HMs have been the bane of fans since they were introduced in Pokémon Red & Blue. They were permanent moves that took up the space of more useful combat moves and for the longest time couldn't be deleted.
Some were legitimately useful and made for great moves we were happy to have a Pokémon or two use. Others were so annoying the fanbase came up with the concept of HM Slaves to avoid sullying their powerful Pokémon with useless abilities.
11 Flash
This is easily the worst HM both in and out of combat. Outside of combat it was used to light up a dark cave, typically only one or two in the entire game and served no other purpose. In combat it decreased an opponent’s accuracy similar to Sand-Attack.
It was so useless and annoying to have that often times players would navigate the dark areas without using flash, preferring to bump blindly into the rock walls rather than commit this HM to one of their Pokémon.
10 Whirlpool
You know an HM is bad when even the developers quickly nevere use it again in future games. Whirlpool was introduced in Pokémon Gold & Silver and allowed players to cross a whirlpool to access a new area. Like flash it only had the one use and in combat it wasn’t any better.
It functioned like Wrap, locking down the Pokémon and dealing damage, but it’s less than 85% accuracy meant it wouldn’t always strike and 35 base power meant it didn’t do a lot of damage.
9 Defog
Defog is a worse version of flash in that it removed the fog effect from your screen, which did not impede your ability to travel or even see all that much anyway. In combat it decreased an opponent’s ability to evade attacks, which was sometimes useful now and then.
Honestly Defog probably ranks higher on this list if you’re main purpose of playing Pokémon games was for the PVP. Defog not only lowered the foe’s evasion, but also removed stealth rocks and spikes that could harm your creatures.
8 Rock Smash
Outside of combat Rock Smash was used to break smaller rocks that prevented the player from progressing, meaning it had to be an HM that was on hand throughout the game. In combat it fared a little better with 40 base power and the ability to lower the opponent’s defense.
The main drawback to this HM was that it took the place of something more useful. To be fair lots of Pokémon could use this move so finding an HM slave wasn’t too problematic, it was more of a nuisance than anything else.
7 Cut
The first HM players ever encountered in the games was one that opened the world to lots of possibilities before quickly annoying everyone with how often it’s used. Cut is used to chop down trees and bushes giving access to new paths and areas, cut was used a lot more frequently than others on this list meaning it was a staple on your team whether you wanted it to be or not.
In combat it did 50 base power damage and functioned as a normal attack. It wasn’t anything too special, but the game was designed to incorporate it a lot so it stayed on your HM Slave or with one of your team members for most of the game.
6 Dive
Dive is basically Fly for the water, sort of. Out of combat it was used to navigate underwater routes which were how you accessed places like Sootopolis City or the Abandoned Ship.
In combat it was a decent move to have as it allowed the Pokémon to avoid attack for one turn and then deal 60 base power of damage. It was a decent move for many water Pokémon to have and wasn’t too bad to hang onto.
5 Strength
Strength is used by Pokémon to move large boulders to access new areas, find items, or solve puzzles to progress to interesting places. The puzzles weren’t too complicated, but many fans felt it distracted from gameplay and caused Strength to be hated by many because of this.
But honestly it was an alright move in combat dealing 85 base power as a normal attack. There aren’t a lot of normal attacks that are stronger and is generally considered to be a decent move to have.
4 Waterfall
Outside of battle this thing was next to useless as it allowed you to climb waterfalls and there were only a handful of waterfalls, ever. But in combat it’s a different story.
Waterfall is a water based attack that deals 80 base power, not a bad move by any means and it had the handy ability to cause Flinch now and then which would stun a Pokémon from using their turn. It sees more use in PVE than PVP but it was good enough you didn’t need to allocate it to your HM Slave.
3 Rock Climb
Rock Climb is very similar to Waterfall but gave players access to more items and as such is seen as more useful. This HM allows players to clamber up the ledges to reach new areas and grab out of the way items.
As an attack it deals a respectable 90 base power and has a chance of causing Confusion. It’s a good move for rock type Pokémon and sees use in PVP now and then and the access to rare and hard to find items in PVE is always a blessing.
2 Surf
Surf is an HM you slapped on your water Pokémon and never regretted the decision. Outside of combat it allowed you to navigate the vast oceans and the water acted as tall grass allowing you to catch water Pokémon without a Fishing Rod.
In combat it dealt a nice 90 base power which ranks up there with some of the best water attacks in the game. Even more interesting is there are a lot of non-water Pokémon who could use this attack such as Nidoking or Tyranitar which is good for surprising opponents in PVP.
1 Fly
By far the most useful and most powerful HM is Fly. This acted as the game’s fast travel that allowed you to travel anywhere you’ve visited allowing you to bypass a lot of walking, running, biking, and surfing.
In fights it was a handy move that allowed your Pokémon to evade attacks for a turn before coming back and dealing a hefty 90 base power. Combining this attack with Leftovers meant your Pokémon could avoid damage, heal 6%, and then come back with a respectable hit. Many players forget this is an HM because of how useful it is in and out of combat.