Since 1996, Pokémon has given gamers some of the coolest creatures to ever grace a screen. While some designs are less dynamic than others, no one could argue the staying power Pokémon has with its iconic characters. Even after 21 years, some Pokémon games are still prevalent and used competitively today. What I think is best about Pokémon however, is just how diverse and unique some of the designs can be.
We all know the old adage, “don’t judge a book by its cover.” Well, this can be applied to dozens of Pokémon as well. Unlike many games where the more useful or powerful something is, the more dangerous and fierce it has to look, Pokémon takes a unique approach to their design choices. I think that’s what helps Pokémon stay so relevant, and be accessible to so many different gamers. They do not cater to just one style or aesthetic and instead offer a myriad of designs to suit everyone’s tastes. Often times the most powerful punches are thrown from the most petite packages. Though Pokémon technically means, “pocket monster” many of the titular characters are far cuter than they are monstrous.
So here are 15 Pokémon that are way tougher than they look. Would you be guilty of underestimating any of them? Have you underestimated any of them and would never repeat that mistake? Or maybe, just maybe, you want to scroll through a list of cute Pokémon for your next cosplay idea. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.
15 The Egg Pokémon
Chansey, dubbed the Egg Pokémon (sorry, Exeggcute), was introduced to many children through the original Pokémon anime. She was Nurse Joy’s right-hand pocket monster at the Poké Center. Despite her cuddly appearance, Chansey can more than take care of herself in a fight. With abilities like Natural Cure and Serene Grace, you can be sure to keep Chansey alive, while making your opponent pull their hair out. True to the healer role, Chansey can also make sure her allies are strong and ready to go with her Healer ability. Oh, and before you get mad, no I did not assume Chansey’s gender; as it turns out, their ratio is 100% female.
14 The Barrier Pokémon
Despite not being particularly tough looking, Mr. Mime has always been very disturbing. Given its humanoid body type, coupled with the fact that it resembles a distorted human, I’m not entirely sure why anyone would want one of these things hanging around. Ash’s mom had one as a house cleaning servant in the anime, and as a kid I never even questioned it. Now, I’m haunted by the implication. Mr. Mime only got stronger as Pokémon games progressed due to the addition of the fairy type. With an ability like Technician, Mr. Mime can take weaker moves and still make them pack a punch. He may look like a clown more than a mime, but taking on this freaky psychic Pokémon is no laughing matter.
13 The Intertwining Pokémon
This thing is just too freakin’ cute. I mean look at it! It’s got a little bow tie like it’s a Pokémon game show host or something. Its eyes are so big and blue, and with those big floppy ears, you're practically fighting a plushie already. Now, truth be told all of the “Eeveelutions” are adorable in their own way (especially Eevee itself), but if we’re talking straight up looks, Sylveon has the biggest "badass to doesn’t look badass” ratio of the set. I mean one of Sylveon’s signature abilities is “Cute Charm,” a power that in layman's terms means, “your Pokémon is so cute, that its opponents have a chance to fall in love with it during battle!” No surprise that yet another fairy type makes it to the list here either, it seems to be a trend.
12 The (Original) Fairy Pokémon
Yet again we have another fairy Pokémon making the list. This time though, we got the OG fairy Pokémon, who was a fairy Pokémon before fairy was even an official type of Pokémon. Try saying that a few times fast! I was the type of kid who based my party on which Pokémon looked the toughest, and I still spent hours sloughing through Mt. Moon to find a damn Clefairy to evolve it into Clefable, and that was back when it was just a normal type. Like Sylveon, Clefairy can use the Cute Charm ability, but also has access to Magic Guard which protects it from indirect damage effects. Its signature ability, metronome allows the Pokémon to fully utilize a random attack which adds unpredictability to one’s arsenal.
