[Top 20] Best Fighting Type Pokemon For Battles

Updated:

13 May 2023

Out of all the types in Pokemon, Fighting is one of the simplest. Hit thing hard, it goes down. With only about 80 Pokemon, it is on the rarer end of types, but that’s still quite a few to go over. So out of all these Pokemon, which ones pack the hardest punch? Let’s Bulk Up and find out.

20. Hawlucha

Hawlucha about to slam

The mayor of Slam City, it's Hawlucha! (there’s the obligatory wrestling joke from someone who doesn’t know wrestling). Introduced in the French Kalos region for some reason, this birdlike luchador has become a memorable Pokemon. Having some good things going for it doesn’t hurt either.

Hawlucha is a Fighting/Flying type, giving it good coverage to counter many of its weaknesses. But most notable is its signature move Flying Press. This remains the only dual-type move, capable of dealing both Fighting and Flying damage. It is baffling why this was only done once and never again, as it could add some interesting unpredictability to battles.

It is largely a speedy attacker who hopes to get the kill when it strikes, as its defenses are not great. But with its offensive abilities not being incredible either, this isn’t the easiest. Hence why it ranks barely on this list. It is unpredictable and can be useful, but isn’t the most reliable.

Hawlucha’s strengths:

Good typing
Very unique signature move
Can hit very fast

Hawlucha’s weaknesses:

Typing has plenty of weaknesses
Glass cannon
Inconsistent

Hawlucha details:

The only Pokemon to have dual type move
Name comes from hawk and lucha libre
Design pulls from Aztec eagle warriors and the flag of Mexico

19. Sirfetch’d

Sirfetch'd posing smugly

Sirfetch’d, the long-awaited evolution of…. Galarian Farfetch’d? Man, why’d they have to do Kantoian Farfetch’d dirty like that? Regardless, this knightly duck with impressive eyebrows is a very cool and versatile Pokemon.

It gets a solid signature move in Meteor Assault, a powerful Fighting move. There are slight drawbacks due to it not being learned until level 70 and requiring a turn to recharge =like Hyper Beam. Aside from this, it gets decent coverage, even learning a Grass and a few Bug moves.

Sirfetch’d is fairly well-rounded in stats, having great Attack and decent defenses, but low HP to make up for it. So once again, a hit-first-ask-questions-later type of Pokemon. Which is kind of what you’d expect from its design.

Sirfetch’d’s strengths:

Hits very hard
Good coverage for a monotype
Plays well into its theme

Sirfetch’d’s weaknesses:

Very frail
Signature move has quite a few drawbacks
Actually evolving Galarian Farfetch’d into it is annoying by requiring three critical hits in one battle

Sirfetch’d details:

Sirfetch’d and its previous form in Farfetch’d are the only Pokemon names to have an apostrophe
Sirfetch’d and Cursola are version counterparts with many similarities
Its leek may come from Wales, part of the United Kingdom of which Galar is based on
Its name is quite literally Sir + Farfetch’d

18. Iron Valiant

A picture of Iron Valiant taken moments before disaster

One of the newest Pokemon on this list, the future Paradox Iron Valiant is quite the creature. Little is actually known about these future Pokemon’s lore, but this one is clearly a fusion of Gardevoir and Gallade (more so their Mega forms). And unlike them, it is not knightly but a cruel and violent being.

Iron Valiant is a Fairy/Fighting Pokemon, taking the secondary types of each of its parts. As of now, this is a unique typing and a decent one at that. Fairy remains one of the best offensive types in the series, so it will always be a benefit to most Pokemon. It bears no signature move but has a very wide movepool, allowing it to hit a great deal of Pokemon effectively.

In terms of power, Iron Valiant is very busted, having a base stat total of 590. This puts it almost on par with the cover Legendaries in Koraidon and Miraidon, and it uses these stats well. Surprisingly its Special Attack is quite high, only ten points below regular Attack, which you would not expect from its design.

