The 15 Cutest Pokemon & Why They Stop Being Cute When They Evolve

Most Pokemon are built to be fought. Some of them are built to be hugged. One got its cheek pouches when a game designer asked for a cuter look.

Here are the 15 cutest Pokemon:

Cutest Pokemon

#15

Pachirisu

Pachirisu is an electric squirrel with a fluffy tail. It may be based on a squirrel, possibly the red squirrel, which lives in Hokkaido, the Japanese island the Sinnoh region is modeled on. The spikes on its tail and ears may refer to the way static electricity stands hair on end. Its category is EleSquirrel Pokemon, and it stands 0.4 m tall.

Pachirisu is a calm Pokemon that still presents a danger should one touch its electrified tail or cheeks.

#14

Charmander

Charmander was designed as a lizard, and its name also points to the salamander, an amphibian that folklore often treats as a fire spirit able to survive extreme heat. Its upright body resembles a baby theropod dinosaur.

A flame has burned at the tip of its tail since it was born, and its life would end if the flame went out. (A pet whose life depends on keeping a candle lit. We cannot keep a basil plant alive.) It is 0.6 m tall and weighs 8.5 kg.

#13

Shaymin

Shaymin in its Land Forme is based on a hedgehog, and its white body and grass-like back fur make it look a little like a Chia Pet. The flower on its body resembles a Gracidea. When winter ends and people give thanks to the heavens, Shaymin appears and covers the withered land with flowers.

Shaymin stands 0.2 m tall. It is also a mythical Pokemon, a group the games flag separately from regular Pokemon.

#12

Cyndaquil

Cyndaquil is based on an echidna with traits of tenrecs, such as its long snout and almost no tail. Its closed eyes resemble those of baby porcupines. It could also be based on the Hinezumi, a fire mouse from Chinese myth that lives in volcanoes, and its category is Fire Mouse Pokemon.

Cyndaquil hails from the Johto region and is usually curled into a ball because of its timid disposition, though it harbors tremendous firepower. Curling up when nervous is a plan we respect. It stands 0.5 m tall.

#11

Togepi

Togepi is based on a baby hatchling of any number of animals, and possibly on an egg, with its evolved forms based loosely on birds. It brings luck, good or bad, so it may also draw on the dokkaebi, a Korean goblin that does the same, which could explain why Togepi can have Super Luck as a hidden ability.

Togepi is often mistaken for a moving egg out in the fields or in the mountains, and its guileless smile soothes the soul. It is the Spike Ball Pokemon, it is white, and it weighs 1.5 kg.

#10

Chikorita

Chikorita is based on sauropods, and its shape also alludes to a pear or a Belgian endive. The buds around its neck look like a necklace and add a feminine touch to the design. It could also draw on Persephone, the Greek goddess of spring and agriculture.

Chikorita waves its leaf around to keep a foe at bay, but a sweet fragrance also wafts from the leaf and creates a cozy, friendly atmosphere all around. It stands 0.9 m tall.

Vulpix

Vulpix is based on a fox. It may be based on a red fox and the kitsune of Japanese legend, which are said to have many tails, extremely long lifespans and supernatural powers such as breathing fire. Alolan Vulpix may be based on an Arctic fox, which grows a white coat in winter to hide in the snow.

A fire burns in its belly that it spits out as fireballs, and a young Vulpix has one white tail that splits into six as it matures. (We got taller with age, but not one extra tail.) It stands 0.6 m tall and weighs 9.9 kg.

Skitty

Skitty is based on a kitten, and its tail resembles a cat toy. The crescent moon shape of its face may allude to the nocturnal life of cats, and its short legs compare to those of munchkin cats.

Skitty chases around playfully after its own tail and lives in holes in the trees of forests. It is very popular as a pet because of its adorable looks. Skitty is 0.6 m tall and weighs 11 kg.

