Worst-Designed Pokemon Of All Time

The Pokemon series is home to some of the finest creature designs. If not for the great mix of creativity and simplicity, Pokemon would not nearly be as successful as it is today. However, when so many Pokemon are required to fill a Pokedex, there are going to be a few misses. Some designs are uninspired or lazy, and they seem to just fill the space between the good designs.

Related

Pokemon: 39 Best Fire Moves, Ranked

In addition to generally high damage output, many fire-based attacks also carry the chance of burning the opponent. These are the best of them.

Posts

Despite what some fans may think, the worst designs aren't the weird ones. The worst designs are the ones that simply have no purpose. They don't take any risks or creative spins. In some cases, they're outright just not appealing. This isn't something every person is going to agree on, but these designs are widely regarded as far from spectacular.

Updated on January 11, 2025, by Ben Painter: Some Pokemon are perfectly designed. Garchomp, Metagross, and even Pikachu are fine examples of this, and they are much loved across the board by fans. However, some creatures do not receive the same treatment. Some Pokemon are so poorly designed that even the Pokemon franchise does not give them much play after they debut. Their designs can be confusing, offensive, and just downright awful. With so many to choose from, this list has been updated to feature even more of the worst-designed Pokemon, which include some questionable alternate forms of some legendary Pokemon.

35 Gurdurr

An Unsettling Design

• Type: Fighting
• Generation: 5
• Game Introduced: Pokemon Black & White
• Location In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: Mossfell Confluence, Fellhorn Gorge, Paradise Barrens, Tera Raid Battles (3★)

This Generation 5 Pokemon has an interesting motif. Throughout each evolution, it gains a different thing to hold, from Timburr with a log, Gurdurr with a girder, and Conkeldurr with two stone pillars. That raises the question of how items work with Pokemon evolution.

Each of the three Fighting types have rough designs, but Gurdurr is by far the worst. It is too humanoid for a start, and to make matters worse, it has a clown/circus strongman thing going on, which doesn't sit right with many fans who have coulrophobia. The pink on its body looks like enlarged veins, which really doesn't work either.

Gurdurr's Base Stats

34 Calyrex

Head-To-Body Proportion Is All Off

• Type: Psychic/Grass
• Generation: 8
• Game Introduced: Pokemon Sword & Shield: The Crown Tundra DLC
• Location In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: N/A

Pokemon fans were alarmed when the face of the Crown Tundra DLC of Pokemon Sword & Shield was announced as they were greeted with a disproportionately deer-like Pokemon with a huge bulb on its head and long skinny legs. This 'mon just doesn't look right. Legendary Pokemon should look powerful and menacing, but Calyrex simply doesn't.

However, this Pokemon can be somewhat improved when it gains a trusty steed in Glastrier or Spectrier. Both can combine to increase the stats of Calyrex and have it ride the icy or ghostly horse.

Calyrex's Base Stats

33 Crabominable

Just Plain Ugly

• Type: Fighting/Ice
• Generation: 7
• Game Introduced: Pokemon Sun & Moon
• Location In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: East Province: Area Two, North Province: Glaseado Mountain, Tera Raid Battles (4★), Chargestone Cavern, Polar Biome

This Pokemon certainly builds a strong case for being the ugliest of all the creatures in the franchise. Just like its name suggests, it draws inspiration from the abominable snowman, and its face is certainly in that realm. Gamers can see what GameFreak was going for, but it just doesn't work.

It is a shame because its pre-evolved form, Crabrawler, has a great design, but it is ruined when taking its final form. There are a lot of crab Pokemon in the franchise, and this 'mon is certainly the worst.

Crabominable's Base Stats

32 Enamorus

It Looks Like A Powerpuff Girls Villain

• Type: Fairy/Flying
• Generation: 8
• Game Introduced: Pokemon Legends: Arceus
• Location In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: N/A

The Forces of Nature were a Legendary trio introduced in Pokemon Black & White, but they gained another member when the player headed to the ancient land of Hisui with Enamorus. The Fairy/Flying Pokemon has an interesting design, and many fans have likened it to The Powerpuff Girls villain, HIM.

Related

35 Pokemon With Hidden Abilities Competitive Players Must Have

Hidden abilities can be a powerful advantage in Pokemon's competitive gameplay. These Pokemon in particular have worthwhile hidden abilities.

Posts 1

By  Ryan Woodrow

What makes matters worse is that it has another form, and that is probably worse. The Therian form is a weird turtle-looking thing, which doesn't really make much sense as a Fairy/Flying-type Pokemon. At least it is a great battler with fantastic stats, and the Fairy typing is always overpowered.

