The newest type to be added to the Pokemon series is the Fairy type, which debuted in Gen 6, but has remained popular well into Gen 9's Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. While this type may conjure imagery of cute, dainty fairies, the creatures that make up this classification are actually very diverse. They range from the typical petite sprites to noble beasts and menacing monsters. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet doubled down on the Fairy type and introduced some of the coolest critters of the type to date.
Fairy was added to the type chart as a means to round out the total number of types to 18 and provide a counter to Pokemon's Dragon type, which had been quite overpowered since Gen 1. In order to help balance out the roster of Fairy types, several mons from generations prior to Gen 6 were given the typing, leading to many creatures who were previously underutilized becoming quite strong thanks to the newfound power of the Fairy type within the meta. For the purpose of this ranking, the final stage mon will represent the entire evolutionary line as one entry including any Megas or regional variants.
S-Tier
These mons are the best the Fairy type has to offer, including some popular iconic mons and some that have been competitive powerhouses in their respective generations. Pokemon Sword and Shield's Zacian and Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Flutter Mane have dominated the Pokemon VGC meta for Gen 8 and Gen 9, respectively, and the Tapus have each played key roles in Gen 7's meta. Aside from battle prowess, mons like Gardevoir, Mimikyu, and Tinkaton have become fan favorites for their designs and lore within the Pokemon world, earning them spots atop a list of Fairy type icons.
- Wigglytuff
- Alolan Ninetales
- Gardevoir
- Togekiss
- Sylveon
- Xerneas
- Mimikyu
- Tapu Koko
- Tapu Lele
- Tapu Bulu
- Tapu Fini
- Zacian
- Tinkaton
- Flutter Mane
A-Tier
The Fairy types represented here are strong competitors for the best in the category, but ultimately don't stack up to the best of the best for one reason or another. Mons like Whimsicott, Klefki, and Grimmsnarl are popular among competitive players, but are not meta-defining like other Fairy types. Same goes for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet's Scream Tail and Iron Valiant, who have their competitive niches but are not in the same class as Zacian or Flutter Mane. Mawile is notable for its Mega Evolution, which gave an underappreciated mon new life, but with Mega Evolution absent from Gen 8 onward, Mawile has fallen out of favor once again.
- Clefable
- Galarian Rapidash
- Azumarill
- Mawile
- Whimsicott
- Klefki
- Diancie
- Primarina
- Magearna
- Hatterene
- Grimmsnarl
- Scream Tail
- Iron Valiant
B-Tier
Most of these Fairy types are not the most useful from a battle standpoint, but have other likable qualities that make them popular among a subsection of Pokemon fans. Cute critters like Dedenne, Ribombee, Alcremie, and Dachsbun are endearing for their designs, but their stats are ultimately underwhelming. For being Pokemon Mega Evolutions, Mega Altaria and Mega Audino are somewhat forgettable among the swath of much more powerful Megas the series has to offer.
- Galarian Weezing
- Mr. Mime
- Mega Altaria
- Mega Audino
- Dedenne
- Florges
- Ribombee
- Comfey
- Alcremie
- Dachsbun
C-Tier
While these mons still have their fans, they are likely the least popular among Fairy types due to either being forgettable, underpowered, or outright unappealing in design. Despite Pokemon X and Y debuting the Fairy type, Aromatisse and Slurpuff are some of the most forgettable additions of Gen 6 due to being version exclusives and requiring a trade to evolve, making them difficult to obtain in their home games. Granbull was not the most memorable Gen 2 mon to begin with and was an odd choice to retroactively receive the Fairy type, and Enamorus' introduction in Pokemon Legends: Arceus was undercut by its controversial design.
- Granbull
- Aromatisse
- Slurpuff
- Carbink
- Shiinotic
- Enamorus
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available now for Nintendo Switch.