by RootSec
The Pokemon games are generally made for children. But, some really spooky things are brought to light in every generation since the very first games. In a world where Ghost-type Pokemon run amok and human ghosts haunt mansions and abandoned office buildings, you’d need a Silph Scope to see how terrifying the Pokemon games can really be.
While the in-universe science behind Pokedex entries is dubious at best, it’s the only insight players get into the personalities and feel for their favorite pocket monsters. Let’s take a look at the creepiest Pokemon based on their Pokedex entries and get creeped out together.
Updated on April 6, 2021, by Reyadh Rahaman: What makes a Pokemon creepy is not merely their type or their Pokedex entry, but also what they do. Some of the sinister pocket monsters are said to bring misfortune to those who encounter them, sometimes indirectly, though other times purposefully and with spite. Be it in Nintendo’s games, the anime, or the manga, these Pokemon tend to appear whenever an element of fear is needed, and they are more than capable of inspiring nightmares. Pokemon is filled with creepy creatures, some of which can be very intense if the situation calls for it.
13 Gengar
As the first fully evolved Ghost-type Pokemon in the franchise, Gengar holds an irreplaceable part in people’s minds and hearts as one of the most dangerous pocket monsters for battle and lore-related reasons. Not only can they obliterate many opponents with powerful special attacks like Shadow Ball and Sludge Wave, but, according to multiple Pokedex entries, Gengars are also said to enjoy stalking people while disguised as their shadow and will possibly lay a curse upon unsuspecting victims.
12 Drowzee
Based on the Japanese myth about a supernatural creature called a Baku which consumes the dreams of sleeping people, Drowzee represents their origin by performing similar feats. It is mentioned in multiple Pokedex entries that this Psychic-type Pokemon is not picky about whether it eats good dreams or nightmares, however, it disturbingly seems to favor the nightly thoughts of children as Drowzees apparently find them to be tastier. This yellow tapir-like monster also eats dreams in a terrifying and bizarre way; it stands above a sleeping victim and will suck the dreams out through a person’s nostrils.
11 Mawile
Also based on creepy Japanese folklore, like many others on this list, is Mawile, which originates from the mythical monster known as a futakuchi-onna, a woman with a hungry mouth upon the back of their neck. From the front, this Pokemon looks quite friendly, though, don’t get too close as its rear maw full of massive teeth can chomp down on foes to deal huge damage. Even more intimidatingly, when Mawile mega-evolves, it gets another hideous mouth to ravage victims with.
10 Drifloon
Imagine a world where you, a simple 10-year-old child, sets out on an adventure to be the very best (like no one ever was), and you grab a balloon that’s just floating in the air. It picks you up and you float off, never to be seen again. But, that’s not all. Drifloon’s Pokedex entry for Pokemon Ultra Sun makes it even worse. “Its round body is stuffed with souls and expands each time it leads someone away.” If you see a giant Drifloon, know that it has murdered a lot of kids.
9 Yamask
While some Pokemon just embody the Ghost-type, Yamask might just legitimately be a real ghost. The mask that it carries is supposedly the face it had when it was both human and alive. If they see the mask, they begin to cry. According to the Pokemon Omega Ruby entry of the Pokedex, they “each retain memories of its former life”.
Nothing is stopping them from being vengeful or holding a “Grudge” (which happens to be an attack it learns). Here’s some advice. Don’t make enemies in the Pokemon world, because they may come back to life as a Yamask and “Curse” or “Hex” you (both of which are learnable moves).
8 Sandygast And Palossand
The Pokemon Sun Pokedex entry for Sandygast shows that they are “born from a sand mound playfully built by a child, this Pokémon embodies the grudges of the departed.” Meanwhile, the Pokemon Moon entry explains that “it takes control of anyone who puts a hand in its mouth. And so it adds to the accumulation of its sand-mound body.”
This means that any Sandygast can be born from any sandcastle and if you let it bite you, you become part of it. This makes beach trips absolutely terrifying. Palossand, which is the evolution of Sandygast, just straight-up drags Pokemon to their deaths and might turn their negative thoughts as they are devoured into a new Sandygast too. Basically, in the Pokemon world, beware of sandcastles!
7 Cubone
Look, it wouldn’t be a creepy Pokemon list without at least mentioning the entire species that wears the skull of their dead mothers. So, let’s just get Cubone out of the way here as they have a very complicated relationship with fans.
