There are over 1,000 Pokémon at this time, and more are coming with every passing generation. It’s impossible to nail it every time when designing totally fictional creatures, but at times, The Pokémon Company has done extremely well, making some beautiful, terrifying, excellent Pokémon over the years.
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To that end, these are the coolest designs that The Pokémon Company and developer Game Freak have ever come up with over the franchise’s almost-30-year history.
12. Mewtwo
Mewtwo is the quintessential Pokémon with a good design. Can you imagine it looking any different? It’s not based on much of anything, which helps it remain original when there are some silly designs based on items (Klefki and Vanillish, for example). It exudes Legendary Pokémon because it feels genuinely menacing and frightening. You would be totally terrified if you ran into one in the real world.
11. Umbreon
Eevee has a good design, and so do most of the Eeveelutions. The best, however, is Umbreon by a wide margin. Its design so perfectly matches the type and the perception of this Pokémon. It is one of the best Dark-type designs because it fully leans into that aesthetic. It’s also simple, clean, and iconic, which helps, especially when its base Pokémon has so many awesome evolutions.
10. Lucario
Lucario is another incredible design for a Pokémon. Once again, it so perfectly fits the Fighting-type aesthetic without leaning too far into it and being cheesy. Throh, Hitmonchan, and Machoke fall into that territory. Lucario looks like it could beat you up, but it also looks cool at the same time and has a really nice color scheme to match.
9. Charizard
Charizard is maybe the most iconic Pokémon outside of Pikachu for several reasons, but one of them is that it is a fantastic design. It’s a fiery, flying dragon, and the design captures that so well. Contrast that with another flying dragon, Dragonite, and it’s easy to see where The Pokémon Company could’ve gone terribly wrong with Charizard. Fortunately, they didn’t.
8. Giratina
Another Legendary, Giratina perfectly captures the vibe that a Pokémon like this needs. Giratina is known as the god of antimatter, and that kind of moniker demands a good design. Both the Origin Forme and Altered Forme are really the pinnacle of Pokémon being designed to match their role.
7. Corviknight
Corviknight is as cool as it gets. It is sleek, shiny, dark, and menacing all in one. Robotic or metallic Pokémon don’t always work well, but that is not the case here. Its prior evolutions are fine, but there is a huge difference between Rookidee and Corviknight, because one’s design is so much better.
6. Galarian Articuno
All three of the Galarian Birds could be on this list, because they each improve upon their Kantonian design. Articuno is easily the best. There’s something regal about Legendary Pokémon, and the design for Galarian Articuno captures that and combines it with a truly excellent color scheme.
5. Snorlax
When you think of a Snorlax, there is no other vibe that comes to mind than the one that its design so perfectly captures. That is a Snorlax, there’s no other way to put it. It’s a sleepy, lovable Pokémon, and so it is fitting that it mildly resembles an overweight teddy bear.
4. Bisharp
Both Pawniard and Bisharp are wonderful designs, but the sharpness and size of Bisharp make it a better one. Unfortunately, Kingambit, an evolution added in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, is a step backwards, but that doesn’t take away from a truly excellent design.
3. Greninja
Greninja is another really stellar Pokémon. It takes something that exists, a frog in this case, and adds enough to it to really set it apart. It also does enough to make it serious rather than silly, which some animal Pokémon (Yamper, Audino, and Rowlet) struggle with.
2. Zygarde (10% Forme)
Zygarde is a good Pokémon design, but it gets worse with different forms. The 10% Forme, which is essentially the base form, is the best. It closely resembles a dog, and while there are a few excellent dog Pokémon, this one is arguably the best. It’s a shame that that design was abandoned with later forms, although those are not bad.
1. Buzzwole
Buzzwole is maybe the most accurate Pokémon design out there. It is a Bug/Fighting-type Pokémon, and there just isn’t a better way to do that than by making a jacked bug. It’s awesome, has good colors, and features a nice combination of sharp edges and round muscles.
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