Psychic-type Pokemon are some of the most interesting in the franchise, bearing incredible utility. Some are powerful attackers, while others are incredible support Pokemon with massive movepools. This means that there is a huge variety in their design. Some are cute and calm, while others are huge and threatening.

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From a lore perspective, most of them are said to have high intelligence, and many of them have capabilities to read, control, or generally warp the minds of people & Pokemon. They started life as one of the most powerful types in the franchise, but they were slowly brought down to size over the years. Nevertheless, they remain popular among the fanbase.

Updated September 7th, 2022 by Russ Boswell: Each generation of Pokemon brings a serious of amazing type amalgamations with it. There have been so many stellar-designed Psychic-type Pokemon introduced into the series over the years and some of them stick out much more than others, whether they are pure Psychic-type or a mixture of typings. The upcoming generation of Pokemon, Scarlet and Violet, is sure to bring some amazing Psychic-types with it. To better showcase some of the best Psychic-type Pokemon seen throughout each generation, the following list has been updated. It now includes all of the stats and abilities for each of the chosen Pokemon.

8 Generation I – Alakazam

The first generation gives a fantastic array of choices of Psychic types. Starmie, Slowbro, and Hypno are all memorable Pokemon. Mr Mime, though creepy, has become iconic in the years since for this very reason. Then there's Mew and Mewtwo, Legendaries beloved by all.

Alakazam takes the cake, though. While Mewtwo is more powerful and has a cool design, the fact that it's likely the last Pokemon players will catch on their journey means that it's hard to get attached to. Abra, however, is encounterable very early on in the game. Alakazam's design is one of Generation I's best, as it holds its theme tight and sticks to it. It mixes the human and animalistic qualities in its design perfectly, so as to not feel creepy by going too far either way. Not to mention, it's also a powerhouse in battle.

Alakazam's Abilities

Alakazam's Base Stats

7 Generation II – Espeon

While Psychic was in desperate need of nerfing for Generation II, Game Freak didn't cool off when it came to adding Pokemon of the type. Dark-type made its debut to keep Psychic under control, which allowed brilliant Pokemon like Celebi, Slowking, and Wobuffet to take the stage. Many often forget that Lugia is also Psychic/Flying-type, not Water.

As great as those Pokemon are, any Eeveelution is hard to compete with. Eevee is arguably a perfectly designed Pokemon. Each of its evolutions manages to hold the central essence of Eevee's design, while altering it in a unique way to the type at hand. Espeon retains the cute factor of Eevee, while adding in the sense of elegant composure that the Psychic typing brings.

Espeon's Abilities

Espeon's Base Stats

6 Generation III – Gardevoir

While Generation III doesn't have quite as many Psychic Pokemon as previous generations, the ones it does have are among the best. Deoxys is a weird but wonderful Legendary, Grumpig is cute and powerful, and the Lati-twins are iconic designs. For those who like powerful-looking Pokemon, Metagross is sure to be a favorite.

Gardevoir comes up on top, though. The evolution line as a whole is a perfect example of how to slowly iterate on a design, and Gardevoir itself has a very calming presence. It can wreck shop in a battle with powerful Psychic-type moves, but it always does it in an elegant way. It's the kind of Pokemon most would love to have at their side.

Gardevoir's Abilities

Gardevoir's Base Stats

5 Generation IV – Cresselia

Generation IV is where Game Freak's love for Psychic Pokemon dies down just a little bit. There are still plenty to chose from, but they're mostly Legendaries or additions to existing Pokemon evolution lines. Bronzor and Bronzong are the only original non-Legendaries of this type in the Generation. The Lake Trio aren't super useful in battle, but are great designs that are central to the story. Meanwhile, Mime Jr and Chingling are cute, if somewhat unnecessary, baby Pokemon.

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Cresselia is the best, though, because it feels like the very definition of a Psychic-type. Its lore of bringing joyful dreams & serving as a counterpart to Darkrai makes it very sweet, and the variety of light colors in its design make it feel graceful. Additionally, for a long time in competitive battling, it was the best support Pokemon any trainer could wish for.

Cresselia's Abilities

Cresselia's Base Stats

4 Generation V – Victini

When Generation V added 156 new Pokemon, plenty of Psychic-types came with it. Unfortunately, quantity did not necessarily result in quality here. Gothitelle and Melloetta look a bit too human, with some fans finding them creepy. Monsters like Elgyem & Swoobat are fundamentally fine, but players found them a little dull to look at. There were some good ones, though. Sigilyph is a cool concept with bright colors, and Reuniclus looks cute but still feels powerful.

The cream of the crop, though, is Victini. While their status as a Mythical Pokemon means few trainers will take them along on their journey, they have a cute charm that overwhelms that. It comes from the same school of Mythical design as Celebi: a small and simple design that it's pretty much perfect as it is.

Victini's Abilities

Victini's Base Stats

3 Generation VI – Meowstic

In the later Generations, most types see fewer new Pokemon, as the number of new monsters added is lower as a whole. Generation VI only added 72. Though small, the lineup is quite strong. Malamar is a tough Pokemon that can be found early on in the game, and Hoopa is yet another fantastic Mythical Pokemon to add to the pile.

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The third and best Psychic-type, however, is Meowstic. Like Victini, it's a much smaller design, and it thrives on the simplicity it holds. This is one of the few Kalos Pokemon that feels tightly bound to the theme of the region. It has the same French dignity & grace that fills the cities of the region, and with a different design depending on the gender, it's like two for the price of one.

Meowstic's Abilities

Meowstic's Base Stats

2 Generation VII – Tapu Lele

Unlike Kalos, Alola's Pokemon have a strong sense of theme throughout every single creature. Oricorio is a hula-dancing tropical bird, Oranguru is, well, an Orangutang and a Guru, it's in the name. All the box-art Legendaries are Psychic too, and they hold strong to the story's themes of dimensional shifting and a Pokemon multiverse.

By far, the best set of designs in the Generation is the Tapu Pokemon. Each and every one of them holds to the same core design philosophy, but alters them to be unique and instantly recognizable. Tapu Lele is the cutest and most playful, which is communicated in its design in subtle but perfect ways.

Tapu Lele's Abilities

Tapu Lele's Base Stats

1 Generation VIII – Hatterene

Generation VIII, while not quite as dire as Generation VI, gives very little choice for new Psychic Pokemon. Calyrex is cool but locked behind the DLC. Indeedee is fine, but a bit of a boring Pokemon. Mr Rime is an option for fans of Mr Mime, while Orbeetle stands as one of the best early-route Bug Pokemon out there.

This leaves the door wide open for Hatterene to stroll in and take the crown as the best of the Generation. It comes from the Gardevoir school of design, where calmness and elegance are favored over power and threat — yet, it wrecks opponents in battle. It's quite a unique design with how its body seems to be hidden inside the cacoon that cascades down from its hat. It's a bit weird in just the right way for a Psychic-type.

Hatterene's Abilities

Hatterene's Base Stats

NEXT: Pokemon: The Best Dragon-Type From Each Generation