18. Pineco (Gen II)
The design forPinecois inspired by—you guessed it—a pinecone. This Pokémon has been appearing in games since the second generation. At level 31, it evolves into the equally hideous bagworm Pokémon called Forretress, which resembles nothing of a pinecone.
17. Alolan Raticate (Gen VII)
Raticate is one of the most well-known Pokémon in the series, as it originates all the way back in the very firstPokémongame. I can’t tell you why Game Freak decided to change Raticate forPokémon Sun and Moon.
TheAlolan version of Raticatelooks like a rotund version of its former self. Its cheeks look as if they’ve been stuffed with peanuts, and its portly body just doesn’t do it any justice.
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16. Luvdisc (Gen III)
You just have to feel bad for any Pokémon with a name as unfortunate asLuvdisc. Not only is it one slip-up away from vulgarity, it also has a distinctly minimal shape that nearly feels lazy.
Luvdisc is basically a heart-shaped fish with bright lips, rounds cheeks, and pink scales. Of course, it’s meant to be a symbol of love.
Many believe that catching Luvdiscs will lead them to their sweetheart and grant them long-lasting love. On top of being the subject of folklore, Luvdiscs themselves are naturally bearers of love. When two of them kiss, love literally makes them fly!
15. Girafarig (Gen II)
At first glance,Girafariglooks weird but harmless. After all, its real-life counterpart—the giraffe—doesn’t exactly terrorize people or brutally eviscerate its prey. But this one’s still pretty strange!
Girafarig’s most striking feature is its tail, which is actually another head. This scary appendage has the ability to see things, smell things, and process motor functions.
It isn’t entirely capable of thinking for itself and it relies on nearby stimuli to function, but it’s at least able to detect danger while Girafarig sleeps!
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14. Scrafty (Gen V)
A Pokémon with baggy pants? Despite there being over 1,000 different Pokémon as of this writing, this one is clearly one of the weirdest.
Scraftyis a fifth-generation lizard Pokémon with unusually loose skin that’s carried like a hood and used to cover its legs. Once you add in the red mohawk-like crest and gray eyelids, Scrafty really ends up looking like a stereotypical hip-hop dancer.
13. Alolan Dugtrio (Gen VII)
I think this picture is pretty self-explanatory. The wig-wearingAlolan version of Dugtriois just silly, hilarious, and honestly kind of stupid. Looking at this Pokémon, one can’t help but be reminded of the 90s-era pop rock band Hanson.
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12. Probopass (Gen IV)
IsProbopassan undiscovered addition to the Easter Island statues? I’m not sure what possessed thePokémoncreators to come up with this Easter Island knockoff, but it definitely looks hilariously freaky.
This Pokémon has a giant nose, two smaller noses on its sides, a thickly fluffy mustache, and two piercing blue eyes. (Apparently, its mustache isn’t even a mustache! According to lore, that black mass is a bunch of iron filings that have been attracted to its magnetic nose.)
To make this Pokémon even more bizarre, Probopass also controls Mini-Noses that it uses to attack its foes.
11. Swalot (Gen III)
A quick glance atSwalotmight bring to mind other classic gooey Poison-type Pokémon like Muk and Grimer, except Swalot has a softer, rounder design with bright whiskers and big lips.
However, one thing Swalot can do is expand its body to widen its mouth, and it can swallow any object of any size. Like most other swallow-happy Pokémon, Swalot has a wide appetite for anything. Watch out!
10. Phantump (Gen VI)
Japan has a running theme with its folklore creatures in that souls often take on new life by possessing things, whether those things are living, breathing entities or inanimate objects.
Even so, it still feels outlandish to see a Pokémon likePhantump, which is essentially a possessed tree stump.
Phantump is eerie and surreal. Its red eyes are chilling enough, but its origin story can send shudders down anyone’s spine. Long story short: its spirit might come from a child crying for help. Yes, creepy.
