The Pokémon franchise currently totes nearly nine-hundred unique Pokémon that players across the world have fallen in love with. While every fan of the series has their own favorites, there are some particular Pokémon that have an unmatched degree of iconography.
Whether these particular Pokémon had prominent roles in the video games or were important within the anime, they garnered popularity for one reason or another. However, many of these Pokémon aren't quite as strong as one would expect, seeing little to no use in more competitive circles and the tournament scene. So today, we're going to examine ten popular Pokémon that are often perceived as strong, that are much weaker than one would expect.
10 Goodra
Since the very first generation of games, three-stage dragon types have been associated with powerful Pokemon. While many of these Pokémon are indeed strong, they are often not as game-breaking as one may assume.
As a dragon type, Goodra has many noteworthy resistances, pairing well with its inherent bulk. However, Goodra is not nearly as adept at dealing damage as other similar dragon-types in the series. Additionally, while it may have an incredible special defense stat, a foe can take advantage of this Pokémon's lack of physical defenses.
9 Guzzlord
Though Guzzlord is a massive ultra beast with a massive pool of health, this health pool is subverted by its lack of defensive stats paired with its typing. As a dark-dragon type, Guzzlord is four times weak to fairy-type moves that can easily deplete its deep well of health. This isn't helped by the fact that Guzzlord is notably slow, potentially leading it to get brutalized before it can even attack.
8 Crobat
While Crobat's design has garnered many fans, there are many stronger options for players to use in their teams. Though Crobat has an excellent speed stat, its lack of outstanding offense means that it would struggle to take down foes quickly. Similarly, Corbat's lack of extraordinarily high defenses means that it could fall victim to the attacks of a speedy psychic or rock type.
7 Umbreon
While the various evolutions of Eevee are each popular in their own right, none are as popular as the iconic Umbreon. One of the first dark types in the series, while Umbreon has solid defensive stats, it suffers from a lack of offensive options. This problem largely stems from a lack of offensive dark type moves capable of dealing noteworthy damage that Umbreon is capable of learning. While it has access to Foul Play, Umbreon is often incapable of dealing noteworthy damage to sturdier Pokémon, while offensive fighting types can make short work of it.
6 Articuno
Legendary trios are often perceived as potent Pokémon, and for good reason. While many Pokémon from these trios are notably incredible, there are outliers such as Articuno.
First and foremost, one of Articuno's major problems its ice-flying typing. With the ever-present stealth rock being a constant within competitive play, an Articuno will often have a major chunk of its HP taken away before it is able to act. This means that bringing an Articuno on one's team means that if a player doesn't want this bird to perish to the hazardous Stealth Rock, they must build a team with means of removing such hazards.
5 Incineroar
Incineroar is one of many starter Pokémon that is unfortunately not well equipped to deal with the most impressive Pokémon in the series. A fire-dark type, while Incineroar possesses an undeniably strong offense, it pales defensively. With woefully low speed, this cat Pokémon's litany of common weaknesses such as rock and fighting type moves can be easily exploited by an opponent.
4 Blastoise
One of the most iconic Pokémon in the series, the gen one water starter, Blastoise is unfortunately outclassed by many more viable options. Blastoise a bit of a jack of all-trades, but a master of one, having solid bulk, but not as much bulk as truly defensive Pokémon.
Additionally, while Blastoise can bring the utility of Rapid Spin, there are other more flexible Rapid Spinners around that can deal more damage than Blastoise such as Excadrill.
3 Entei
Entei is a Pokemon that is painted as possessing unbridled power within the Pokemon anime, but it tends to fall flat when compared to other options. While Entei may appear impressive in a vacuum, when juxtaposed to other similar high-speed offensive fire types like Infernape and Blaziken, it simply has less to offer. Unable to offer numerous forms of STAB damage, and lacking the ability to reliably serve as a mixed attacker, players would be better off using a more flexible attacker than can deal damage more reliably.
2 Decidueye
With a unique, never before seen ghost typing for a starter Pokémon, on the surface, Decidueye is a hard Pokémon to dislike. However, one examines its combative abilities with more scrutiny, it, unfortunately, loses much of its luster. Similar to many other entries on this list such as Incineroar, Decidueye's lack of speed can leave it open to getting quickly KO'd. Additionally, similarly to Entei, there are numerous other ghost types and grass types that can fill similar roles to a Decidueye, but with more reliable stats, making it hard to validate the inclusion of a Decidueye on a team.
1 Charizard
Charizard is without a doubt the most over-hyped Pokémon when it comes to competitive viability. While Charizard is a fan favorite who is prominently shown throughout the anime and numerous games, there is one major thing holding Charizard back: rock type. As a fire-flying type, Charizard is four times weak to rock type, which can immediately put an end to a Charizard. Due to the popularity of the hazard move, Stealth Rock, it is common for Charizard to sustain tons of damage as soon as it enters the battle.