Iron Valiant’s strengths:

Extremely powerful
Fairy type is generally a positive
Pretty solid coverage

Iron Valiant’s weaknesses:

Its defenses take a hit from the high points in offense
Learns rather few good moves of other types
Best Fairy move isn’t learned until level 91

Iron Valiant details:

Ironically based on a paladin despite being a cruel creature
Its counterpart is Roaring Moon; both are based on Mega Pokemon and have higher stats than the other Paradoxes
Its Ability in Quark Drive is shared by all future Paradox Pokemon and cannot be swapped with Skill Swap

17. Bewear

Bewear wants a friend

Bewear wants to give you a hug. Pro tip: don’t let it. You will either die or experience immense pain. It is a very friendly but very dangerous Pokemon. I don’t particularly like this thing, but that’s more from Smash Bros. than Pokemon.

Bewear has no moves unique to it, but it did have exclusive claim to the Ability Fluffy until Scarlet and Violet. This made moves that dealt contact only do half damage, and Fire moves deal double damage. Coupled with its decent Defense and high HP, this makes it hard to damage this thing with a physical attacker.

Its other stats are quite average, and its movepool is almost entirely Normal and Fighting, matching its typing. But with its high Attack, these hard-hitting moves are all it needs. It can tank a hit and hit back just as hard if not harder. You don’t mess around with this bear.

Bewear’s strengths:

Incredibly bulky
Hits like a truck
Gets better coverage with TMs

Bewear’s weaknesses:

Essentially has another weakness in Fire
Rather slow
Is likely doomed against fast Special Attackers

Bewear details:

Ability was unique until the Wooloo and Greavard lines took it
Inspired by a red panda, stuffed bear, mascot costumes, bears in wrestling, and bear hugs
Name comes from beware, wear, and bear

16. Zamazenta

Zamazenta is a good dog

Zamazenta, Captain America’s dog, and the less broken Galarian dog (Zacian was everywhere in competitive in Gen 8). This doggo has two forms, the first being Hero of Many Battles, which is a pure Fighting type and doesn’t have the shield. And the Crowned Shield, Fighting/Steel with the shield. While the latter is more useful, the former does have some uses.

It has both a signature move and Ability in Behemoth Bash and Dauntless Shield respectively. The move is powerful at 100 base damage and is doubled if the target is Dynamaxed, tying nicely into its lore. Meanwhile, its Ability simply raises its Defense by a stage when it comes out, heightening an already high stat. Its moveset is solid but has no real surprises, making it pretty standard in that regard.

Stats-wise, Zamazenta is a Legendary Pokemon and has the numbers to back it up. Shieldless it rounds at 660, while with the shield it is 720. Unsurprisingly its best all-around are defenses, but it can pack a solid punch. It is just thoroughly outclassed by many other Pokemon with better versatility, something which high stats can’t make up for.

Zamazenta’s strengths:

Very tanky
Signature move is good against its generation’s battle mechanic
Can hit quite hard

Zamazenta’s weaknesses:

Movepool is rather lacking
Its signature move isn’t much good now that Dynamax is gone
Outclassed by its counterpart and many others

Zamazenta details:

Zamazenta, its counterpart Zacian, and the third of their trio Eternatus are the only Pokemon incapable of using Dynamax
Highest defenses of any Fighting type
Its shield form is over 1000 pounds heavier (it’s poor back)
It is heavily inspired by Arthurian legend
Its name comes from the magenta

15. Pheromosa

Pheromosa trying to be alluring I guess?

Welp, they made a beautiful cockroach. Pheromosa is one of Alola’s Ultra Beasts and is therefore akin to a Legendary Pokemon. Like the others of its kind, it is rather alien and downright bizarre due to coming from another world.

Pheromosa is quite possibly the biggest glass cannon in all of Pokemon. It has monstrous attack and speed, meaning its defenses and HP are a joke in comparison. This Bug/Fighting type can hit extremely hard, but with such low defenses it would take but a pebble to knock it out.

