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With over 1,000 unique pokémon across the entire Pokémon franchise, there’s bound to be some pokémon that are a bit worse than others. Curious what these pokémon are and what makes them the worst of the worst? Keep reading! In this article, we’ll tell you all about the pokémon with the worst stats and gameplay potential, designs, and types. Just know that this is largely based on opinion and meant in good fun—there’s no pokémon that’s truly the worst ever!

The Worst Pokémon Ever

  • Worst for gameplay: Luvdisc, Unown, Delibird, Ledian
  • Worst designs: Bruxish, Sawk, Gurdurr, Gholdengo
  • Worst types: Bug, Ice
Section 1 of 6:

Worst Pokémon for Gameplay

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  1. Luvdisc is commonly memed upon for having some of the worst base stats in the entire Pokémon franchise. The heart-shaped water pokémon has an extremely low HP (43), Attack (30), and Defense (55), so it doesn’t stand up well to opponents. Its ability, Swift Swim, doesn’t help it much in regular or competitive gameplay, either. The ability increases Luvdisc’s Speed in the rain, but Luvdisc already has a high Speed stat.[1]
    • Stats: HP: 43; Attack: 30; Defense: 55; Sp. Attack: 40; Sp. Defense: 65; Speed: 97
    • Plus, lots of people don’t like Luvdisc’s design! They say it looks too simple, or like someone cut out a pink love heart, turned it on its side, and drew on eyes.
  2. Unown might be a cool-looking pokémon—it has 28 versions that form each letter of the alphabet, plus an exclamation and question mark—but its gimmick doesn’t make it good for regular or competitive gameplay. This Psychic pokémon can only learn the move Hidden Power (which is pretty weak, too) and can’t be taught any other moves. Plus, its base stats are some of the worst in the games.[2]
    • Stats: HP: 48; Attack: 72; Defense: 48; Sp. Attack: 72; Sp. Defense: 48; Speed: 48
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  3. The Delibird Pokémon may be cute, but it’s considered pretty useless in competitive and regular gameplay. Its base stats are low across the board, and it only learns 2 moves by leveling up. Its signature move, Present, either weakly damages the opponent or heals them, which definitely isn’t great in battle! Plus, as an Ice and Flying-type ‘mon, Delibird is weak against Rock, Fire, Electric, and Steel types.[3]
    • Stats: HP: 45; Attack: 55; Defense: 45; Sp. Attack: 65; Sp. Defense: 45; Speed: 75
  4. Most people agree that Ledian is one of the worst fully evolved pokémon in the franchise. While it certainly looks cool and capable of punching out its opponents with its 4 fists, it has an abysmal base Attack stat of 35. So even though it can learn some powerful moves (Double-Edge, Bug Buzz), it’s unlikely to leave a mark. Plus, its Bug and Flying typing make it super weak against Rock, Fire, Electric, Ice, and Flying-type pokémon.[4]
    • Stats: HP: 55; Attack: 35; Defense: 50; Sp. Attack: 55; Sp. Defense: 110; Speed: 85
  5. Castform was the gimmicky pokémon in Ruby/Sapphire/Emerald that showed off how the weather changes in the games. The Normal-type pokémon alters its form and type depending on the weather during battle (e.g., Sunlight>Fire-type, Rain>Water-type, Hail>Ice-type). Unfortunately, this seemingly cool ability doesn’t make Castform very good because…it’s super weak. Despite the powerful moves it can learn and the great addition it could make to weather-based teams, it doesn’t hit hard or take hits well.[5]
