The bug typing is often considered the worst typing for use in competitive play. This is because the type is weak to three of the most common offensive types in competitive play, that being fire, flying, and rock. Fire is especially popular in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet so that makes playing bug types extra difficult. Unfortunately, this isn't the only issue with the bug typing. Bug-type attacks deal half damage to 7 out of the 18 types and are only super effective against 3 types, those being dark, grass, and psychic.
Bug also isn't very much of a defensive type, only resisting three types, fighting, grass, and ground. All of these factors certainly place the bug typing below many of the other types in the series, but all is not lost for the bug typing because there are actually quite a few Pokemon that have the bug typing that have stats, moves, or abilities that make them surprisingly powerful.
7 Forretress
Forretress is a bug-steel type Pokemon with a base stat total of 465. Its bug steel typing gives it resistance to 8 typings and an immunity to poison. Its only weakness is a 4x weakness to fire, which is a fairly common type in competitive play. Forretress has a physical defense stat of 140 which is higher than the attack stat of some of the most powerful Pokemon in the series.
Unfortunately, Forretress's other stats suffer a bit as a result of this high defense stat. It does have a base stat of 90 in its attack stat so it isn't without offensive options, but Forretress is really best utilized as a stall Pokemon to set up toxic, stealth rocks, or spikes. It can also be used for speed control thanks to its access to moves like thunder wave, rock tomb, and bulldoze.
6 Vespiquen
Vespiquen is a bug-flying type Pokemon with a base stat total of 474. Vespiquen has a respectable 102 in both physical and special defense making it a very solid defensive Pokemon, as long as it's not going against a Pokemon that has super effective moves.
To help elevate this issue, Vespiquen can learn moves like defense order, which increases its defense and special defense stats by one stage. It can also learn toxic to help deal damage over time, and another exclusive move called attack order, which has a much higher critical hit rate than other moves.
5 Lokix
Lokix is a bug-dark type Pokemon that has a base stat total of 450. Its focused stats are its 102 attack stat and its 92 speed stat. What makes Lokix a strong Pokemon is its hidden ability tinted lens. Tinted lens makes it so that the user's moves that are not very effective will hit for neutral damage instead of half damage.
Lokix's bug-dark typing makes it weak to 5 types and resistant to 4 types. It is also immune to psychic-type attacks thanks to its dark typing. Its access to bug and dark-type moves allow it to hit pretty much every Pokemon in the game with fairly strong moves like sucker punch, lung, throat chop, and leech seed for neutral damage.
4 Slither Wing
Slither Wing is a bug-fighting type Pokemon with a base stat total of 570. Its two strongest stats are its physical attack stat and its special defense stat. The rest of the Slither Wing's stats are decent, hovering around 79 and 85. This makes Slither Wing a powerful physical attacker with good survivability.
Slither Wing is weak to 4 Pokemon types including a 4x weakness to flying and resistance to 5 types. Slither Wing has a pretty impressive move pool, including powerful damaging moves like superpower, zen-headbutt, and earthquake. It also gets access to set-up moves like bulk-up and status moves like willow-wisp and stun powder.
3 Volcarona
Volcarona is a bug-fire type Pokemon with a base stat total of 550. Its highest stats are its special attack stat at 135, its special defense stat at 105, and its speed stat at 100. This makes Volcarona a great special attacker and special defensive walls. Both its standard ability flame body and its hidden ability swarm are pretty good too. Flame body has a chance to burn an attacker that makes physical contact with the user, and swarm powers up bug-type moves when its user has low hp.
Volcarona's fire-bug typing alleviates a lot of the weaknesses that a standard bug type tends to suffer from. Volcarona is only weak to three Pokemon types, water, flying, and rock. On the other hand, Volcarona gains additional resistances to ice and steel as a result of its fire typing. Volcarona also has a pretty terrifying move pool. It has access to powerful offensive moves like fire blast, fiery dance, giga drain, and overheat. It also has access to great setup and status moves like calm mind, amnesia, will-o-wisp, and tailwind.
2 Heracross
Heracross is a bug-fighting type Pokemon with an insane base stat total of 500. Its highest stat is its attack stat at 125, followed closely by its special defense stat at 95. Heracross's typing makes it weak to fire, psychic, flying, and fairy. Thanks to its fighting type it also gains a resistance to dark-type attacks.
Heracross's additional weaknesses don't really hold it back too much. Not when it has two of the best abilities in the game, those being guts, and moxie. Guts doubles the user's attack stat if they suffer from a status condition like poison, burn, or paralysis. It also removes the attack cut that usually results from a Pokemon getting burned. Moxie increases the user's attack stat by one stage each time they successfully K.O. an opponent. These two abilities, coupled with Heracross's high attack stat and great move pool, make it a nightmare sweeper for the opponent's team.
1 Scizor
Scizor is a bug-steel type just like Forretress, which makes it resistant to 8 types and immune to poison. Its only weakness is a 4x weakness to fire. Unlike Forretress, Scizor specializes in offense with its highest stat being its physical attack stat at 130. Its second-highest stat is its physical defense stat at 100. Scizor is scary for both its K.O. potential and its survivability.
Scizor's true power is unlocked when paired with its ability technician. Technician powers up moves with a base power of 60% or less. This makes all 60 power moves into 90 power moves. This allows Scizor to use moves like bullet punch, which is a priority move, at 90 power instead of 60 plus the S.T.A.B. bonus. Scizor can also make use of moves like metal claw, aerial ace, thief, pounce, and trailblaze. Scizor can also make use of powerful setup moves like swords dance, iron defense, and tailwind.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available for Nintendo Switch.