Torchic

Torchic is based on a chicken hatchling. Its bright orange color comes from painted chicks, chicks whose feathers are dyed and sold at festivals and fairs. It may also be based on the basan, a legendary fire-breathing chicken in Japanese folklore. (A dyed chick sold at a fair. We did not expect the cute one to have the sad design note.)

Torchic keeps its flame in a place inside its body. Hugging it makes it glow with warmth, and it is covered all over in a fluffy coat of down. It is the Chick Pokemon, stands 0.4 m tall and weighs 2.5 kg.

Mudkip

Mudkip is based on the mudpuppy or the mudskipper, or possibly an axolotl. As the Mud Fish Pokemon, it might also be based on the East African lungfish or the flathead catfish, which is also called the mudcat.

Mudkip breathes with the gills on its cheeks in water, and in a tight spot in battle it can crush rocks bigger than itself. Crushing a boulder with that face is a strong second act. It is 0.4 m tall and weighs 7.6 kg.

Piplup

Piplup is likely based on a young penguin, possibly an emperor penguin chick. The light blue crown-shaped marking above its beak may allude to emperor penguins, or to emperors and kings in general, and its body looks as if it wears a tailcoat.

Piplup is an adorable little thing, as cute as any child, but it is prideful and unwilling to accept handouts from people. It stands 0.4 m tall and weighs 5.2 kg.

Pichu

Pichu draws on squirrels and other rodents. According to Junichi Masuda, Ken Sugimori came up with it when Game Freak staff were trying to figure out a Pokemon to be the "next" Pikachu. Its Shiny version, a rare alternate-color form, is colored like Pikachu.

Pichu stores electricity in the sacs on its cheeks but discharges it inadvertently when agitated or excited, because its handling of electricity is rather inept. It shocks itself by accident when it gets excited, a problem we have with coffee. It is a baby Pokemon, 0.3 m tall and 2 kg.

Mew

Mew is based on Mewtwo, designer Shigeki Morimoto said, and was made simpler to take up less space on the game cartridge. Its overall appearance is based on domestic cats, and its large hind legs and long skinny tail are vaguely like a jerboa's. Its earliest design resembled a vertebrate embryo.

Mew's short, fine, delicate hair can be seen when it is viewed through a microscope. Mew is a mythical Pokemon too, 0.4 m tall and 4 kg.

Eevee

Eevee is the Evolution Pokemon. In the 2018 artbook EVs, designer Motofumi Fujiwara said the idea came from Satoshi Tajiri's request for a Pokemon that evolves into multiple types, and he designed it as a "blank slate". It has traits of foxes, dogs and cats but is not based on any specific animal. He also wanted a creature that could exist "in people's memories", like a half-remembered cat or dog.

Eevee harbors the potential to evolve into manifold forms. (Cute is easier when nobody remembers exactly what it is.) It is 0.3 m tall and weighs 6.5 kg.

Pikachu

Pikachu started as a daifuku-like creature with ears sticking out, and its black ear tips are left over from that first idea. Satoshi Tajiri decided to base it on a mouse. When game designer Kōji Nishino asked for a cuter look, Nishida added cheek pouches that store electricity, inspired by squirrels, which store food in their cheeks.

Pikachu stores electricity in its cheek sacs and roasts tough berries with an electric shock before eating them. It evolves from Pichu, stands 0.4 m tall and weighs 6 kg. (It began as a rice cake with ears.)

Cute Ends at the First Evolution

Almost every Pokemon on this list is the first stage of its line or never evolves. Pikachu is the only one with a pre-evolution, and that pre-evolution, Pichu, is here too.

The six starters here all end up taller than they start, and none of their final forms made the list.

Cutest Pokemon FAQ

What is the cutest Pokemon?

Pikachu is the cutest Pokemon.

Which of the 15 is the strongest?

Mew and Shaymin tie with a base stat total of 600. No other Pokemon on the list is above 405.

Is Pichu a baby Pokemon?

Yes. Pichu is a baby Pokemon that evolves into Pikachu when its happiness is high enough.