When designing a new Pokémon game, the designers tasked with coming up with new creatures look to all kinds of locations for inspiration. Nature and mythology are common, but plenty of Pokémon are based on inanimate objects. Since Generation I with the likes of Voltorb and Magnamite, inanimate objects have been turned into Pokémon for players to trade and battle.
Later generations have received some pushback from fans for including too many Pokémon like this, but they’ve been present in the franchise forever. That being said, not all object Pokémon are created equal. Some stand out as clever or cool riffs on their inspiration, while others are extremely lackluster.
10 Best: Litwick Grows In Might And Fright
Introduced in Generation V, this Ghost/Fire Pokémon begins life as a candle before evolving into a lamp as Lampent and finally a chandelier as Chandelure. Litwick its very cute, but its ghostly purple flame betrays its more sinister nature. Its Pokémon Black Pokédex entry says that its light “absorbs the life energy of people and Pokémon, which becomes the fuel that it burns.” It gets more and more menacing as it evolves, demonstrating the progression on a theme that any good Pokémon line should have.
9 Worst: Grimer And Muk Have No Individuality
Just because a Pokémon comes from Generation I doesn’t mean it is automatically good. Grimer and Muk are just piles of slime, which in and of itself is not necessarily bad. Slimes and oozes are common in video games, and for good reason.
But Grimer changes very little upon evolving, simply getting slightly less defined. The Grimer line simply lacks enough originality and personality to stand out, especially when it shares a generation with another, more interesting purple blob in Ditto.
8 Best: Solrock And Lunatone Are Cosmic Rocks
Though not actually related, these two Rock/Psychic Pokémon are obviously closely related. They are both said to have come from space, as they are found in Metor Falls in the Hoenn region. Solrock and Lunatone are fun designs because they toe the line between being just rocks and being some kind of cosmic creatures resembling the sun and the moon respectively. Their psychic powers make them even more interesting, putting these two a cut above other rock-based Pokémon.
7 Worst: Bergmite And Avalugg Try To Play Against Type
Bergmite and Avalugg aren’t all that bad, but they get sabatoged thanks to fundamental truths about the Ice typing in Pokémon. Ice types resist only other Ice types, and are weak to Fighting, Rock, Steel, and Fire type moves.
Unfortunately, many Ice type Pokémon, Bergmite included, are designed to be incredibly bulky. Avalugg has a whopping 184 defense, but its typing is entirely not conducive to this build. Its special defense is atrocious, making this Pokémon’s identity crisis even worse. Hisuian Avalugg’s Rock typing makes things a little better by adding some more resistances, but adds even more weaknesses as well.
6 Best: Yamask, Runerigus, And Cofagrigus Are Ghostly Artifacts
It could be argued that the main focus of Yamask’s design is its ghost body, not the mask or stone it carries, depending on the region. However, once it evolves into either Cofagrigus or Runerigus, it is very clearly an object Pokémon. Cofagrigus’s design resembles an ornate ancient Egyptian sarcofagus, while Runerigus resembles shattered runestones. The ghostly elements interespersed through their designs make them eerie to behold, while still highlighting the objects they are based around.
5 Worst: Rotom Is Best As A Companion, Not A Battler
Introduced in Generation IV, Rotom has become quite ubiquitous in recent generations. In Sun and Moon, it possesses the player’s Pokédex, acting as a guide and built in tutorial, and performs even more functions in Pokémon Sword and Shield. Rotom’s base form looks great, vaguely resembling a small light bulb. However, its other forms, which are supposedly various appliances, bear little resemblance to the object the Rotom is possessing. They become extremely rounded in design and are all the same color, for some reason. Rotom is best when used as a background character instead of a refrigerator.
4 Best: Geodude Is Simple And Expressive
One of the most iconic Pokémon out there, Geodude demonstrates exactly how to use an object as inspiration and still make something interesting. Its basically just a little boulder with arms, but its expressive eyes and constantly clenched fists give it a lot of personality. There is something lost on its evolution to Golem, which changes its look significantly, but Geodude and Graveler are excellent examples of what makes an object Pokémon work.
3 Worst: Castform Fails To Fulfil Its Conceit
The overworld weather system introduced in Ruby and Sapphire was revolutionary, building on the weather moves first seen in Generation II. It makes sense that the designers would try to introduce a Pokémon to tie into this mechanic. Unfortunately, Castform is not a stellar choice. Its base form is a Normal type, rather than the Flying type it seems like a cloud should be. Castform’s design is less than exciting, and even its alternate forms all look somewhat like they’re made of gel. A raincloud, snow storm, and sun Pokémon could have been very exciting, but Castform fails to live up.
2 Best: Honedge Is The Perfect Sword Pokémon
If Rotom is a poor example of an object possessed by a ghost, Honedge, Doublade, and Aegislash are examples of the concept done right. These sword Pokémon each look slightly different, with restrained designs that still manage to capture exactly what they’re supposed to be.
The line changes as it evolves, going from a single sword to a pair to a sword and a shield, and Aegislash’s Stance Change ability really takes advantage of the object it is based on.
1 Worst: Appletun Fails To Live Up
Dragon types are among the most impressive and intimidating types Pokémon has to offer. From Salamance to Kommo-o to the mighty Dragonite, the Dragon type is truly exceptional. Unfortunately, Appletun fails to live up to the hype. Appletun begins life as an Applin, which resembles an apple with a worm inside. But upon evolving with the use of a Sweet Apple, it turns into what basically looks like a generic European dragon with an apple pie growing out of its back. It’s an altogether unimpressive design, and the fact that Pokémon fan wiki Bulbapedia lists a full five different possible origins for its design indicates how unfocused it really is.
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