more often in recent Leaf Green playthroughs.

Never used it until a recent play-test of my in-development ROM hack though. He was basically a physical based glass cannon.

 

[Ben Resolute]

I picked Hitmonchan as a kid in FR since I knew it could get the elemental punches. I wish Hitmontop was an option though! I've been using one in my Crystal Clear playthrough and wonder what it would have been like in Gen 1

 

[Devalue]

I picked Hitmonchan as a kid in FR since I knew it could get the elemental punches. I wish Hitmontop was an option though! I've been using one in my Crystal Clear playthrough and wonder what it would have been like in Gen 1

Probably kind of terrible. Glanced at the base stats between generations for the Hitmons. Guesses a statline like 50 HP / 95 Atk / 95 Def / 35 Special / 70 Speed.

Who else does that look like? Poliwrath, but generally worse: 90 HP / 85 Atk / 95 Def / 70 Special / 70 Speed.

Likely learns awful moves too. Expects Rolling Kick and Mega Kick as its best moves. Gave it terrible level-up moves in Generation 2.

 

[Setsuna]

I'd never played Gen I until a little while before Sword and Shield released so I don't really have childhood memories with it. I picked Hitmonchan and used it as a full member of my team. Getting the elemental punches with a bad Special stat was kind of intriguing to me and I thought it'd be more interesting than something like Machamp or even Hitmonlee.

 

[Descendng]

I like them both, but I've always favored Hitmonchan when it comes to these two. in terms of the Gen 3 movesets, Mach Punch offers great utility for Hitmonchan's middling speed, and Sky Uppercut doesn't have the same drawback that Hi Jump Kick does for Hitmonlee. the elemental punches not being physical in Gen 3 does suck, but it does get some other great utility in Pursuit, Counter, and Detect.

I did use one on a LeafGreen one a while back, and it worked pretty well. generally a pretty fun mon.

 

[giradialkia]

I always loved Hitmonchan for its access to the elemental punches (I mean.. come on, that coverage is incredible). But back in Yellow I never had the patience to raise it the few levels to actually learn them, and in FRLG I was with-it enough to learn that the physical/special split meant Hitmonchan's singular selling point was useless.

Hitmonlee is generally better, but even still with its good moves Jump/Hi-Jump Kick having such recoil, the pair really had a lot of drawbacks. Usually ended up giving him Strength/Brick Break/etc.

Glad they're a lot better optimised nowadays.

 

[Reginald Cosmic]

Hitmonchan is way more interesting than Hitmonlee, but it is a huge victim of the lack of physical-special split in Gen III. I plan on using Hitmonchan in the Kanto portion of HGSS one day, but I don't know when I'll get around to that.

Side note: I think Hitmontop is really cool Pokemon, but I agree with Devalue. Those stats aren't ideal.

 

[Janp]

I remember picking up Hitmonchan in Yellow, because I liked the idea of elemental punches from the anime. I don't think I used it much, because I already had my whole team ready by that time. Hitmonlee's moveset in the first gen felt boring. Not that any of them were that good, but I always liked Hitmonchan better.

 

[Explorer of Time]

I've never used either of them. They're rock bottom among Kanto's five available fighting-types and I'd only use them if I was playing a mono-Fighting run or another challenge where I was stuck with one of them. (In either case, I'd rather pick Hitmonlee if playing without the Physical/Special-Split, but pick Hitmonchan if playing with it.)

 

[PageEmp]

I don't tend to use these but I tend to pick Hitmonlee more because most of the games they are available in have no physical special split hence making most of the punches special attacks

 

[Megan]

The first time I picked Hitmonlee. I kinda regretted that a bit because Hitmonchan got all the elemental punches which I thought was cool. I didn't even know back then that they're all using its significantly weaker special stat. ^^"

 

[Amore]

The first time I picked Hitmonlee. I kinda regretted that a bit because Hitmonchan got all the elemental punches which I thought was cool. I didn't even know back then that they're all using its significantly weaker special stat. ^^"

Same - this is on LeafGreen for me. Medicham has the same issue in Hoenn.

Hitmontop is clearly the coolest design though, I was so jealous of Brawly's in Emerald. But now I actually thing Chan is my least favourite behind even Tyrogue. Hitmonlee grew on me and I used him during my last playthrough which was awesome.

 

[Corveone]

I don't know which one I chose the first time (it got boxed anyway), but if I had to choose Hitmonlee seems the better option in gen 1 and 3 due to the lack of PSS.

But from Gen 4 onwards, with the elemental punches being actually useful to Hitmonchan, combined with its Ability Iron Fist, I think he wins. Anyway, imo neither of them beat Hitmontop, Lee and Chan get easily overshadowed as offensive Pokémon, but Top remains an amazing support/utility mon.

 

[ReKoil]

I picked both once, and then always Hitmonchan after that in later Kanto games.
Hitmonchan is best Hitmon.