Summary
ThePokemonseries is home to some of the finest creature designs. If not for the great mix of creativity and simplicity,Pokemonwould 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.
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 June 25, 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 ofthe worst-designed Pokemon, which include some questionable alternate forms of some legendary Pokemon.
35Gurdurr
An Unsettling Design
This Generation 5 Pokemon has an interesting motif. Throughout each evolution, it gains a different thing to hold, from Timburr with a log,Gurdurrwith a girder, and Conkeldurr with two stone pillars. That raises the question of how items work with Pokemon evolution.
Each of the three Fighting typeshave 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.
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34Calyrex
Pokemonfans were alarmed when the face of the Crown Tundra DLC ofPokemon Sword & Shieldwas 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 ofCalyrexand have it ride the icy or ghostly horse.
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33Crabominable
Just Plain Ugly
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 Pokemonin the franchise, and this ‘mon is certainly the worst.
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32Enamorus
It Looks Like A Powerpuff Girls Villain
The Forces of Nature were a Legendary trio introduced inPokemon 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 toThe Powerpuff Girlsvillain, HIM.
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.
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Iconic Designs Have Took A Turn
The designs of Dialga and Palkia are perfect. Originally introduced inPokemon Diamond & Pearl, fans had no complaints as they looked likethe powerful Legendary Pokemonthat 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.
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30Blacephalon
A Confusing Design Meets A Clown
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.
Blacephalonis 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 isits 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.
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29Stakataka
The Most Un-Pokemon Looking Pokemon
As far as Ultra Beast designs go,Stakatakais 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.
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.
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28Probopass
The Mustache Needs To Go
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 inProbopass, 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.
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27Binacle
An Angry-Looking Pokemon
This Pokemon looks like something fromThe Last of Us.Binaclehas 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.
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26Mr. Mime
Clowns Are Always Going To Lose
Where should onestart withMr. 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-actionDetective Pikachumovie, 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.
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