Life

What Are The Different Eevee Evolutions?

by Elizabeth Ballou

In "Pokemon Go," the hit game from developer Niantic, Inc., one of the most popular Pokemon is Eevee: the cute little critter that looks like someone crossed a Cockapoo with a rabbit. Aside from its adorable appearance, Eevee is also noteworthy because of its evolutions. As any "Pokemon Go" player knows, Eevee starts off as a normal Pokemon but evolves into one that is either Fire, Water, or Electric. Those three evolutions (Flareon, Vaporeon, and Jolteon, respectively) are available in the new app, but they aren't the only ones that exist. Since most of my Pokemon obsession was limited to the early anime and the original games, I, too, was wondering, "How many evolutions does Eevee actually have?" So I did a little digging into that question. Here's your handy-dandy guide to Eevee, its evolutions, and where you can find them.

According to Bulbapedia, a Pokemon Wiki, Eevee has some pretty crazy abilities: "Eevee is said to have an irregularly shaped genetic structure that allows it to adapt to many different kinds of environments. Eventually, Eevee may evolve to better suit its surroundings." That's why the same Pokemon species can evolve into so many different types of Pokemon: eight, to be exact.

1. Vaporeon

Eevee's first possible evolution is Vaporeon, a Water type that is also known as the "bubble jet Pokemon." That's because its cells are similar in structure to water (which I don't think is physically possible, but whatever, this is Pokemon), so it can shoot concentrated streams of water out of its mouth in order to attack. It can also melt away into the water and appear invisible while submerged, which is insanely cool.

Vaporeon is one of the Eevee evolutions that appears in "Pokemon Go." Though the original way to get one in Pokemon Red and Blue was to expose your Eevee to a Water Stone, you can get your very own Vaporeon in "Pokemon Go" by renaming your Eevee "Rainer" using a verified Eevee evolution trick.

2. Jolteon

This second evolution is an Electric type called the "lightning Pokemon." Jolteon can store negative ions in its fur, which allows it to build up an electrical charge in its body. It can generate 10,000 volts of electricity, which, with a high enough amperage, would be enough to kill a person. It goes without saying that Jolteon can make a fierce addition to your Pokemon team.

Like Vaporeon, Jolteon appears in "Pokemon Go." Rather than exposing it to a Thunder Stone, as was the case in the original games, you can rename your Eevee "Sparky" and be guaranteed your own lightning Pokemon.

3. Flareon

Flareon, Eevee's Fire evolution, is the last of its original three evolutions and the third that appears in "Pokemon Go." It's called the "flame Pokemon," probably because it's literally on fire. According to Bulbapedia, Flareon has a flame sac that superheats inhaled air and turns it into fire, which it exhales in bursts of flame.

By naming your Eevee "Pyro," you can evolve it into a Flareon. If you're a fan of the anime, you may have caught this Easter egg's reference to three of the characters created in that show: Sparky, Rainer, and Pyro were Pokemon Trainers known as the Eevee Brothers, and they owned the Eevee evolution that corresponded with their name.

4. Espeon

Espeon, my personal favorite, is Eevee's Psychic evolution. It first appeared in Generation II games — Silver, Gold, and Crystal — and it can be attained by evolving an Eevee with a high friendship level during the day. Espeon can use the red jewel in its head to read air currents and communicate telepathically with its Pokemon Trainer.

5. Umbreon

Also introduced in Generation II is Umbreon, a Dark type Pokemon. Like Espeon, you need to have an Eevee with a high level of friendship, but you have to evolve it at night. Bulbapedia says that "the rings of Umbreon's body glow faintly when exposed to the moon's aura, and it gains a mysterious power."

6. Glaceon

As you might have expected from the name, Glaceon is an Ice type. It didn't appear until Generation IV, so it's one of the more recent additions to the Eevee evolution tree. Glaceon can freeze its fur, generating sharp quills it can use for attack, and it is capable of creating ice crystals in the air around it.

7. Leafeon

This is Eevee's Grass type evolution, and it's called Leafeon because it's capable of photosynthesis. I guess it's also called Leafeon because the Pokemon writers were running out of ideas for Eevee evolutions and were like, "Leafeon! Yeah! That sounds good!" Like Glaceon, it first showed up in Generation IV.

8. Sylveon

Sylveon is a Fairy type Pokemon, and frankly, it looks terrifying. It's the last of the Eevee evolutions, making its debut in Pokemon X and Y. Sylveon can generate auras from its feelers, which impact the emotions of all those who are nearby. It's most likely to to exude calming or friendly auras.

Since "Pokemon Go" is getting an update, it's possible that other forms of Eevee might show up in the game. As to which ones? That's anybody's guess.

Images: The Pokemon Company; Giphy; Giphy; Giphy