It has no moves fully unique to it, but it is the first Pokemon since Hitmontop to acquire Triple Kick…. which isn’t a very good move. Its moveset is pretty solid, getting good coverage and unsurprisingly having a lot of kicking moves. Like all the Ultra Beasts, its Ability Beast Boost raises its highest stat when it knocks out a Pokemon, making it hit even harder.

Pheromosa’s strengths:

The definition of a glass cannon
Ability makes it stronger
Good coverage

Pheromosa’s weaknesses:

Once again, a glass cannon
Typing is easily exploitable
Ability is worthless if dies before it knocks out anything

Pheromosa details:

Shares its typing with the much bulkier Ultra Beast Buzzwole (who is quite masculine in contrast to Pheromosa being feminine)
Has the highest speed of any Fighting type
A cockroach discovered in Singapore in 2023 was named after Pheromosa
Its design intentionally contrasts our perception of cockroaches since it is otherworldly
Its name comes from pheromone and hermosa (Spanish for beautiful) or formosa (Italian for shapely, Portuguese for beautiful)

14. Scrafty

Scrafty: Hey kids, can I interest you in some items?

Oh hey, it's the thing with the skin pants! Disturbing design element aside, Scrafty is a good Pokemon who is here for one major reason. So let’s mosey on over to Unova for this gangster Pokemon.

Stats-wise, Scrafty is pretty decent but covers what it needs. High defenses and physical Attack, with low Special Attack since it doesn’t use it. Its only real drawback here is low Speed, but it does have some moves that take advantage of that.

This Dark/Fighting Pokemon primarily learns moves of those types, including Payback to take advantage of its low Speed. TMs can diversify its movepool to a surprising extent, and it has some tactics for messing with opponents too.

But the real reason it's so good is because it gets the Ability Moxie. For a strong attacker like Scrafty, getting an Attack boost every time it gets a KO is broken, and can easily lead to sweeps if your opponent isn’t careful. This isn’t unique to Scrafty, as any Pokemon with Moxie can generally pull this off, but it definitely speaks to the usefulness of the Ability.

Scrafty’s strengths:

Moxie can lead to sweeping
Most of the right stats it needs
Shockingly good coverage

Scrafty’s weaknesses:

Low Speed could be its undoing
Fairy type will destroy it
Moxie can be ruined by forcing a switch

Scrafty details:

Based on lizards and stereotypes of hip-hop and punk
Name comes from scrappy, scruffy or scraggy, and crafty

13. Galarian Zapdos

Galarian Zapdos staring curiously at the player

Who let the Roadrunner in here? I remember not knowing what to think when this and the other two Galarian birds were introduced in Sword and Shield’s Isle of Armor. This was the first time Legendary Pokemon had gotten regional forms, and while it was clear by this point this trio wasn’t unique, it still felt weird. Now a few years later, these new birds are pretty cool.

This new version of Zapdos isn’t Electric at all, but rather Fighting/Flying like Hawlucha. Its Ability in Defiant gives it a two-times boost in Attack when a stat is lowered, making using stat-lowering moves quite dangerous. Its stats are about what you’d expect, high Attack and pretty solid on everything else.

Its signature is Thunderous Kick, a strong Fighting move that also lowers the target’s defense (no it is not Electric despite the name). Definitely a dangerous move for it to have, and the rest of its moveset isn’t too bad either.

Galarian Zapdos’ strengths:

Hits hard
Decent type coverage
Ability benefits it well

Galarian Zapdos’ weaknesses:

A fair number of weaknesses
Missing coverage on types like Fairy that can easily destroy it
Bafflingly has no Electric moves despite the name and its original form

Galarian Zapdos details:

Its shiny has the same colors as Kantoian Zapdos
Based on the kiwi bird, roadrunner, and secretarybird
Name comes from zap and dos

12. Poliwrath

James commanding a Poliwrath

Who else remembers this old buff tadpole? While I’ll admit to liking its previous form Poliwhirl better, it is not Fighting type and nowhere near as strong. This macho frog may not be too common anymore, but it can still hold its own.

