Onix is one of the most terrifying-looking Pokemon out there. A gigantic rock snake that stands at almost 29 feet (about nine meters) and weighs 463 pounds (210 kilograms), Onix can cause tremors in the earth simply by burrowing through the ground. This creature is a leviathan, and when it made its anime debut with Brock, it became one of the more iconic moments of the series.
This is why it's so surprising that Onix is absolutely terrible in the video games. Sure, it has great Defense and good Speed for a Rock-type, but every other stat is terrible. Some of these make sense, but the most surprising by far is its horrendous base 45 Attack. It just doesn't make sense, logically speaking. If you want proof, here are some Pokemon that are physically stronger than Onix, but really shouldn't be.
11 The Alphabet
Unown is well-known for being a terrible Pokemon. It's stats are mediocre, and it can only learn one move. Unown is so bad in battle that it was pretty much turned into a collectible in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. Which is why its weird to see that its base Attack stat is 72.
That's really high for a Pokemon that doesn't even use its Attack stat. Hidden Power, Unown's only move, is a special move. So, not only is Unown physically stronger than Onix, but it doesn't even use its full strength. That's really embarassing for Onix.
10 An Orphan
There are many orphans in fiction that start off weak and eventually become strong. Luke Skywalker starts off as a kid and eventually becomes a Jedi master. Bruce Wayne trains hard and becomes Batman. And through training, Cubone eventually becomes Marowak. What's mind-blowing here is that Cubone, still young and weak, is decently stronger than Onix with a base 50 Attack stat.
Essentially, this would be like if Oliver Twist was completely able to out-muscle Bill Sikes and throw him into the Thames by himself. It's not feasible because Oliver is a child, and that applies to Cubone as well. So really, Onix is weaker than a child.
9 A Tick
Joltik is one of the cutest Pokemon out there, being an tick that feeds off of electricity. It's also one of the smallest Pokemon ever, standing at four inches (0.1 meters) tall and weighing barely over a pound (0.6 kilograms). So, it doesn't make sense that Joltik has a higher attack than a Pokemon that is roughly 86.5 times bigger than it.
Joltik's base Attack stat is 47 — sure, it's only two points more than Onix, but that still means that Joltik is stronger than the rock behemoth. The only way this seems justifiable is that ticks do have painful bites that can lead to lyme disease, and that can be painful. Still, Onix is weaker than something that fits in the palm of your hand.
8 A Flying Squirrel
Sentret is the adorable first-route rodent from the Johto region. It's not very good, but then again, it's not supposed to be. Sentret is likely the first Pokemon you'll encounter in Gold, Silver, or Crystal, so why is it stronger than a Pokemon that was a gym leader's ace?
Onix isn't supposed to be bad. It's meant to be the first big hurdle you have as a trainer in Kanto. Yet, this flying squirrel is slightly stronger than Onix, with a base 46 Attack. I guess it's appropriate that Sentret's animation in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl looks like it's flexing.
7 A Regular Squirrel
Speaking of squirrels, Skwovet is another cute Pokemon that mainly exists to run around and eat berries that have fallen from trees. It also just happens to be stronger than Onix.
While that may not be as surprising as some of the other entries on this list, what's really interesting is just how much stronger than Onix Skwovet actually is. It has a base Attack stat of 55, ten whole points more. It seems that eating all of those berries has really paid off.
6 Literal Trash
Trubbish is garbage, quite literally. Based on a small bag of trash, Trubbish was criticized by a lot of fans for being a Pokemon that was essentially just an inanimate object. However, it's just a cute little Pokemon trying to do its best — and that best happens to be better than what Onix can offer.
Trubbish has a base Attack stat of 50, five points higher than Onix. This is especially perplexing, because no one has ever seen a full trash bag attack... well, anyone. That is, unless it had a raccoon or possum in it. However, there is no Pokedex entry that says Trubbish doesn't have a possum or raccoon inside of it, so we'll just assume that it doesn't.
5 Tadpoles
Have you ever seen a tadpole? The baby version of frogs and toads, tadpoles likely could never hurt anyone. This is mostly because they have no limbs with which to cause harm. In spite of this, both Tympole and Poliwag have higher Attack stats than Onix.
Some people may be able to make an argument for Poliwag since it has legs, but Tympole is particularly perplexing. Whenever you encounter Tympole on the battlefield, it can be seen bouncing about and grinning sweetly. Either way, a giant serpent that has been strengthened by the rocks it has eaten should not be beaten by any type of aquatic animal, let alone a tadpole.
4 Some Weeds
According to the Pokédex, Oddish is a Weed Pokemon. It's a sentient bulb with legs, and leaves sticking out of its head. For some reason, this smiling plant is able to deal more physical damage than the Pokemon equivalent of the worms from Tremors.
Like the tadpoles and Trubbish, Oddish has a 50 base Attack stat, but what does it use it for? Every move it learns via levelling up uses Special Attack. Honestly, its attack could be zero and it would survive just fine. Yet Onix, who absolutely needs a good Attack stat, is left hung out to dry. It's a shame, really.
3 An Ice Cream Cone
The only way someone has ever been hurt by ice cream is through eating it too fast and getting brain freeze. Vanillite, a Pokemon whose entire evolutionary line is based on ice cream, is somehow still physically stronger than Onix.
What's really odd about this is that I can actually see a regular snake beating an ice cream cone, let alone a snake made of stone. Yet, here we are, looking at a dessert that has a base Attack stat of 50. And it looks like soft serve, no less!
2 Cotton Candy
Imagine this: you're at a county fair. There are a ton of carnival games, fun rides, and delicous treats that are absolutely terrible for you. One of those tasty treats is cotton candy — a harmless, sweet concoction that is literally just sugar and air. And STILL that pointless amalgamation of calories is stronger than Onix.
Swirlix is really just sentient cotton candy, and yet it has a base attack stat of 48 — three points higher than the rock giant. Onix can burrow through the Earth at a pace of 50 miles per hour, Swirlix constantly eats sugar. It is still stronger than Onix.
1 A Balloon
The weirdest one of all has got to be Drifloon. Every Pokemon knows how terrifying Drifloon's Pokedex entry is. But when it comes down to it, Drfiloon is just a balloon. One that is physically stronger than Onix.
By all means, Drifloon should be destroyed by the Rock Snake Pokemon. It's a pathetically weak Flying-and-Ghost type — which logically should be based on Special Attack — but still one that can defeat Onix. This all just goes to show you that the stats in a Pokemon game really don't make any sense.