The most useless evolutions in the Pokemon games, ranked

Key takeaways

• Some Pokémon evolutions, such as Electrode and Hitmantop, are unnecessary and don't add much to the original design or stats.
• Evolving certain Pokemon like Rhyperior and Slaking can be time-consuming and may not lead to significant improvements.
• Some evolutions, such as Slowking and Stealix, are considered useless additions to the Pokémon family, providing little benefit to players.

The Pokemon The franchise is too big to keep track of without the games, television series, movies and more, making it a full-time hobby trying to stay up to date with everything. The ninth generation of Pokemon The creatures pushed their total numbers from the hundreds to the thousands. Although each Pokemon Perhaps one's personal favorite, that doesn't mean they're all absolutely necessary.

While a large number of evolutionary chains, as well as mega and gigantamax evolutions and regional variants, mean not all Pokemon A necessity, it goes beyond that. Without being negative, it's easy to point out some developments that don't add enough to their previous version to justify their existence.

8 electrode

It's just a big ball

• First appeared in Generation I
• Developed from Voltorb
• Electric-type Pokemon

Although there is great nostalgia for first-generation Pokemon, it's time to admit that some of the designs were relatively lazy. Voltorb is already a Pokemon that is particularly difficult because it looks like a Pokeball, and creating an evolution just for it to update anything other than being a big ball is a pretty pointless design.

Electrode increases power, as every evolution does, but the gain is small compared to other evolutions in the same generation. This goes from a base stat total of 330 to 490. Also, since Voltorb also learns important moves like Spark, Rollout, and Self-Destruct before evolving into Electrode, it's not one of the best Electric Pokemon, and is actually a good feeling Pokemon. Keep it together without unnecessary changes.

7 Crabominable

A low design and difficult development

• First appeared in Generation VII
• Developed from Crabrawler
• Ice/Fighting-type Pokemon

The Crabrawler is already a very fun design for a Pokémon added in the seventh generation, and many players have been left feeling disappointed to find that Crabominable is not an impressive upgrade in appearance. Sure, the name is great, but the design feels like it definitely takes the charm away from the beach buddy look of the original.

A total of 338 base stats isn't impressive, but neither is an improvement up to 478. In addition, Crabrawler is only a Fighting type, and Crabominable Ice/Fighting, giving it twice as many move-type weaknesses as before. There are some benefits to each evolution, but some of them aren't worth it, and leveling up or using an ice stone in a specific location is too much of a hassle for most players to bother evolving their Crabrawler.

6 daughters

More head is a little better?

• First appeared in Generation I
• Developed from Diglett
• Ground-type Pokemon

Another appearance of a lazy upgrade from the first generation of Pokemon. While the Dugtrio is admittedly an improvement over the Diglett, there are no specific improvements. The best moves Diglett gets are learned without initiation or development, the type doesn't change, and the design glues many of them together. Magnemite is guilty of a similar development, but at least it's made of magnets, so it makes sense that more of them would stick together and become more powerful in doing so.

Diglett is already a fun little addition to the Pokemon family. Dugtrio feels highly redundant and while Diglett comes with a low base stat of 265, Dugtrio's total of 405 isn't enough for players to jump through hoops to develop the little guy in this version.

5 Slacking

Not only Snorlax but also Lazier

• First appeared in Generation III
• Evolved from Vigoroth
• Normal-type Pokemon

Generally, a Pokemon gets bigger and more dangerous as it evolves. However, Vigoroth becomes much larger when transformed into a lazy Pokemon, the moniker for Slaking. Instead of becoming a more deadly creature, Slacking actually decides to shut down every other turn in battle. This makes him a much less useful fighter.

Slaking's design and execution is on par with Snorlax's Generation 3, but he comes with so much extra irritation that he doesn't feel worth the trouble. The 670's massive base stats aren't worth the challenges it adds to the scheme, and his design and execution feel too lazy on the part of creators who've already hit the big sleep icon jackpot in Snorlax.

4 Superior

A long-awaited, unnecessary upgrade

• First appeared in Generation IV
• Evolved from Rhydon
• Ground/Rock-type Pokemon

Rhyhorn is a great Pokemon with a fun design, and Rhydon was a great, high-level upgrade that players would love to reach, but waiting until the fourth generation to add another evolution just doesn't make much sense to improve the design.

Rhyperior is a great Pokemon, but a base stat of 535 isn't a huge jump from Rhydon's 485, and in idiosyncratic terms, Rhyperior has a smaller brain than Rhydon. The lack of design improvements or major upgrades means that the evolved Rhydon, which requires trading when holding a special item, just doesn't feel worthwhile.

3 hitmantop

Another unnecessary development adds nothing

• First appeared in Generation 2
• Evolved from Tyrogue
• Fighting-type Pokemon

Hitmonchan and Hitmonly were the best duo in the first generation of Pokemon, representing different moves and different fighting styles. Adding to Tyrogue in the second generation made some sense as a child of both of them, but the idea of ​​Hitmontop was a completely unnecessary extra potential development along that line.

The choice between evolving Tyrogue into Hitmonchan or Hitmontop was already plentiful, and their mastery of Punching and kicking doesn't seem to translate well to a Spinning Top Pokemon like Hitmontop. His design isn't great, he's not considered very powerful, having the same base stats as Hitmonchan or Hitmonly, and already with the branching potential from Tyrogue, the third addition feels unnecessary.

2 Steelix

Really weak and poorly designed

• First appeared in Generation 2
• Developed from Onix
• Ground/Steel-type Pokemon

Onyx is already a surprisingly weak option in the Pokemon games. He doesn't have the kind of power that his imposing stature suggests, and that makes him a pretty forgettable option for fans. However, the creators did not do much to improve him by adding development in the second generation.

Steelix is ​​also surprisingly weak, and his steel typing is somewhat useful but comes with a variety of new problems. This reduces the number of weaknesses to four instead of Onyx's six, but it doesn't help enough to make it worthwhile, as Onyx was designed as the first boss in Pokemon Raid, making him very vulnerable. If there was going to be an upgrade to Onix, it would need to be pretty big to make it worth the trouble.

1 slowing down

Everything was needed beforehand

• First appeared in Generation 2
• Evolves from Slowpoke
• Water/Psychic-type Pokemon

Slowpoke and Slowbro were an interesting pairing in the first generation of Pokemon. Shelder's presence on the tail was already an odd development choice, but it made even less sense as Sloking was added to their family, especially in the second generation.

Already difficult to deal with water/psychic Pokemon, having an unusual design and weird attitude, all this means that Sloking adds nothing to this family. The only way to get a Slowking is to trade a Slowpoke while holding a King's Rock, leaving it entirely to Slowbro. Additionally, for the extra development hassle, Slowking isn't really better than Slowbro. Most players agree that Slowbro is a slightly better Pokemon overall, making Slowking a completely useless evolution.