Poliwrath is Water/Fighting, a type it only shared with the Mythical Keldeo until Sword and Shield (Scarlet and Violet for a non-Legendary). While not the most amazing typing in the world, it is a fusion of two generally good types, and with a boost to its Attack in Gen 6, it has solid stats all around.

Its range of Abilities is alright, with Swift Swim arguably being its best offering. It has a lackluster base movepool due to being a stone evolution, but proper planning or use of TMs can widen it considerably. It can even learn Psychic somehow, and Poison Jab for Fairy and Ground moves for Electric. This guy has it covered.

Poliwrath’s strengths:

Still a very rare typing
Shockingly good movepool that moves most of its weaknesses
Is a cool buff frog

Poliwrath’s weaknesses:

Level-up moves are lacking due to being a stone evolution
Speed isn’t the best
Still some unchecked weaknesses

Poliwrath details:

The only other tadpole Pokemon aside from Poliwrath’s line is Tympole
It is based on a glass frog and amphibian neoteny (a tadpole not turning into a frog)
Its name comes from polliwog (an old term for tadpole) and wrath

11. Machamp

Machamp welcomes a new victim I mean challenger

Machamp, the four-armed brawler and original iconic Fighting type. It should come as no surprise it is on this list, especially with its Gigantamax form further improving it. It still has some drawbacks, but it has held on to its title fairly well over the years.

The pure Fighting Machamp has been around for a while, and it hasn’t changed too much at its core in all that time. Its stats remain a respectable 505, packing quite a punch with 130 in Attack. It has access to the Guts Ability, one which rivals Moxie in how broken it is (50% Attack boost with a burn or poison, which is easy to set up).

For a monotype, it has solid coverage, and in its, Gigantamax has a signature move. G-Max Chi Strike, like all Dynamx moves, doesn’t have set damage, but it does raise the user’s critical hit rate. Aside from this, it does get Rock moves to counter Flying, Dark for Psychic, and Poison to deal with Fairy, giving good coverage.

Machamp’s strengths:

Great coverage for a monotype
Gigantamax has a useful signature move
Covers its weaknesses well

Machamp’s weaknesses:

Pokemon it's weak to are liable to go first due to its low Speed
Isn’t going to do well against physical tanks
Lack of a second STAB type isn’t ideal

Machamp details:

Its original name was Ju-Doh
Its counterpart is Alakazam
It can also be seen as a counterpart to Conkeldurr and Gengar
It is based on a bodybuilder or wrestler, with the four arms likely coming from a Hindu god like Shiva
Its name comes from macho and champ

10. Hisuian Decidueye

Hisuian Decidueye doing a terrible job blending in since its not autumn

Blending sleekly into the autumn trees, it's the “ancient” Hisuian Decidueye. This is the regional form of the Alolan owl introduced in Legends Arceus, going from Grass/Ghost to Grass/Fighting. The sniper elements are now gone in favor of close range, much like a fighter or rogue in a fantasy setting.

Like all Grass starters, all it normally has is Overgrow for Abilities. Putting in some work for its Hidden Ability nets Scrappy, allowing it to hit Ghosts with Fighting moves, which can be useful and a nice nod to its Alolan form. Its stats are roughly the same as other starters, with it exceeding in Attack and having somewhat low Speed.

Its movepool is probably its weakest aspect. Outside of Grass, Fighting (for which it does have the signature Triple Arrows), and Flying, its coverage is very limited. There’s some here and there, but it isn’t a lot. Thankfully it can hit hard with what it does have.

