Everyone loves, or at least knows of, the ever-popular Pokémon franchise. A series based around adorable monsters and a story line about companionship, there’s a sense of adventure you just can’t get anywhere else. The world is also ever-expanding with each new game and animated series giving us new Pokémon to look into and consider adding to our fighting teams. With a new region, new enemy, and new story line to go through, we're almost never bored with this series.

Every Pokémon is unique in its own way; just looking at its Pokédex entries, you get a sense of their purpose in the overall world-building. But with dozens of creatures to go through, you know that not everyone is going to be a winner. There are just some Pokémon that don’t quite make the cut when it comes to battles. Even though we all want to catch them all, there’s still going to be Pokémon that sit in boxes and are never even touched because of how weak they are. There are also rare and powerful ones that we’d love to have on our teams; these ones are usually a whole story line of lore in itself. It’s clear that not all Pokémon are created equal, but that doesn’t mean we don’t love them all just the same.

With so many new things to discover about both the classic and new monsters coming out each game, it’s time we list out the weakest and strongest; who will you pick to be on your team?

30 Weakest: Magikarp

This one should be obvious; after all, Magikarp is practically the first Pokémon that pops up when you think of weakest. This poor Pokémon has been considered such a joke that there’s even an official Magikarp game, titled Magikarp Jump, that has an opening theme song full of sick burns for how horrible this poor little fish can be.

Seriously, poor Magikarp. Being a goldfish-like Pokémon, it’s pretty clear to see why this little guy isn’t always optimal; normally, he just sort of flops. His main move is Splash, which let’s be honest, that’s not going to do anything.

29 Weakest: Bidoof

Ah yes, the cute little beaver-like Pokémon that appeared in the Diamond and Pearl franchise in weaker areas. Also, the one that no one seems to like. For some reason, Bidoof has been the running joke of countless Pokémon references.

Likability aside, this Pokémon would probably be more popular if it was actually strong. Even in its evolved state, Bibarel, it’s not much to write home about. It’s stats are awful, although there are some fans that argue having the abilities Simple, Unaware and Moody make it a little worthwhile.

28 Weakest: Zubat

If you’ve ever been in a cave in a Pokémon game, you’ll realize the true reason you need to stock up on Repels. Zubats are constantly hovering over you to the point that the majority of the time you’re being stopped, they’re the Pokémon that caused it.

Outside of the animated series, Zubat is almost never frequently used. You would think that a flying Pokémon could never be useless, but we assure that his whole existence is both bothersome and horrifically weak.

27 Weakest: Metapod

It might not actually be fair to bash on Metapod, especially since it can’t really do anything back. Sharing similarities with Pokémon like Silcoon, Cascoon, and Kakuna, Metapod is known for being a difficult Pokémon to evolve. This is because it’s literally just a cocoon with no real ability other than Harden.

If you do manage to evolve any of the Pokémon that share this category with Metapod, it is worth it. Creatures like Butterfree aren’t always used in battle, but are still a crowd favorite.

26 Weakest: Unown

The alphabet come to life, this Pokémon is particularly interesting when we see them on screen, but in a game battle? It’s almost no contest that these little dudes would lose with no real push back on their part. They should spell out W-E-A-K.

As clever and cute as they may be, there’s never anyone who would take an Unown to a fight. Their stats are awful with both a weak defense and attack, so the general gaming community considers them a poor choice for battle.

25 Weakest: Cosmog

As adorable as this legendary Sun and Moon Pokémon is, it’s not exactly the strongest until it evolves. Just look at its little cloud-like appearance; it looks so soft you could almost cuddle it to death.

No one can deny that Cosmog is adorable and its naturally curious personality makes it a fun companion to see in the games, but we’d never actually throw this little guy into battle. Honestly, we’d almost consider that abuse if you did; it’s too innocent for that!

24 Weakest: Ditto

Ditto is popular for a number of reasons and, in theory, you would question why this isn’t considered stronger. The special thing about Ditto is that it can turn into practically any Pokémon. Typically, you’ll see it turn into whatever it’s battling.

You would think that gives it an advantage, but it turns out it’s more annoying than anything. While Ditto also has its own strengths and weaknesses on its own, it really can only block its opponent so far. After a while, you’ll realize it has nothing going for it.

23 Weakest: Paras

Paras is one of those unfortunate first stage Pokémon that we’re going to have to bash. While it’s not completely uncommon to see a starting stage Pokémon have horrible stats, Paras’ own evolution is equally as bad.

Parasect is only slightly stronger with mediocre stats that don’t really do anything in a battle. Some trainers may be able to find value in this Pokémon and even use it well, but overall it hasn’t really been well-received as a strong creature.

22 Weakest: Ralts

Ralts is a cute Pokémon, to be sure, and it certainly has the evolution every fan works hard to get. The Pokémon waifu and Ralts’ final evolution, Gardevoir, is often sought after and typically isn’t the worst when it comes to moves and stats. Ralts, however, is still not the strongest and would certainly be easy to beat.

