The 25 Best Pokémon Of All Time

Ash with Pokemon

Since its humble beginnings on the Game Boy in 1996, the Pokémon series has introduced over 1000 Pokémon. The original 151 are fantastic creatures, even if some of them are a little uninspired, but the subsequent 900 or so have been filled with bangers.

As much as we’d love to rank all 1010 Pokémon – and we absolutely would – that’s just too many creatures, and deciding where they all rank among each other would take literal years. Instead, we’ve gone through the whole list, from Bulbasaur to Iron Leaves, and picked out 25 of the best Pokémon of all time. Some of these are in the list because of how powerful they are in battle, others are there because they’re cute or cool — don’t take it too seriously.

Without further ado, here are the 25 best Pokémon in existence, sorted vaguely by their Pokédex number.

Gengar

Gengar is one of the 151 original Pokémon, and it’s got some serious cool factor. A ghost that hides in people’s shadows, coming out to strike when the time is right? That’s awesome. Its cheeky smile and simple design makes it even more lovable.

Snorlax

Snorlax is a lot like Gengar in the simplicity of its design, but it goes one step further by introducing a little bit of goofiness. Snorlax is just a big sleepy guy who loves to eat and loves to sleep, and who could possibly hate that?

Dragonite

Dragonite gets a spot on the list for a few reasons. The first is that it’s cute as heck, with that big round body and happy little face, making it one of the most huggable designs the series has ever seen. The second is that it’s a beast in battle, with plenty of bulk and a monstrous attack state, if you can get past its crippling weakness to Ice-type moves.

Politoed

Sure, Poliwrath is cool, but it’s mostly just a Poliwhirl that got up on the wrong side of the bed. But slap a King’s Rock on a Poliwhirl and you get the adorable little frog monster that is Politoed. Politoed has had a long history in competitive Pokémon due to its ability to summon rainstorms, so it’s not just a pretty face, too.

Teddiursa

It’s a cute little teddy bear that loves honey, what more is there to say? Teddiursa has become somewhat of a sleeper hit for merchandise in recent years, with more and more Teddiursa toys popping up all over the place. It’s not hard to see why, everybody wants to hug that little guy.

Masquerain

I didn’t really see the appeal of Masquerain for a long while, but with time it started to grow on me. Bug-type Pokémon are usually pretty cool, and Masquerain is no exception there, with its graceful design and loud accenting features. Having Intimidate as an ability makes it that much more usable too, making for a great Pokémon across the board.

Exploud

Exploud is a very biased pick, but let me make my case for it. It's a weird, ugly, sound-based creature with silly little pipes and horns. Basically, it’s a living, breathing bagpipe, and as silly as that sounds, isn’t it kinda cool too? Its primary ability, Soundproof, makes it immune to a bunch of moves, while its hidden ability, Scrappy, lets it hit ghosts with its powerful Normal-type moves. It might not be the strongest Pokémon in the world, but it’s one of the best gimmick Pokémon around.

Altaria

Who doesn’t love a big, fluffy bird dragon? That’s exactly what Altaria is, and we love that for it. It’s got a delightful Mega form that makes it even fluffier, and two fantastic abilities that make it a joy to use in battle. Plus, it looks like you could just snuggle up and have a nice long nap in its wings, and it’s hard to beat that.

Piplup

If there was a competition for the best starter Pokémon in the series’ history, Piplup would easily make the finals. This adamant little water penguin is super cute and packed with personality, both in the games and in the anime, where it took a shine as Dawn’s partner Pokémon. Like Teddiursa, it’s also built up a reputation as a bit of a merch fiend in recent years, so there’s plenty of love for the happy little penguin guy.

Spiritomb

Spiritomb is super creepy and super cool. Lore-wise, it’s a Pokémon made up of 108 souls crammed into a rock as punishment 500 years ago, and in most games in which it appears you have to jump through some hoops to get it. That’s okay though, as it rocks one of the best type combos in the game – Ghost and Dark – and is famous for its inclusion on the team of the fan-favorite champion, Cynthia.

Electivire

Electabuzz always felt like it was a little bit lacking. It was fine, sure, and it even got access to the elemental punching moves, but it had that vibe of a Pokémon that was meant to have an evolution but just never did. Enter Electivire, one of the most ridiculously cool Pokémon ever to exist. Its design is perfect, its stats are fantastic, and it finally feels like the awkward teenage Electabuzz has been done justice.

