If there’s one thing most people know about Pokémon, player or not, it’s the fun little creatures of the Franchise! Among others, it’s one of those games that just never runs out of creative juice, especially for new characters.
But while you can tell the company takes its creative work seriously, it doesn’t mean everything they make will consist of majestic dragons or adorable bears. Sometimes, the way they look can be quite questionable.
The community usually categorizes these Pokémon based on their type or style. As surprising as it sounds, there’s also one for the least appealing ones. We wouldn’t say their design is bad, but it could take you by surprise if you’re seeing them for the first time.
Remember, their appearance doesn’t always reflect their skills or evolutions. Some of those could be the wildest and strongest characters in the game!
Without further ado, here are the top 10 ugliest Pokémon of all time.
10. Crabominable
Have you ever wondered what a Yeti and a crab would look like together? If you haven’t, neither have we until we saw Crabominable. It made its way to the scene in Generation VII as a dual type of fighting and ice.
The shape of this not-so-little guy is, just like you would expect—crab. It has that teardrop-like body, thin arms and legs, and big meaty claws, but the rest of it looks more like a Yeti.
It has fluffy white fur around the mouth, shoulders, and claws, while the rest of its body is just white. It has dark blue portions in the abdomen resembling a crab’s stomach with light blue stripes.
The legs, face, and claws are in a lighter shade of blue. It even has a large mouth, pointed eyes, a pair of goofy teeth, and a patch of long yellow fur on its head.
One of the key design points of this Pokémon is its claws, which also come with paw print-shaped marks in blue. An even more unique quality is that the portion that appears as the paw’s palm is the claw’s lower half!
Those claws may make you look twice, but they’re also what Crabominable uses in combat. It can smash walls, halt an avalanche, or fire them like rockets.
It can also freeze opponents when it fires icy bubbles at them. One of the major reasons why Crabominable is an extra special ugly Pokémon is because it’s the only one that can learn Ice Hammer when you level it up!
9. Feebas
When you look at Feebas for the first time, you will probably think of two things: it’s an ugly Pokémon, or it’s just a typical fish. It’s disappointing either way.
According to Pokédex and NPCs, Feebas is one of the ugliest creatures of Hoenn, so of course, it has to be on this list!
Unlike the previous character, Feebas doesn’t really have anything special about it. It looks shabby with irregular spots, large eyes, and shades of brown. Its appearance is enough for other characters in the Pokémon world to turn away and ignore it.
Feebas can survive anywhere, even with little water, but usually cluster in small areas. They aren’t the smartest pack, so they aren’t hard to capture.
But despite these qualities, Feebas develops prism scales, later evolving into one of the prettiest characters in the game: Milotic. On top of that, it’s popular among Pokémon researchers because of its vitality.
As for its popularity in the player base, some people enjoy collecting them for the way it is. Most often point out how interesting it is for a Pokémon with a dull appearance to transform into one of the gorgeous ones in-game.
Some even like to use Feebas as a source of inspiration for how it changes! You could really tell it resembles the ugly duckling story well, even with its impact on the gaming community.
8. Galarian Mr. Mime
If you thought Mr. Mime couldn’t get any worse, the Pokémon just proved you wrong. In case you aren’t sure what it is, it’s a regional form that turns into a dual type of psychic and ice instead of a fairy type.
Compared to the original counterpart, Galarian Mr. Mime comes in cooler colors, like blue, purple, and gray. One new feature is the extra tie, a nose, and the difference in its shoes and hands.
Galarian Mr. Mime is more of a tap dancer but with gloves on. Rather than being an ugly Pokémon, most players find one trait odd about it: its movement. Usually, it just moves in silence with unblinking eyes. So, many tend to call it creepy or unsettling.
Its evolution, on the other hand, comes with a less eerie design. Some may even deem it rather cute, especially because it resembles Charlie Chaplin. Once you look at it, you’re sure to wonder how a character like that came from Galarian Mr. Mime.
A unique feature of this Pokémon is how it differs from the Kantonian Mr. Mime. Instead of being an expert when putting up barriers, this one removes them from the field.
Because of its newfound talent, it’s also classified as a Dancing Pokémon but can still put up a barrier with the help of its tap-dancing. You could say Galarian Mr. Mime is a bit odd, but at least you get a performance for free!
7. Palpitoad
You might have encountered the tadpole-looking Pokémon with an adorable pair of eyes and brows drooping downward. But would you ever think it would evolve into what seems to be a mix of a frog and a tadpole? Neither did we.
After evolution, Palpitoad becomes a dual type of water and ground. If you were already fond of Tympole, its pre-evolution, you might not find this too weird. But the design is enough for some to wonder where it all went wrong.
Palpitoad has three half-spheres on its head and four smaller bumps on its lower body across its back. Those bumps, particularly the ones on its head, vibrate to create waves and earthquakes to weaken prey. And when they are larger, the sounds are even louder!
