Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl features a somewhat slim roster of Fighting-types. Fans of the punches-and-kicks side of Pocket Monsters won't have a plethora of pickings, but there's still a ton of fun to be found when several of the game's wrestling ring representatives are this rad.
Fighting isn't just good on its own, either. It synergizes especially well with multiple other types for creative combinations such as Bug/Fighting, Psychic/Fighting, and yes, the oddly common Fire/Fighting. Physically fit and itching for a bout in the pit, even famous purely Fighting-type fighters like Hitmonchan can wield dizzying elemental punches for multipurpose coverage right to the jawbone.
In rocky, snowy Sinnoh, the best of the best Fighting-type friends can take trainers far on their journey to becoming a Pokemon Master. Here they are, in all their muscular glory.
5 Machamp (Sinnoh Dex)
Some people refer to every vacuum they see as a "Hoover." But Hoover is but one brand of vacuum among many. Point this out to them, and you'll be treated to a sigh and a "you know what I mean." In more modern terms, the adorable green-skinned child in the hit Disney+ TV show "The Mandalorian" has an actual name. But ask ten people on the street just what that name happens to be, and at least seven will say "Baby Yoda." There's no escaping it.
Nobody calls every Fighting-type Pokemon a Machamp, but it wouldn't be the biggest surprise if they did. Machamp is the perennial emblem of everything it means to be a Fighting-type. Big and tall. Proud and powerful. Thighs that could crush an ambulance. There is no Pokemon in BDSP, or in the entire franchise for that matter, that screams Fighting-type like Machamp.
If you're looking for a no-holds-barred, unapologetic, all-out attacker, you could do far worse than this guy. Predictably, Machamp's Attack is off the charts. Its Guts and No Guard abilities are both very on brand — the former boosts Machamp's strength if it's suffering from a debuff of any sort, while the latter ensures that everything the opposing Pokemon throws at it will always hit, but the same is true in return. What a spectacular way to deal with all those pesky Double Team spammers.
Since Machamp is determined to fulfill an archetype to a tee, go with the flow rather than against it here. Give it burly moves like Close Combat, Heavy Slam, Double Edge, and Facade. That last one will double Machamp's power if it's suffering from a status effect, so combined with Guts, things get downright silly in your favor.
4 Heracross (Sinnoh Dex)
Heracross is one of the biggest, baddest Bug-types Pokemon has ever seen. Part of that prowess pertains to its great secondary type, which is (natch) Fighting. A bloodthirsty Heracross is a terror to behold. It gains STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) from Megahorn, a devastating Bug move with 120 base power. Swords Dance can boost this ever higher, and Close Combat can trade some of its Defense and Special Defense for even more carnage.
If Heracross' ability happens to be Moxie, its Attack is raised every time it knocks out an enemy. Left unchecked, this can get very ugly very fast for unprepared players online. Suffice it to say, in-game foes can suffer complete defeats this way. Guts is Heracross' other main ability variation, and here's a neat trick — give it a Flame Orb, which will inflict burn on the poor dear. But Guts will prevent that burn from lowering its Attack; in fact, it will shoot up another 30 percent as a result.
Few Bugs are as singlemindedly vicious as Heracross, and while it's a frequent enough trait among Fighting-types, few do it quite so vividly.
3 Infernape (Sinnoh Dex)
Infernape isn't a threat. It's a promise. A promise that this simian soldier will leave its rivals bruised in body and ego alike. It's one of Pokemon BDSP's ultimate full-blown fighters, with Attack, Defense, and Speed all prioritized at the expense of so-so HP, Defense, and Special Defense.
That's just the way Infernape likes it. Power-Up Punch only has 40 base power, but don't dismiss it from Infernape's arsenal too swiftly; it ups Attack by one stage with every use. Time it just right with a couple of hearty doses toward the start of a lengthy showdown, and Infernape will be nigh-unstoppable.
Due to the rare identical Attack and Special Attack stats, it's difficult to say which avenue is more golden than the other. There's no reason not to mix things up if that seems to suit your playstyle the most — Flare Blitz or Fire Blast; Close Combat or Fire Blast; Swords Dance or Nasty Plot. If you really want to get the most mileage out of this fire starter, find one with a nature that ups either Attack or Special Attack at the expense of the other and double down on your chosen method.
2 Gallade (National Dex)
When Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire launched in 2002, Gardevoir quickly became a fan favorite. More stylish than Alakazam and capable of taking a bit more beating before getting tossed out of the ring, the "Embrace Pokemon" was, indeed, quite warmly embraced by all. Along came Diamond & Pearl, and Gardevoir learned to share the stage with an alternate final form, Gallade. With less defensive posturing but more brute strength, this Psychic/Fighting-type changed the rules of engagement.
That's all a bit heavy, but the truth of the matter is, Gallade really did turn some heads in its day. It wasn't the first Psychic/Fighting fiend — that award goes to Medicham — but frankly, it was cooler, better, and its arms were swords. Its. Arms. Were. Swords.
In Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, all that fandom fervor has returned. Zen Headbutt brings the Psychic STAB, Drain Punch is a reliable Fighting-type go-to, Close Combat can replace it for a riskier but more damaging tactic, and like Hitmonchan before it, Gallade can learn just about every elemental punch there is. An all-around good time, this Gallade, so grab a Dawn Stone for your male Kirlia and hop to it.
1 Lucario (Sinnoh Dex)
Every generation of Pokemon games has what are called "box legendaries." They're the super-special, uber-important, mythical beasts of burden who play a prominent role in the main story. Oftentimes, they're tied to some sort of end-of-days prophecy. Big shots, one and all.
But Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl are one of a handful of generations where someone could have slapped a comparably "normal" Pokemon on the cover and plenty of players would have nodded in agreement. Lucario is that Pokemon. It's the seminal Steel-type. The unforgotten Fighting-type. And a bunch of other flowery alliterative adjectives and past particles designed to hype up its image.
In all seriousness, though, Steel/Fighting is a heck of a type combo. In fact, it is quite possibly the most defensive blend in the series. Lucario takes double damage from Fire, Ground, and (somewhat ironically) Fighting moves. On the flip side, get a load of this: Normal/Grass/Ice/Dragon/Dark/Steel do half damage. Bug and Rock do one-quarter damage. Poison doesn't do a thing.
That alone is cause to celebrate the canine biped's aptitude, but Lucario has that classic mixture of high Attack, Special Attack, and Speed that puts the fear in foes aplenty. Its trademark move, Aura Sphere, should seldom be slotted out. Blaze Kick is aces if your team lacks Fire coverage. More conventional fare like Close Combat and Swords Dance will push Lucario that much further. This is Sinnoh's real star.