Completing the Pokedex is always been one of the core objectives in every Pokemon game. With each new generation, the entries are updated with new details that help flesh out the Pokemon world, and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are no exception. The Paldean Pokedex not only features information about the various new Pokemon brought to the franchise but also revisits some familiar faces with additional information.
While most of these entries are lighthearted fun facts, some feature terrifying tidbits that make the Pokemon world seem like a horror movie. Typically, it’s the entries for Ghost-type Pokemon that really make your skin crawl, but it seems that Generation 9 has found a way to really spread out the creepiness. Whether they are new Pokemon or old friends, there are several nightmarish Pokedex entries in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet that are sure to keep you up at night.
10 Flamigo
"This Pokemon apparently ties the base of its neck into a knot so that energy stored in its belly does not escape from its beak."
Flamigo is a Pokemon introduced in Generation 9, and its Pokedex entry gives it quite the introduction. What's even more remarkable is that you can actually see this knot at the base of Flamigo's neck. The sheer power that it constantly keeps at bay turns this goofy-looking bird into a ticking time bomb.
It's an entry that's sure to have you doing a double-take. Honestly, it sounds like Flamigo could really use some TUMS and a chiropractor, but its also terrifying to know that this awkward bird keeps itself in check by essentially strangling itself.
9 Ceruledge
"An old set of armor steeped in grudges caused this Pokemon's evolution. Ceruledge cuts its enemies to pieces without mercy."
This Pokemon's unique edge-lord design definitely merited an eerie entry in the Paldean Pokedex, and Pokemon Scarlet delivered just that. This anime Edward Scissorhands fuels his flaming hand blades with the burns of a bitter defeat, making it a Pokemon that you definitely don’t want to make an enemy.
Essentially, Ceruledge is the ghost of the Kill Bill Bride with duel flaming katanas, and that alone makes it one of the most objectively terrifying Pokemon in the game. It's an entry fit for this maliciously spirited slasher.
8 Clodsire
"When attacked, this Pokemon will retaliate by sticking thick spines out from its body. It’s a risky move that puts everything on the line."
One of the few Pokemon to receive a Paldean regional variant was Wooper, and its evolution Clodsire has a particularly eerie entry in its Scarlet Pokedex. Furthermore, it describes a feature that you can visually see when Clodsire attacks.
These poisonous retractable "spines" take a gross and terrifying turn by talking about how venerable they are. This entry completely changes how you view Clodsire — turning this derpy mud eclair into a grotesque movie monster from the 80s. Clodsire, keep your grotesque toxic appendages to yourself, please.
7 Bramblin
"A soul unable to move on to the afterlife was blown around by the wind until it got tangled up with dried grass and became a Pokemon."
This Paldean tumbleweed was a welcomed addition to the Pokemon roster, but its Pokedex entry reveals a terrifying truth about the Pokemon world. First, how many lost souls are there in the Pokemon universe? This definitely seems to be a recurring problem.
Second, souls get caught in the wind and tangled in dry grass? Apparently, human souls follow the same physics as an empty grocery bag bouncing in the breeze. It seems your soul never gets a break in the Pokemon world, unless you happen to die in a convenient place to do so.
6 Pawniard
"Pawniard will fearlessly challenge even powerful foes. In a pinch, it will cling to opponents and pierce them with the blades all over its body."
Thanks to the addition of Kingambit, Pawniard is now the first of a three-stage evolution. While its evolutions' Pokedex entries focus primarily on the hierarchy concepts the Pokemon was designed to represent, Pawniard's is pretty graphic.
So essentially, it gives you a death hug? It seems like a concept taken straight out of Hellraiser. With all the blades Pawniard has on its body, an attack like that would literally be a bloody mess. One thing is for certain, don't put Pawniard "in a pinch", or you may receive a particularly fatal embrace.
5 Wo-Chien
"The grudge of a person punished for writing the king’s evil deeds upon wooden tablets has clad itself in dead leaves to become a Pokemon."
The legendary Pokemon in Generation 9 have been frequently compared to Elden Ring bosses, especially Wo-Chein. Essentially, it's a mixture of resentment and yard clippings that creates a sentient slug monster fit for The Lands Between.
Typically, grudges of whistleblower manifestos don't turn themselves into swamp creatures, and it's a horrifying concept to entertain. A living embodiment of resentment so strong that it brings sentience to dead vegetation is a uniquely terrifying concept.
4 Gengar
"To steal the life of its target, it slips into the prey’s shadow and silently waits for an opportunity."
This classic Ghost-type Pokemon has had some of the most terrifying Pokedex entries since the beginning, but the Paldean Pokedex entry for Gengar will have you scared of your own shadow.
This means at any moment in the Pokemon world, you could very well have a Gengar hiding in your shadow, waiting for the opportunity to end you. It's a truly terrifying concept fit for a horror film that would have any trainer constantly watching their back. Gengar is certainly one reason to stay paranoid in Pladea.
3 Naclstack
"This Pokemon dry cures its prey by spraying salt over them. The curing process steals away the water in the prey’s body."
One of the most creatively named and designed Pokemon introduced in Generation 9 has to be Naclstack, but it's Pokedex entry shines a scary light on this salty Minecraft monster, and brings an entirely new meaning to the phrase "stay salty".
Having all the water drained from your body is a concept few have ever thought of, let alone feared, but this Paldean Pokedex entry is here to ensure you lose sleep over it. It is a detail that makes you cringe when watching it use its signature move, Salt Cure.
2 Palossand
"From the hollows in its arms, it fires the bones of its victims, which are all dried up after being drained of their vitality."
The shores of Paldea arent quite the family friendly place you'd think they would be, thanks to Pallossand. You're probably thinking — Palossand is just a happy sandcastle! Nothing could possibly be terrifying about this beachside Pokemon, right?
Well, this Pokedex entry certainly won't provide such comfort. It literally eats people and then uses their bones as projectiles. Forget Jaws — Palossand is the reason to stay away from the beaches. It's truly something fit for a horror movie, but hey, at least this sentient sandy fortress recycles.
1 Toedscruel
"It coils its ten tentacles around prey and sucks out their nutrients, causing the prey pain. The folds along the rim of its head are a popular delicacy."
Toedscruel is by far one of the most unique designs for convergent Pokemon we’ve ever seen, but its Pokedex entry is also the most objectively terrifying. There’s a lot to unpack with this entry.
For starters, if you’ve never had a fear of a walking mushroom land octopus, now you do. Secondly, IF it preys on people, and is also eaten by people as a delicacy, THEN that means there are some weird forms of cannibalism going both ways on that food chain. It’s one of those Pokedex entries that you try not to think about late at night.