Whether it’s because of their appearance, their reputation, or some other, perhaps biological reason, certain Pokémon can flatter to deceive. A creature may look like a tank but have low Defense, or they could seem fast while possessing a surprisingly low base Speed stat.
Pokémons’ stats have to be distributed evenly to keep them balanced and prevent them from being overpowered, but this can lead to some stats being much lower than it seems like they should be. There are plenty of examples where a Pokémon’s stats belie their appearance and match up against others in surprising and unexpected ways.
10 Ariados Is Not As Nimble As The Creature It’s Based On
Anyone who’s tried to catch a spider in their bathroom knows how fast the little critters can be. That’s why it’s so surprising that Ariados’s base Speed stat is a paltry 40. And this is a fully evolved Pokémon; It evolves from Spinarak, gaining only 10 points in Speed in the process.
Ariados’s 3rd generation Pokédex entry states that “its feet are tipped with hooked claws that enable it to scuttle on ceilings and vertical walls”; scuttling, by definition, is a way of moving quickly.
9 Tropius’s Stats Aren’t Helped By Its Typing
For what is essentially a flying dinosaur, Tropius’s base stats on the whole are underwhelming. Not a single stat reaches triple digits, ensuring it matches the base stat total of Pokémon such as Basculin, Lanturn, and the Meteorites Solrock and Lunatone.
All of Tropius’s stats were put into bulk, but its typing makes it vulnerable to Fire and Ice-Type Pokémon, leaving it with poor Attack, Speed, and Defense when it looks like it should be pretty formidable.
8 Parasect Is A Final Evolution That Should Have Better Stats
For a fully evolved Pokémon, Parasect shares a base total with several mid-stage evolutionary forms of Pokémon. 405 is the same base stat total as Bayleef, Charmeleon, Ivysaur, Marshtomp, and Wartortle, to name but a few.
Given the fact that it resembles a hermit crab, which can be pretty nippy, one would think it would have a greater Speed stat than 30. Its highest stat is Attack, which stands at 95.
7 Dusknoir’s Low HP Is A Mystery
The final form of Duskull, Dusknoir doesn’t boast particularly impressive stats. Its base HP is just 45; to put that into context, Machop’s is 70. Its base Speed stat is also 45, while its Special Attack is only 65.
One would think that for a Ghost-Type, Dusknoir’s Special Attack would be higher than its physical Attack, but the latter stands at 100. Cloyster and Probopass also have 525 as their base stat total.
6 Camerupt Looks Like A Tank But Lacks In Bulk Stats
Camerupt looks like it should be a tank, but its base HP and Defense stats are 70, while its Special Defense is only slightly better at 75, giving it a lot less bulk than it looks like it has.
Its base stat total is also on the low side at 460, the same as Dodrio, Breloom, and Jumpluff. Its strengths lie not in its defense, as it may seem, but its offense, with 100 for physical and 105 for Special Attack. Its Speed stat of 40 makes sense, but the same can’t be said for its defensive stats.
5 Vikavolt Has Shockingly Low Base Speed
The gen VII Pokédex entry for Vikavolt says it “zips around, on sharp lookout for an opening”, but that doesn’t correspond with its base Speed stat of 43. Also, it just looks like it should be fast.
Vikavolt is based on a beetle and shares its category of Stag Beetle Pokémon with Pinsir, although Pinsir’s Speed stat is much higher at 85. Pokémon with a higher base Speed than Vikavolt include Tangrowth, Skiddo, and Aggron.
4 Cosmog Has The Lowest Stats Of All The Legendaries
Cosmog is a starter Pokémon, but it is also a Legendary. It is therefore surprising that its base stat total is only 200, putting it on a par with Feebas, Scatterbug, and the hapless Magikarp.
The Pokémon it evolves into are very powerful, but still, for a Legendary that’s said to have come from another universe, one would be forgiven for expecting Cosmog to have better stats than it does.
3 Escavalier Is Slower Than Some Extremely Slow Pokémon
The Pokémon Black Pokédex entry for Escavalier has it that the Cavalry Pokémon “fly around at high speed, striking with their pointed spears,” yet with 20 for base Speed, it’s hard to imagine Escavalier doing so.
The fact that it’s based on a jousting knight, which needed to be fast if they wanted to be victorious, makes this all the stranger. Bronzong, Lickilicky, and Probopass all possess a higher base Speed stat than Escavalier.
2 Game Pikachu Has Much Lower Stats Than Anime Pikachu Would Have You Believe
Perhaps it’s as a result of seeing Ash’s Pikachu in the anime win so many battles against bigger opponents, but a look at Pikachu’s base stats is likely to underwhelm.
For a mid-stage evolutionary form, its base stat total of 300 is the same as Bellsprout, Gible, and Geodude. It must have gained a big boost from its bond with Ash in the anime, but anyone using it in the game hoping to achieve similar results will be disappointed.
1 Onix Isn’t Rocking Very Good Stats At All
Thanks to its appearance in the anime as Brock’s main in the original series, as well as being one of the most unique and eye-catching gen I Pokémon, Onix is one of the best-known Pokémon. Many fans may not realize, however, that the Rock Snake Pokémon’s base stats are pretty woeful, particularly its Attack, which sits at just 45.
Its Defense is 160, which seems right, but for such a large and imposing figure, its HP of 35 seems odd. A Special Attack of 30, Special Defense of 45, and Speed of 70 give Onix a grand total of 385, level with Beautifly, Mudbray, and Poliwhirl.
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