Best Normal Type Pokemon

Picking the best Normal type Pokemon starts with an odd matchup chart. Normal type moves hit no type for double damage and cannot touch Ghost types at all, while Normal type Pokemon take double damage from Fighting attacks alone and are immune to Ghost moves.

It is also the second biggest type after Water, which leaves plenty of room for strange ones. (A dairy cow and a pink blob both made this list. We were as surprised as you.)

This list ranks 15 of the 131 Normal type Pokemon by how many different players named each one as their favorite or best Normal type. Let's get into the countdown:

Best Normal Type Pokemon

#15

Porygon

Porygon seems to be based on a bird or paper crane rendered in digital software, and its flat shapes are like the polygon mesh used to build 3D computer graphics. Its head-tipping motion recalls a drinking bird toy. Its newest Pokedex entry says it has no discernible heartbeat and does not seem to draw breath, and yet it appears to function without issue. (We also function without issue on no breakfast. Mostly.)

It evolves into Porygon2 when traded while holding an Up-Grade. Its Special Attack is 85. Every Pokemon also has an ability, a passive effect that works on its own in battle, and Porygon's Trace copies the opponent's ability when it enters battle. Its hidden ability (a rarer ability some Pokemon can have), Analytic, makes its moves 1.3× as strong when it moves last.

In a 1997 interview, Satoshi Tajiri said Porygon was made out of irony. People kept telling him he should be making games with 3D polygon graphics, so he put a Pokemon made of polygons into the sprite-based Red and Green.

#14

Persian

Despite its name, Persian appears to be based more on large cats such as leopards and cougars than on Persian cats. It also looks like a Siamese cat, and the gem on its head makes it resemble a Carbuncle, a mythological beast with a jewel on its forehead. Team Rocket's leader Giovanni is often seen with his Persian beside him, which may make it a nod to the white Persian cat in the James Bond films. Its newest Pokedex entry says its elegant behavior clashes with the barbaric Perrserker, and the two share a mutual disdain. (Two cats who cannot be in the same room. We have hosted this Thanksgiving.)

Meowth evolves into it at level 28. Its Speed of 115 is second only to Arceus on this list (Speed decides who attacks first in a turn). One of its abilities, Technician, makes moves with a base power of 60 or less 1.5× as strong (base power is a move's damage before anything else is added).

#13

Bidoof

Bidoof appears to be based on a beaver or a gopher, and it is most like the mountain beaver, a primitive relative of beavers with no tail. Its category is Plump Mouse Pokemon. Its newest Pokedex entry says it has an unsophisticated face, is rarely flustered by anything, and has been known to saunter into villages and gnaw on the houses without a single care.

Its base stat total of 250 is the lowest on this list. It evolves into Bibarel at level 15. Simple, one of its abilities, doubles any stat changes it gets, and its hidden ability, Moody, raises a random stat two stages and lowers another one stage after each turn (a stage is one step up or down for a stat during a battle). (A rodent that eats houses and has mood swings. We would like to stop being described.)

It still gets called the best Normal type of all, sometimes with a straight face and sometimes as a god.

#12

Ursaring

Ursaring appears to be based on bears such as the brown bear and the Asian black bear. The second is known in Japanese as the "ring-of-the-moon bear" and is the best of all bears at walking on two legs. The link between a bear and a moon may also point to the Ursa Major constellation. Its category is Hibernator Pokemon, and its newest Pokedex entry, from Hisui, says its hunger in the cold season, when it wanders the fields and mountains for its favorite berries, makes it a ferocious danger. (A bear that gets hangry. We have never related to anything more.)

Teddiursa evolves into it at level 30, and it evolves into Ursaluna with a Peat Block under a full moon. Its Attack of 130 is second only to Slaking on this list. Its ability Guts raises its Attack to 1.5× when it has a major status ailment such as a burn or poison, and its other ability, Quick Feet, does the same for its Speed.

#11

Slaking

Slaking appears to draw on sloths, specifically the giant ground sloths Megatherium or Eremotherium, given its size. It also looks like a gorilla, and the "-king" in its name may point to King Kong. Its lazy behavior comes from the idea of Slakoth going from a sloth to being motivated, then deciding it was not worth it. Its Pokedex entry says it leaves rings over a yard wide in grassy fields, because it eats all the grass it can reach while lying on the ground. (We have done this with a bag of chips.)

