Pokémon has had some design bummers over the eight generations of games, leaving some wondering why these awful additions ended up in Pokédex.
Pokémon has added hundreds of new designs to the Kanto's original 150 over the past two decades. With these designs have come notable favorites like Pikachu and Mew, as well as some that have left many wondering what the developers were thinking when they added these unfortunate creatures to the Pokédex. Some generations have more of these designs than others, but it seems there is at least one badly imagined or generally confusing Pokémon in each new region.
Some of these designs are a rehash of a similar Pokémon from previous generations, like any of the beginning-area birds after Pidgey. While some of these Flying-types are actually fairly powerful, they all have similar, basic bird designs. Another unfortunate rehash has been worm- or caterpillar-based Bug-types, which follow in the steps of Caterpie and Weedle. None of these early-game Bug Pokémon are particularly powerful, making every butterfly, wasp and moth variant in later generations feel lackluster.
One of the biggest reasons a Pokémon's design doesn't hit the mark is simply that it was based on something unremarkable. Pokémon modeled after everything from piles of trash to sentient rings of keys have made their way into the Pokédex. Some of Game Freak's choices feel more like a desperate attempt to add another number to the new list than to develop a well-thought-out addition to benefit the game. Some ideas aren't meant to become a partner players battle with throughout a region, and these are the worst from each Pokémon generation.
Wooper is a described as a "water fish" Pokémon and is a Water- and Ground-type. Pokédex entries describe it as a slimy, poisonous creature lurking in the mud near bodies of water. Wooper appears to be based on poisonous salamanders, but this doesn't do much to endear it to players. With an evolution that takes away any cute charm this Pokémon has - Quagsire - there is little about Wooper that might entice someone to add it to their permanent team.
Voltorb has been a curiosity for fans ever since its appearance in Generation I. The Electric-type Pokémon seems to lack any sort of interesting aspects, simply looking like a Pokéball with eyes. The most outstanding feature it possesses is the move Self-Destruct, a powerful, self-sacrificing attack that has a heavy blow to its opponent's HP. Even its Pokédex entry can't say much about it, leaving it as one of the least memorable designs from the Kanto region.
Sandygast joins the ranks of Pokémon modeled after strange inanimate objects. The lumpy pile of sand is a Ghost- and Ground-type, which will eventually evolve into the actual sandcastle Palossand. While the design could be considered cute, the idea of haunted piles of sand doesn't feel particularly interesting. The most upsetting thing about this Pokémon, however, is that, according to its Pokédex entry, it is born from sandpiles made by children.
Pokémon has had several misses with Ice-types. Eiscue is no exception to this. The penguin Pokémon with a block of ice for a head stares out of the screen at players with dead eyes and is more creepy than cute. It has an actual, tiny head under the ice, but it keeps it frozen to ensure it stays cold. Compared to other Ice Pokémon, this design is about as appealing as Vanillite from Generation V.
Hippopotas suffers from its design being too close to the animal it was based on. This Ground-type Pokémon from Generation IV is definitely based on a hippo, if its name didn't give that away. With camo splotches and an exaggerated nose, Hippopotas feels like it was half-finished when Game Freak released it, and the coloring was just an attempt to make it look less like a hippo and more like a Pokémon. According to its Pokédex entry, it likes sand, and that is all there is to be said about Hippopotas.
Literally called the "Stomach Pokémon," Gulpin is a regrettable Poison-type introduced in Generation III. According to its Pokédex entry, it is nearly all stomach, and there is nothing it can't digest. Other than being gross, this Pokémon doesn't offer much as far as Poison-types go. Its glob of a body was given what might be a feather at the top, but that didn't do anything to make the putrid green color more appealing.
Much like Sandygast, Honedge is another Pokémon design that suffers due to its typing. The Steel- and Ghost-type Pokémon from Generation VI plays on the idea of a haunted sword. According to its Pokédex entry, it is born when a spirit inhabits a sword, which is a common theme with Ghost-type Pokémon. However, it begs the question: How many departed souls in the Pokémon universe end up getting stuck inside things like swords? Unfortunately, turning a sword into a Pokémon just comes out looking silly, which defeats the purpose of a Ghost Pokémon design.
Trubbish is one of the most disliked Pokémon designs of any generation. A sentient pile of garbage might make a player giggle, but this Pokémon is a literal bag of trash. From its unfortunate facial features to the disgusting appendages made of leaking garbage exploding from its sides, this Pokémon is appalling. Unsurprisingly, Trubbish has a Poison typing, but it has almost nothing to offer a player's team, even though it was given a Gigantamax form in Pokémon Sword and Shield.
Despite there being a fair number of unfortunate Pokémon over the generations, there are far more that boast interesting and eye-catching designs for fans to enjoy, allowing players to turn a blind eye to the ugly ducklings of the series. Even with the various Pokémon remakes, and appearances in more recent games, these unfortunate designs have stayed exactly what they were at their original releases: lackluster numbers among long lists of Pokémon players can choose to catch instead. Because of this, they will likely remain lost in design infamy for games to come.
