Chillie's Top 100 Favorite Pokémon

[Chillie]

Before I start this enormous countdown, I will first express my honorable mentions; those that were close to entering my top favorites list but just barely missed the cut. I still love every Pokémon here and even a good amount that won't even be mentioned! I say this because I will be giving 8 honorable mentions, one for each generation of Pokémon. With that out of the way, let's see the friends who might not have made the top 100, but are still special to me and I appreciate a lot as a Pokémon fan!

HONORABLE MENTION (GEN 1):

RAICHU
Fitting how the evolution to the most popular Pokémon in existence would be the first one on this huge list!
I find the whole Pikachu-line charming for obvious reasons. No I'm not one of those people who think Pikachu is too popular or overrated or whatever, but I actually think I do like Raichu more hence his place here over the lil yellow rat. I guess it's because of the whole underdog story Raichu's got going on. It's the "ugly lazy older brother" of the iconic Pika, so naturally it's not gonna have as much of a crowd even with the addition of a regional form in Generation 7.
With that said, I'm in the camp that does really appreciate Raichu's design; it does feel like a cool natural progression up from Pikachu while still keeping a lot of the cute factor! I like the more thicc legs given to Raichu, makes him look like a cross between a kangaroo and large house cat. Strange combination, but I find it really charming. And its Alola form is that but if it had a daily meal routine of Nutella and pancakes for breakfast lunch and dinner. Mood. I love how most Raichu are these snarky, cocky older siblings in comparison to the usually tame Pikachu and Pichu. The whole attitude these chodes tend to have really speaks to me on a spiritual level.
And even though Pikachu has that Light Ball item going for it, I find Raichu just as if not more fun to use in battle. It's a bit bulkier than Pikachu (though that's like comparing a glass teacup to an eggshell), and faster in both forms. I've found its speed to be helpful whenever I was using it, as letting it pull off either a sweep with Nasty Plot or use one of its nasty tricks like Nuzzle and Volt Switch is satisfying when I actually succeed with it lul.
So yea, Raichu is shockingly cool. I like Pikachu a lot too and I'll prolly lump him here too with Raichu cuz Wynaut, but if I gotta pick one for the honorable mention spot it's this chonker.


HONORABLE MENTION (GEN 2):

MEGANIUM
sigh.
Poor Meganium, you might as well call it the Pity Party Pokémon. Always feels like this Green Giant-lookin mofo gets the shaft in favor of more popular picks for starters. And whenever fans do give it attention, it's usually negative, rather it be because of its poor battle capabilities, weird design, or whatever random nitpick people have with it. Well I'm here to turn that around. Meganium is, contrary to the majority of the fanbase, one of my favorite Grass starters. I guess I'm just a sucker for nature in general, but I find Meganium to be an awesome plant dino. I get why some people can be turned away from it; the design is rather plain. But I think it's actually quite appealing this way. No big spots stripes or any other gimmicky quirk to this Pokémon, just a gentle Apatosaurus-like friend with a flower for neck decor. Its colors are soft on the eyes and it just has this cute factor that I just love (sticks with the whole Chikorita family). I dunno, I think it still holds up.
Unlike its stats....sheesh....it's like beating up a dead horse, or dino i guess. It's not that its stats are bad; its defensive stats are actually quite good especially for a starter. The biggest problems this gentle giant suffers is...it doesn't really do anything. It's movepool and coverage is more shallow than a preschool kiddie pool and anything it can do can be done much better by other Pokemon. Being a pure Grass type does nothing but hurt it even more both offensively and defensively. That's not to say it's completely a waste, but it's just a shame how Meganium is outclassed at pretty much everything. It's definitely not a battler, but I don't really mind too much.
Besides, in my opinion I think it's an excellent team player for any Johto journey! Yes, it's weak to the first two gym leaders and the majority of the Poison-types you'll be seeing from the Rocket dudes, but I think its good matchups get extremely overlooked. It's easily the best starter against Whitney's Miltank onslaught with insurance moves like Reflect, and it even has the best matchup with Clair's Kingdra when compared to Typhlosion and Feraligatr. And aside from Morty and the previously mentioned Falkner and Bugsy, I think its capabilities against the other bosses in the game are on par with that of the other two; just takes some getting used to as you won't be spamming Flamethrower or Surf 3 ways to Sunday like you would with the other two starters, I like its playstyle, and it won't be the last one of its kind to be mentioned in this journey.
Is it perfect? No. But it doesn't have to be, and I think Meganium is one of the more underrated creatures in the fabled Pocket Monster library.