Vigoroth evolves into it at level 36. Its base stat total of 670 is second only to Arceus on this list, and its Attack of 160 is the highest. Its ability, Truant, makes it skip every second turn, and it has no hidden ability to fall back on.

Players keep bringing up Truant, and Vigoroth, which does not have it, gets called the better choice.

#10

Linoone

Linoone may be a cross between a badger and a member of the weasel or ferret family, and it shares the colors of the tanuki. Its stripes look a little like flames and lightning, maybe a nod to race cars. It may also be based on the Kamaitachi, usually drawn as lightning-fast weasels with razor-sharp claws, and the arrow on its head points to its habit of running in a straight line. Its Pokedex entry agrees and says running along winding paths is not its strong suit. (We cannot parallel park either.)

Zigzagoon evolves into it at level 20. Its Speed is 100. Pickup, one of its abilities, can pick up an item after a battle, and its hidden ability, Quick Feet, raises its Speed to 1.5× when it has a major status ailment.

Players praise it as useful and reliable on a playthrough, and Pickup gets a lot of the credit.

Ditto

Game Freak's Junichi Masuda and Ken Sugimori revealed that Ditto was originally based on the smiley face, and its eyes and mouth are exactly like the smiley emoticon. It also strongly resembles an amoeba, a single-celled organism with no definite shape, and it could partly be based on an undifferentiated cell, which can become any other cell. The amoeba idea may also explain why Ditto cannot be hatched through breeding, since single-celled organisms reproduce differently from multi-cellular plants and animals. Its Pokedex entry says that when it meets another Ditto, it moves faster than normal to copy that opponent exactly. (Two Dittos trying to copy each other. We have seen this in a group project.)

All six of its base stats are 48, and it does not evolve. Its ability, Limber, prevents paralysis. Its hidden ability, Imposter, makes it transform into the opponent the moment it enters battle.

Arceus

Arceus appears to be based on a creator deity, and its creation myths and the shape of its torso evoke an egg, possibly the Orphic Egg. Its name is similar to Zeus, ruler of Mount Olympus, and the gold ring around its body resembles a halo. The Greek theme carries over to the Pokemon it is tied to, since Dialga, Palkia and Giratina divide time, space and distortion much as Zeus, Poseidon and Hades divided the realms. Its newest Pokedex entry says Hisuian mythology states that Arceus is the creator of all things. (We created a sourdough starter once. It died.)

It is a mythical Pokemon, and its base stat total of 720 is the highest on this list, with all six stats at 120. Its ability, Multitype, changes its type and form to match the Plate it holds, a held item tied to one type. It has no hidden ability.

Zangoose

Zangoose appears to be based on the mongoose, a cat-like carnivore known for hunting venomous snakes, and it also looks like cats such as the Turkish Angora. Its rivalry with Seviper comes from the mongoose and the snake, a pairing best known from the story of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi in The Jungle Book. Its Pokedex entry says it usually stays on all fours, but when angered it stands up and extends its claws, and that its bitter rivalry with Seviper dates back over generations.

Its Attack is 115 and its Speed is 90. Its two abilities pull in opposite directions. Immunity prevents it from being poisoned, while its hidden ability, Toxic Boost, raises its Attack to 1.5× when it is poisoned. (One version refuses poison and the other wants it. We are both of them before coffee.) It does not evolve.

Miltank

Miltank appears to be based on dairy cows and shares traits mainly with Jersey and Holstein Friesian cattle. Its category is Milk Cow Pokemon. Its newest Pokedex entry says it needs to be milked every day or it will fall ill, and the flavor of its milk changes with the seasons. (Seasonal milk. We would pay too much for this at a farmers market.)

Its Defense of 105 is second only to Arceus on this list, and its Speed is 100. Thick Fat, one of its abilities, halves the damage it takes from Fire and Ice moves. Its other ability, Scrappy, lets its Normal and Fighting moves hit Ghost types, which gets around the one target Normal moves cannot touch. Its hidden ability is Sap Sipper. It does not evolve.

Many of its votes trace back to Whitney's Miltank, a Gym Leader's Pokemon that wiped out a lot of Johto teams.

Dunsparce

Dunsparce appears to be based on the snake-like Tsuchinoko cryptid of Japan. Its design may be a pun on another of the cryptid's names, which means "bee snake", since Dunsparce combines bee and snake features. Its drill-like tail also looks like a rattlesnake's rattle. Its Pokedex entry says its nests are mazes of tunnels, and it never gets lost in them because it can tell where it is by the scent of the dirt. (We get lost in our own house at night.)

