Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire introduced 135 new Pokémon. These species formed the Hoenn region’s main new Pokédex and brought the total number of Pokémon to 386 after the games’ release.
The games launched in Japan for the Game Boy Advance on November 21, 2002, beginning the franchise’s third generation. Hoenn added notable Pokémon such as Treecko, Torchic, Mudkip, Gardevoir, Absol, and Rayquaza. The region also introduced abilities, natures, double battles, and Pokémon Contests as major systems.
The figure 135 refers to species newly introduced in Generation III, not the total number of Pokémon obtainable in a particular version. Ruby and Sapphire did not contain every earlier species, and some could only be obtained through trading or links with previous games. FireRed and LeafGreen later helped connect the third generation with the original Kanto Pokémon.