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Are we going to get controversial here? Maybe. This list is all me. Subjective.
I’m going to be talking about what I think are the most underrated Pokémon of all time. We’re going to laugh, we’re going to cry, but most of all, you’re probably going to want to fight me by the end of it.
So if you’re a fan of argument, cynics, sarcasm, Pokémon, and have a little bit of an underplayed masochistic streak, then stick around.
I’m not basing any of these entries (bar one) off of stats. Instead, the majority are based on design with a few based on the Pokémon’s Pokédex entry. With that said, let’s get to the ranking:
30. Salamence
Okay, is Salamence underrated? Not by itself.
However, it is underrated compared to the other dragons that we have flying around the Pokémon world.
It hasn’t got the stats to match up to a Garchomp or a Haxorus, but do you know what it does have?
The fact that it’s an actual dragon.
Those other two don’t even have wings. They’re bipedal. How can we believe that two bipedal dinosaurs are better dragons than this winged beast? We can’t; it’s simple as that.
29. Urshifu
I hated when they introduced legendary evolutions.
It started with Manaphy all the way back in the day, and culminated in Cosmog in Sun and Moon. However, Urshifu single-handedly sold me on the idea.
I’ll maintain that, to this day, Urshifu is the best example of how to do a legendary right.
You actually get to build up a connection with the Pokémon, growing with it until it finally evolves.
It isn’t just handed to you on a silver platter at the end of the game.
While it’s a Pokémon that doesn’t fly under the radar, it doesn’t get the respect that it deserves, so I’m putting some respect on its name.
28. Appletun / Flapple
It’s a tiny apple dragon that I want to eat.
Do I need to say anything more?
In all honestly, this is one of the coolest dragon-type designs that I’ve ever seen in any medium, not just Pokémon.
It’s an ingenious design that completely subverts every other dragon we’ve got up to this point. Which is enough for it to deserve a spot in more conversations than it currently has.
27. Palossand
Palossand is a hit or miss Pokémon, and I get it. It’s just a sandcastle.
If you hated the whole Gen V Pokémon design that Game Freak had going on, then you probably despise this guy.
I’d argue that it has one of the coolest shiny sprites of all time, but that’s not the reason I think it’s underrated.
Palossand is underrated because of this little monster’s Pokédex entry. It reads, and I quote, “Buried beneath the castle are masses of dried-up bones from those whose vitality it has drained.”
This Pokémon is a legitimate serial killer cannibal.
26. Toxapex
Toxapex only really gets mentioned in the competitive scene, but even then it hasn’t seen as much play as it used to.
This sucks, and not just because it was the first Pokémon I ever actually hyper trained and EV trained.
It has such a cool looking design that sets it apart from the other trappers/status inflictors out there.
The immediate comparison that comes to mind is Ferrothorn, but Toxapex just looks way cooler, so it deserves more love.
25. Zebstrika
Gen V didn’t have much going for it in terms of design.
I didn’t even mind the Pokédex in that game too much, up until I decided to write this list.
Zebstrika, however, is a single crusty and cracked gem in a sea of broken glass and needles.
It’s not too great, which is why it’s not super high up here.
But it is also just an electric Rapidash. There’s nothing more really to say on the topic because Rapidash is god.
24. Arceus
Speaking of god, Arceus. It’s literally god.
Every Pokémon fan knows about it, but nobody really talks about it.
It hasn’t even seen any real appearances since Platinum.
It’s literally Pokémon Jesus. Although now that I think about it, that would be Mew…
Either way, the point remains that this Pokémon is literally the creator of life as we know it, and that really needs to be talked about more often.
23. Drapion
Why Drapion? It’s stats suck, and it’s just a bit of a nothing Pokémon.
Well, it was an absolute nightmare to catch back in the good old Gen IV days.
And given that we have a real Sinnoh remake, now’s a good a time as any to bring it back up.
The number of hours I wasted trying to get my hands on this creature is honestly embarrassing, even if I was only a kiddo.
22. Toxicroak
At least I managed to get my hands on a Drapion.
I never actually managed to catch a Croagunk. I spend longer looking for this glorified tadpole than I did farming Combee, and I had like 10 boxes full of them for inexplicable reasons.
This is my bias at its finest.
It’s may not be underrated for you, but it is for me by sheer frustration and hatred alone.
21. Vespiquen
Speaking of farming Combee, Vespiquen!
Vespiquen isn’t just here because I want it to be.
No, I’m arguing that this admittedly weak bug is genuinely underrated.
It’s what Beedrill would look like if it didn’t suck.
Aside from that, it’s a genuine queen. I don’t know about you, but the idea of making the monarchy fight for my amusement seems pretty intriguing, to say the least.
Although, that might just be my libertarian side showing.
