10. Magikarp
No list of stupid Pokémon is complete without the OG. With its derpy open-mouth and soulless, vapid glare, Magikarp was Generation 1’s most useless Pokémon. That is, until it evolves into the Water/Flying Dragon-beast that is Gyarados.
9. Alolan Persian
The Alolan version of Persian looks less like a Pokémon and more like a piece of deviantart made explicitly to be shared on r/ImSorryJon. Despite that, no amount of apologizing can make up for the fact that this now exists and we’ve all been forcibly exposed to it.
8. Togedemaru
With Pikachu being the indisputable mascot of the brand, it became tradition for each new generation of Pokémon to include its own electric rodent for some reason. Gen II had Pichu, Gen III had Plusle & Minun, and by the time Gen VII came along, there was this guy with a name as unpronounceable as its face is punchable.
7. Bruxish
Just let this one sink in for a sec. Somebody saw this and gave it the okay. It went through several stages of approval before finally making it as a character in one of the most successful video game franchises of all time. The bar for success in this world was forever lowered on that day.
6. Klefki
You know they’ve run out of ideas over at the Pokémon Company when they’ve resorted to searching their pants pockets for inspiration. This oh-so-spooOOooky ghost Pokémon is a ring full of keys. Wow! What will they come up with next?! Anthropomorphic pocket lint perhaps? Can an old wallet learn Rock Smash?
5. Vanillish
Oh, nevermind. Looks like the team at Pokémon found a new muse by perusing through the office refrigerator. Because nothing says exciting action-fighting game like a freezer-burned ice cream cone.
4. Cramorant
IMO, Cramorant gets an Official Stupid Seal of Approval. If the goal here was to create a Pokémon that looks like it’s perennially choking on something (and based on its Gulp Missile ability, that’s kinda the idea here), then job well done.
3. Bidoof
Not all stupid Pokémon are created equal. Behold Bidoof—the true god of all Pokémon. Bow down before its unbridled uselessness!!
2. Spewpa
What is this? What am I even looking at? Sure, it’s kinda cute I guess, but it feels like the artist pawned off the design work to their 4-year-old, and then just did a quick clean-up job before submitting to the boss. The boss, of course, approved this design (and all designs) while wearing a blindfold.
1. Stunfisk
That’s it. That’s the post.
Greg Hahn is a TV writer who helped take Sonic the Hedgehog to new, irreverent (apparently extremely meme-able) heights as a writer and story editor on SEGA/Cartoon Network’s Sonic Boom, and has continued to bring his unique brand of action-packed, self-aware, comedy-forward storytelling to several animation projects, including Transformers: BotBots, LEGO Monkie Kid, SharkDog, Unikitty!, and more. He’s also produced web content for El Rey Network, developed projects for Nickelodeon and Gaumont Animation, and recently wrote an original story for DC Comics in issue #18 of Batman: Urban Legends.