If fact, it’s probably so weak that it’s tough to catch without knocking out completely. Many trainers find this particular Pokémon to be very difficult to raise, and we really don’t blame them.

21 Weakest: Pichu

Pichu is the adorable Pokémon that we were introduced to long after Pikachu. Apparently, it’s the first line in Pikachu’s evolution and it’s been widely considered a fan favorite for its adorable appearance.

We really don’t blame anyone on that front; just one look from those big, sparkly brown eyes and you’re bound to fall in love with those cute blushing cheeks. However, you’d never want to use Pichu in battle. Like many other first evolutions, it’s not particularly strong; and really, would you want to throw something that cute into all out war?

20 Strongest: Deoxys

Let’s be honest, any psychic Pokémon is a little creepy given the fact that its power is based on messing with your mind. Pair that with being a mythical Pokémon, and you have something you’d never want to fight. Deoxys is that Pokémon.

But where do we find one?

It’s an incredibly rare Pokémon whose stats aren’t really that bad and it has an additional three other Formes it can use, depending on which game you’re playing. Over all, you’re going to want this guy on your team.

19 Weakest: Stunfisk

Honestly, we’re not even sure what to make of Stunfisk. Not only does it look bizarre, but it also seems to have various conflicts in its total makeup. Nothing about this Pokémon makes any bit of sense.

The general consensus is that Stunfisk seems to be based after a flounder type of fish, but despite that it’s actually weak to water-type moves. In addition, it’s been stated that this Pokémon lives in the mud, but it’s also incredibly weak to ground type moves.

18 Strongest: Zekrom And Reshiram

Both Reshiram and Zekrom are very beautiful dragon-like Legendaries that anyone would be lucky to catch. They’re also incredibly powerful but considering their top-tier status you probably already guessed that. Stats aside, let’s look at a bit of the lore.

Both Zekrom and Reshiram have compelling entries that make them look strong. Reshiram’s Pokédex entry states that it can “scorch the world with fire” while Zekrom’s parallels it with scorching the world with lightning. That alone makes us never want to get on their bad side.

17 Weakest: Wishiwashi

Okay, we actually feel pretty bad about bashing Wishiwashi. Just look at that sad little face! It’s almost cruel to pick on them, but the harsh reality is that they’re not exactly top picks for battle.

These little fish really don’t have a lot of move sets that stand out and their stats are awful. This is, of course, on a solo scale. If it operates in its School Form, it actually does stand a chance of causing some damage!

16 Strongest: Rayquaza

Let’s put it this way, have you ever had to be the one friend that keeps everyone at bay? Would you ever mess with the person that manages to keep the peace? That friend has always been Rayquaza, and we’d never want to upset this big baddie.

In charge of keeping Groudon and Kyogre from destroying everything, it has to be powerful. As a legendary Pokémon, it already has some nice stats and attacks going for it. But even in its lore, it’s known for being incredibly strong.

15 Weakest: Sunkern

Sunkern is such a weak Pokémon that it’s actually aware how incompetent it is when compared to its fellow monsters. Its official biology says that because it doesn’t stand a chance against other Pokémon, you’ll often find this little guy feeding instead of fighting.

Living off of only the dew of plants, Sunkern lives a simple life until it finally evolves. This is certainly one of the cuter Pokémon you’ll find to come out the Generation II group, but it simply knows it’s not strong.

14 Strongest: Giratina

There are very few Pokémon that can really make us shake with fear, but Giratina should definitely be one of those monsters that instills fear into your favorite fandom. This Pokémon was literally banished to another world for its violence.

The world Giratina now calls home is known as the Distortion World; a place “where common knowledge is distorted and strange.” If a giant creature where to come back from that world after being kicked out, would you really want to risk fighting it?

13 Weakest: Charizard

We know we’ll get a little bit of push-back for this one but hear us out; Charizard is actually a relatively weak Pokémon. Sure, the dragon-like appearance is certainly cool and the anime made it out to be one of the best Pokémon to get your hands on, but game wise it’s actually relatively weak.

For starters, there are plenty of memes going around that your Charizard probably doesn’t know Fly right off the bat, despite having wings. Its stats also aren’t the best and you’re probably better off going with a proper dragon Pokémon in the long run.

12 Strongest: Lugia

In the Diamond and Pearl Pokédex entry, it states that if Lugia flaps its wings, “it is said to cause a 40-day storm.” Other entries will tell you that it chooses to live its life as a recluse at the bottom of the sea because its powers are too strong.

Have you ever been so strong you had to go into hiding? It should also be noted that this legendary prefers to sleep in a literal deep sea trench; that doesn’t sound comfy, even for a Pokémon. Clearly, this is a tough-as-nails monster.

11 Weakest: Luvdisc

Let us preface with this; Luvdisc is actually an adorable Pokémon. Of course, you wouldn’t battle with something whose stats are so bad that even Team Rocket wouldn’t really want to steal it, but it’s still a nice friend to collect at the end of the day.

The entire point of this Pokémon is to bring joy to couples; if you’re lucky enough to find one with your partner, it’s said that this is a sign of good luck and eternal love. Who doesn’t find that adorable?