Lilligant

Lilligant, my beloved, what a wonderful Pokémon you are. She’s a cute little ballroom dancer with a flower hat and a leaf dress, and all of her animations are just delightful. In Pokémon Legends Arceus she even got another form, Hisuian Lilligant, where she took a pivot to be more of a ballet dancer (and had an incredible boss fight). No matter which form you pick, there’s plenty to love about Lilligant.

Excadrill

Excadrill was introduced in Pokémon Black and White, the (almost literal) black sheep of the Pokémon series. It’s a modern counterpart to Dugtrio, with plenty of speed and a terrifying physical attack stat, but it also looks super cool. A rough-and-tumble mole with metal claws that can turn into a literal drill? Sign me up.

Scolipede

Who wants a sassy poisonous horse-bug with an incredible color scheme and one of the best abilities in the game? That’s right, everybody. Scolipede unfortunately didn’t make the cut in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, which is a shame since it’s got a fantastic move pool and Speed Boost as an ability, increasing its speed every single turn it’s on the field. This thing is 8-feet tall too, so you could absolutely ride it like a horse into battle, which is the hallmark of any good Pokémon design.

Aegislash

If you’re looking for a competitive powerhouse, Aegislash is it. The sword and shield Pokémon (which ironically was not available in Sword and Shield) was a mainstay in competitive Pokémon for years, thanks to its powerful Stance Change ability letting it change between offensive and defensive forms. Its signature move, King’s Shield, cemented it in the upper echelon of competitive play, since it made it immune to damage and lowered the opponent’s attack — a deadly combo.

Pumpkaboo

Pumpkaboo is a cute little pumpkin guy, and normally that would be enough to land it on this list. What makes it even better is its unique gimmick, which has the pumpkin Pokémon available in a bunch of different sizes, which affect its stats, with smaller sizes being faster and more fragile, and larger sizes being slower and bulkier. It’s a neat little gimmick, and while it does make finding the right one difficult, it’s cute enough to forgive.

Klefki

Everyone rags on Klefki, but a lot of it feels really unfair. Yes, it’s a set of keys, but you know what else it is? A fairy that steals keys, and that’s an amazing concept. You know when you’re looking for your keys and they aren’t in any of the usual spots, so you look around and they’re somewhere super weird? Well, a Klefki put them there. That’s the idea at least, and it’s a great one.

Araquanid

Big spider, water bubble, fantastic color scheme, what’s not to love? Araquanid has always been a top-tier Pokémon since its introduction in Pokémon Sun and Moon, not only for its exceptional design, but for its signature ability, Water Bubble. It halves the damage dealt by Fire-type moves, and doubles the power of its Water-type moves, effectively giving it a rain boost 100% of the time.

Blacephalon

My coworkers will tell you that Blacephalon is the worst Ultra Beast. My coworkers are wrong. It’s a clown firework with an exploded head, and it’s beautiful. It also has a fantastic name in just about every language, but its best name is in French, where it’s known as Pierroteknik, which is just beautiful and hilarious.

Wooloo

Big fluffy sheep.

Appletun

Appletun is an apple pie Pokémon that’s also a dragon. It’s one of the goofiest-looking Pokémon in the lineup, but it’s also utterly adorable and incredibly charming. It, too, has a signature ability, one shared with other members in its evolutionary line, which doubles the effect of held berries — very helpful when you’ve got a bag full of Oran Berries.

Wyrdeer

Stantler was already a wonderful Pokémon, especially upon its introduction in Gold and Silver, but it started to fall behind as more and more creatures were introduced. Pokémon Legends Arceus remedied this in the best way possible, giving it a brand-new evolution which is absolutely wonderful.

Fuecoco

There are two reasons to like Fuecoco. The first is that it’s cute as heck. I mean look at that face, how could you hate that? The second is its role in Pokémon Horizons, as the partner Pokémon of protagonist Roy. Fuecoco is truly one of the most animated, personality-filled Pokémon to ever have existed in the Pokémon anime, and that alone cements it as one of the best starters ever.

Fidough

Fidough is a dog made of dough that turns into a loaf of bread when cooked. It’s super cute, looks very tasty, and can literally breathe out yeast to make bread rise, which makes it incredibly useful too. To sweeten the deal, its Japanese name is Puppymocchi, which is very silly and very cute. We love it.

Palafin

When you evolve your Finizen in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, your initial reaction might be one of disappointment. After all, you just leveled this dolphin up to level 38, jumped through hoops to make it evolve, and it looks exactly the same. What gives? Well, that’s just Palafin’s civilian alter ego. When it’s switched out and back in, it transforms into its Hero Form, which is absolutely incredible. The concept of an unassuming Pokémon quickly changing into a superhero to save the day is such a compelling one that it’s well and truly earned its place on the list.