HONORABLE MENTION (GEN 3):

FLYGON
It was a tough choice between Flygon and Sableye for this spot, and yet despite how much I love Sableye's concept and creepy design, I learned over time to really appreciate Flygon both as a Dragon-type and as a general Pokémon. I mean just look at this beauty! They don't call it the Mystic Pokémon for nothing. I find Flygon to be a rather beautiful design in both physique and color. It's a big ol' bugger friend with rhombus wings and pilot and protective goggles. This dude is like a mini-airplane I LOVE IT! Flygon is one of the Pokémon In instantly think of when I think about flying Pokemon. It's a unique high-flyer, especially with its typing and concept. An ant lion of all things becoming this majestic draconic beast. Definitely a classic design!
So much so that even Game Freak couldn't come up with a design that could live up to its standards (and yet Mega Garchomp exists eesh). It does leave poor Flygon out in the dust (ba dum tss) when it comes to battling it with the big boys, as it's hopelessly outclassed by the majority of the powerhouse Dragons reigning over the tiering rum. But I still think it's a very fun Pokémon to use, just send it out and let it rip stuff up with two great stabs and fantastic coverage on top of the single best typing and ability to combat entry hazards; you got a consistent offensive force with a solid amount of defensive merit. If this thing got a Mega it would've been a top-tier force for sure. But as is, it's still a great Pokémon. Just try to avoid raising Vibrava for as long as you can; that lil teenage bugger is borderline unusable in pretty much every way and makes it a pain to raise into Flygon. But it's definitely well worth it in the end. A Pokémon I find incredibly fun to use and fly around with, yet another underrated gem. It's a cult fan favorite for a reason!


HONORABLE MENTION (GEN 4):

HIPPOWDON
Hippos are cool man. They're these humongous hulking beats with jaws and bites stronger than my will to do anything meaningful in life. I can relate to these chunks of awesomeness, and that's what put Hippowdon here. I'm already a sucker for good Ground-types, and making a hippopotamus who lives in SAND? Epicepicepic YES TAKE MY MONEY. Hippowdon looks super awesome, 10/10 Hippo Pokémon.
Of course it also helps that this big lard is also a beast in battle. The mon just sits on it ass all day and just soaks up almost any physical hit for brunch. WITH reliable recovery, great offensive coverage, and the unique trait of being able to phase with Whirlwind?? Add on the fact that it's a weather setter with Sand, and you got a Pokemon that has a plethora of great unique individual traits that make it another fantastic team player.
Not much else to say here, hippos are friggin chads bruh.​

 

[Chillie]

HONORABLE MENTION (GEN 5):

STOUTLAND
doggos. doggos are cute.
In all seriousness, I truly love the entire family. I love the natural progression from adorable lil pie-face puppy to stern canine hero into...this majestic work of art. Truly one of the finest examples of facial hair I've seen in the Pokémon series. He's just such a gentle wise good boy who'll always be loyal to their trainer. Makes me wish I had my own dog lol. And don't even get me started on its role in the anime, it's enough to make robots shed a tear. RIP to a GOOD good boy for the ages.
And he's also incredibly reliable as an early-game Pokemon throughout pretty much the whole journey. Sometimes even borderline broken as a Herdier without stupidly hard Take Down hits. But solid coverage, and a classic ability in Intimidate make this borko a great team member, and those traits carry on into its life in competitive history. Although not the best Normal type, I've had fun using it whenever I've given it a chance. Hits relatively hard especially with its STAB and even has a surprise sweeping trick with access to Sand Rush. Pair him up with a Hippo TTar or Gigalith and watch the bodies drop. >
There won't ever be a doggo Pokémon as endearing and awesome as this family (well, that's actually a lit, but we'll cross that bridge when we get there). Truly the finest of fine boys. Must pet and protect 24/7, although it'll probably end up protecting me. Good doggo.


HONORABLE MENTION (GEN 6):

HOOPA
Sounds like a lot of HOOPA!....I deserve a brick to the head for that.
Where do I start? I love the whole djinn concept and aesthetic it's got goin on. I love how mischievous its grin is, it's like the one mean bully kid on the playground who steals your lunch money. I really love the whole dimension-portal nonsense Hoopa's got goin for it. This dude can literally pull hula hoops out of its ass and use them to travel between different universes and timelines. Really adds a new layer of depth to how we look at the Pokemon world. But of course this lil chump is just the baby. But don't even think about giving him its bottle...
Unless you want a 20 foot tall world-shattering monster in your backyard.

Holy whackin cow steak on a hiphop hockeypuck.
Where do I begin? Hoopa-Unbound is absolutely terrifying. Absolutely TOWERING over almost every Pokémon including Legendaries, this behemoth is just a marvel for the eyes. SIX arms, an even more sinister personality, and borderline god-like powers make it one of my favorite Mythicals to date and easily my favorite from Gen 6. You know what else is terrifying about Hoopa-Unbound? Its battle capabilities. While Hoopa's normal form possesses the rare Psychic-Ghost typing and decent stats and coverage, all of that is amped up to 11 when Hoopa-Unbound shows up with even better coverage including a devastating signature move in Hyperspace Fury, as well as one of the best mixed-attacking stats of any Pokémon period; turns this beast into a multi-faceted monster that can arguably be given the title of greatest wallbreaker in the entire game. So fun to use to let frustration out and just kill stuff for dessert with this beast.
While the lil guy drags Unbound outside of the top 100, I still greatly love and respect Hoopa as a fantastic force within the Pokémon lore.


