1.5 Years Later, Which is Better: Pokemon Scarlet or Violet?

Looking back one and a half years after their release, which ninth generation Pokemon game is better: Pokemon Scarlet or Pokemon Violet?

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet: Which Game is Better?

Determining which Pokemon game is better in a generational set usually comes down to which one has the better version-exclusive Pokemon. But things aren’t that simple for Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet, games which frequently blur the line between version exclusivity. 

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Version-Exclusive Pokemon

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, which originally released on November 18, 2022, feature more version-exclusive Pokemon than their DLCs. The following table lists all standard version-exclusive Pokemon in the Scarlet and Violet base games:

The table above does not list Armarouge or Ceruledge as version-exclusive. Although the items used to evolve Charadet (the Auspicious and Malicious Armor, respectively) are version-exclusive, the Pokemon themselves can be battled and captured in Tera Raid Battles freely. In fact, each Pokemon listed in the table above can be battled in Tera Raid Battles and captured as long as you can find such a raid when playing the game online. If not, you can use Union Circle to connect to the game opposite your own and capture version-exclusive Pokemon that way. 

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Version-Exclusive Paradox Pokemon

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet introduce Paradox Pokemon: Pokemon that look like either ancient (in Scarlet) or futuristic (in Violet) versions of existing Pokemon. The following table lists all version-exclusive Paradox Pokemon in Scarlet and Violet’s base games, including the legendary mascot Pokemon, Koraidon and Miraidon.

Similarly to the first table, the version-exclusive Paradox Pokemon can be obtained in their opposite game as long as you use Union Circle. This gives you the freedom to choose your game based on preference and worry about competitive viability later. The only exception to this is Miraidon and Koraidon, which can only be obtained in their respective games and must be traded for in opposing versions.

Which is Better: Pokemon Scarlet’s Koraidon, or Pokemon Violet’s Miraidon?

Since Koraidon and Miraidon are the only truly version-exclusive Pokemon in Scarlet and Violet, which one is better? At the start of the games’ lifetimes, Scarlet’s Koraidon saw a bit more use than Violet’s Miraidon in VGC doubles due to its Ability to set up sunny weather. More recently, however, Miraidon has seen an increase in usage and even won the 2024 World Championships in the Masters Division. This not only gives it a slight edge over Koraidon competitively but also helps the viability of Violet’s other Paradox Pokemon.

The Visual Difference Between Miraidon and Koraidon

Aside from gameplay differences, the main difference between Miraidon and Koraidon comes in the form of their vehicular modes. Players in Pokemon Scarlet will ride Koraidon around Paldea, and players in Violet will ride Miraidon. Miraidon rides much more like a futuristic motorcycle, while Koraidon runs around on all fours like the legged dragon it is. It isn’t unreasonable to decide between Scarlet or Violet based on which of the two “motorcycles” you prefer since you cannot change your ride dragon under any circumstances.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet Teal Mask and Indigo Disk DLC Version-Exclusive Pokemon

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s Teal Mask DLC originally released on September 13, 2023, and The Indigo Disk released on December 14, 2023. Similar to the above Pokemon, these “version-exclusive” Pokemon can be obtained freely through Union Circle or Tera Raids. The only real difference between each version is who can host which raids and who gets which legendary Pokemon snacks easier. The table below lists the version-exclusive Pokemon for the sake of completeness but doesn’t have much bearing on which game is better due to how simple it is to obtain the other version’s Pokemon.

Differences in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet’s Story

Although Pokemon Scarlet and Violet feature exclusive professors—Sada in Scarlet and Turo in Violet—their story is exactly the same. The only differences between Sada and Turo’s dialogue amounts to referring to Past or Future Paradox Pokemon, and some occasional differences in punctuation. Both professors feature fantastic designs and powerful Pokemon teams, so it’s hardly fair to rank one as better than the other, besides maybe (maybe!) it is more sensible for Turo to want to visit the future than for Sada to want to live in the ancient past. Even in their story, there is little difference between Scarlet and Violet save for players’ personal preference towards the past or the future.

The Biggest Differences Between Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are… the Academy Uniforms

Surprisingly, the biggest difference between Pokemon Scarlet and Violet ultimately comes down to the academy uniforms into which players are locked. In Paldea, players cannot buy clothing tops and bottoms separately. Instead, they must select uniforms and can only customize their accessories, making the uniforms the crux of character customization. Unfortunately, the Naranja Academy (Scarlet) uniforms aren’t all that appealing, with their garish oranges that are hard to synchronize with other accessories. While Uva Academy (Violet) has the better uniforms by far, there is some hope for Scarlet: The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk introduce additional outfits the player can wear instead of the school uniforms, mitigating some of this letdown.

Based on the above points regarding Koraidon and Miraidon, Sada and Turo, and Naranja and Uva Academy’s uniforms, Pokemon Violet bests Scarlet, but only by a slim margin. If you’re looking to choose between the two games nearly two years later, consider whether you prefer the look of the “motorcycle” versions of Miraidon and Koraidon, and how important character customization is to you. While it can be fun to have a clear “best game” in a set, it’s more satisfying for version differences to not be so important as to make one game notably “worse” than the other.