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9. Drifloon (Gen IV)
Drifloonis what you’d expect: a Pokémon that looks like a balloon. With its string-like arms and body filled with air, it’s hard not to think of anything else. But there’s actually more to Drifloon!
Sure, on the sides of its yellow “X” mark are its eerie, dotted eyes. But its body is said to contain the lost spirits of both people and Pokémon—and when it explodes, it screams. How unsettling is that?
8. Klinklang (Gen V)
Klinklangearns a spot on this list for two reasons: not only does it have a ridiculous name, but it also has a peculiar body.
This Steel-type Pokémon starts out as Klink (which is basically two interlocking gears), evolves into Klang (which then becomes a grouping of three gears), and finally evolves into Klinklang (which is completed by a fourth gear that looks like a spiked rim).
I mean, come on! Klinklang is really just a pile of gears, and it attacks by launching itself at targets. (By the way, these three Pokémon are the only ones capable of learning Gear Grind!)
7. Honedge (Gen VI)
Honedgeis a Pokémon that looks and feels like a sword, which can be wielded like a sword and even sheathed when it isn’t fighting. (Wouldn’t it make more sense to just wield an actual sword in a Pokémon battle?)
This animated medieval sword is a Ghost and Steel type that eventually evolves into Aegislash: a sword-and-shield combo.
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6. Polteageist (Gen VIII)
Polteageistis the newest Pokémon on this list, which made its appearance inPokémon Sword and Shield. Game Freak yet again continues its pattern of creating Pokémon out of inanimate objects.
In this case, Polteageist looks like a ghost inside of a cracked teapot, but it’s actually made of black tea. It evolves from Sinistea, which is rumored to be a spirit-possessed cup of leftover tea.
Funny enough, Polteageist is said to be extremely tasty, but ingestion can cause stomach issues (or even death if drank in excess).
5. Chandelure (Gen V)
Chandeliers are generally considered fragile, but don’t be fooled. Even thoughChandelureresembles a fancy chandelier, it’s actually pretty powerful Pokémon and even a bit scary.
Chandelure starts as a mere candle called Litwick, then later evolves into the lamp-inspired Pokémon called Lampent.
It’s a bit of a shame that Game Freak didn’t inject a little more creativity into this Pokémon. I think the look of Chandelure would be a dealbreaker for most Pokémon trainers.
4. Comfey (Gen VII)
Pokémon Sun and Moonintroduced us toComfey, which is basically the Alolan version of a Hawaiian lei (i.e. a wreath of flowers that are strung together and worn on the body).
While Comfey doesn’t have very powerful attacks, it’s actually still somewhat helpful because it specializes in a move called Floral Healing, which you can use to heal the other Pokémon on your team.
3. Klefki (Gen VI)
For a long time, first-generation Magikarp was the poster child for useless Pokémon. But at least Magikarp could eventually evolve into the awesome Gyarados!
These days,Klefkihas taken over as the most useless Pokémon—and you can glean that just from its name and its appearance. If you couldn’t tell, Klefki is modeled after a keyring, and stealing and collecting keys is just about the only talent it has.
2. Vanillish (Gen V)
Vanillishis an Ice-type Pokémon that resembles a frozen ice cream cone. It starts as Vanillite (which resembles a lone dollop of soft serve), then eventually evolves into Vanilluxe (which is two scoops on a cone).
Using this Pokémon is a great way to humiliate your friends in battle. Who wants to get beaten by a dopey-looking ice cream cone?
1. Trubbish (Gen V)
This Pokémon is literal trash. Just the idea of someone at Game Freak brainstorming this abomination makes me sick, but it’s even worse that someone actuallyapprovedthis trashbag Pokémon.
As if the nameTrubbishisn’t obvious enough that this Pokémon is made out of trash, the creators just had to give it a trashbag-shaped body and arms made of sludge. Poor guy.
Unfortunately, Trubbish doesn’t get any better when it evolves into Garbodor, which looks like an animated version of a landfill.
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