One thing about Palpitoad is that it gathers mixed opinions from the actual playing community. You’ll come across a couple of players who find the character cute until it reaches its last evolution. Nonetheless, some would say it’s not the worst Pokémon on the list yet.
Since it still has elements of a tadpole, you will find a tail on its back, resembling Tympole’s tail, but with two little frog feet. This Pokémon is also round, almost enough to look like an egg with a couple of bumps and a tongue-shaped tail.
Some even think it looks a lot like a jelly bean. If you put it that way, there’s no doubt some people think it’s one of the ugliest Pokémon in the game.
6. Garbodor
Anyone who plays the game knows how creative the dev team can be when thinking up new Pokémon. One proof of that is the game’s trash Pokémon, Trubbish! And no, that’s not an insult.
So, what happens when you evolve what seems to be a garbage bag? Well, it turns into a whole pile of rubbish. That’s exactly what Garbodor is, a heap of trash. It even has a Gigantamax version, which is just a larger, scarier-looking pile of garbage!
Compared to Trubbish, Garbodor looks more like a torn trash bag with piles of gunk spilling out. It forms a round, triangular body shape and long, plump arms. The head has two bear-like ears, which might be the creators’ attempt to keep it cute. As for the face, there’s not much to say except that it has an open mouth with sharp teeth.
Despite the appearance, Garbodor is not an easy opponent, especially as a poison type. It can finish off other Pokémon using toxic gas from its mouth and arms. Those come from the garbage it consumes, so it needs to keep eating trash to grow and get stronger.
In Gigantamax form, it spews out more powerful gas and displays trash clearer in its design, like a few old toys and more.
It’s just amazing how they could create a character that actually smells the way it looks. In the case of Garbodor and its counterparts, the smell is definitely an unpleasant one.
5. Mr. Mime
Remember how we mentioned Galarian Mr. Mime as one of the ugliest Pokémon in the game? Even with that entry, Mr. Mime still deserves a special spot!
From players’ first encounter with this Pokémon to this day, most people still find Mr. Mime’s design unattractive. So it’s no surprise if it comes up in a bunch of top 10 ugliest Pokémon lists from then and now. Mr. Mime is just one of those characters.
Like its Galarian counterpart, Mr. Mime’s design mainly focuses on his talent or skill. For the original one, it’s literally miming. That explains why his primary weapon against opponents is barriers. But that also puts context to why it moves a certain way, which makes many players feel uncomfortable around the Pokémon.
Mr. Mime is one of the creatures in the game that won’t sit still. It moves in a way that makes it look like there’s a wall in front of it, even when there’s no barrier set up. The round body joints and thin limbs don’t make those movements look any better. All the more when you pair it with its clown-like facial features with beady eyes and large red cheeks.
Among other Pokémon, Mr. Mime is one of the few who look too human to even exist. So besides being ugly, many players say Mr. Mime is more of a creepy one, from the visuals to the walk or even its idle animations!
It’s a whole different story when you talk about its performance in battle, though. It can last pretty long if you play the right moves, but the defense won’t always be enough to win. Still, it doesn’t change the potential of this Pokémon, excluding all the eerie features it offers.
4. Muk
The creative team also made a couple of ugly Pokemon as early as Generation I. One of those classics is our favorite muddy buddy, Muk. If that’s an unfamiliar name to you, it’s basically the evolution of Grimer.
The game’s resident sludge is nothing more than, well, goo. If you can picture what that would look like as a creature, you’re probably on the right track. But as generic as it can get, it’s not the most attractive one out there. Muk’s sticky nature just seeps through a bit too much with its design.
At least with Alolan Muk, you get more color. It comes with the same thin eyes and large mouth, but this time with a mix of pinks, greens, blues, and yellows! As for regular Muk, it’s just the gooey type of purple, almost like a gray shade.
Muk doesn’t seem to have any legs, either. Usually, it keeps one arm tucked under while it extends the other. Those traits really make it the perfect example of slime coming to life if they could live in real life.
In the Pokémon world, Muk can be quite dangerous around the rest of the community. Since they dub it a living biohazard, it carries qualities like killing plants with a single touch or causing sickness in other Pokémon upon close contact.
At some point, many even thought they would go extinct due to environmental improvements in-game. So, sludge ponds exist to save them from dying down. Even when they’re on the list of ugly Pokémon, many people sure do love them!
3. Jynx
Ranking first on multiple lists and forums about the ugliest Pokémon is none other than Jynx, the town’s not-so-favorite little opera singer. If you have known the game long enough, there’s no need to explain why we had to put it on the list! But let’s break those reasons down.
Jynx’s design raised lots of questions in the media when it first made its appearance. For some, it looked like a goofy human-like creature. For others, it was just nightmare fuel.
On top of that, it garnered attention from Western media due to its possible depiction of colorism. That urged the change of color from black to purple. Although, it didn’t make Jynx look any better.
If we look into the details individually, it sounds like a pretty normal creature. It has long, blonde hair that drapes over the sides of its face, a long red dress that falls to the ground, a pair of large eyes, and thick lips. Who would have known it would create something unpleasant once you put it all together?
