With the Pokemon series having so many monsters to collect, and the limit of six per immediate team staying firm, it's getting harder and harder to decide who gets those special party slots. If stats feels too boring, and balancing a team with the most powerful Pokemon seems too difficult, why not go off aesthetics?
With that entirely subjective base in mind, it's time to choose a theme, and what better than silly little frogs? They're cute and ugly at the same time, they do that wild bouncing thing, and those tongues? Unmatched horror. In short, they're perfect. Weirdly enough, there aren't a lot of Pokemon in the entire Pokedex that are themed around frogs and toads, so, for consideration, here they all are, ranked by delightfully meaningless metrics.
Updated on March 15, 2023 by Casey Foot: When it comes to picking what Pokemon to have on your team, you can’t go wrong with a frog or toad. Each of these Pokemon have remarkably amphibious qualities that make them the perfect Pokemon partner for any frog or toad lovers out there. Scarlet & Violet gave us two more frog Pokemon to adore, giving you even more options for your froggy roster.
17 Tympole
It's cruel to label just about anything as "bad" so please understand that Tympole only comes in last place because Poliwag did it first and arguably better. Sure, it's a matter of subjectivity, but no part of Poliwag's design involves warts. Oh yeah, those little things on either side of Tympole's head aren't exactly headphones, friends.
While it's possible that they're simply puffy cheeks, the Pokedex entries for the later stages of its evolution describe those very same visuals as warts, a staple feature on any good toad.
16 Tadbulb
Introduced in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, Tadbulb joins the ranks of other tadpole Pokemon such as Poliwag and Tympole. Unlike these other Pokemon, Tadbulb isn’t a Water-type, and, as the name suggests, is an Electric-type and has an appearance based on a lightbulb.
Its bright yellow color scheme definitely helps it to stand apart from other frog and tadpole Pokemon that are primarily blue, as well as communicate its lightbulb theme. Its Pokedex entries also say that it will make “its head blink on and off” if it senses danger, making it a helpful companion when exploring the Pokemon world too.
15 Frogadier
Middle evolutions are rarely the favorite for anyone. They're typically slightly more angsty iterations of the small thing or slightly thinner versions of the big thing. Or both, sometimes. They stand out every now and then, but those are usually chrysalides and are exclusively creepy. Frogadier is the definition of a middle evolution that does exactly enough to suffice without being particularly interesting.
One look at it, and it's easy to think, "yeah, that's between Froakie and Greninja. Cool," and then to continue doing literally anything else. At least it has a fun, spunky attitude in the anime?
14 Poliwag
Poliwag is the OG frog baby coming all the way from the first generation. By now, it's common knowledge that its design is based on translucent tadpoles, which means that its little swirly tummy is really just aestheticized intestines, which is objectively gross, but it looks like a living plushie, so that's cute.
Some of its Pokedex entries go as far as to say that it can't really walk but rather only swim, which makes sense, considering those stubby little feet. As it evolves, Poliwag loses any semblance it has with amphibians and becomes more of a tiny boxer man.
13 Palpitoad
Palpitoad is the middle evolution of Tympole. Along with a few extra protrusions, this evolution picks up a secondary Ground typing, which is an interesting combination with Water, although it does increase the Grass weakness. This lumpy toad creature looks nothing like a toad and everything like a cut character from Veggietales, but that smile has a can-do attitude that simply won't quit, perhaps because rational thought is lost upon it.
Derpy. That's the word. Palpitoad is derpy, which is pretty funny because its evolution is anything but.
12 Ivysaur
It was with collective disbelief that the internet learned of the amphibious inspirations which helped create the Bulbasaur evolutionary line. And, honestly, if you squint really hard, the body shape kind of feels froggy. Maybe the mouth, too? Look, it's still a dinosaur.
And yet, as far as middle evolutionary forms go, Ivysaur is one of the most interesting. It still falls into the trap of being a slightly more edgy version of the baby but the bulb design is just so cool. Hilariously, this is another Pokemon whose Pokedex goes out of the way to say it struggles with walking.
11 Poliwrath
Poliwrath is the fully evolved iteration of Poliwag and, despite its additional Fighting typing, it really just is a crankier Poliwhirl. Seriously, aside from the angry eyes, what about the design changes from the middle evolution? A slight difference in color simply isn't enough to justify an entirely new evolution. Poliwrath is closer to a shiny than it is to a unique entity.
Plus, there's an entirely different option for trainers who really want a fully evolved Poliwag. But that's for later, so keep on reading.
10 Seismitoad
Although Seismitoad may not be the sweetest-looking toad Pokemon, or the cutest, it kind of rocks the look. Despite the gross, disgusting wart protrusions all over its body, that is.
Through every generation of Pokemon in which it appears, the Pokedex entry for Seismitoad mentions those lovely warts. It uses them on its fists to dish out powerful punches. Funnily enough, its entry in Pokemon Sword and Shield also suggests that it has a gentler side and uses those warts to give a vibrating massage to people. Horrified yet?
