Highlights

• The Speed stat determines which Pokemon attacks first in battle. If two Pokemon have the same Speed, the first attacker is randomly chosen.
• Slow Pokemon like Applin, Sentret, and Slugma may have low Speed stats, but they can evolve into stronger forms with better stats and more powerful moves.

The Speed stat is more than a representation of a Pokemon's swiftness. It also determines which Pokemon attacks first in battle. If two Pokemon have the same Speed, the Pokemon who goes first is decided randomly. The Speed stat can be increased by giving a Pokemon Carbos. Carbos will cost a pretty penny but can make the difference between winning and losing a Pokemon battle.

As you may have guessed, many of the slowest Pokemon are still in their baby evolutionary stage. This is not always the case, as slow Pokemon can be in adult form. These are the slowest Pokemon ever.

Updated on January 31st, 2024, by Andrew Scariati: With Generation Nine now complete after the release of The Indigo Disk, it's time to revisit the slowest Pokemon of all time. While we already took a look at some of the best Pokemon to return in Generation Nine, it's worth looking back at some of the slowest Pokemon to see how far we've come.

25 Applin

There are many Pokemon that have a (pathetic) Speed rating that's comparable to Applin's. This Grass/Dragon-type only learns two moves via leveling-up - Astonish and Withdraw. So, it gets one very weak attack and a move that raises its defense.

Applin can evolve into two forms - Flapple and Appletun. Surprisingly, these two Pokemon aren't that bad. They certainly aren't top-tier Pokemon, but they have pretty good stats and get access to some powerful attack moves.

24 Sentret

Bouncing around on that disproportionate tail looks fun, but isn't the quickest way to get from place to place. Sentret isn't the worst offender but ranks among the slowest of the slow.

This squirrel-like Pokemon was introduced in the second generation of games, and we've gotten a rehash of that idea in almost every generation since. And unfortunately, that means that we're are a little sick of seeing Sentret.

23 Slugma

Slugma lives up to its name: it is sluggish. When you're dragging all that magma around, no wonder you're taking your time.

We often associate Fire-type Pokemon with speediness, but that just isn't always the case. Slugma's real specialty is its Special Attack stat. And when it evolves into Magcargo, that trend continues - plus, it gets a great Defense stat, too.

22 Togepi

Let's be honest, we can forgive this adorable little egg for being so slow – it's weighed down by that tough outer shell, after all. Togepi is at least redeemable, given that it eventually evolves into the powerful Togekiss.

Togekiss' para-flinch strategy enabled by Thunder Wave and Air Slash was one of the most terrifying tactics to ever exist.

While this baby Pokemon won't ever be much of a threat of going first, it at least has access to Metronome, which gives it a chance to pull something incredible out of its back pocket. You never know when that small chance of a Fissure (and the subsequent 30 percent chance to hit) may finally happen.

21 Sableye

Sableye, much like Togepi, leaves plenty to be desired in its current form, but upon Mega Evolving, becomes a dangerous threat in competitive settings.

Sableye was once far more unique than it is now, as its Dark/Ghost typing was not weak against any type of move.

Since the introduction of the Fairy-type, Sableye lost that distinction and is now vulnerable to those terrifying (usually pink) demons. Even without its Mega Evolution, Sableye can be quite a good bulky stalling option, but there's not much else to write home about.

20 Sandygast

Sandygast is a Ground/Ghost-type Pokemon that has very few redeeming qualities. For starters, all of its stats are prohibitively low. This Pokemon also has very weak abilities - Water Compaction and Sand Veil. Sandygast doesn't even get any of the top-tier attack moves either.

This Pokemon is lacking on all levels - just catch it and stick it in a storage box.

There aren't many Ground/Ghost-types in the series. None of them are particularly fast, but they are all better than Sandygast, and its evolved form, Palossand. If you want a Ground/Ghost-type, then train Golett/Golurk or Runerigus instead.

19 Morelull

Morelull is a toadstool-shaped Grass/Fairy-type Pokemon from Generation Seven. You can see how they tried to make up for Morelull's low Speed by giving it a few sneaky tricks to use in battle. It has the Effect Spore ability, which can put the opponent to sleep or paralyze them when they launch a Physical attack.

Morelull gets an enticing list of possible moves. Among the best of these moves are Sleep Powder and Dream Eater. These two moves work incredibly well together and almost make Morelull worth training... almost.

18 Foongus

Foongus is a mushroom-shaped Grass/Poison-type Pokemon. This is another Pokemon whose Speed is so low that it makes us wonder if the developers were mad at it for some reason. Its other stats aren't that great either. It at least gets the Effect Spore ability.

It's a shame this Pokemon has such a low Speed because it gets some pretty powerful attack moves - like Giga Drain and Solar Beam. Sometimes it makes sense to delay a Pokemon's evolution to a stronger form, so it can learn the best moves faster. Don't do that with Foongus. Evolve it as soon as possible.

17 Silcoon/Cascoon

Okay, Silcoon and Cascoon are two separate Bug-type Pokemon that evolve from the same Pokemon (Wurmple), but we're counting them together. The evolved forms of these two, Dustox and Beautifly, are quite a bit different. At least these Pokemon have an excuse for being so slow - they are wrapped in a cocoon.

They can't even be taught TMs or HMs.

In addition to being super slow, these two only have access to one move - Harden. So they are unable to damage opponents. It's a tough grind to get these two to level ten, so they will evolve.