Its HP is 100. Serene Grace, one of its abilities, doubles the chance of its moves' extra effects, such as a flinch or a burn. It evolves into Dudunsparce when it levels up knowing the move Hyper Drill.

Players who name it mostly call it cute.

Tauros

Tauros appears to be based on a bull or a bison and may also be based on the constellation Taurus. Its tails may be based on a whip, more specifically the cat o' nine tails. Its Paldean forms, found in a region inspired by Spain, clearly draw on the Spanish fighting bull. Its newest Pokedex entry says the Tauros of Galar are volatile in nature and won't allow people to ride on their backs. (We also do not allow people to ride on our backs. It is a policy.)

Its Speed is 110 and its Attack is 100. Its ability Intimidate lowers the opponent's Attack one stage when it enters battle, and its other ability, Anger Point, maxes out its Attack when a critical hit (a rare hit that deals extra damage) lands on it. Its hidden ability is Sheer Force. It does not evolve.

Players call it the best Normal type of Gen I, ahead of Snorlax.

Furret

Furret suggests a ferret in name and looks, and its design also takes from other mustelids such as polecats, as well as the ringtail. Sentret evolves into it at level 15. Its category is Long Body Pokemon, and at 1.8 m tall it is as tall as Ursaring. Its Pokedex entry says it has a very slim build and can slickly squirm through narrow spaces to get away. (We have also tried to squirm out of things. It did not go well.)

Its Speed is 90 and its HP is 85. Its abilities are Run Away, which always lets it flee from wild battles, and Keen Eye, which stops its accuracy from being lowered. Its hidden ability, Frisk, reveals the opponent's held item when it enters battle.

Its base stat total of 415 is lower than nine others on this list, and it still finished third.

Eevee

The idea for Eevee came from Satoshi Tajiri's request for a Pokemon that evolves into several types. Its designer, Motofumi Fujiwara, made it a "blank slate" for its evolutions, so it has traits of foxes, dogs and cats but is not based on any one animal. Fujiwara also pictured it as something from "in people's memories", the vague memory of a cat or dog-like creature from childhood. Its Pokedex entry says it harbors the potential to evolve into manifold forms. (We also harbor potential. It stays harbored.)

It evolves into eight different Pokemon, each of a different type, and it is 0.3 m tall. One of its abilities, Adaptability, raises the bonus it gets for using moves of its own type from 1.5× to 2×.

It gets called cute over and over, and its evolutions keep a lot of players attached to it.

Snorlax

Snorlax may be loosely based on hibernating bears or teddy bears. It may also be based on a food coma, since it eats large amounts of food and then takes a nap. Its newest Pokedex entry says it appears in villages without warning and devours all their rice granaries, and that this has long been counted among the gravest of disasters. (A natural disaster that is also a nap. We have been called worse.)

Munchlax evolves into it when it levels up with high friendship (how attached a Pokemon is to its trainer). Its HP of 160 is the highest on this list, it weighs 460 kg, the heaviest of the 15, and its Speed of 30 is the slowest. One of its abilities, Thick Fat, halves the damage it takes from Fire and Ice moves, and its hidden ability is Gluttony.

More players named it as their favorite Normal type than any other. It gets picked for being strong and for looking like something you could fall asleep on.

Conclusion

Normal type Pokemon take double damage from Fighting attacks only, and all 15 Pokemon here are pure Normal types, so none of them picks up a second weak spot from another type. Stats did little to set the order, though. Arceus has the highest base stat total on the list at 720 and Slaking the second highest at 670, and they finished eighth and eleventh. Eevee, at 325, finished second.

(We relate most to Snorlax. Large, asleep, a danger to rice.)

If your favorite didn't make it, the full list of Normal type Pokemon has all 131, and the type chart shows what each pairing covers.

Normal Type Pokemon FAQ

What is the best Normal type Pokemon?

Snorlax. More players name it as their favorite Normal type than any other.

How many Normal type Pokemon are there?

There are 131 Normal type Pokemon in the National Pokedex.

Is Arceus a Normal type?

Yes. Arceus is a Normal type, though its ability, Multitype, changes its type to match the Plate it holds.

Best Normal Type Pokemon

Best Normal Type Pokemon

Porygon

Persian

Bidoof

Ursaring

Slaking

Linoone

Ditto

Arceus

Zangoose

Miltank

Dunsparce

Tauros

Furret

Eevee

Snorlax

Conclusion

Normal Type Pokemon FAQ

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