HONORABLE MENTION (GEN 7):

BRUXISH
Ohh boy...here we go...Bruxish. Arguably one of the ugliest Pokémon in all of existence. And by god is it glorious. I love how shamelessly ugly this fishy this. Though I also feel like this Pokémon can hunt me down and kill me with those teeth. Okay so I know Bruxish isn't a popular pick, but I think among all the strange one-off Pokémon in Gen 7, this prissy lil glubber stands out. All of Bruxish's traits are ugly yes, but I like how it's all orchestrated for effect. This Pokémon is based on the queen triggerfish, or the humuhumunukunukuapua'a (say that five times fast), one of my personal favorite fish who also happens to have ugly lips and colors. It's just such an out there design that it does connect with me even with all the slander against it. I dunno, I guess it's also the psychadelic colors. The hippie side of me gravitates towards this blub. Also love how its shiny is literally pizza. Yum.
Battle-wise Bruxish is no slouch either. I love how this seemingly-useless fish is somehow stupid strong. With access to incredibly hard-hitting biting attacks as well as sweeping potential with Swords Dance, Bruxish can be a hilariously epic cleaner. Not much else to say here, I really like Bruxish's concept and think its design suits it very well. So ugly, yet so so beautiful.


HONORABLE MENTION (GEN 8):

ELDEGOSS
One of the first Gen 8 Pokémon to be revealed, and still one of my personal favorites. I used Eldegoss on my main playthrough of Shield as a team member, and it did not disappoint. Having a Grass-type that could (inaccurately) put stuff to sleep while also dealing out solid Grass damage was satisfying to have on my squad. And just look at it! I really like how Gossifleur evolves from a bright young flower into this wise elderly cotton plant. The big cotton puff kinda reminds me of an elderly woman's hair, love the touch there. I guess I have a thing for Grass-types in general, but I find its ties to real world cotton so cool and fascinating.
What's also fascinating is how it works as a Grass-type tank. It's got an interesting bag of tricks including Rapid Spin of all things and cheeky stat boosters like Cotton Guard. Couple that with 2 useful abilities in the new Cotton Down and Regenerator and you got an interesting wall. Not anything groundbreaking, but it's a serviceable ally that can be a decent sponge for your other team members.
Definitely a Pokémon I liked the second I saw it, and who knows maybe it'll actually gradually rise into my top 100 favorites over time.


And those were my 8 honorable mentions! I'll be back here tomorrow to kick off my top 100 Favorite Pokémon I'll see ya then~​

 

[Chillie]

#100:

SOLGALEO
We're really starting this list off with a bang huh? Or should I say a big bang. heh? heh? I'm gonna go die now.

Solgaleo, the mascot of Pokémon Sun and the very emissary of the solar body. This king of the animals needs no introduction. Easily one of the best, and in my opinion most perfect designs for a legendary mascot. I absolutely adore the metallic plating around its body and THAT MANE this Pokémon is handsome~ And love the blue frontal head,it complements the yellow and red so perfectly.
The concept is ingenious, a friggin alien lion sun god with ironclad plating, and I love the ties in with alchemy Solgaleo is rooted from.

How it's based on the lion eating the sun motif, it's just drenched in symbolism and it's so much more original than a generic Fire-type sun lion idea that we all thought it would be. It's just a flawless legendary in terms of lore and design.
And given that this is "the beast that devours the sun," it's fitting how Solgaleo has an awesome signature move: Sunsteel Strike. Literally ripping energy from the sun and slamming that energy into your opponent. It's so unbelievably awesome, and it's great to see it use that often paired with its amazing physical prowess. Solgaleo and its evil alter-ego Dusk Mane Necrozma both share the great Psychic-Steel typing, and while Dusk Mane is far superior, I still get a kick whenever I get to use the O.G. in any battle. Feels so good to just fire off powerful STABs along with interesting coverage like Flare Blitz and recovery in Morning Sun. Solgaleo is just even more drenched with the sun with every part of its repertoire. It's such a fascinating Pokémon in many ways, and always one I'm happy to see.
On a side note, I've been using Solgaleo in Pokémon Masters as of late, and it's borderline OP when its fully maxed out. It almost feels like I can win any battle with it, it's super reliable as it hits like a truck and doesn't care about any hits it takes cuz it's just that badass.
Not the last legendary on this list, far from it actually, but I can't deny how incredible Solgaleo is. It's one of the very few Pokémon that I can actually say is just about perfect on an objective standpoint. Great background and lore, outstanding design, predictably stupid good in battle, and just the all around joy it gives me definitely warrants the first entry in this Top 100. And to think it really is only #100, but trust me. We're just getting started. ​

