The first Pokémon games released in 1995 and there have been many titles released since, adding more and more known pokémon to the Pokédex. The recent DLC, The Crown Tundra, added even more new Pokémon for players to enjoy. The roster now has nearly 900 different pokémon, with there being 18 different typings in total.
There are all kinds of pokémon out there, some are strong, some are scary, and some are adorably cute. However, sometimes even the cutest of pokémon can turn out to be the complete opposite. Take a look at these ten examples of pokémon that appear adorable, but are actually scarier than they look.
10 Palossand
Palossand evolves from Sandygast and both pokémon resemble sandcastles. They were first introduced in Pokémon Sun and Moon and both have a Ghost/Ground-typing. Though it's hard to see a sandcastle as anything but innocent and adorable, the ghost-typing gives away this pokémon's darker side.
In particular, Palossand's entry explains how it kills, "It pulls its prey down into the sand by controlling the sand itself, and then it sucks out their souls." It drains their vitality as it does so, "Buried beneath the castle are masses of dried-up bones from those whose vitality it has drained."
9 Shuckle
Shuckle is a Bug/Rock-type pokémon that arrived with the launch of Pokémon Gold and Silver. It has no known other evolutions at present and is a rather unassuming, though undeniably cute-looking pokémon.
The clue to what makes this pokémon particularly terrifying lies in its Pokédex entries. This pokémon stores berries in its shell, which are later consumed as juice, "It stores berries in its shell. The berries eventually ferment to become delicious juices." The creepy thing about it is that it's not just berry juices... it's partly body fluids, "The berries mix with its body fluids to become a juice".
8 Yamask
Yamask is a Ghost-type pokémon that first appeared in Pokémon Black and White. It later received a Galarian variant in Pokémon Sword and Shield, but it's the original form that has a terrifying backstory to its otherwise adorable appearance.
The sad fact is that these pokémon are created from the spirits of dead people, "These Pokémon arose from the spirits of people interred in graves.", but the scarier fact is that the masks they carry are of their faces from when they were alive, "Each of them carries a mask that used to be its face when it was human. Sometimes they look at it and cry."
7 Corsola
Corsola is a very cute Water/Rock-type pokémon that first appeared in Pokémon Gold and Silver. It's a coral type pokémon and its Pokédex entry explains "They cannot survive in polluted water". While this isn't scary in itself, it's the Galarian variant of this pokémon that makes it scarier.
Galarian Corsola is a Ghost-type and its Pokédex entry explains, "Sudden climate change wiped out this ancient kind of Corsola." Not only is this a sad foreshadowing of what could happen if the world isn't looked after, but this Corsola also seems pretty bitter about it as the Pokédex explains that, "it will curse you if you kick it" and also that, "This Pokémon absorbs others' life-force through its branches."
6 Litwick
Litwick is a Ghost-Fire-type pokémon that debuted in Pokémon Black and White. It has two further evolutions, but neither compares to Litwick's adorable little candle design. However, much like other Ghost-type pokémon, Litwick is hiding a darker nature beneath that cute facade.
Its Pokédex entries claim that when people or pokémon get close, Litwick's candlelight absorbs their life energy, "Litwick shines a light that absorbs the life energy of people and Pokémon, which becomes the fuel that it burns." Furthermore, in Pokémon Sword, it states that "This Pokémon takes lost children by the hand to guide them to the spirit world."
5 Ditto
Ditto has been in the series since the very beginning and is known for its ability to transform into any other pokémon it sees. With the introduction of pokémon breeding, it quickly became a coveted pokémon as it can be used to breed with most other pokémon.
There are two creepy factors to this pokémon, the fact that it can transform into anything gives off scary Terminator-vibes, but also, there are occasions when Ditto gets its transformations wrong, such as when it tries to do it from memory. This results in a rather creepy imperfect pokémon of another breed that retains Ditto's strange blank face.
4 Mimikyu
Pikachu is the face of the Pokémon brand and as such, it's understandably a favorite with players. So when Game Freak decided to make a new pokémon that loved Pikachu just as much as the fans, it too became a fan-favorite. Mimikyu is a Ghost/Fairy-type pokémon that wears a Pikachu costume and its true appearance is unknown.
What makes this pokémon terrifying is it's suggested that under the costume, it's actually a very terrifying pokémon and all that see its true form die a horrible or mysterious death, "A gust of wind revealed what hides under this Pokémon's rag to a passing Trainer, who went home and died painfully that very night."
3 Cubone
Cubone is one of the original 151 pokémon from the Kanto region that appeared in Pokémon Red and Blue. It's always been viewed as a rather cute pokémon, and it's also one of the most well-known for having a tragic backstory as it lost its mother after it was born.
It's this tragic backstory that makes this particular pokémon a little bit creepy, as part of its mourning process involves it wearing the skull of its dead mother on its head, "Wears the skull of its deceased mother. Its cries echo inside the skull and come out as a sad melody."
2 Drifloon
Drifloon is a Ghost/Flying-type pokémon that was first introduced in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. This adorable little pokémon resembles a balloon, while its next evolutionary form, Drifblim, resembles a hot air balloon.
It's appearance and coveted ghost typing makes Drifloon a firm fan-favorite, but its Pokédex entries make this unsuspecting pokémon a little more unsettling as they often refer to how it likes to steal children away. For example: "It is whispered that any child who mistakes Drifloon for a balloon and holds on to it could wind up missing."
1 Stufful
Stufful is a Normal/Fighting-type pokémon that first appeared in Pokémon Sun and Moon. It's a very adorable pokémon that resembles a stuffed toy, complete with a tag on its rear. The thing that makes this pokémon particularly frightening is that it's unbelievably strong, "Despite its adorable appearance, when it gets angry and flails about, its arms and legs could knock a pro wrestler sprawling."
In fact, another of its Pokédex entries declares it to be "an incredibly dangerous Pokémon", and despite looking like a huggable stuffed animal, "Stufful hates to be hugged or touched in any way. It will squirm, thrash, and resist with amazing power."