Enamorus' Base Stats

31 Origin Forme Dialga & Origin Forme Palkia

Iconic Designs Have Took A Turn

• Type:
  • Dialga: Steel/Dragon
  • Palkia: Water/Dragon

• Generation: 8
• Game Introduced: Pokemon Legends: Arceus
• Location In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: N/A

The designs of Dialga and Palkia are perfect. Originally introduced in Pokemon Diamond & Pearl, fans had no complaints as they looked like the powerful Legendary Pokemon that they are.

However, in the ancient version of the Sinnoh region, the creation duo were given origin forms that were downright an eyesore. Dialga's legs became something that didn't resemble legs anymore, and Palkia became a centaur. The latter is probably the biggest example of a Pokemon not being anything like its type. What about Origin Forme Palkia makes it a Water type? GameFreak really messed up with these two.

Origin Forme DIalga & Palkia Base Stats

30 Blacephalon

A Confusing Design Meets A Clown

• Type: Fire/Ghost
• Generation: 7
• Game Introduced: Pokemon Sun & Moon
• Location In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: N/A

Ultra Beasts deserve a lot of slack because they are meant to look weird and confusing; they originate from an alternate dimension, so it makes sense why they look the way they do. However, that does not mean that they all have good designs.

Blacephalon is a clown that meets a disco ball. Clowns are not favored among many as it goes, so this Pokemon was not off to a great start when it first appeared. What makes this Pokemon worse is its confusing typing, Fire and Ghost. There is nothing to suggest about this design that it should be either of those types; Fairy and Psychic would make much more sense.

Blacephalon's Base Stats

29 Stakataka

The Most Un-Pokemon Looking Pokemon

• Type: Rock/Steel
• Generation: 7
• Game Introduced: Pokemon Sun & Moon
• Location In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: N/A

As far as Ultra Beast designs go, Stakataka is easily one of the worst. There are a lot of Pokemon in the franchise that 'don't feel like Pokemon,' and this particular creature is a fine example of one.

Related

The Fastest Pokemon Of All Time

There have been plenty of speedy Pokemon over the years, but which ones are the fastest in Nintendo and Game Freak's franchise?

Posts

Its design appears to be based on a building. Pokemon are usually based on animals or plants, with a few exceptions like Magnemite and Klefki being based on objects. That said, these designs work much better than Stakataka. A building inspiration seems like a bit of a stretch, even for an Ultra Beast. At least its typing of Rock/Steel makes sense for it.

Stakataka's Base Stats

28 Probopass

The Mustache Needs To Go

• Type: Rock/Steel
• Generation: 4
• Game Introduced: Pokemon Diamond & Pearl
• Location In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: Tera Raid Battles (5★)

The pre-evolved form of Nosepass was first brought to fans in Generation 3, and it was not regarded as a bad design. But in the next generation, it received an evolution in Probopass, and it was disliked among fans. The mustache simply makes no sense on a Rock/Steel-type.

Its nose is its full gimmick, which can be understood, but the matching hat and the human-like eyes make for a hideous-looking Pokemon. This is without mentioning the potential negative racial stereotype that Probopass' design alludes to. It's a problematic and awfully designed Pokemon.

Probopass' Base Stats

27 Binacle

An Angry-Looking Pokemon

• Type: Rock/Water
• Generation: 6
• Game Introduced: Pokemon X & Y
• Location In Pokemon Scarlet & Violet: N/A

This Pokemon looks like something from The Last of Us. Binacle has two faces, which is just creepy. What makes it worse is that they also look like hands. A Pokemon based on a barnacle was always going to end in a nightmare-fueled way, as it isn't the prettiest of creatures on Earth.

What Binacle has going for it is its evolution. Barbaracle is a much better-designed Pokemon. The Rock/Water 'mon gains one face and looks more like a golem, standing on two feet. However, its four hands each have an eye on them, which is quite creepy. At least it is useful in battle with high defense, impressive attack, and a base stat total of 500.

Binacle's Base Stats

26 Mr. Mime

Clowns Are Always Going To Lose

• Type: Psychic/Fairy
• Generation: 1
• Game Introduced: Pokemon Red & Blue
• Location In Pokemon Scarlet & Viole t: N/A

Where should one start with Mr. Mime? Clowns are disliked by many across the world, and that's for obvious reasons. So why did Game Freak create a clown Pokemon? Mr. Mime is also a prominent feature in the anime, playing the role of Ash's mom's Pokemon, and it just looks so out of place among its animal-like peers.

Human-based Pokemon are never revered as the best Pokemon, and Mr. Mime is no exception. In the live-action Detective Pikachu movie, Mr. Mime makes an appearance with a more realistic appearance, and if fans have not had the pleasure of seeing this design yet, they should look with caution, as it may as well have been Pennywise the Clown.

Mr. Mime's Base Stats