10. Houndoom-Generation II
Classification: Dark Pokemon/Type: Dark/Fire/Pokedex Entry: “If you are burned by the flames it shoots from its mouth, the pain will never go away.”- Pokemon Gold
Being burned alive is considered one of the worst ways to kick the bucket. Those who survive claim the pain is excruciating but dialed to the nth degree. Now, if a Houndoom roasts you, either by accident or intentionally, and you manage to stay alive, you’ll have to live the rest of your days with the agony of being engulfed in flames.
However, this would make Houndoom an excellent guard dog, and no one would dare try to steal your precious garden gnomes. To add more eeriness to this demon dog, Houndoom seems based on the idea of hellhounds, a spectral black dog, or Cerberus from Greek mythology, and his horns and pointed tail even resemble popular depictions of the devil. It’s also one of the few Pokemon with several different sprites in both Generation II and Generation IV games.
9. Komala-Generation VII
Classification: Drowsing Pokemon/Type: Normal/Pokedex Entry: “It is born asleep, and it dies asleep. All its movements are apparently no more than the result of it tossing and turning in its sleep.”- Pokemon Sun
You may have wondered why I included this guy on the list. How can it possibly be creepy with such a cute smile and huggable shape? To that, I say, its life is just downright depressing. Think about it. The dude is in a constant coma, never waking up. He never gets to enjoy his life, stuck in a fake reality he can’t escape. Never experiencing the true embrace of love from a hug from its mother, never feeling the joy of accomplishment, just the false sense of happiness the dreamland provides. It brings a tear to my eye.
Obviously inspired by a koala and their tendency to sleep up to twenty hours a day, it's interesting to note that its log resembles a body pillow. Another interesting fact is that it shares its classification with another Pokemon, Musharna. Also, when it comes to its shiny version, its log/pillow resembles a forest red gum, a typical habitat for koalas.
8. Jellicent-Generation V
Classification: Floating Pokemon/Type: Water/Ghost/Pokedex Entry: “The fate of the ships and crew that wander into Jellicent’s habitat: all sunken, all lost, all vanished.”-Pokemon Black
What could be worse than a regular ol’ kraken? Well, a ghost kraken! Sailing into a bloom of Jellicent must be terrifying, as they latch onto a ship and break it apart, then drag down the poor sailors into Davy Jones Locker as they drown, never to be discovered and never to see the light of day again. Come to think of it, much like a regular ol’ kraken, except this one has the added touch of being a spooky-spooky spirit. I’ll take the typical kraken, please.
One possible inspiration for Jellicent could be the Stygiomedusa, also known as the giant phantom jelly, as well as a variety of legendary sea beasts. Interestingly enough, this creepy jelly and its pre-evolution, Frillish, were pure Water-type. They became a Ghost-type for balancing reasons.
7. Cofagrigus-Generation V
Classification: Coffin Pokemon/Type: Ghost /Pokedex Entry: “It has been said they swallow those who get too close and turn them into mummies. They like to eat gold nuggets.”-Pokemon Black
The bane of grave robbers, this Pokemon is on the list for one single reason. In the world of Pokemon, trainers (many of whom happen to be children) often wander into ruins. While they explore these ancient sites, they may come upon a coffin, and lo and behold, it turns out to be a Cofagrigus. The next thing they knew, the trainer was swallowed whole, forever an undead roaming the halls of the ruins. Who knows how many spelunking children have met their mummified fate at the hands of one of these? A grim Pokemon, indeed.
Previously, due to the censorship that prevented Pokemon with offensive nicknames from being traded in the GTS, an English-language Cofagrigus was impossible to trade without a nickname in Generation V. Also, its Galarina counterpart, Runerigus, has a reversed attack and special attack stat compared to Cofagrigus.
6. Yamask-Generation V
Classification: Spirit Pokemon/Type: Ghost/Pokedex Entry: “Each of them carries a mask that used to be its face when it was human. Sometimes they look at it and cry.”- Pokemon Black
The pre-evolution of Cofragrigus, Yamask, possesses a huge creep factor. First, this Pokemon used to be a human, so it's a reality that humans can turn into Pokemon, forced into battles they probably don’t want. Second, the fact that that human has become a wandering lost spirit, forced to carry its face and reminisce about its happy memories, and it will never live again, is incredibly sad. I feel for you, Yamask’s of the world.
The inspiration for Yamask is the Egyptian ba, a person’s soul, of a shut, the shadow or silhouette of said soul- and both appear after the person’s death. Yamask is also one of the four ghost Pokemon with the lowest special attack; the others are Shedinja, Duskull, and Greavard.