Hisuian Decidueye’s strengths:

Typing has decent coverage
TMs can diversify its movepool
Changes a ranged fighter to a melee quite well

Hisuian Decidueye’s weaknesses:

Typing has a lot of weaknesses
Lackluster Abilities
Is a bit slow

Hisuian Decidueye details:

Both forms of Decidueye are the only starter Pokemon to change their secondary type upon evolving, as the previous form in Dartrix is Grass/Flying
Dartrix bizarrely evolves into the two forms at different levels, the only regional form to do so
It is based on trees in autumn, a Japanese kasa hat (worn by samurai archers), Ronin (exiled samurai), the Ainu god of owls and land, Blakiston’s fish owl, burrowing owls, and secretarybirds
Its name comes from deciduous, duel, and deadeye or bullseye

9. Quaquaval

Quaquaval posing and partying

Quaquaval would like to dance, would you like to dance? The newest Water starter comes from the Spanish-inspired Paldea and brings the Brazilian Carnival to mind. The Paldea starters are all very good and while this duck is my personal least favorite, he’s still very cool.

This duck has solid all-around stats as you’d expect from a starter, with the highest as Attack and none being downright awful. Ability-wise, it normally has the standard Water starter fare in Torrent, but if you can access its Hidden Ability? Yep, it's Moxie. That was broken on Scrafty, and Quaquaval has better utility even without it. Add it on and you have one hard-to-stop duck.

Its movepool is decent, nothing amazing but not awful either. It does get the signature Aqua Step, a solidly powerful move that raises Speed with each use. For a Pokemon that hits hard and can have Moxie, that’s a good thing.

Quaquaval’s strengths:

Once again, Moxie
Built to take advantage of its Ability with stats and movepool
Solid signature move
Is a sassy duck

Quaquaval’s weaknesses:

Fair number of weaknesses
Balance in stats means it only excels at Attack
Could use more coverage

Quaquaval details:

Based on crested duck, peacock, red-knobbed coot, the Rio Carnival, the Brazilian fighting style Capoeira, and possibly the cryptid Basque Lamia (duck-footed women known for combing their hair)
Name comes from qua-qua (Portuguese term for duck sounds), aqua, and Carnaval (Spanish/Portuguese for carnival)
Name also may draw from the adjective quaquaversal (a pattern that radiates in all directions from a common center, which can be seen during battle with the water plumes)

8. Iron Hands

Iron Hands moments before sumo

Hello mister sumo robot. Iron Hands is the future Paradox of Hariyama, adding the Electric type to the original’s fighting. It is quite a bizarre creature, but in combat, it is a menace.

Like all the future Paradoxes, Iron Hands has the Ability Quark Drive. This gives a large boost to its highest stat if Electric Terrain is in effect. Unlike the other future Paradoxes, it is actually an Electric type, meaning it can learn and properly take advantage of this.

That highest stat is Attack, of course, being a monstrous 140. Its stats are pretty lopsided, with HP, Attack, and Defense being rather high and the other three quite low. This means it's a beast of a tank if attacked with anything that isn’t a Special Attack, and it can hit back extremely hard.

Its base movepool is pretty basic, but bringing in TMs makes it pretty solid. The all-important Electric Terrain is here as well as plenty of hard-hitting moves. It's not perfect but it's deadly.

Iron Hands’ strengths:

Great Ability it can take advantage of
Moves that work well with said Ability
Great and rare typing

Iron Hands’ weaknesses:

Weak to some common types
Destroyed by fast Special Attackers
Movepool has some holes in coverage

Iron Hands details:

Iron Hands has the highest HP stat of any Fighting type or Electric type, in addition to Paradox Pokemon
It has the highest Attack and lowest Special Attack and Speed of all Paradox Pokemon
It is the heaviest Electric type
Iron Hands is based on Hariyama and LED displays

7. Mienshao

Mienshao ready to pounce

This kung fu weasel is the last pure Fighting type on this list and for good reason. Often overlooked, Mienshao is a force to be reckoned with. As long as it doesn’t miss.