20. Decidueye
Decidueye is starting off a trend of grass type starters being on this list.
I would tell you that I don’t know why I love grass types, but that would be a lie.
As a kid, I loved gardening and flowers (which will explain a later entry on this list). I loved them so much that in my cringe-inducing wisdom, I gave my Gen IV trainer the nickname of “The Blue Rose.”
That’s a secret between you and mean, so tell anyone, and I’ll have to kill you.
Decidueye, like the rest of the grass starters, gets underrated quite a bit. Not only is it great in the mainline games, but it’s also my main in the also underrated Pokken Switch game.
Aside from that, though, It’s a badass assassin owl archer. It’s the closest I’m ever going to get to Assassin’s Creed or Skyrim in Pokémon, if my Khajiit was an owl, not a kitty cat.
19. Trevenant
Trevenant is the Batman of the Pokémon world.
He’s a spooky dude doing bad things for the greater good.
I’m referring to its Pokédex entry, in which it’s said that Trevenant eternally traps people who wish to do harm to its forest, in said forest.
He’s what would happen if climate change protestors took up arms in the Pokémon world.
Now that I write that, I have to say that not having one on Chairman Rose’s team was a massive missed opportunity.
And Trevenant holds a special place in my heart. The first-ever Pokémon TCG tournament I won had me facing a Trevenant deck in the finals, so I suppose that makes me a bit biased.
18. Pyroar
It’s a fire lion.
Game Freak did make us wait until Gen VI to give us a proper lion Pokémon, but when it did, god did it deliver!
Pyroar is the pinnacle of badass regality.
It belongs on a team with a Vespiquen and an Aegislash.
The yellow and red mane, despite reminding me of my soul-sucking days working at McDonald’s, looks great. And the entire design is sleek and utterly flawless.
The difference between the two genders is much appreciated, as well.
Despite everything that Pyroar has going for it, I don’t hear it coming up in conversation all that often. Maybe that’s just because I live under a rock, but it deserves more than what I see it getting.
17. Sawsbuck
Sawsbuck is another example of my love for flowers and grass types.
It’s also the first main example of my love for seasonal Pokémon.
I adore when a Pokémon has different forms based on unique criteria. I’m not just talking about location or gender, but something else entirely.
Sawsbuck has four forms for each of the seasons. To date, it’s the only Pokémon that I can think of that has a feature like this.
That fact alone makes it underrated in my eyes. If people want Game Freak to step up its design game, Sawsbuck is the Pokémon they should be pointing at.
16. Roserade
Roserade is the actual second instance of my love of roses and flowers, making an impact on this list.
It’s a rose ninja.
Do you honestly need anything more for a Pokémon to be underrated than that?
It doesn’t get talked about, and yet is arguably in my top five Pokémon designs of all time, so it hurts when I see it fly so low under the radar.
15. Flygon
Flygon only had to compete with Salamence in Gen III.
Despite that, it still fell to the wayside. Which is a damn shame.
It’s another actual dragon, but it’s far more unique in its design.
On top of that, ground/dragon is a great idea for a typing.
The overwhelming roster of cool looking and powerful dragon Pokémon means that Flygon doesn’t get talked about all that much. And I’d like to see that change.
14. Tyrantrum
Now Tyrantrum is a mix of Monster Hunter meets Bakugan meets Pokémon.
It’s a fully anime’d-up T-rex that wouldn’t even look out of place in Transformers or Digimon.
A Pokémon this diverse, that’s also a dinosaur, deserves all the love in the world in my eyes.
It does lose points for being a dragon type, though. I mean, how is it a dragon? Seriously?
13. Dragalge
I mentioned Tyrantrum, so I would have to say the same about Dragalge. Except I won’t, because I’m a hypocrite.
Plus, the poison/dragon typing is so awesome that it blinds me to any imperfections.
Dragalge is one of the coolest looking Pokémon I’ve ever seen. Like Flapple, it’s a stroke of genius that defies everything we’ve come to expect with dragons.
I just wish Game Freak went the extra mile and gave it Hydreigon-like stats.
I can’t have everything I want in life, though, which is why I’m venting about it here.
12. Sandslash
Now we’re talking about the true OGs.
There aren’t many underrated designs from Gen I, given how special each and every one of them is to the community collectively.
However, I would like to see Sandslash get more love.
It isn’t hated on by any means. But a spiky wolverine hedgehog should be up there with your Charizards and Mewtwos, as far as I’m concerned.
Then come back and honestly tell me that Honchkrow isn’t the most underrated Pokémon to ever exist.
10. Vileplume
Another Gen I Mon’, and a grass type to boot!
To this day, Vileplume remains a staple on any game that I can get it in.
I can’t really explain why I love it so much. I suppose the fact that it’s just a genuine flower Pokémon has something to do with it, but its simplicity and effectiveness is what Gen I was, personified.