It’s not only the physical characteristics of this Pokémon that make players uncomfortable. It speaks a language similar to human speech and walks while wiggling its hips as humans do. Some even say its attitude is meant to be seductive, which makes the character all the more unappealing.
No matter how you look at it, you’ll surely have a question about its design. And it seems that’s exactly what the team wanted too.
While Jynx is popular in the community for its natural unattractiveness, some people believe in its charm. You might come across a person or two who will tell you Jynx’s strong point is their unique appearance. But that’s a topic for another day.
What we do know for sure is that the continued discourse on whether Jynx has charm or not is a sign of how famous this Pokémon really is!
2. Probopass
If you have ever seen the statues on Easter Island, you could probably see the resemblance with Probopass. But for this one, it comes with a few more accurate details.
Admittedly, it’s a Pokémon that doesn’t really look like one. It reached the point where some players once thought it was a fan creation or anything other than an actual character.
The key point of Probopass’ design is its nose, in case that wasn’t obvious enough. Its shape resembles a face with a hat on, a large nose, big eyes, a bushy mustache, and ears of some sort. But those features actually mean something else to the character’s play.
Probopass is a dual type of rock and steel. Its hat and nose are magnetic, while the mustache is said to be iron sand, sitting below its nose because of the magnet. It has three of those “ears,” two on each side and one on its back, called mini-noses. As if it can’t get any more surprising, Probopass can control each one of them.
With all those together, many players say it’s a rock and Mario combined. Sometimes, you would hear jokes going around about whether Probopass has boogers or nose hair. I mean, look at it; that nose really catches all the attention!
But the thing about its design is that everything is so well-made. Every feature seems calculated with care and adds not only to the Pokémon’s character but also its skills. And if you read far enough to get here, you might have noticed that most of the ugly Pokémon have many unnecessary features. But with Probopass, it all makes sense!
It’s quite hard to call a character with this much detail ugly. Probopass just proves that great creations don’t just come in iridescent colors and adorable smiles. Sometimes it’s bad proportions and unsettling eyes─and that’s okay!
1. Conkeldurr
There’s a fair amount of strong-looking or muscular Pokémon in the game, especially for fighting types. But while some of them actually look powerful, others come off as goofy or terrifying in a negative way.
Compared to its base form, Conkeldurr looks a lot more like the word “brawn” but turned into a game character. Although, some players tend to have the same sentiment for the rest of its evolutions.
There’s a bit too much to take in when you look at it at first glance. Why the rocks, nose, and exposed veins? Even if you look at it from different angles, it will take a while before you get to decipher what the creators wanted to go for with this character.
Let’s get into detail! They say the inspiration for Conkeldurr is an ogre, which explains the unusual strength and muscular shape. By carrying a pillar with each hand, the creative does a pretty good job displaying its raw power. They gave it big hands to match too!
Then we move on to the body, and the first thing you see are those bulky purple veins. It goes from its legs across its chest and is wrapped on its shoulders. Now, you might be wondering what they were thinking. There’s no clear answer, but whatever the reason, it won’t look any better.
It gets even worse when you focus on the head. From top to bottom, you’ll find a long bulb, which seems like a resemblance of hair, a long prominent brow, a pair of eyes with deep dark rings, a large round red nose, and a gray patch that’s supposed to be a beard.
Overall, it’s one of those characters with many features that make no sense and don’t add to their skill set. Other creatures in the game have unique traits, but besides being strong, Conkeldurr is just an ugly Pokémon.
Dracovish (Bonus!)
Those are the top ten ugliest Pokémon, but there are a couple more candidates out there that might work their way up the list.
There are also a few that deserve an extra shoutout. So, this bonus goes to Dracovish! Because what can be more frustrating than a fossil Pokémon with high potential getting a bad design?
Dracovish is a water and dragon type Pokémon, but what makes it stand out is that it’s a fossil. Many would expect an impressive character after reading that description. You could say the creative team got what they wanted. It just happened to become popular for being ugly instead of cool.
It’s an odd combination of fish and dragon, wherein the fish part takes up the head with the entire upper half of a fish and the rest the lower half of some standing dragon. The way it looks like a bunch of parts lumped into a single character makes it the definition of horror.
If you want to know how far it goes, even its colors are mismatched. As interesting as its design, it comes with some unique skills too. It can run pretty quickly for a Pokémon that looks like it can’t even carry its head. But it can’t swim, even if it’s half fish.
Nevertheless, Dracovish carries a certain charm other Pokémon have yet to achieve. And that’s to be the perfect example of a mess!
Final Thoughts
The world of Pokemon is always full of surprises. Amid all the cute and marvelous designs of each character, there are also a couple out of this world and unpleasant. But despite how they look, each Pokemon has a special place in every player’s heart, even if it’s because they’re ugly!
Feel free to check out our other articles if you need more to read. 😀