 

[Chillie]

#90

LUDICOLO
Interesting how Ludicolo of all Pokémon landed here. I mean really, amongst all of Hoenn's titans of the Grass-type like Shiftry, Cradily, Breloom, and even Sceptile, I put the hipster kappa freak from below the border atop them all.
Well sign me up on this one-way vacation, because Ludicolo is worth every dollar. He's just about the happiest Pokémon ever conceived. C'mon man he always dances and has this goofy smile on his face. I love how overboard the facial expression is and also just how far they take the idea. Any time a catchy rhythm is heard, Ludicolo will just forget all of life's worries and just dance his heart out. He really brings out the best in all of us huh? It's infectious just how energetic this boi is. Entertainment aside, I've always also appreciated the design aspects of the entire Lotad family.

Lotad himself is this adorably chill platypus-lookin mofo with tiny stubby feet and a lilypad for a hat. Looks like something straight out of a Studio Ghibli movie; he's just so precious I wanna give him all the pats ;-;

Lombre is this smug-faced boob with even further development in its appendages and still keeps the awkward charm of Lotad. I just love how eternally cocky he looks.

And of course, Ludicolo! Honestly what's not to adore?? He looks like a chunky pineapple wearing a sombrero and the face and energy of a leprechaun. And aside from the obvious nightmare fuel his dropped-jaw expression might give off, I still find it hysterically delightful. The whole line evolves in such a fascinatingly bizarre fashion that even the fashion police is stunned. The whole progression from tiny lil' pipsqueak platypus into...what Ludicolo wants to be...is one of my favorites in the entire series.
They're all based upon the Kappa; those weird duck-like Japanese yokai that store water on their heads.

The fact that this aspect is tied with a sombrero of all things makes me cackle. And while it's not my favorite iteration of the concept, Ludicolo still have this incredible charm that I won't ever forget.
And speaking from someone who loves placid, down-to-earth pieces of art, the Lotad family is featured in some of the most chill works of fan art I've seen.

I love just how perfect they all fit with the torrential rain and swampy marshlands. There's so much more incredible artworks involving this line that I wish I could show here. Credits to every single one of these awesome dudes/dudettes who brought them to life. You're all incredible.~
And all these ties to rain flows seamlessly into how Ludicolo plays out as a battler. Being what is essentially the face of rain abuse, all it takes it a little help from Pelipper or Politoed to give this kappa a reason to keep on dancing. Two amazing Rain-centralized abilities make Ludicolo an unpredictable threat when the clouds get dark. First is Rain Dish, arguably the lesser of the two, but can still be annoying especially with a typing as uncommon as Water/Grass. Speaking of that, that's one of my favorite parts of Ludicolo. So far, the family is the only bits of Water and Grass mashed together in the series' 24+ year history, which is a shame. Combining the mysterious elegance of the Water type and the natural beauty of the Grass type, which also happen to be two of my favorite types, is a combo I'd kill for to get another one of. But going back to Rain Dish, Ludicolo can be a surprisingly annoying defensive stalwart. Stacking this with Substitute + Leech Seed stalling makes it a goofball that's hard to take down with standard affair due to the aforementioned type combo.
Yeeea cool and all, but it's really Swift Swim that steals the show. Turning this happy-go-lucky pineapple into one of the fastest Pokémon around under Rain is hilariously awesome. Coveted with a great offensive STAB combo that can beat almost any other Water-type, Ludicolo has a unique presence among all the other Rain sweepers. While not as immediately overpowered as Kingdra or Kabutops, Ludicolo is still extremely fun to go ham with. Just watching the flies drop from enormous Hydro Pump nukes coming from that face makes my heart explode; I love love LOVE it!
And lastly, Ludicolo has a lot of sentimental value to me. This evolution line was one of the very first Pokémon outside of the original 151 that I ever saw. And given that one of my older sisters is really into birds (specifically ducks), it wasn't really gonna leave my sight anytime soon either. I guess a lot of the adoration of Ludicolo just rubbed off from her to me moreso than even the cheery 'mon himself could. And to this day, Ludicolo is one of the Pokémon that always reminds me of my top-tier big sis. Just adds on the happiness factor that tips it over the YES scale so hard that even the scale couldn't calculate it.

I cherish Lotad, Lombre, and Ludicolo so much. The eldest may be the placeholder, but I have deep appreciation for the whole gang. Their designs and personalities are incredibly charming, they're fun and unique to use, and they hold a special place in my heart. Easily one of my favorite Generation III picks.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna get back to dancing. Adiós amigos.~
​