The Weirdest Pokemon Designs Ever

Highlights

Some Pokemon designs are truly bizarre, like Chansey with its strange egg belly and Fairy-like appearance evolution.
Smeargle, an artist Pokemon, stands out as a ridiculous design, resembling a weird French stereotype with a beret.
Dudunsparce, a lazy evolution of Dunsparce, leaves fans scratching their heads with its lackluster design and lack of uniqueness.

As a long-time fan of Pokémon, I’ve seen my fair share of unique and intriguing designs throughout the generations. However, some new additions to the roster have left me utterly baffled and disappointed. Let me tell you about three of these questionable creations from Generation 9: Wiglett and Wugtrio, Dudunsparce, and Archaludon.

In the world of Pokemon, you’ll find an incredible array of unusual species, each with distinct forms, hues, and types. Trainers hold dear their preferred Pokemon, ranging from the mighty Dragonite to the seemingly feeble Magikarp. Yet, some Pokemon are downright peculiar, not only in their appearance but also in their backstories.

As a long-time Pokémon trainer and fan, I have to admit that some species designs in this universe leave me utterly baffled. The explanations behind their origins feel lackluster and implausible at times, but surprisingly enough, many of them possess abilities that make up for their absurd appearances. Here’s a list of eight Pokémon designs that left me scratching my head in disbelief.

8 Chansey

An Egg, Inside Another Egg?

Generation: Gen 1
Pokedex nº: 0113
Type: Normal
Anime Debut: Season 1 – Episode 2 – Pokemon Emergency

As a huge Pokémon fan, I’d say that Chansey stands out as the most uniquely designed Pokémon from the first generation in my opinion. When I look back at other Pokémon from that era, Chansey takes the cake as the weirdest one (with Ditto and Jynx coming in a close second). This adorable, egg-laying Pokémon is known for its exceptional ability to heal other Pokémon, making it an ideal companion for Nurse Joy and all her counterparts.

The oval shape of Chansey is accompanied by an unusual egg emerging from its midriff, along with short limbs. Trainers were left puzzled before the introduction of Happiny and Blissey, wondering how such a bizarre creature came into existence. Despite not being a Fairy-type Pokemon, Chansey’s transformation into Blissey retains its odd appearance and seems misplaced with its ethereal shape. Isn’t it intriguing that it doesn’t belong to the Fairy type but resembles one?

7 Smeargle

AKA Weird French Artist Stereotype

Generation: Gen 2
Pokedex nº: 0235
Type: Normal
Anime Debut: Season 4 – Episode 197 – The Art of Pokemon

Following up on the list of Pokemon designs that make no sense at all, we got Smeargle. A badger (raccoon?) )-like creature with an elongated tail that it uses to paint. Yes, that’s right, an artist Pokemon. Just look at that French beret-like thing protruding from its head: bizarre doesn’t begin to describe it.

Despite making its first appearance in Pokémon Gen 2 games, this creature could only be found in a hidden spot within a specific patch of grass, which required the move “Surf” to access. Consequently, many players overlooked this Pokémon, but later generations introduced Abilities that made its Mirror Move a popular choice for Player vs. Player battles, until it was toned down. Its quirky design is reminiscent of ’70s cartoon characters, such as The Pink Panther.

6 Swalot

From The Creators Of Muk, Here Comes Muk 2.0

Generation: Gen 3
Pokedex nº: 0317
Type: Poison
Anime Debut: Season 8 – Episode 394 – Deceit and Assist

As a long-time Pokémon trainer and collector, I’ve seen my fair share of unique and intriguing evolutions throughout the years. But Swalot, or Muk 2.0 as some call it, is one evolution that leaves me scratching my head in disbelief.

I was so excited about adding the new Poison-type Pokemon to my team, but instead, I ended up with this confusing blob. It looks more like a muddy monster with an oversized mouth and a mustache than any Pokemon I’ve ever seen. The description says “Poison Bag Pokemon,” but it could be anything – a gland, a stomach, or even some oozing nuclear waste. Could you please give us a clearer hint about its true identity?

5 Rotom

Someone Had To Power Up Your Smarthphone

Generation: Gen 4
Pokedex nº: 0479
Type: Ghost/(Grass, Water, Electric, Flying, Fire)
Anime Debut: Pokemon Sun & Moon – Episode 942 – Loading the Dex!

smartphones and Pokedex.