    • Stats: HP: 70; Attack: 70; Defense: 70; Sp. Attack: 70; Sp. Defense: 70; Speed: 70
  6. While the initial evolutionary forms of a pokémon are always weaker than their final forms, Cosmog takes the cake as being one of the worst. Firstly, this Legendary Psychic pokémon has incredibly low base stats. Secondly, it only knows the moves Splash and Teleport, which are both useless in battle, and can’t learn any TMs. While Cosmog eventually evolves into the powerful Solgaleo or Lunala, you’re stuck with a weak ‘mon until it reaches Level 53.[6]
    • Stats: HP: 43; Attack: 29; Defense: 31; Sp. Attack: 29; Sp. Defense: 31; Speed: 37
    • Cosmog does have a mid-evolution, Cosmoem, which it evolves into at Level 43. However, Cosmoem does not learn any useful moves and is still pretty weak.
  7. Sunkern is another pokémon with a weak initial evolution, making it one of the worst on this list for regular or competitive gameplay. The Grass-type ‘mon has a base stat of 30 across the board, making it an easy target. Its saving grace is that it learns pretty good moves (Razor Leaf, Synthesis, Giga Drain, Seed Bomb) through leveling up. Plus, it evolves into Sunflora, which is a decent pokémon.[7]
    • Stats: HP: 30; Attack: 30; Defense: 30; Sp. Attack: 30; Sp. Defense: 30; Speed: 30
    • Multiple Pokédex entries actually reference the fact that Sunkern is weak, so its reputation as being one of the worst ‘mons is purposeful.
  8. As far as bug-based pokémon go, Beedrill is one of the worst, especially since it’s the final evolution in its line. While the Bug and Poison-type pokémon looks pretty intimidating and has a decent Attack stat, its Defense and Special Attack stats are where it's really lacking. Plus, it doesn’t have a great movepool—the moves it learns are also generally on the weaker side (especially in earlier games).[8]
    • Stats: HP: 65; Attack: 90; Defense: 40; Sp. Attack: 45; Sp. Defense: 80; Speed: 75
  9. Like Beedrill, Parasect is another Gen 1, bug-based pokémon that’s considered pretty weak throughout gameplay. As the final evolution of Paras, this Bug and Grass-type ‘mon has a super low Speed stat, and the rest of its base stats aren’t much better. The moves it learns aren’t really impressive, either. Plus, it’s weak against a lot of types: it receives 4x damage from Fire and Water-type pokémon and 2x damage from Ice, Poison, Bug, and Rock types.[9]
    • Stats: HP: 60; Attack: 95; Defense: 80; Sp. Attack: 60; Sp. Defense: 80; Speed: 30
  10. No list of the worst pokémon would be complete without Magikarp. This Water-type pokémon has been notorious for its utter uselessness since Gen 1! Its signature move is Splash, which does absolutely nothing, and it takes it until Level 15 to learn Tackle. So, it’s not a great idea to send it out into battle. Of course, Magikarp’s weakness is purposeful, as the dopey ‘mon evolves into the terrifyingly powerful Gyarados at Level 20.[10]
    • Stats: HP: 20; Attack: 10; Defense: 55; Sp. Attack: 15; Sp. Defense: 20; Speed: 80
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Section 2 of 6:

Worst Pokémon Designs

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  1. While it’s true that every pokémon has at least 1 fan, it definitely seems like Bruxish takes most people’s #1 spot as the worst-designed pokémon. The fish-like ‘mon is the definition of garish, with its pouty lips, long eyelashes, and clashing colors of vivid pink, yellow, turquoise, and purple. It’s unclear what Game Freak was thinking when they made Bruxish, because it turned out more unsettling than beautiful![11]
    • Type: Water and Psychic
    • Generation: 7
  2. Game Freak loves to create human-like pokémon from time to time, and they rarely ever go over well with players. So, most people agree that Sawk is one of their most questionable designs. Sawk is pure Uncanny Valley vibes with its human stance and blue, rocky body. What’s most unsettling is that it looks like it's wearing a karate gi. But, does this mean it's actually wearing clothes, or is the gi some sort of appendage that grows from its body? We’re not sure which is worse.[12]
    • Type: Fighting
    • Generation: 5
    • Honorable mention: Sawk’s counterpart, Throh.
  3. Gurdurr is another pokémon that looks a little too human-like for comfort. Besides that, its design is just baffling. It seems like the artists were trying to come up with a design similar to Machoke, but they just created an over-muscled gym-bro. The pink protrusions coming off Gurdurr’s body look like popping veins, which is pretty gross. Combined with its red clown nose, Gurdurr is simply weird-looking.[13]
    • Type: Fighting
    • Generation: 5
  4. If we’re being honest, all of the Legendary Forces of Nature (Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus) belong on this list. But out of all of them, Enamorus has got to be the worst design. The genie-like pokémon is supposedly a goddess of spring, but its sinister design makes it look more like a supervillain (think HIM from The Powerpuff Girls). Its turtle-like Therian form is even worse, with its big head and too-long neck.[14]
    • Type: Fairy and Flying
    • Generation: 8
  5. Garbodor’s design is pure garbage (pun intended). While its initial evolution, Trubbish, is actually pretty cute, something went wrong when Garbodor was designed. The pokémon looks like sentient garbage spilling out of a ripped garbage bag, complete with misshapen arms and a permanent screaming expression. The decision to make Garbodor a muddled brown and green color was definitely a choice, too.[15]
    • Type: Poison
    • Generation: 5
  6. For a solid-gold pokémon, Gholdengo doesn’t look cool or expensive. When most people first saw the ‘mon, they either said it looked like string cheese or a knock-off of a (bad) cereal mascot. Gholdengo’s silly, Gumby-like body definitely left people scratching their heads and wanting their money back when they finally evolved it from Gimmighoul, especially because they had to collect 999 Gimmighoul coins to get it![16]
    • Type: Steel and Ghost
    • Generation: 9
  7. Calyrex is a Legendary pokémon, so perhaps that’s why it appears to be defying the laws of physics. The ‘mon stands on 2 spindly legs, which it uses to support a huge green bulb growing out of its head. Calyrex is supposed to have a regal vibe, but the goofy proportions and weird growth make it hard to take seriously.[17]
    • Type: Psychic and Grass
    • Generation: 8
  8. Even the biggest ice cream fans seem to have a problem with Vanilluxe’s design. Besides it being hard to get behind a sentient ice cream cone, Vanilluxe simply looks disproportionate. There are 2 swirls of ice cream, but for some reason, the designers made them share 1 cone. Plus, Vanilluxe’s wide-eyed, drooling expressions are a bit too goofy.[18]
    • Type: Ice
    • Generation: 5
  9. Crabominable is just plain confusing from a design standpoint. The pokémon is inspired by coconut and horsehair crabs, so it doesn’t make sense why it has paws instead of claws. Plus, the gap-toothed smile and tuft of blonde hair make Crabominable look silly rather than imposing. What’s worse is that Crabominable evolves from Crabrawler, which has a pretty cool design. So, Crabominable feels like wasted potential.[19]
    • Type: Fighting and Ice
    • Generation: 7
  10. Heatmor is certainly an… interesting-looking pokémon. The artists based Heatmor on an anteater, but we bet you wouldn’t have guessed that at first glance. The design is just kind of shapeless without any defining features, so it doesn’t really stand out. Plus, the ‘mon kind of looks like it's wearing a too-tight sweater instead of being made out of molten lava.[20]
    • Type: Fire
    • Generation: V
  11. There’s just a bit too much going on when it comes to Watchog’s design. The pokémon is clearly based on a meerkat, which would be cool all on its own! However, the hypnotic, cartoon-like eyes and crossing guard uniform combined with the crossed arms and glaring color palette push Watchog into unsettling territory.[21]
    • Type: Normal
    • Generation: 5
  12. Stunfisk’s design is strange, to say the least. The ‘mon resembles a flat, fish-like pokémon, which is pretty hard to get behind already. What really sets it off is its wide-set and expressionless eyes—there are no thoughts going on inside Stunfisk’s head, that’s for sure.[22]
    • Type: Ground and Electric
    • Generation: 5
  13. It’s unclear why Game Freak decided the Pokémon franchise needed a pokémon based on noses, but that’s how we came to get Probopass. The giant sculpture-like ‘mon that doesn’t feature 1, but 4 noses. The biggest one is bright red and, for some reason, has a mustache growing under it. Perhaps the artists were going for a distinguished, gentlemanly look, but Probopass just looks straight up weird.[23]
    • Type: Rock and Steel
    • Generation: 4
  14. We hate to say it, but Eiscue’s design just feels kind of lazy. The pokémon is simply a penguin with a giant ice cube for a head, complete with a carved-out beak and eyes. Eiscue’s design doesn’t seem to have that quintessential “pokémon” look, which is unfortunate because the concept could be pretty interesting![24]
    • Type: Ice
    • Generation: 8
  15. Lickilicky is the evolution of Lickitung, which means it has the same giant tongue that lots of people find unsettling. However, what makes Lickilicky’s design bad is that it looks like a downgrade from Lickitung! Lickilicky looks more like an amorphous blob than a pokémon, as it lacks the distinct features and curves that Lickitung has. Its design might have worked better if it were Lickitung’s pre-evolution, not the other way around.[25]
    • Type: Normal
    • Generation: 4
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Section 3 of 6:

Worst Pokémon Type

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  1. For the most part, Bug-type pokémon have the worst offense in the game, as their Attack power is consistently lower than other types. Their HP and Defense stats are almost as low, too. Plus, Bug-types are weak against a lot of types. Fire, Flying, and Rock-types are super effective against Bug-types, while Bug-types aren’t very effective against Fairy, Fighting, Fire, Flying, Ghost, Poison, and Steel-types.[26]
    • However, Bug-type pokémon are weak by design. These pokémon are easy to catch and level up quickly, so they’re great to use in the beginning of your game before you have access to other, more powerful ‘mons.
    • Ice is typically considered the second-worst type. While Ice-types are powerful offensively, they have pretty poor defense (they’re commonly called “glass cannons”). The only type that they resist is Ice, while Fire, Fighting, Rock, and Steel are super effective against them.
Section 4 of 6:

Worst Pokémon of Each Type

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  1. Whether you’re looking for pokémon that’ll make your playthrough more fun and challenging, or you’re looking for pokémon to steer clear of in competitive battles, check out the worst pokémon of each type below! For this list, we stuck to single-type pokémon and their final evolutions—there may be weaker pokémon with dual types!
    • Bug: Illumise (HP: 65; Attack: 47; Defense: 75; Sp. Attack: 73; Sp. Defense: 85; Speed: 85)[27]
    • Dark: Mightyena (HP: 70; Attack: 90; Defense: 70; Sp. Attack: 60; Sp. Defense: 60; Speed: 70)[28]
    • Dragon: Druddigon (HP: 77; Attack: 120; Defense: 90; Sp. Attack: 60; Sp. Defense: 90; Speed: 48)[29]
    • Electric: Pachirisu (HP: 60; Attack: 45; Defense: 70; Sp. Attack: 45; Sp. Defense: 90; Speed: 95)[30]
    • Fairy: Aromatisse (HP: 101; Attack: 72; Defense: 72; Sp. Attack: 99; Sp. Defense: 89; Speed: 29)[31]
    • Fighting: Hitmontop (HP: 50; Attack: 95; Defense: 95; Sp. Attack: 35; Sp. Defense: 110; Speed: 70)[32]
    • Fire: Simisear (HP: 75; Attack: 98; Defense: 63; Sp. Attack: 98; Sp. Defense: 63; Speed: 101)[33]
    • Flying: Farfetch'd (technically Flying/Normal) (HP: 52; Attack: 90; Defense: 55; Sp. Attack: 58; Sp. Defense: 62; Speed: 60)[34]
    • Ghost: Banette (HP: 64; Attack: 115; Defense: 65; Sp. Attack: 83; Sp. Defense: 63; Speed: 65)[35]
    • Grass: Sunflora (HP:; Attack: 75; Defense: 55; Sp. Attack: 105; Sp. Defense: 85; Speed: 30)[36]
    • Ground: Dugtrio (HP: 35; Attack: 100; Defense: 50; Sp. Attack: 50; Sp. Defense: 70; Speed: 120)[37]
    • Ice: Glalie (HP: 80; Attack: 80; Defense: 80; Sp. Attack: 80; Sp. Defense: 80; Speed: 80)[38]
    • Poison: Swalot (HP: 100; Attack: 73; Defense: 83; Sp. Attack: 73; Sp. Defense: 83; Speed: 55)[39]
    • Psychic: Unown (HP: 48; Attack: 72; Defense: 48; Sp. Attack: 72; Sp. Defense: 48; Speed: 48)
    • Normal: Spinda (HP: 60; Attack: 60; Defense: 60; Sp. Attack: 60; Sp. Defense: 60; Speed: 60)[40]
    • Rock: Stonjourner (HP: 100; Attack: 125; Defense: 135; Sp. Attack: 20; Sp. Defense: 20; Speed: 70)[41]
    • Steel: Klinklang (HP: 60; Attack: 100; Defense: 115; Sp. Attack: 70; Sp. Defense: 85; Speed: 90)[42]
    • Water: Luvdisc (HP: 43; Attack: 30; Defense: 55; Sp. Attack: 40; Sp. Defense: 65; Speed: 97)
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Section 5 of 6:

Worst Pokémon from Each Generation

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  1. Each Pokémon generation is full of unique and exciting pokémon…with a few duds in between. If you’re curious about the worst Pokémon in each generation, check out our list below! This is a combination of pokémon with the worst stats and designs.
    • Gen 1: As mentioned, Beedrill is one of the weakest Bug pokémon. Ditto is a close second with its poor stats—some people find its design unsettling, too.[43]
    • Gen 2: Both Ledian and Delibird aren’t big surprises, as they have some of the worst stats in the whole franchise.
    • Gen 3: Spinda and Castform are both Normal-types with below-average base stats.
    • Gen 4: Carnivine has below-average stats for a Grass pokémon and a pretty useless ability.[44] Chatot has one of the lowest base stats for a Normal and Flying-type pokémon, too.[45]
    • Gen 5: Unfezant makes the list for its rather uninspired design. Plus, for the region’s Flying pokémon, it’s pretty weak.[46] Swanna also has below-average base stats.[47]
    • Gen 6: Carbink may be cute, but it has abysmal offensive stats.[48] Meowstic also isn’t a great offensive attacker.[49]
    • Gen 7: Shiinotic has very low base stats, especially for being the final evolution.[50] Komala has decent Attack stats, but its defensive stats aren’t that great. Plus, its design is kind of forgettable.[51]
    • Gen 8: Grapploct has below-average base stats, especially for a Fighting and Water-type.[52] Stonjourner is generally considered to be one of the worst Rock-types.
    • Gen 9: Spidops makes the list for its poor base stats and its odd design.[53] Squawkabilly also earns a spot for its pretty forgettable design, too.[54]
Section 6 of 6:

Worst Pokémon Game

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  1. While there’s no “worst” Pokémon game, as this is entirely based on your opinion, most people agree that they were disappointed when Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl came out in 2021. The games are remakes of Diamond and Pearl, but they didn’t really add anything new. So, lots of people see BD/SP as lazy remakes. Plus, there were quite a few glitches and bugs that affected gameplay when the games first came out.
    • Plus, Platinum is generally considered the best game out of the Diamond and Pearl series, so people were confused why it wasn’t remade, too.
    • As for other contenders, some people think Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are the worst games. They think they’re too similar to Sun and Moon without adding anything new. Sword and Shield are also low on some people’s lists, as they think they had a boring storyline and a poorly designed region.
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  1. https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Magikarp_(Pokémon)
  2. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/bruxish
  3. https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Sawk_(Pokémon)
  4. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/gurdurr
  5. https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Enamorus_(Pokémon)
  6. https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Garbodor_(Pokémon)
  7. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/gholdengo
  8. https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Calyrex_(Pokémon)
  9. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/vanilluxe
  10. https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Crabominable_(Pokémon)
  11. https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Heatmor_(Pokémon)
  12. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/watchog
  13. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/stunfisk
  14. https://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Probopass_(Pokémon)
  15. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/eiscue
  16. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/lickilicky#dex-evolution
  17. https://pokemondb.net/type/bug
  18. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/illumise
  19. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/mightyena
  20. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/druddigon
  21. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/pachirisu
  22. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/aromatisse
  23. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/hitmontop
  24. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/simisear
  25. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/farfetchd
  26. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/banette
  27. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/sunflora
  28. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/dugtrio
  29. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/glalie
  30. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/swalot
  31. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/spinda
  32. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/stonjourner
  33. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/klinklang
  34. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/ditto
  35. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/carnivine
  36. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/chatot
  37. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/unfezant
  38. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/swanna
  39. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/carbink
  40. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/meowstic
  41. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/shiinotic
  42. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/komala
  43. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/grapploct
  44. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/spidops
  45. https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/squawkabilly

About This Article

Ishrak
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This article was reviewed by Ishrak and by wikiHow staff writer, Devin McSween. Ishrak is a Gaming & Video Expert specializing in sharing Pokémon and Minecraft videos. With over eight years of gaming and streaming experience, Ishrak has a follower base of over 35,000 YouTube subscribers and over 8 million views. He is also a Pokémon ROM-Hacker and some of his most popular videos highlight tips and advice for people learning how to play Pokémon games.
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Updated: September 24, 2025
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