9 Bellibolt
The EleFrog Pokemon Bellibolt has a charming and friendly appearance, as well as star quality, as it features in the Gym Leader Iono’s live streams. At first glance, you wouldn’t be foolish to think that the protrusions on the side of its head are its eyes, but it actually uses these to store electricity, and its real face is the yellow dot eyes and smile in the center.
Its rice ball-shaped body might look extremely huggable; however, considering its stomach “produces a huge amount of electricity,” you’d run the risk of an electric shock if you decided to give it a cuddle.
8 Croagunk
Croagunk is a frog Pokemon with an eye-catching color palette and a unique feature to its design. It has bright orange sacs on its face that resemble the “vocal sacs” on an actual frog - aka the part that helps them make the cute ribbit sound. Unlike an actual frog, though, they contain something rather sinister. The sacs on its face hold poison. For spewing. At people.
That aside, they look so chill all the time. In a world as stressful as Pokemon's (what even is their world called?), it could be beneficial to keep someone around to force a little relaxation in the groove.
7 Venusaur
Okay, it's kind of easier to discern the amphibious inspirations in Venusaur than it is for the rest of the Bulbasaur line. That wide mouth has probably devoured more than its fair share of flies, anyway. That being said, not even a Ludicolo sombrero is a big enough lily pad for this chubby dino.
Although most of its various Pokedex entries discuss the beautiful flower on its back and the lovely aroma that follows it around, Venusaur is both a Grass and a Poison-type, so the aroma is a facade for some serious danger. Or, it's totally unrelated, and Venusaur is a cologne fanatic.
6 Toxicroak
Toxicroak is one of the deadliest Pokemon in the game, and it’s probably the most deadly of all the frog Pokemon. In Pokemon Diamond, its Pokedex entry says: “Its knuckle claws secrete a toxin so vile that even a scratch could prove fatal.” In fact, all of its Pokedex entries mention how toxic it is, which emphasizes just how long it's been since any Toxicroak has had a really good hug.
Toxicroak is essential to any trainer with an eye for Hot Topic vibes. Or for any trainer who thinks a Pokemon should come prepackaged with poisonous knife-hands - those are useful, too, probably.
5 Greninja
With a name that's literally "ninja," it's to be expected that Greninja are fast on their webbed feet. And that expectation is well met because Greninja has a massive speed stat. Expert trainers love Greninja because, with the right moves, it can be a powerful addition to any team. But for a frog-only squad? Absolutely required.
Sure, Greninja doesn’t have the most “realistic” frog design, considering how rarely one finds an amphibian with such immaculate tongue-scarf taste, but the design is so interesting and unique that everyone should have a Greninja around. Six of them, actually. Ignore the other almost 1,000 monsters. Just Greninja. Do it.
4 Froakie
When the sixth generation dropped its three starter Pokemon, it was pretty obvious who the favorite was. Through art and memes and just so many tweets, it was clear that Froakie had won the fandom over.
Interestingly enough, Froakie was popular even before its evolutionary line was released, so Froakie aced it without Greninja's help. That being said, the fact that it didn't evolve to be a big, fluffy cloud frog, what with the little poofs around its neck, is a crime Nintendo seems to deny having committed.
3 Poliwhirl
Poliwhirl’s entire evolution line is just incredible. The design, which represents the life cycle of a frog, has stood the test of time by being perfect in its simplicity and is immediately distinguishable all these years later.
That being said, if you compare Poliwhirl to its real-world inspiration... it’s a bit strange. It is believed that Poliwhirl’s swirl pattern is based on a species of transparent tadpoles and frogs. These frogs have such transparent skin you can see their intestines through their body. So... yeah, that cute squiggle on its tummy? That's an organ. Ick.
2 Bulbasaur
Look. Bulbasaur is obviously a dinosaur. Everyone knows it. To say otherwise is an abomination in the eyes of Arceus, our one true god. That being said, it's apparently "partially inspired by frogs," and whatever descriptor is best used to describe Bulbasaur, it is permanently one of the best of those things.
He's the OG third-wheel, with fans usually preferring to go with Squirtle or Charmander, and deserves nothing less than every ounce of the world's collective love and respect. Look at that little smiling bulb of garlic and know that it is perfect, just as Arceus intended it to be.
1 Politoed
If anyone is asked to think of a cartoon frog, chances are they'll imagine something akin to Politoed. Although it's not necessarily a popular Pokemon, it genuinely is the froggiest frog to ever frog, so let's give it some love.
Politoed was introduced in the second generation as an alternate evolution path for Poliwhirl. Arguably, it's even got better stats than Poliwrath, which it's often ignored for. In addition to this, Politoed is weaker to fewer types in comparison to Poliwrath, which just goes to show that organs should probably stay on the inside. It's just safer that way.