The Top 5 Scariest Pokémon Ever [Fright-A-Thon]

The Pokémon franchise is usually filled with happy and joyous monsters that evoke memories of childhood for kids of the 90s, 2000s, and onward. However, there are a select few Pocket Monsters that don’t bring those cheery vibes. In fact, there are quite a few that bring out more sinister and horrifying vibes. Of the horror characters out there, a slim few reach the level of terror that some of these Pokédex entries and images bring out. Whether they’re brand new, don’t exist technically, or are from that first magical generation of Pokémon, we all have our favorites.

Some of these Pokémon have undergone changes throughout the years. The description, type, and even look of some of these aren’t exactly the same as when we all started playing with Pokémon Red and Blue. The Gen One sprites are vastly different than the current 3D models we see with games like Pokémon Sword and Shield. Take Zapdos for example. That legendary bird made the cut for Non-Scary Scary Video Game Moments. Now, Zapdos merely looks cool and less terrifying than when we were kids.

We’ve gone through the Pokédex to see just what terrifying monsters we could drudge up. We’ll start with an honorary mention from Gen 1 and Kanto.

Honorable Mention: Missingno

Is it a Mew in disguise? Did you try to find this glitch that surely started rumors on the playground back in 1996? How exactly did you catch MissingNo in Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow? Here’s a quick guide:

To catch MissingNo., players must talk to the old man NPC in Viridian City, who teaches you how to catch Pokémon earlier in the game. After watching his quick tutorial, use a Pokémon with the Fly ability and fly to Cinnabar Island. Once you reach the island, use a Pokémon with the Surf ability and surf along the tiles that mark the border between the land and the water. Doing so will allow the player to potentially encounter MissingNo.

Urban Gaming Legends Wiki

MissingNo is scary from multiple angles. Not only are there some juicy conspiracy theories surrounding 90s Nintendo games like Super Mario 64, Earthbound 64, Ocarina of Time, and Pokémon, but the missing monster could benefit or harm your game. The 6th item in your inventory is dramatically increased to 128, so you can copy the Master Ball using this trick. However, your save file could be corrupted.

MissingNo is said to be part of the 39 missing Pokémon from the original game. So for that fact and the look of the missing monster, it’s an honorable mention on this list.

5. Guzzlord

This Ultra Beast comes from Pokemon Sun and Moon. The Pokédex entry for this one states: “A dangerous Ultra Beast, it appears to be eating constantly, but for some reason its droppings have never been found.”

So this thing eats and eats and eats, never stops, and never has to crap. That’s a terrifying thought that something could exist that is basically a walking black hole. Eating entire mountains and skyscrapers without stopping or getting full. The dark-dragon type Pokémon is one of the most fearsome in the newer generation of games, and just one look at it might give you some less sound sleep.

4. Drifloon

So taking a look at Drifloon and remembering them from Pokémon Go, they don’t seem that threatening, right? Right? Well not so fast. This one steals children and eats their souls.

Wait, WHAT?

The Pokédex entry from Sun gives us some insight on how this one steals away children.

“Stories go that it grabs the hands of small children and drags them away to the afterlife. It dislikes heavy children.”

Well, fat kids need not worry, I guess. But still, the idea of a cute balloon taking you off to your death sounds horrible. And seeing a particularly large Drifloon means that they’ve had plenty of kids souls…

3. Mimikyu

Doesn’t that look cute? It’s a Pokémon dressed up like Pikachu! Just don’t look under the costume, or you’ll die immediately. Yep, you’re toast if you see what this one actually looks like. The Pokédex entry from it’s original game, Sun goes like this: “Its actual appearance is unknown. A scholar who saw what was under its rag was overwhelmed by terror and died from the shock.”

It’s safe to say that this one, who’s dressed like Pikachu to try to make friends, is among the scariest out there. Anything that takes one look and will kill you, belongs on this list.

2. Gengar

Here’s your OG of fright from the Pokémon series. For whatever reason, the spooky luster of this monster has turned into love from a good portion of the Pokémon fandom out there. It has a gigantic Cheshire Cat smile, and is one of the first things you see when you boot up the original games.

However, a new Dex entry might clue us into a much, much more sinister MO for this one. “It apparently wishes for a traveling companion. Since it was once human itself, it tries to create one by taking the lives of other humans.” So it takes the lives of other humans trying to make companionship. There seems to be a LOT of killing when it comes to these Ghost type monsters. Gengar might look cute and cuddly, but make no mistake, they are anything but.

1. Darkrai

Darkrai is a legendary first introduced in Pokémon Diamond/Pearl back in 2007. Of the legendary Pokémon, this one might be the most fearsome and frightening. If you come into contact with this monster, you’ll be met with unending nightmares that only stop with interference from its sister monster, Cresselia. Basically if you have nightmares, they’re likely caused by Darkrai.

Anything that inhabits dreams is scary. We can’t explain dreams, and this thing could be the cause of all those nightmares we’ve been having collectively. That. Is. Horrifying.

So what are your most fearsome Pokémon? Which ones gave your nightmares as a kid?

For more on Halloween, make sure to check out Fright-A-Thon!

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