5. Drowzee-Generation I
Classification: Hypnosis Pokemon/Type: Physic /Pokedex Entry: “It remembers every dream it eats. It rarely eats the dreams of adults because children are much tastier.”- Pokemon Silver
Not only is this Pokemon creepy-looking, but it should also be on a pedophile watchlist. I mean, it prefers tormenting children rather than adults! Anyone who uses Dream Eater on a child is not one I want to carry around on my Pokeball. Shame on you, Drowzee.
Drowzee inspiration comes from the Japanese myth of the baku, creatures who eat bad dreams of sleeping people. One fun fact is that in the Alola Pokedex of Ultra Sun, Ultra Moon, and the Paldean Pokedex, Drowzee’s number is identical: 66.
4.Shedinja- Generation III
Sucked your soul, sucka!
Classification: Shed Pokemon/Type: Bug/Ghost/Pokedex Entry: “Shedinja’s hard body doesn’t move- not even a twitch. In fact, its body appears to be merely a hollow shell. It is believed this Pokemon will steal the spirit of anyone peering into its hollow body from its back” -Pokemon Ruby
For some reason, Nintendo loves combining Pokemon with the ability to suck the life out of a person. In this case, it’s this discarded husk who does the soul-sucking. Now, a doubt comes to my mind: How is a trainer supposed to use a Shedinja if they must face him from behind ? Is it necessary to peer deep inside or merely look at it to become a victim? So many questions, so much soul-sucking.
To obtain a Shedinja, a player must have an empty spot on their team when evolving Nincada. This bug corpse also has the lowest HP of any Pokemon: 1 HP. This fact causes some interesting effects, such as Defense and Special Defense being worthless in battle.
3. Palossand- Generation VII
That poor Pikachu messed around and is about to find out.
Classification: Sand Castle Pokemon/Type: Ground/Ghost/Pokedex Entry: “Buried beneath the castle are masses of dried up bones from those whose vitality it has drained-” Pokemon Moon
If you need more proof that not even the beaches in the Pokemon Universe are safe, you’ve got Palossand in the mix. It takes a special kind of evil to collect the bones of your prey like some revolting trophy. Also, one can imagine the desperation and horror as a Palossand traps you and slowly sinks you in, only to end up with your flesh and muscles ripped off your body.
No wonder it’s called the Beach Nightmare in Pokemon Sword. Palossand is, not surprisingly, based on a sand castle and the idea of quicksand. In the anime, it even manages to trap Ash. Lucky for the never-aging trainer, he managed to escape a grim fate.
2. Gigantamax Gengar- Generation VIII
The portal to the underworld.
Classification: Shadow Pokemon/Type: Ghost/Poison/Pokedex Entry: “It lays traps, hoping to steal the life of those it catches. If you stand in front of its mouth, you’ll hear your loved ones' voices calling out to you.”- Pokemon Shield
Gengar is my favorite Pokemon. Ever since I was a little kid, that scary shadow counts with a permanent spot on my team. But, as much as I adore this Pokemon, I have to admit its Gigantamax version is simply super sinister. Not only does it want to kill you but to scar you for life as well, since it can make you hear the voices of those you love who passed away once again, probably suffering in a hellish afterlife. But don’t worry, Gengar, even if you revel in my suffering, I still love you.
Gengar is Ken Sugimori’s, who happens to be the illustrator of the original artwork for Pokemon games, favorite ‘mon. The reason is that he finds him the easiest to draw. Of interesting note is that Gengar’s evolutionary line wasn’t able to learn poison moves until Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu! and Let’s Go Eevee!
1. Drifloon-Generation IV
Category: Balloon Pokemon/Type: Ghost/Flying/Pokedex Entry: “These Pokemon are called the “Signpost for Wandering Spirits.” Children holding them sometimes vanish.”-Pokemon Y
And on our #1 spot appears the most innocent-looking Pokemon with a terrible trait. Yes, the child kidnapper and equivalent of a white van of the Pokemon world is none other than Drifloon. This funny and cute-looking balloon proves that there can be great evil behind the most kind-looking creatures and that the world of Pokemon is, in reality, not as whimsical as it lets on to be.
In the Japanese version of Pearl’s Pokedex, Drifloon is even more sinister, as it specifies it “takes children to the world of the dead” instead of just trying to steal them away. It was also the first Generation IV Pokemon to be revealed on Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