11 The Shadow Pokémon
There is no denying Gengar is one of the most popular Pokémon. Introduced all the way back in Gen 1, Gengar is still a staple in many trainer’s parties. Not to mention, he did have the best episode of the original anime. But does Gengar look tough? No, not particularly. Especially when compared to his pre-evolution form Haunter, who looks like a floating nightmare, Gengar is actually pretty cute. His signature Cheshire grin looks more mischievous than powerful, and he’s out of shape and kind of short. All that aside, Gengar’s favorite tactic is putting his victim to sleep, then literally EATING their dreams! All of a sudden, his slightly chubby appearance takes on a new light when you know his gut is stuffed with the hopes, dreams, and nightmares of his victims.
10 The Wish Pokémon
Known as the Wish Pokémon, Jirachi is a hybrid of steel and psychic, and is a mythical Pokémon. Getting that mythical status kind of automatically implies that a Pokémon is going to be tough, but we’ll go into detail anyway. The legends say that Jirachi awakens from its long hibernation every thousand years and is active for only one week. Apparently, Jirachi will cut their nap short if sung to by a voice of purity. While awake, Jirachi can grant wishes to those who find it, but can only grant three wishes at a time (one for each tag on its head). Jirachi’s signature attack, Doom Desire, is a more powerful version of Future Sight. Though it takes two turns to use, it has 100% accuracy and comes with the chilling description “Jirachi has chosen Doom Desire as its destiny.” Yikes.
9 The EleSquirrel Pokémon
Move over Pikachu, cause Pachirisu is coming for that crown. Much like the flagship character for Pokémon, Pachirisu is an electric rodent; a squirrel, to be exact. Unlike Pikachu, however, Pachirisu does not have an evolution, giving it a statistical advantage over everyone’s favorite electric mouse. At a glance, one might think Pachirisu is an ice type Pokémon, given its white and blue coloring. One might also think that Pachirisu would be better suited eating acorns in a park, then fighting for glory in a Pokémon arena. Well, both those things are wrong, so shows how much you know! When fighting a Pachirisu, don’t make the mistake of attacking it with an electric type move, as its Volt Absorb ability will heal Pachirisu for a quarter of its max HP!
8 The Hermit Crab Pokémon
The frat-boy Pokémon Slowbro is yet another Gen 1 classic who remains a staple in Pokémon today. Back in generation one, Slowbro’s dual type, water and psychic, was a rare and lethal combination. Now that there are over 700 Pokémon, the psychic types have been expanded quite a bit but Slowbro is still a solid choice for an aspiring Pokémon master. Slowbro’s classic vacant eyes and dopey smile have made him an iconic Pokémon for years. Let’s face it, if you saw one of these guys chilling by a river, your first instinct would be to laugh before anything else. I remember back in Pokémon Snap Slowbro and Slowpoke were one of the only Pokémon who would not react even if you nailed them in the face with an apple. Sad to say, that gave me way too much entertainment as a kid.
7 The Butterfly Pokémon
Butterfree is, you guessed it, the Butterfly Pokémon. Many of us were introduced to Butterfree through the Pokémon anime, as it was a prominent member of Ash’s original team. If you watched the episode where Ash sets it free and don’t cry, you may need to ask yourself why you are incapable of feeling. Anyway, Butterfree has, like many of the first-generation superstars on this list, stayed relevant despite the staggering number of Pokémon additions since its first appearance. If you have the patience to evolve your Metapod, Butterfree has always been a fine reward. Its ability, Compound Eyes, drastically increases the accuracy of its special attacks, making it a lethal little bug. Given its ability to inflict status effects such as paralysis, poison, and sleep, underestimating a Butterfree could quickly land you in the Pokémon Hall of Shame.
6 The Embrace Pokémon
Despite its appearance, Gardevoir is a psychic and fairy Pokémon. See, I always thought it was grass, cause its head looks like a leaf and it kind of sounds like “garden voir.” Another fun fact is the gender ratio of Gardevoir is 50-50. So, despite its overwhelmingly feminine appearance, there are in fact Mr. Gardevoirs running around (Mr. Mime is 50-50 too, wouldn’t that make it a Ms. Mime?) Prior to generation six, Gardevoir was a purely psychic Pokémon before they buffed it with a little fairy magic. One of its signature abilities, Synchronize inflicts the same status effects hindering Gardevoir on the Pokémon who inflicted it. Kind of like a voodoo doll, but not nearly as creepy. Gardevoir can make any team stronger but do yourself a favor, do NOT Google image search this Pokémon, lest you want to see just how messed up the internet can be.
