The 15 Cursed Pokemon & What Cursed Means

Most Pokemon look friendly enough. Some of them have a version that looks wrong, like a Rapidash with no fire or a Mew hatched from a bad egg.

Here are the 15 cursed Pokemon:

Cursed Pokemon

#15

Rapidash

Several versions of Rapidash look wrong, including a bald one and one without fire. It has a horn that may come from unicorns, but the rest of it looks like a regular horse. Both it and Ponyta may be based on fiery steeds in mythology, such as the horses of the Greek god Helios and Skinfaxi of Norse mythology. Galarian Rapidash appears to be based on more modern pictures of unicorns.

Rapidash darts like an arrow across the land with its fiery mane aglow, and it can traverse the vast region of Hisui in a day and a half. It stands 1.7 m tall and weighs 95 kg.

#14

Alakazam

Alakazam has a head that gets larger and heavier the longer it lives. It is based on a magician and a spoon bender. Its pentagram-shaped head and its mix of fox and human may come from Abe no Seimei, a famous court magician of Japan who is said to have been a fox-human hybrid.

The strength of its psychic powers goes up with the weight of its head. It is the Psi Pokemon, 1.5 m tall and 48 kg.

#13

Absol

Absol's ability to detect danger made people mistake it for a bringer of doom. It may be based on the Bai Ze of Chinese mythology, a white beast with one or two horns that understands human speech and knows 11,520 kinds of supernatural creatures. It is the Disaster Pokemon.

It is 1.2 m tall and 47 kg, and its abilities are Pressure and Super Luck, with Justified as its hidden ability, a rarer one some Pokemon can have.

#12

Mew

Mew started out looking like a vertebrate embryo in Pokemon Red and Green, with a large head and a small body, before it was revised into a mostly mammalian, cat-like creature. Its short, fine, delicate hair can be seen when it is viewed through a microscope.

It is a mythical Pokemon, a group the games flag separately from regular ones, 0.4 m tall and 4 kg. A rumor says a bad egg can hatch into a cursed Mew.

#11

Mewtwo

Mewtwo is the Genetic Pokemon. Its tail resembles an umbilical cord, and Mega Mewtwo Y has the characteristics of a vertebrate embryo, like Mew. It also has some traits of a grey alien and a salamander.

Its DNA is almost the same as Mew's, though its size and disposition are vastly different. It is a legendary Pokemon, 2 m tall and 122 kg.

#10

Vaporeon

Vaporeon is the subject of a long-running copypasta, a block of text that gets pasted around as a joke. It was designed with mermaids in mind, especially its tail, according to its designer Atsuko Nishida. Nishida first gave it mostly canine traits, and Ken Sugimori redesigned it to be more feline. It also has elements of fish and cetaceans.

Its cells closely resemble water molecules, which may explain why it can conceal its form while submerged, and the writer of its entry believes the origins of mermaid folklore lie with this Pokemon. It is 1 m tall and weighs 29 kg.

Arcanine

Arcanine has the category Legendary Pokemon even though it is not a legendary Pokemon. It may be based on the shisa of the Ryukyu Islands or the komainu, stone guardians that look like a mix of lion and dog and are placed in pairs to invite good spirits and repel evil ones. Its stripes and coloring are reminiscent of a tiger.

Arcanine snaps at foes with fangs cloaked in blazing flame and all but dances around them while leading opponents on a deceptively merry chase. It stands 1.9 m tall and weighs 155 kg.

Blastoise

Blastoise is a turtle mixed with parts of a tank. Its Gigantamax form has a shell that may be based on a battleship, and the design may also come from Leonardo da Vinci's armored fighting vehicle, which was itself inspired by a turtle's shell.

The rocket cannons on its shell fire jets of water capable of punching holes through thick steel. It is the Shellfish Pokemon, 1.6 m tall and 85.5 kg.

Raikou

Raikou is partly based on a tiger, and its long upper fangs resemble those of Smilodon, the saber-toothed cat. It stands for the lightning that struck the Brass Tower in its legend, while Entei is the fire that burned the tower and Suicune is the rain that put it out.

Its roars send shock waves through the air as if lightning bolts had come crashing down. It is a legendary Pokemon, 1.9 m tall and 178 kg.

Starmie

Mega Starmie is the version of Starmie that looks wrong. The base form seems to be based on a stylized starfish, such as the purple sea star for its color. Real starfish can regenerate lost body parts, and its lack of a gender may refer to the asexual reproduction seen in some of them.

Starmie swims by spinning its body at high speed and absorbs tiny plankton as it cruises through the ocean. It is the Mysterious Pokemon, 1.1 m tall and 80 kg.

Gengar

Gengar has Cursed Body as its only ability, and it has a 30% chance of disabling any move that hits the Pokemon. It has a Japanese and an English name that may point to ghostly beings such as the genganger, the wiedergänger and doppelgängers. Its category, the Shadow Pokemon, may also suggest it is partly based on shadow people.

Gengar possesses potential victims' shadows to steal their lives. It is 1.5 m tall and weighs 40.5 kg.

Arceus

Arceus is based on a creator deity. The shape of its torso evokes an egg, which may come from the Orphic Egg and the birth of Phanes, and its name resembles Zeus, ruler of Mount Olympus.

Hisuian mythology states that Arceus is the creator of all things. Its ability, Multitype, changes its type and form to match whichever Plate it holds. It is a mythical Pokemon, 3.2 m tall and 320 kg.

Slowpoke

Slowpoke may be based on hippopotamuses and giant salamanders, and its marine nature and link to shellfish suggest a sea otter as well. Its ability to grow back a tail that has been cut off may come from the regeneration seen in some lizards and salamanders.

Sweetness seeps from its tail when the tail is soaked in water, and Slowpoke uses this to lure in and fish up other Pokemon. It is the Dopey Pokemon, 1.2 m tall and 36 kg. Its ability Oblivious prevents infatuation.

Ditto

Ditto could also be based on an undifferentiated cell, a cell in the body that can change into any other kind, and on a blob or modeling clay. Its ability to become other beings recalls the changeling and the skin-walker.

When it meets another Ditto it moves faster than normal to duplicate that opponent exactly. It is the Transform Pokemon, 0.3 m tall and 4 kg.

Pikachu

Pikachu has odd merchandise and jokes about what it could become. It had a rounder design in its first two generations, and its Gigantamax form refers back to that earlier, more rotund design. It stores electricity in its cheek sacs and roasts tough berries with an electric shock before eating them.

It is the Mouse Pokemon. It evolves from Pichu and stands 0.4 m tall at 6 kg.

Cursed Means Changed

The cursed part is usually something changed, such as Mega Starmie, a Rapidash with no fire, a Pikachu statue or a Mew hatched from a bad egg. The Vaporeon copypasta is a rewrite of a Pokemon too.

The literal curses are the exception. People mistook Absol for a bringer of doom, and Gengar's only ability is Cursed Body.

Cursed Pokemon FAQ

What is the most cursed Pokemon?

Pikachu is the most cursed Pokemon.

Which of the 15 is the strongest?

Arceus, with a base stat total of 720. Mewtwo is next with 680.

Does Gengar have an ability called Cursed Body?

Yes. Cursed Body is Gengar's only ability, and it has a 30% chance of disabling any move that hits the Pokemon.