It goes to show how you don’t need to drop acid to design a good Pokémon, and should be used as an example more often.
9. Rapidash
If electric Rapidash was on this list, then you had to expect regular Rapidash to be here, too.
It’s odd having the majority of the top spots be dominated by the old-school guys. But I have a bone to pick with people here.
The cult of personalities around Charizard and Blastoise means that all of the other Mons’ tend to get overlooked.
They aren’t hated, but there’s not enough appreciation to go around.
Rapidash is literally a fiery stallion.
Imagine you could somehow ride one of these into battle wielding an Aegislash with a Vespiquen and a Pyroar at your side. It’s the medieval Pokémon fantasy brought to life.
Think of Rapidash as a source of fanfiction for “The Elder Scrolls VII: Kanto.”
8. Aggron
Finally, a Pokémon on this list for its stats.
If you came here looking for an objective list of the highest stat-base Pokémon that don’t get used, then I’m sorry to disappoint. I just don’t want to waste away combing Smogon for nonsensical toxic forums on non-uber competitive battlers.
I will give you Aggron, though.
It has a base defense of 180. That’s among the highest in the entire series.
Everything else sucks, although 110 attack is nothing to scoff at.
The fact that it’s defense outclasses even the bulkiest Mon’s allows it to sneak in a notably high spot here. So hopefully that appeases all the competitive purists reading this list looking for insight.
7. Meganium
If you followed my love of grass types and flowers, then you really should have seen this one coming.
Meganium is arguably the least popular starter of all time. And that genuinely irritates me.
Is it super great in battle? No, but it’s your goddamn starter.
Unless you’re doing a Nuzlocke, it doesn’t have to be.
It’s a flowery grass dinosaur that has a heart of gold. So show the thing some love for crying out loud!
6. Dragapult
Dragapult is the first Pokémon I ever shiny hunted for.
Yes, I got one, and yes, I’m very biased because of it.
Even with that, though, you can’t tell me that Dragapult is super popular. It’s underrated.
It’s got plenty of viability as a Choice Spec sweeper in competitive, meaning it can hand with the big boys, plus it’s just got an infinitely cooler design.
I want to meet and hug (or elbow-bump, all things considered) the designer that decided “let’s make a dragon type that looks like a stealth bomber and fires its children as torpedoes.”
What an absolute madman! Einstein was a madman too, though.
5. Noivern
If there’s only one dragon type that I like more than Dragapult, it’s Noivern.
I have a thing for purple and black.
If you’ve ever read any of my other lists here, then you know about this already.
Noivern is a black and purple pure dragon. More than that, though, it’s a bat dragon with awesome boombox ears.
It’s the only flyer that can take you around the region that has a built-in stereo.
4. Politoed
I didn’t expect Politoed to make it this high up on my list when I started conceptualizing it, but here we are.
Why might you ask?
It’s a nightmare to get your hands on, which instantly adds to the prestige. And it just looks so cute and happy.
The single curly strand of hair sells the whole aesthetic for me. But not anyone else, apparently, considering how little fanfare Politoed gets.
3. Venusaur
Aha! You knew I was going to have to get controversial at some point.
Earlier on, I purposefully said that the Blastoise and Charizard stans suck the fanfare away from the other Gen I Mons’.
There’s no more egregious example of this than with Venusaur.
This guy is one of the goddamn original three, and yes it’s grass type, so I’m biased… but come on!
The fact that Venusaur isn’t in every single conversation about the GOATs of Pokémon is an insult. Especially given that, yet again, it’s a goddamn dinosaur.
2. Torterra
You thought I was done? Ohhhhh no. Torterra is another grass type that all you fire type purists out there better start appreciating.
I love Infernape as much as the next guy. But Torterra has a full bonsai-like tree growing on its back.
Given the size of the thing, it’s actually quite a bit bigger than that.
I’ve been watching Kobra Kai recently, so I’ve got Mr Myagi on the mind which may be skewing this decision. But I’m still going to argue that Torterra is the most underrated and underappreciated starter of all time.
It’s close, but it takes the crown away from Meganium.
1. Flareon
Flareon sucks. Okay, I know, you don’t need to rub it in.
It’s outclassed in every way by the other Eeveelutions. Jolteon is super fast, Vaporeon is just a beast and super compatible (if you know, you know), and the guys that came after are actually competitively viable.
Flareon is the weakest of the bunch, but I still love the little guy.
It’s a pure old-school fire type, which is great, but just look at it.
Out of all the Eeveelutions, it’s the only one that actually looks like a pet in any way, shape, or form.
It’s so cute and fluffy. And I’m in love with whatever shade of orange Game Freak used for its body.
If you can look at this guy and not think it’s underrated just based on how cute it is, then we can’t be friends.