This Pokemon does one thing very well: hit fast and hard. If it fails, there’s a good chance it dies from its low defenses and HP. But with it's very high Speed and Attack, there is a very good chance it gets the KO and it doesn’t matter.

Mienshao can get a very good range of moves for a pure Fighting type, with coverage for all the types it's weak to. Its biggest play though has always been High Jump Kick. A monstrously powerful move with the drawback of dealing the user sizable damage if it misses. And with 90% accuracy, that happens a fair bit.

As for Abilities, the best bets are Regenerator to heal up by switching out, or Reckless to heighten the damage of High Jump Kick. Both have their uses and it really depends on whether you’re going the risky route or not.

Mienshao’s strengths:

Powerful glass cannon
Covers weaknesses
High risk high reward to the extreme

Mienshao’s weaknesses:

Very fragile
A bulky Pokemon can easily end it
Still only gets one STAB type

Mienshao details:

Miensaho was created to make a less humanoid Fighting-type
It draws from ermines, Shaolin Kung Fu, whip fighting, and Chinese Shui Xiu/water sleeves (long flowing sleeves in Chinese opera)
Its name comes from ermine and Shaolin

6. Annihilape

Annihilape working on its anger issues

Ah, Annihilape. The monkey who got so angry it died…. That was literally lore for Primeape decades before this Pokemon existed. And now here we are. Neat.

Annihilape is a Ghost/Fighting type, and the only one at that aside from the Mythical Marshadow. Its normal Abilities are decent, but its Hidden Ability in Defiant is very useful for this physical attacker. It has high Attack and HP, low Special Attack, and average on everything else. So no obvious weak points there.

Its movepool, TMs included, covers all its weaknesses, just with the drawback of not necessarily going first. However, its signature move is where it gets interesting. Rage Fist is a 50 base power Ghost move… that increases by 50 every time Annihilape is hit, capping at 350. Some types may resist Ghost sure, but 350 power on a high Attack Pokemon? Not much is resisting that (except of course Normal).

Annihilape’s strengths:

Very powerful
Broken signature move
Covers weaknesses

Annihilape’s weaknesses:

Normal types are immune to its best move (still has Fighting to cover them but not as strong a move)
Certain typings counter it hard
Physical walls that can hit hard would give it trouble

Annihilape details:

It is inspired by snub-nosed monkeys, Japanese macaques, and baboons
Its Ghost typing seems to come from Primeape’s old Pokedex entry that said they can die from anger
Also draws from the Japanese onryo and the Basque Basajaun
Name comes from annihilate and ape

5. Urshifu

The warrior bears being roughly ten times their size

Whenever I see Urshifu I immediately hear the Isle of Armor music. This guy was such an integral part of that area, a refreshing thing to see when non-main story Legendaries often felt like afterthoughts. This martial artist bear was far from that, even connecting to the main story through Champion Leon. That’s much better than Heatran forgotten in a mountain.

Urshifu’s Ability is always Unseen Fist, allowing its contact moves to bypass guards such as Protect. It has two forms: the Fighting/Dark Single Strike Style, and the Fighting/Water Rapid Strike Style. Both are good typings and have good coverage, but I tend to lean toward Rapid Strike for not having a double weakness to Fairy.

Urshifu’s stats are on the lower end for a Legendary at 550, but for a Pokemon overall that’s still very solid. The worst is its Special Attack and Special Defense, with everything else at least being good. Its best stat is unsurprisingly Attack at 130. These stats are the same regardless of form.

Both forms get solid coverage and have signature moves. Single Strike is Wicked Blow, a Dark move that always deals a critical hit. Rapid Strike is Surging Strikes, which deals pretty much the same thing but is Water and a weaker multi-hit move. Both have Gigantamax forms, but not a lot of changes there.

While the two forms have generally comparable coverage, it is worth addressing weaknesses. Single Strike had three, but one is four times to Fairy, while Rapid Strike has five regular two-times weaknesses. It's very much a pick-your-poison scenario, as they cannot switch forms after evolving from their previous form Kubfu.

