Let’s be honest, most of us only add fish Pokémon to our party for one of two reasons. We either need someone to Surf on, or we want to roleplay as a fisherman.
Okay, maybe I’m biased and hate fish, that’s okay. I accept this. Not all fish stink. I’ll even submit that fish Pokemon names yield some of the most clever puns in all of Pokemon.
I decided to make a list of the best fish Pokémon, because I know my list will be completely unbiased (give or take), and because it needs to be done.
So let’s get to it.
Top 10 Fish Pokémon
This list has no real standards of judgment. I thought about the Pokémon I used throughout my career as well as my favorites from the anime.
Some of these Pokémon I love, some of them I hate. Some of them I hate so much that I love them (looking at you Stunfisk).
If you go through my list and find yourself disagreeing strongly with my opinion, well, you’re probably right. But you also probably won’t be able to change my opinion about fish Pokemon. Sorry.
1. Magikarp
The fish Pokemon ignited my burning hatred for all fish Pokemon. I haven’t been the same since that salesman stole 500 Pokedollars from me, and gave me nothing in return but a splashing little degenerate.
I’ll admit that Gyarados is a pretty sick Pokemon, and Shining Gyarados is one of my favorite Pokemon cards. I’ll also admit that Pokemon wouldn’t be the same without Magikarp.
If Magikarp wasn’t so iconic, it’d be the worst of all fish Pokemon, without a doubt. But, since it is, I’ll let it splash around at number 10… For now.
2. Bruxish
This yellow, blue, purple, and pink fish Pokemon has never had the honor of joining my party. Game Freak tried very hard to make Bruxish pretty, but its eyes honestly creeped me out.
Bruxish made the list due to its typing. I love that Bruxish is a psychic fish Pokemon. It’s a very out-of-the-box idea.
I started off dogging on Bruxish pretty hard, but honestly, the more I look at this fish Pokemon, the more I like it. Had I known it’s typing sooner, I may have even tried to grab a Bruxish sometime.
3. Stunfisk
This falls into the hate so much you love category of fish Pokemon. Just look at that flatfish Pokemon and tell me you’ve seen something uglier.
I’m not sure if Stunfisk has a cult following or not, but I know that it should. It gets credit for being an underdog, and maybe even a decent competitive Mon.
Stunfisk is ground and electric (or ground steel), which subverts the normal expectations of water-type fish Pokemon.
4. Qwilfish
Onto the pufferfish Pokemon. I do enjoy the alliteration every time I say pufferfish Pokemon, but Qwilfish is going to need more than that to top my list.
This is a nice yellow and blue Pokemon that looks like it has an absolutely bad attitude. What’s not to love?
I really do love how Qwilfish’s face looks, and it also has a typing that fits its real-life counterpart. The only downside I see with Qwilfish is that it isn’t very strong.
I’d probably take Qwilfish with me if it evolved into something bigger and badder, but it just looks underwhelming as is.
5. Basculin
If you’re into colors, then you may like to know that Basculin is one of the only green fish Pokemon in the entire series. Basculin looks pretty grumpy, which suits it well since it’s a piranha.
Basculin is another one of those Pokemon that I wish evolved. I just think it looks underwhelming as is. Imagine if it evolved past being a green fish Pokemon, and turned into some kind of green MONSTER fish Pokemon.
6. Seaking
Seaking comes from Goldeen, both of which I think are gold standards for fish Pokemon. Seaking is a bit of an icon as well since it is one of the original fish Pokemon in the entire series.
As far as fish Pokemon names go, Seaking is probably one of, if not the most intimidating in all of Pokemon.
I remember playing Pokemon Stadium when I was a kid and spamming the move 10 times in a row without it hitting once. Only to be 1 shot by the enemy’s 1 hit KO move on the first try… So, there’s a bit of a “soft” spot in my heart for Seaking.
7. Luvdisc
Luvdisc is cute. That’s all.
But really Luvdisc is another pink fish Pokemon with a bit of a cult following. Mostly due to its innocent, non-threatening look. There’s something so sweet and satisfying about training a little swimming heart-shaped, pink fish Pokemon until it becomes a giant, heartless killer.
Luvdisc doesn’t evolve (yet), but if it did, I can only imagine that it’d evolve into a terrifying monster. There are some theories that Luvdisc and Alomomola are related somehow, but nothing is confirmed or official.
8. Mantyke
Mantine is cool, but Mantyke is cuter, which was one of my top priorities when I put together this list. Mantyke looks like a cute little baby Manta Ray, which is fantastic!
I actually just used a Mantyke/Mantine in my party in Brilliant Diamond. Another thing I love about this blue fish Pokemon (other than being blue), is that it has a very cool Evolution mechanism.
If you want Mantine, then you need to evolve your Mantyke while you have a Remoraid in your party. I love this little bit of Pokemon lore and am a huge fan of fun evolutions like this. Although, I have no idea how people discover them in the first place.
9. Whiscash
I can’t put into words why I like Whiscash but I do. I enjoy its derpy look, the Wumbo symbol on its forehead, and its long whiskers.
I’m pretty sure Whiscash is a catfish Pokemon, and unlike most fish Pokemon names, there is no pun in sight.
I’ve used Whiscash in the past, and it may be my favorite competitive fish Pokemon. Whiscash is a ground type, which makes it very strong against electric Pokemon, which will normally crush fish Pokemon since the majority of them are water types.
10. Mudkip
I just talked about how unique ground/water fish Pokemon are and here I am talking about another. Well, Mudkip isn’t ground/water but it evolves into a ground/water type.
I was actually surprised to find out Mudkip is a fish Pokemon, but it is technically a mudfish Pokemon. Who would’ve thought right?
Mudkip tops this list because Gen 3 was my first Pokemon game, and Mudkip was my first rival’s Pokemon. Looking at this Pokemon gives me a great deal of nostalgia, and there’s probably no way I could’ve gotten away with adding Torchic to this list.
All Fish Pokemon (Alphabetically)
Before we get into this list, I just want to clear some things up. Some Pokemon on here may not technically be fish Pokemon. Sharpedo, for example, would be a Shark, not a fish.
However, I still felt that Sharpedo and a couple of others should go on here, so I added them. They’re Pokemon after all so maybe they are fish.
A
- Angerphish
- Alomomola
- Alomomola
B
- Barboach
- Barbubble
- Basculin
- Blaufisch
- Bruxish
- Bubbayou
C
- Carvanha
- Chinchou
E
- Eelektrik
- Eelektross
F
- Feebas
- Finneon
G
- Goldeen
- Gorebyss
H
- Huntail
L
- Lumineon
- Luvdisc
- Lanturn
M
- Magikarp
- Mantine
- Mantyke
- Milotic
- Mudkip
Q
- Qwilfish
R
- Relicanth
- Remoraid
S
- Seaking
- Sharpedo
- Stunfisk
T
- Tynamo
W
- Whiscash
- Wishiwashi
- Wooper
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