The worst part is that even if it was designed for such a purpose, we have already seen other Ghost-type Pokemon like Ghastly, Gengar, and Misdreavus possessing electric devices. So what’s the deal with Rotom being so special? In Gen 4 games, you had to get several appliances (including a grass mower) to make it switch to its many forms and types. A total waste of time.

4 Stonjourner

Three Stone Slabs With A Weird Face

Generation: Gen 8
Pokedex nº: 0874
Type: Rock
Anime Debut: Pokemon Journeys: The Series – Episode 127 – Just a Scone’s Throw From Here!

As a dedicated gamer who’s been deeply immersed in the new Pokémon Sword and Shield games, I must admit that the addition of the Galar region piqued my curiosity. It didn’t take long for players like me to notice striking similarities between this virtual world and the British Isles. And yes, we all got it – you wanted to incorporate Stonehenge into your game somehow. But why transform it into a Pokémon species? That was the intriguing question that left us wondering.

As a gamer, I can tell you that this design is made up of three stacked stone slabs. It has two tiny dots for eyes and a cartoonish slit for a mouth, which seems utterly nonsensical to me. However, it could have been scarier: imagine if The Pokemon Company had turned Stojourner into the Galar Unown with those runic patterns on its legs. That would have given me some serious nightmares!

3 Wiglett/Wugtrio

Is It An Eel? A Mole? A Moleel?

Generation: Gen 9
Pokedex nº: 0960 – 0961
Type: Water
Anime Debut: N/A

In the “Sun & Moon” series of Pokemon games, the Pokemon universe underwent a significant transformation. A popular feature added in Generation 7 was the introduction of regional forms or variants of Pokemon, which were warmly received by fans and paved the way for future games to introduce gems such as Galarian Zigzagoon and Hisuian Decidueye. As we encountered Wiglett and Wugtrio for the first time, it was evident that they were reminiscent of Diglett and Dugtrio from the initial generation, but in Generation 9, these Pokemon took on Paldean forms.

Despite TPC insisting that these Pokemon were unrelated to the regional variants and instead represented completely new creatures, I find that argument hard to believe. With merely cosmetic differences like altered color schemes, the addition of rocks instead of dirt, and elongated bodies, it seems more fitting to label them Paldean Diglett and Dugtrio.

2 Dudunsparce

Flat Weird Snake Plus Extra Tails

Generation: Gen 9
Pokedex nº: 0982
Type: Normal
Anime Debut: N/A

Yet another jewel from the Generation 9 triumvirate of ugliest designs alongside the Revavroom and Bramblin lines. Dudunsparce comes 23 years too late for the show, as the laziest design (for a Pokemon evolution) that fans have ever seen. But before we keep moving forward with Dudunsparce, we should look deeper into the origin of its previous form: Dunsparce (yeah, even the naming was lazy as hell).

Dunsparce can be thought of as a real-life equivalent to the Tsuchinoko, a legendary flat serpent creature from Japanese folklore, which is believed to be extremely elusive and scarcely encountered. Consequently, Dunsparce boasts the least frequent appearance among all Pokemon in Generation 2. However, when we examine its evolutionary progression, it seems rather illogical to add one or even two segments to its tail and transform it into a new Pokemon. There is no alteration in type, no notable enhancement to its moveset, and no acquisition of a new ability. To some extent, Dunsparce’s backstory is intriguing, but the evolutionary process leaves much to be desired.

1 Archaludon

A Bridge? A Stappler? Why Not Both?

Generation: Gen 9
Pokedex nº: 0884
Type: Dragon/Steel
Anime Debut: N/A

Among all potential options for creating a new species, they surprisingly chose an object as mundane as a stapler, named Archaludon in the Pokedex. Granted, its description as a bridge aligns with the design evolution from Duraludon. However, if that were true, it would be quite reasonable.

When examining Archaludon’s entire structure, it’s apparent that it’s a hodgepodge of well-known monuments, such as Tokyo Tower and London Bridge, resulting in a design that bears little resemblance to anything in the franchise, let alone the mentioned office tool. Admittedly, we’ve encountered some unusual designs like Magnemite, Voltorb, or the Klink lines. However, fans must acknowledge that this is by far the most unattractive and illogical design in the series.

2024-07-17 13:34