Urshifu’s strengths:

Two different forms with different movesets
Very good coverage
Solidly powerful

Urshifu’s weaknesses:

Inability to change forms
Neither form is the definitive best one
Weak to some common types in both forms

Urshifu details:

The only Legendary to have a Gigantamax form and only Gigantamax with multiple forms
It is based on an Asian black bear and a Wushu fighter
Single Strike is based on Tiger and Leopard styles of martial arts
Rapid Strike is based on the Crane and Seven Star Mantis styles, with the Water typing coming from the Bruce Lee quote “Flow like water”
The Gigantamax forms are similar to Buddhist fierce deities Agyo and Ungyo in several areas, including color
Its name comes from Ursus (bear in Latin) and Shifu (master in Chinese)

4. Gallade

Gallade ready for combat

The more masculine counterpart to Gardevoir and totally not a Yugioh character in its Mega, Gallade is up next. Introduced a generation after Gardevoir, the Psychic/Fighting Gallade is strictly male as opposed to 50/50 and became the signature member of Wally’s team in the Hoenn remakes. Cementing it, at least for me, as a knightly protector.

And it's pretty good at doing that. Its Abilities are all solid, from Steadfast (raises Speed when flinching) to Sharpness (50% increase to slicing moves), and Justified (Attack boost when hit by a Dark move). Its Mega just has Inner Focus to prevent flinching, not the best but it can be useful.

Gallade boasts solid stats with 518 usually and 618 when Mega Evolved. This boost is all good and no bad, as it's already good Attack and Speed are heightened further, and it gets some extra Defense on top of that.

Its movepool is thoroughly impressive, having access to a very wide range of types even without TMs. Add in TMs and while not every type is covered, Gallade comes shockingly close. Pretty impressive for the good knight.

Gallade’s strengths:

Great Abilities
Powerful stats and Mega
Insanely varied movepool

Gallade’s weaknesses:

A bit frail when not in its Mega
Sharpness wasn’t added until Scarlet and Violet
Surprisingly no real coverage for its Fairy weakness

Gallade details:

Gallade and Gardevoir’s stats are identical, just with Attack and Special Attack reversed
Gallade and Gardevoir are the only Megas in the same evolutionary family
It draws from Roman gladiator helmets, medieval knights, fencing, and tonfas
Mega Gallade’s cape is from that of a matador
Its name comes from gallant and blade

3. Heracross

Heracross being its usual self: serious and goofy at the same time

I’ll be upfront here: Heracross is my favorite Pokemon. But as much as I love this charming beetle, I can’t justifiably put a Pokemon with a four times weakness to Flying at number one. It does have enough going for it to warrant this number three position though.

Heracross has two incredible Abilities and one decent one. While Swarm is like the starter Abilities and is just fine, it has access to Guts and Moxie. Two incredibly broken Abilities that make a hard hitter hit even harder. Yeah, that’s good (the Mega gets Skill Link, which is just okay).

Without the Mega, Heracross rounds out at 500 for stats, while with it it's 600. These changes are all good aside from 10 lower Speed but… this is the only Pokemon with a Mega on this list where these higher stats don’t make it worth it. You lose out on the broken Guts and Moxie, which can make it hit harder than the Attack boost the Mega provides. Not to mention the design just isn’t as good.

Heracross gets a very solid movepool if you use TMs, otherwise, it's a tad limited. All of its weaknesses are indeed covered (barely in Fairy’s case), and with its high Attack plus broken Abilities, it can easily knock out its opponents. The only thing holding it back is less-than-amazing Speed.

