Summary
ThoughPokémonhas created hundreds of excellently designed creatures, a few of them, whether purposely or not, turn out rather ugly. Each type has its fair share of choices,but some standouts usually come to mind regarding the topic. Luckily, every Pokémon has a redeeming quality in one way or another, whether that comes from its physical design or gameplay.
Of the 18 types currently in the franchise, some Pokémon have seen their types change.This can somewhat affect both physical and mechanical appeal, due to theranking of each type, but for the most part, these are quality-of-life changes.For example, the newest type, Fairy, took popular Pokémon like the Ralts line and Mawile. These examples did not affect their physical appeal and increased their mechanical appeal due tohow strong the Fairy type is.
18Purugly Lives Up To Its Name
Ugliest Normal-Type Pokémon
The second stage evolution of Glameow, Purugly lives up to its name, going from a glamorous show cat to a heavyset house cat.Its fur and whiskers are disheveled, and the white patches around its body are supposed to represent a worn-down shirt. The white ring around its back could also be tied to an apron, relating to Purugly’s homely appearance.
It could also be theorized that, while a direct evolution, Purugly tells the story of Glameow’s aging
The color palette is also more contrasting than its pre-evolution, making its flaws stand out more. However, in this Normal-type’s case,Purugly was designed to look this bad, so the fact it accomplishes its goal is actually a compliment to its design. It could also be theorized that, while a direct evolution, Purugly tells the story of Glameow’s aging.
17Alolan Raticate Plays On People’s Dislike Of Rats
Ugliest Dark-Type Pokémon
This Alolan form of a Gen 1 Pokémon takes an already, likely purposely, lackluster design and expands on it.Alolan Raticate has darker fur to appear more rat-like, though in-universe this is explained by them being nocturnal to avoid predators. Their bodies get larger and cheeks puff out to showcase how gluttonous these creatures are after adapting to their new environment.
Alolan Raticate is another example of a Pokémon designed to be ugly. It achieves its goal through simplicity and appearing more like what the majority of players would think of when they hear the word “rat.“However, while it may be the worst-looking Dark-type, this design is an upgrade compared to its dated Normal-type form.
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16Emboar Misses The Mark On Its Wrestler Design
Ugliest Fire-Type Pokémon
The Tepig line is known for being one of theworst-liked Fire starter lines, but Emboar is the ugliest. Because of Emboar being the design players will spend the most time with, it is a complete letdown outside of color.Emboar tries to look like a wrestler but fails to give off that vibe which its pre-evolution Pignite does better with less.
The fur, which takes on the appearance of clothes, contrasts itself more than appeals to the theme.Its face also falls into an odd place where, while not the worst part of the design, it does not raise the quality either. The flame ring that Emboar wears around its neck is a clever touch, but cannot make up for the other drawbacks of this Gen 5 starter.
15Bruxish Looks More Goofy Than Scary
Ugliest Water-Type Pokémon
ThoughPokémonhas many bland or unappealing fish creatures, Bruxish is easily the ugliest of those. This Water-Type has a mismatched color palette that, while certainly draws attention to it, does it for the wrong reasons.The combo is purposeful, but while it fits for lore reasons, it detracts from the physical appeal.
due to Bruxish’s body shape and large lips, it gives off an unattractive vibe rather than being cool or terrifying.
The other ugly aspect of Bruxish is its mouth. The large lips contrast with the rest of the body and generally wouldn’t look good in many designs.The large teeth aren’t as much of a problem, as it is realistic to what some fish would have and could look cool under certain circumstances. However, due to Bruxish’s body shape and large lips, it gives off an unattractive vibe rather than being cool or terrifying.
14Chesnaught Is Too Bland For A Starter Evolution
Ugliest Grass-Type Pokémon
Another starter that fell far from the mark is the Gen 6 Grass-type Chesnaught. This generation had a theme of each starter acting like a class from RPGs,with Chesnaught being the Tank. This is most notable when it combines its arms to form a shield, which is unfortunately the one good part of the creature’s design.
Chesnaught has a bland beige and white color scheme, with bits of green to show off its type.The shape and face are fundamental, showing little of the armadillo from which it takes inspiration. Overall, Chesnaught fails as a starter, with a design that lacks creativity and ends up an ugly, bland canvas.
13Arctozolt Is An Unfortunate Combination Of Fossils
Ugliest Electric-Type Pokémon
Though made to be so purposely, Arctozolt is easily the ugliest Electric-type in the franchise.Generation 8 turned its fossil Pokémon into hybrids due to poor mixing, and it created some ugly, albeit funny designs. Arctozolt combines the Fossilized Bird with the fish-like Fossilized Dino, creating a proportional failure of a creature.
The two forms are designed well, but putting them together creates a comical mess.The thin limbs of the bird contrast with the large body of the fish, making it look out of place. Though the same can be said about Dracozolt, the other Pokémon that uses the Fossilized Bird, this mismatched design stands out more due to the comical nature of it.
12Grumpig Doesn’t Get Creative With Its Pig Design
Ugliest Psychic-Type Pokémon
This Generation 3 Psychic-type goes from an adorable little spring piglet to an ugly adult pig. It makes sense, given pigs are known for being dirty, but the overall design does it little favors.Much like many Pokémon from the first three generations, the designs can be simple. This causes the design to not only look bad from the start but looks even worse when compared to newer options.
The face is intimidating but leans more toward the ugly side of physical appeal rather than cute like its pre-evolution Spoink.
Grumpig’s colors are fine but are the only appealing quality of the psychic pig.The gems that adorn its body are too few and lack any real purpose. The face is intimidating but leans more toward the ugly side of physical appeal rather than cute like its pre-evolution Spoink.
11Jynx’s Redesign Didn’t Help Its Bizarre Look
Ugliest Ice-Type Pokémon
Jynx is a Pokémon that has been through a lot of controversy, starting with a black-colored face that emulated racist stereotypes.It was quickly changed to the purple Jynx currently has, but has done little to help its unappealing design. This has all combined to not only make Jynx the ugliest Ice-type, but one of the ugliest Pokémon in the franchise.
The poor choices start with the face, the large eyes and lips just look unsettling.Along with this, the odd body shape and blonde hair do little to help bring any appeal to Jynx. It is likely Jynx’s theme takes inspiration from old stage singers, but the combination of controversial history and aged design methods fails to imitate the beauty it could have had.
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10Drampa Manages To Make Dragons Uncool
Ugliest Dragon-Type Pokémon
Dragon is a hard type to make ugly, but Drampa unfortunately achieves that.Inspired by Chinese Dragons, it can be argued that Drampa failed to achieve its inspiration. However, the length does work, as Drampa is one of the few Dragon types that fits the long serpent appearance.
Outside of that, Drampa’s design is another that ends up bland.The color scheme fails to make it look intimidating or cool, and the eyes contrast with the rest of the form. The other aspect is the lack of other details Drampa has. Though it can be argued that simple designs can work best, being too simple can turn out to be counterproductive.
9Shiinotic Is Scarier Than Fairy-Types Tend To Be
Ugliest Fairy-Type Pokémon
While the vast majority of Fairy-type Pokémon look pretty to match the theme, Shiinotic takes its design in a new way.The mystical mushroom combines its design features to create an ugly and horrifying creature. The face alone, with empty black markings contrasted by the pale white skin, could be something out of a horror game.
Shiinotic’s color palate of light pink, light green and purple also creates a more disgusting fungal look than something appealing.The thin and gangly shape of Shiinotic’s body is also detracting. Overall, Shiinotic may excel at its goal of being scary, but it makes it one of the ugly black sheep of the Fairy type.
