There are currently 898 species of Pokémon. Some, including all early-stage mons, are cute, endearing creatures that would make excellent plush dolls. Middle-stage evolutions often get stuck in a bizarre adolescent phase, some even look awkward and unappealing. Finally, there’s final-stage Pokémon that stand out for their intimidating and, at times, mighty appearance.
In rare cases, Pokémon can also be scary. Ghost, Dark, and even Poison-type mons often have fittingly creepy designs that immediately separate them from other run-of-the-mill Pokémon. And even though most of them are still child-friendly, some look straight out of a horror movie.
Cubone & Marowak
Every player knows that the helmet on Cubone’s head is the skull of its dead mother. Cubone has the moniker of the Lonely Pokémon and spends its nights wailing, lamenting the loss of its mother. Furthermore, its cries make its helmet vibrate, thus emitting “a plaintive and mournful sound,” according to the Pokédex.
Upon evolution, Cubone turns into Marowak, and the skull of its dead mother becomes part of its body. Marowak can no longer remove it, which might explain why it becomes so violent and ferocious, seeking conflict with everyone that crosses its path, human and Pokémon alike.
Malamar
Out of all 898 Pokémon, Malamar would be the only one that could definitively and undeniably be considered evil. It memorably appeared in the anime, where it attempted to control the world and exhibited terrifying behavior. In the end, it escaped but returned one last time to carry on with its plan, bringing even more Malamar along with it.
Design-wise, Malamar resembles an upside-down squid. Its color scheme fits its dual-type, with the purples and greys characteristic of the Psychic and Dark-types, respectively. However, its face is its more disturbing quality. A quick look is enough to understand this Pokémon is evil, and it loves it.
Hypno
Hypno resembles an old and slightly creepy man. As one of the more humanoid Pokémon, Hypno never was particularly beloved, not even by Genwunners. However, its disturbing Pokédex entry, which mentions it stole a child at one point, didn’t contribute to its popularity. Thus, fans associate this pendulum-wielding creature with the idea of “stranger danger.”
Hypno’s status as a creepy icon increased thanks to a popular and enduring creepypasta, “Hypno’s Lullaby.” The song, set to the tune of the infamous Lavender Town theme, depicts Hypno as a child thief, cementing its place in the pantheon of scary Pokémon.
Sableye
Sableye has a disturbing design and an equally creepy, albeit somewhat silly, inspiration. It seems to take inspiration from the Kelly-Hopkinsville, in which five adults and seven children claimed tiny aliens with bright eyes were attacking their farmhouse.
Like most other Pokémon, Sableye isn’t exactly fearsome at first sight, but its lore establishes that it will steal the would of anyone that looks directly into its bright, gem-like eyes. Upon Mega Evolution, the gem on its chest grows so large that it rips out, leaving a visible hole in the creature’s thorax.
Runerigus
Introduced in Generation VIII, Runerigus evolves from Galarian Yamask after the player travels under the stone bridge in Dusty Bowl after Yamask takes at least 49 HP damage without fainting.
Resembling a deformed, sentient pile of stones, Runerigus could almost pass for a zombie. Its contorted limbs and painted body makes it look like something brought back to life. One thing is sure, and it’s that players wouldn’t want to see Runerigus lurking from the shadows on a lonely night.
Eelektross
Eelektross looks both disturbing and slightly repulsive. Its ugly face and skinny body make it very unattractive to the eye, but its behavior makes it even worse. It can, of course, swim, but it can also crawl using its capable arms. It can also use its mouth to suck its prey whole, which is a sight no one would ever want to witness.
Even so, Eelektross is a more than capable Pokémon, thanks to its type and advantageous Levitate ability. Still, the idea of this creature crawling out of the sea is enough to prevent many Trainers from catching it.
Dusknoir
If Dusknoir’s sole angry eye wasn’t enough to make it disturbing, the giant mouth on its stomach should do the job. Dusknoir uses it to swallow a person’s spirit, leaving only its empty body behind.
Still, Dusknoir isn’t exactly evil. The anime shows it’s capable of kindness and will even protect humans and Pokémon from being taken to the spirit world. Still, Trainers should tread lightly around this spectral cyclops, or else they might find themselves trapped inside its belly forever.
Hydreigon
Hydreigon is one of the most violent and cruel Pokémon ever. It will attack anything that moves, immediately deeming it a foe unless proven otherwise. As a Pseudo-Legendary, Hydreigon is mighty powerful, and in the past, it destroyed many villages, cementing its reputation as a ferocious and unforgiving beast.
Despite having three heads, only one has a brain. The other two are subservient to the middle one and do not move or act on their own. Hydreigon takes inspiration from the Yamato no Orochi, a legendary eight-headed and eight-tailed dragon/serpent from Japanese culture.
Darkrai
At first sight, Darkrai looks like the Grim Reaper. Indeed, this Pokémon seems to take inspiration from the boogeyman and looks like a literal shadow come to life. Many fans consider it an “evil” Pokémon, and some even confuse it for a Ghost-type.
Darkrai’s ability to inhabit dreams and cause neverending nightmares on its victim makes it a very dangerous Pokémon. However, these nightmares serve as a defense mechanism and aren’t acts of intentional malice, adding an extra layer of complexity into this mysterious Pokémon.
Banette
Banette is a discarded doll possessed by pure hatred, becoming sentient due to the sheer force of its grudge against the owner who abandoned it. It keeps its life force inside its body, protected by the zipper on its mouth, and uses its body like a voodoo doll to inflict curses on others.
Thanks to its giant, disturbing grin and bright, mischievous eyes, Banette immediately stands out as the evilest-looking Pokémon of all. Plus, seeing it with pins stuck to its body would surely be a traumatizing sight for anyone who came across it.