Heracross’ strengths:

TWO broken Abilities
Covers weaknesses
Very good movepool that it can use well
My favorite Pokemon

Heracross’ weaknesses:

A nasty weakness to Flying
Not the fastest
Terrible Mega in both looks and usage

Heracross details:

Heracross’s counterpart is Pinsir
It has the highest Attack of any Bug Pokemon
It is the only Fighting Pokemon in the Bug Egg Group
It is based on the Japanese rhinoceros beetle and insect fighting, with the Mega pulling from the Hercules beetle
Its name comes from the Hercules beetle, Herakles (the Greek version of Hercules), and cross

2. Blaziken

Blaziken's Pokken Tournament render

Behold, the chicken on fire! For all the jokes made about Blaziken, it continues to hold its own as a very good Pokemon. Let’s just leave the poor-taste jokes here, please.

Blaziken’s Ability normally is the standard Fire starter Blaze, but its Hidden Ability and that of its Mega? Speed Boost, making it faster every turn it is in battle. For a Pokemon like Blaziken, this is incredible, as it allows it to keep getting faster and lessen its chances of taking a hit.

Normally Blaziken has 530 in stats, with its Mega jumping a clean 100 to 630. This boost is again all positive, with its already impressive Attack jumping to an insane 160. And its defenses and Speed, which needed work before, increase to much more respectable numbers.

Its movepool is about what you’d expect, having good coverage but nothing amazing. It does cover its weaknesses, just not the best on some. Although with its monstrous Attack, it may not have to hit super effectively to get the KO.

Blaziken’s strengths:

Great Ability
Incredible Mega
Hits hard even without the Mega

Blaziken’s weaknesses:

Definitely on the frailer side
Nerfed somewhat with Megas not being in current games
Some weaknesses are barely covered, like Ground

Blaziken details:

Early versions of Blaziken in concept art had it fused with Latias
It is the only Mega in X and Y not native to Kalos
It is based on cockfighting chickens, the Cochin chicken, the Egyptian gods Horus and Ra, the Japanese creatures basan and karura, the phoenix, and Japanese taimatsu-maru
Its Fighting type comes from Muay Thai fighters
Its name comes from blaze and chicken

1. Lucario

Lucario posing dramatically

Lucario should need no introduction. This warrior dog is one of the most iconic Pokemon of all time and for good reason. The Fighting/Steel type is put to very good use here as Lucario definitely earns being considered the best Fighting type Pokemon.

Lucario has access to three Abilities normally. Steadfast is very situational and not the best, the same for Inner Focus. Justified is your best bet here, as Lucario isn’t even weak to Dark moves. The only issue is getting one to hit it. Its Mega though has Adaptability, a great Ability that boosts STAB from 1.5x to 2x damage.

Its stats go from 525 to 625 when it Mega Evolves, once again being all good. Both its Attack and Special Attack are very high, only within 5 points of each other. Being quite fast as well, its only real issue is somewhat low defenses and HP. They’re not the worst but it won’t be taking massive hits.

And it's movepool? Incredibly impressive. All its weaknesses are covered (some better than others), and it has access to a wide variety of both physical and special moves. Add its Mega on top of that and Lucario is hard to stop.

Lucario’s strengths:

Fantastic Mega
Incredible move variety that’s both physical and special
Covers weaknesses for the most part
Is iconic

Lucario’s weaknesses:

Somewhat frail
Megas aren’t around anymore
Weakness coverage isn’t perfect

Lucario details:

Lucario appears in the anime of the generation before it was introduced
Lucario is playable in the Super Smash Bros. series, the only Pokemon of its generation with such a claim
It was voted the second most popular Pokemon of all time in 2020, only behind Kalos starter Greninja
It is based on the Egyptian god Anubis, an African golden wolf, and boxing
It also pulls from martial arts and depictions of spiritual energy with its head appendages
Lucario’s aura powers are fairly unique to it and allow it to communicate with people and other Pokemon to an extent
Its name comes from the Japanese spelling of orichalcum (a mythical metal) or oracle
Name also draws from Canis Lupaster lupaster (Egyptian wolf), lukos (wolf in Greek), and luchar (to fight in Spanish)

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