We all know that Pikachu and Eevee are two of the cutest Pokemon around: but which ones deserve to be on our exclusive list of ugly Pokemon? The ones only a mother could love? The Pokemon games have always been centred around the idea of catching Pokemon and filling up your Pokedex. But when you're faced with catching creatures that you just love to hate, it can be hard to find the drive.
Of course, the concept of what makes a Pokemon ugly is always subjective: some of the Pokemon on this list have great designs that just happen to be ugly in our eyes. Alternatively, there are some badly designed Pokemon that still manage to be cute. This list focuses on the Pokemon who had particularly cumbersome and unpleasant designs.
For a little more Pokemon content, check out the latest Pokemon Unite codes for some freebies. Pokemon GO promo codes are still coming in years after release, too. And if you're enjoying the latest mainline games, check out the Pokemon Scarlet and Violet 7-star raid schedule. You can catch some not-ugly Pokemon that way.
The definitive ugly Pokemon list
8. Metapod
Early fans of the anime series will remember the first time Ash and Misty come across a Caterpie in the woods.
Misty is horrified by the Bug-Pokemon, and repeatedly calls it ugly and hideous. While calling the little caterpillar these names felt quite mean, it’s clear that she has a point once it evolves. The harsh angles and frowning eyes of Metapod give it the appearance of a grumpy old man.
This is only worsened by the fact that its main move is Harden, which is enough to get it on several other lists. Gross.
7. Alolan Geodude
When Alolan regional variants of Pokemon were revealed, they were met with a huge celebration. The Vulpix line was redesigned to look ethereal and almost magical with its new ice-white look. However, the Geodude line was quite the opposite.
The spikes of black rock on its head give Alolan Geodude the appearance of thin, barely-there hair. Combine this with the thick, overbearing eyebrows and frown lines, and this Pokemon looks like yet another old man.
However, Alolan Geodude actually gets worse as it evolves into Graveler. There's no saving grace of the ugly baby blossoming here. The spots of gold are meant to be exposed ore, but there is something rather off-colour about it. This is only exacerbated by the shiny form, which gives it a very self-aware brown colour.
6. Loudred
Loudred is a Pokemon that was introduced in the Hoenn region. It’s a loud Pokemon by design, being based on a set of speakers. While purple and yellow are classed as complementary colours, this doesn’t make them look good together by default.
However, it’s Loudred’s mouth that is the real sin here. It’s too large, taking up the entire length of its square, bulky body. It has four stumpy pegs for teeth, making it look impossible for it to close its mouth properly. Alolan Muk falls into the same category as both Loundred and Alolan Geodude. It's a colour-combination made in hell.
5. Bastiodon
No one could have anticipated that the sweet, little Shieldon would evolve into the abomination that is Bastiodon. Its design is overly bulky and front-heavy, an exaggerated caricature of the triceratops dinosaur it’s based on.
The square shield that makes up its head is meant to imitate a castle, complete with windows and spikes along the top. The design team should’ve leaned more heavily into this idea though, as the square looks clumsy and unrefined. The tusks almost completely obscure its small face, making it difficult to connect with. Stay back, Binky Barnes.
4. Garbodor
There is no ugly Pokemon list that is complete without the inclusion of Garbodor - the cause of many claims that the designers are out of ideas. "A garbage bag? Really?" is something you'll hear a lot, despite the generation one line of Grimer and Muk literally being sentient single-colour toxic sludge. What's the difference?
This Poison-type Pokemon was introduced in generation five to exactly the kind of reception that you’d imagine. Garbodor is designed to look like a pile of rubbish, covered in grime and suspicious lumps. And that's because that's what it is.
Thankfully, the people of Alola introduced Muk to their habitats in order to prey on them, almost completely eradicating them. The need to mention Alolan Muk in each of the entries up to now is starting to highlight an unintentional pattern.
3. Diggersby
While Diggersby may be horrifying, it's a worthy achievement to make a Rabbit Pokemon look unappealing. It does make sense that an animal so suited to digging would have this reflected in its design, as well as its use in construction in the Pokemon world, however.
But this doesn’t make its appearance any more forgivable. Diggersby has an unwieldy thick, fluffy ring around its core that makes it look bulkier than it should. The thing that makes Diggersby really ugly, though, is its ears, built like biceps with fingers on the end. They are incredibly muscular and girthy, which aren’t words that should ever be used to describe ears.
2. Arctovish
Including Arctovish in this list feels almost cruel, as the Fossil Pokemon from the Sword and Shield games are an amalgamation of long-extinct Pokemon finally given a second chance to live.
While Arctovish seems like a design that should work, as it has both the body and the head of a Dinosaur Fish Pokemon, the end result is horrifying. The ‘face’ is long and drags down into an unnatural shield shape.
This is because the head is actually upside down, with the mouth opening at the top of its head. Science failed this poor creature.
1. Galarian Meowth
The Pokemon on this list so far have designs that are either a little bulky, or just not very aesthetic. After all, it would be impossible for every Pokemon to look cute or tough or somewhere in between.
However, there is one Pokemon design that is truly unredeemable. Meowth is one of the most iconic Pokemon, mostly thanks to its inclusion in Team Rocket. So when a Galarian variant of Meowth was announced in Sword and Shield, people were excited. No one could have anticipated the horrors of seeing Galarian Meowth for the first time.
They occupy the cursed area somewhere between a hairball and a lumpy old beard. The grey/fleshy colour doesn’t mix well with its ball-like body, and its lack of facial features makes it look possessed more than anything. But hey, at least it's unique evolved form, Perrserker, trims the growth back a bit. Alolan Persian, on the other hand?
For less cursed Pokemon content, check out our article on Pokemon Scarlet and Violet gift codes for December. We also have guides on the best games like Pokemon, and we even recently ranked the best Pokemon films in case you're looking to relive them before Ash bows out of the anime after all these years.