On one hand, it’s adorable and evolves into the powerful Marowak (or the even more-powerful Alolan Marowak). On the other hand, one has to wonder if it personally pried the skull off of its mother’s corpse or waited for the local Mandibuzz population to feed off it first. Also, is it born with a bone in its hand or does it take it as an extra farewell souvenir from its mother? We have questions, Game Freak.
6 Spoink
Spoink is the living incarnation of the old Keanu Reeves movie, Speed. If you stop moving, you die. The most thorough Pokedex entry about this comes from Pokemon Omega Ruby. “Spoink bounces around on its tail. The shock of its bouncing makes its heart pump. As a result, this Pokémon cannot afford to stop bouncing—if it stops, its heart will stop.”
This means that, from birth, Spoink is constantly on the move. Imagine a world where an animal comes directly out of the egg and has to start bouncing on its tail or it will die. Is it innate like breathing? Or do they have to be taught as they hatch? Let’s hope it’s the former because its mother is still hanging out with that Ditto in the Pokemon Day Care until she produces a shiny sibling for you.
5 Mimikyu
There’s an old thought process in horror movies that not getting to see the monster makes it more terrifying. No one knows what Mimikyu actually looks like under its handmade costume, but it’s supposedly horrifying.
If you see what it looks like, you die. Sorry, but that’s the rules. According to the Pokemon Ultra Moon Pokedex entry, “a gust of wind revealed what hides under this Pokémon’s rag to a passing Trainer, who went home and died painfully that very night.” The Pokemon Sun entry confirms a second kill to this cute, but deadly Pokemon: “A scholar who saw what was under its rag was overwhelmed by terror and died from the shock.”
4 Banette
Banette is what happens when the plot of Toy Story 2 becomes a Pokemon. According to Pokemon Black, it’s a “doll that became a Pokémon over its grudge from being junked. It seeks the child that disowned it.” While Yamask is mentioned earlier as having that potential, Banette is outright looking for revenge.
While it was just a discarded plush doll, it has made itself into a voodoo doll by pushing pins into itself, according to Pokemon Omega Ruby. This allows this doll of hatred to generate curses even better on the child that discarded it, which is just disturbing.
3 Shedinja
When real-life insects shed their exoskeletons, it leaves a haunting shadow of what once was, frozen in time. When a Nincada evolves and sheds its skin, it (similarly) leaves behind a Shedinja. In a world where plush dolls and sandcastles sometimes come to life, it’s no wonder that the discarded shell of a bug might do the same.
It doesn’t move or breathe, nor does it fly using its completely still wings. But, it floats in the air, unprompted. This entirely empty shell has no science behind what makes it tick. In fact, trying to look inside to see the hollowness will allow Shedinja to steal your soul! Just don’t look inside it, okay?
2 Parasect
Parasect deserves a spot on our creepy Pokemon list due to the fact that it’s directly based on a creepy thing that happens in real life. Without getting too much into the science here, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis (say it three times fast) is known as the zombie-ant fungus. It takes over a host carpenter ant and grows inside it, taking over its mind and telling it to head to a great spot for it to grow.
Eventually, the fungus sprouts out of the ant’s head and allows it to release spores to keep the cycle going. That’s it. That’s what Parasect is, except it’s a different type of bug. Next time you see one, know that it’s just a fungus-zombie that wants to make other fungus-zombies. Look into its dead, milky white eyes and know that Nintendo likely wants you to forget about how terrifying it really is.
1 Froslass
Froslass may not seem too creepy at first glance. She’s classy, elegant even. Don’t let her looks fool you, though. She’s a Dawn Stone-cold killer (pun intended). Let’s consider for a moment that Froslass is based on the old Japanese ghost legend of Yuki-onna. According to multiple Pokedex entries, whatever body Frosslass has might just be hollow, which isn’t even the creepy part.
Supposedly, she freezes her victims in ice, surely killing them, only to keep them as decorations in her home. In the Pokemon Moon and Ultra Sun entries, we learn that its favorite food is the “souls of men”, but only if they’re handsome. Finally, Ultra Sun gives a dire warning: “It’s said that on nights of terrible blizzards, it comes down to human settlements. If you hear it knocking at your door, do not open it!” Especially if you’re a handsome man.