5 The Time Travel Pokémon
Celebi in a lot of ways was like the second-generation Mew: an extremely powerful mythical Pokémon that you really had to jump through hoops to catch. Celebi is known as the Time Travel Pokémon, which pretty much sums up how powerful it is. I don’t think we’ll be seeing Bidoof hopping through timelines any time soon! Being a dual type (grass and psychic) Celebi is known as the “Voice of the Forest.” It protects life on earth with vigorous determination and can instantly bring damaged plants back to life. Celebi has the ability to travel through and exist outside of the realm of time. Basically, don’t piss off Celebi or it can go back in time and make sure your parents never met. Maybe think about that next time you decide to litter in that park, never know who’s watching!
4 The Painter Pokémon
The Painter Pokémon, Smeargle was introduced in generation two. He looks kind of like a dog with a funny hat standing on his hind legs who just dipped his tail in some ooze. Not many normal type Pokémon have made it to this list, but Smeargle’s special ability puts him a cut above the rest. Sketch permanently copies the last move used by an opposing Pokémon, meaning Smergle has access to almost every attack in the game with the exception of Shadow attacks, Chatter, and Struggle. Smeargle also has the ability Own Tempo, which makes it immune to the confusion status effect. When going up against a Smeargle you have to not only worry about its own powerful techniques, but also gifting him the ability to use yours. For any Naruto fans out there, it’s basically the Sharingan Pokémon.
3 The Parasite Pokémon
Nihilego is one of the Ultra Beasts introduced in generation seven. It is actually an extra-dimensional Pokémon said to have powers beyond the understanding of humans. It is known as the parasite Pokémon and looks like an unassuming giant white jellyfish. Nihilego injects its victim with a neurotoxin that stimulates excitement and a loss of inhibitions. This causes the Nihilego’s host to realize its latent potential while slowly deteriorating its mind. Like the other Ultra Beasts, Nihilego has the ability to use Beast Boost. Basically, every time Nihilego knocks out a Pokémon, its highest stat is boosted by one. Essentially, it’s a snowballing ability that makes an already powerful Pokémon even more powerful. Not bad for something that looks like it should be drying out in the sun on a beach somewhere right about now.
2 The Mischief Pokémon
Hoopa is the Mischief Pokémon. It kind of looks like a small purple and pink genie child with two big hoop earnings around the horns on its head. Hoopa is known for being able to warp things through wormholes it can create. When Hoopa is in its “unbound form” it is able to bend the very fabric of dimensions allowing it to seize anything it wants. Hoopa’s unbound form is also massive and terrifying, so I won’t count it on this list. In the anime, Hoopa was able to summon powerful legendary Pokémon through its portals and use them to attack its foes. Hoopa is the only known Pokémon that can use Hyperspace Hole, which bypasses accuracy and is a guaranteed hit. I always found dual types who are conflicting like psychic and ghost to be very interesting. It’s like Hoopa’s weaknesses are within itself… ok, this is getting a little too deep. Moving on.
1 The New Species Pokémon
Could there really be any other choice? Mew, the genetic codex to which all Pokémon are born, comes in at number one. This incredibly powerful little guy is so rare in the Pokémon world, that many believed it to simply be a myth. Many did not include Giovanni, who managed to clone Mew into its equally renowned counterpart Mewtwo. Mew is a psychic Pokémon which gives an interesting implication to the rest of the series. If Mew has the DNA of every single Pokémon, why did only psychic type manifest? Shouldn’t Mew be in its own, super category of type? Regardless, Mew has the ability to learn basically every move in the series, making it a versatile ally suited for any occasion. Mew will always be special to longtime fans of the series, due to the mysteries surrounding it. Ask anyone who was a kid during generation one, and they’ll tell you of the school yard frenzy of trying to find Mew in Red or Blue. Before you say it, no, you could not find Mew under that truck, no matter what your friend insists.