16 Wooper

Wooper, the Water Fish Pokemon, has no arms and is always smiling. This friendly fella has several different uses in battle and is effective as a bulkier Pokemon. Of course, like many bulky Water-types, that also means Wooper is incredibly slow.

There are a few Pokemon tied at 15-base speed, and Wooper is just another one of them. But with good defensive typing, Wooper doesn't need to be fast; it'll always be able to effectively retaliate.

15 Pineco

Pineco, the Bagworm Pokemon, is another Johto base form that's horribly slow. It isn't quite the slowest Bug-type, as it is tied with Silcoon and Cascoon for that honor, but it's rather slow. Its evolution, Forretress, isn't much faster either, although it sure does love to chuck rocks and spin.

Pineco is another slow, but bulky Pokemon. Its offensive capabilities are, obviously, not great though, so even in Little Cup competitions, Pineco won't be doing much outside of a supportive role. Despite that, this cute little friend can still be a threat, even if it isn't a very fast one.

14 Roggenrola

Roggenrola, the Mantle Pokemon, is the Unovan equivalent of Geodude. It has different uses, but both are similar in terms of statline and moveset. This also means that, like Geodude, Roggenrola is slow. Roggenrola is slower than Geodude though, with Geodude clocking in at a blistering 20 base speed while Roggenrola is at 15.

Roggenrola has a bit of a sharp edge to it with its attacks, but not much. Trainers likely aren't going to bust out Roggenrola to run people over, but it does serve as a rock-solid foundation.

13 Pincurchin

Pincurchin, the Sea Urchin Pokemon, is a Pokemon added in Sword and Shield. It's a pure Electric-type despite its aquatic appearance, and it serves as the equivalent of Pyukumuku as a single-stage, defensive Pokemon.

Pincurchin, however, is nowhere near as defensive. It isn't great at offense either.

Worst of all, it's still horribly slow at 15-base speed. While Sword and Shield didn't add too many terrible Pokemon, Pincurchin is absolutely one of them. It just doesn't carve its niche well, and slow Pokemon without a purpose tend to just get eaten up by the competition. At least its spiky design makes it an edgy choice.

12 Igglybuff

Igglybuff is cute, but it doesn't go very far, very fast. This baby Pokemon proves to be capable of moving at a snail's pace. We know it's a baby Pokemon, but its Speed just seems absurd.

When it evolves into a Jigglypuff, its Speed slightly increases. Some Pokemon are born to be swift and others, sluggish. Judging by the chubby size of its feet, it's not surprising to learn that Igglybuff's base stat in Speed is 15.

11 Slowpoke

As its name implies, Slowpoke is one of the slowest Pokemon—one of the slowest in the series. Slowpoke would rather be lying on the beach, soaking in the sun, than moving at all. It bears similarities to a salamander and a hippopotamus.

It looks so out of it most of the time, which is evident by its constant confusion. Slowpoke is slow, to say the least, especially once it starts yawning, which may be due to rain. And even if a Slowpoke loses its tail, it will grow back...slowly.

10 Cleffa

Cleffa is the baby form of a Clefairy and Clefable. Cleffa must level up through friendship to turn into a Clefairy. Like many other baby Pokemon, Cleffa is exceedingly slow. It has a base Speed stat of 15.

Cleffa doesn't have fingers or opposable thumbs. It's not surprising to learn that Cleffa is slow, given its youth and impractical appendages. How Cleffa remains balanced is a miracle.

9 Stakataka

Stakataka is not part of an evolutionary chain since it doesn't evolve from or into another Pokemon. Interestingly enough, Stakataka is one of the Ultra Beasts, a group of extradimensional travelers who came from Ultra Space.

Stakataka may have traveled between dimensions, but in our dimension, it is one of the slowest Pokemon of all time. It's a heavyweight, even for a Pokemon made of 150 stone lifeforms.

A Stakataka weighs approximately 1807.8 lbs (820.0 kg).

8 Gossifleur

Gossifleur, the Flowering Pokemon, is the pre-evolved form of Eldegoss from Sword and Shield. This Pokemon

cracks the previous list of slowest Pokemon by ranking as slower than a giant castle, two babies, and the literal Slowpoke. Eldegoss is tied with Ferroseed at a flat ten base speed, giving that spiked friend competition for the slowest Grass-type.

Gossifleur may be cute, but it's hardly a dangerous Pokemon. Even compared to other not-fully-evolved Pokemon, it has trouble competing. It turns out, that when you're as slow as Gossifleur, it's hard to find footing against fast gameplay.

7 Ferroseed

Ferroseed moves around by rolling. Naturally, as a Pokemon with spikes, rolling is easier said than done. Ferroseed is one of the slowest Pokemon we've encountered thus far. Chances are, most trainers won't want to lug around a spiky, metallic Pokemon.

It is a part Grass-type and part Steel-type Pokemon. Surprisingly, a Ferroseed weighs approximately 41.4 lbs. Ferroseed can puncture cave walls with its spikes to absorb minerals.

6 Bonsly

The baby evolutionary form of Sudowoodo is slow, like many Pokemon at the baby stage. Given its undeveloped legs and lack of focus, it's no wonder why Bonsly is such a slow Pokemon.

For stats, a Bonsly has ten Speed. That's low for a baby Pokemon, but how can we hate it when it's so adorable? Although it looks like a small tree, you shouldn't water Bonsly; it is a Rock-type. Bonsly cries after collecting too much moisture or being covered in water.