The 15 Slowest Pokemon & Why Most of Them Don't Stay Slow

Most Pokemon get a move in before you have time to plan. The slowest have a base Speed of 5, so they move last in almost every turn.

Here are the 15 slowest Pokemon:

The 15 Slowest Pokemon

#15

Silcoon

Silcoon has a base Speed of 15 and stands 0.6 m tall. It is based on a silkworm cocoon, which fits its white color. It wraps itself in thin strings of silk while it stores energy for evolution. It cannot extend its limbs, so its movement is slow, though its eyes keep a sharp lookout. Its Shed Skin ability has a 33 percent chance of curing a major status ailment after each turn. It evolves from Wurmple into Beautifly, which has a base Speed of 65. It evolves from Wurmple into Beautifly, which has a base Speed of 65.

#14

Pineco

Pineco has a base Speed of 15 and stands 0.6 m tall. It may be based on a bagworm, whose cases can look like pine cones, and its hopping resembles a Mexican jumping bean. Its ability to explode also gives it the look of a grenade. It sticks tree bark to itself with its saliva, making itself thicker and larger, and elderly Pineco are ridiculously huge. Its Sturdy ability stops it from being knocked out from full HP. It evolves into Forretress, which has a base Speed of 40.

#13

Wooper

Wooper has a base Speed of 15 and stands 0.4 m tall. It is based on a larval salamander, which has a flat tail and feathery external gills, and the gills in particular bring to mind the axolotl, a salamander that keeps its gills for life because it never develops lungs. On land it covers its body with a poisonous film that keeps its skin from dehydrating. Its Damp ability stops Self-Destruct, Explosion and Aftermath from working while it is in battle. It evolves into Quagsire, which has a base Speed of 35.

#12

Igglybuff

Igglybuff has a base Speed of 15 and stands 0.3 m tall. It is based on a balloon because of its inflatable body, and its soft fur and singing may come from plush toys that play music to help children fall asleep. It moves as if bouncing, using the softness of its body, and its body turns a deep pink when its temperature rises. Its Cute Charm ability has a 30 percent chance of infatuating any Pokemon that hits it with a contact move. It evolves into Jigglypuff, which has a base Speed of 20.

#11

Cleffa

Cleffa has a base Speed of 15 and stands 0.3 m tall. It is based on fairies and pixies, since it is a small, playful, magical creature, and its large ears and its Moon Stone evolution may refer to the Moon rabbit of folklore. It resembles twinkling starlight in silhouette, and Cleffa gather in numbers to dance when shooting stars rain from the night sky. Its Magic Guard ability protects it from damage that does not come directly from a move. It evolves into Clefairy, which has a base Speed of 35, and then Clefable, which has 60.

#10

Slowpoke

Slowpoke has a base Speed of 15 and stands 1.2 m tall. It may be based on hippopotamuses and giant salamanders, and its ability to grow a new tail may come from the regeneration seen in lizards and salamanders. Its category is the Dopey Pokemon. Sweetness seeps from its tail when the tail is soaked in water, which it uses to lure in and fish up other Pokemon. Its Oblivious ability prevents infatuation and its Own Tempo ability prevents confusion. Slowbro and Slowking both have a base Speed of 30.

Stakataka

Stakataka has a base Speed of 13, the only Pokemon with that number, and stands 5.5 m tall. It resembles a castle tower, and it may take inspiration from the Mokumokuren and the Nurikabe, two Japanese yokai that live in walls or block the way of travelers in the guise of a wall. When stone walls started moving and attacking, the brute's true identity was this mysterious life-form, which brings to mind an Ultra Beast. Its Beast Boost ability raises its highest stat by one stage when it faints another Pokemon, and it does not evolve.

Gimmighoul

Gimmighoul has a base Speed of 10 and stands 0.3 m tall. It may be based on the ghoul, a creature from Arabic folklore known for luring people into deserted places and for stealing coins. Its antennae and tail resemble dowsing rods, which are believed to help people locate buried treasure. It lives inside an old treasure chest and sometimes gets left in shop corners, since no one realizes it is a Pokemon. Its Rattled ability raises its Speed one stage when a Dark, Ghost or Bug move hits it. A stage is one step on the in-battle scale for a stat. It evolves into Gholdengo, which has a base Speed of 84.

Gossifleur

Gossifleur has a base Speed of 10 and stands 0.4 m tall. It is inspired by the flower of the cotton plant, and by a legend that Pokemon Sword and Shield director Shigeru Ohmori had heard, in which catching cotton balls floating in the air may bring good luck. It whirls around in the wind while singing a joyous song, and this display has charmed many into raising it. Its Regenerator ability heals it for a third of its maximum HP when it switches out. It evolves into Eldegoss, which has a base Speed of 60.

Ferroseed

Ferroseed has a base Speed of 10 and stands 0.6 m tall. It is based on plants whose seeds stick to clothing, such as cockleburs, burdocks and cleavers, and it may also be based on a mace or flail. Mossy caves are its preferred dwellings, and enzymes in the moss help its spikes grow big and strong. Its Iron Barbs ability damages any Pokemon that hits it with a contact move for an eighth of that Pokemon's maximum HP. It evolves into Ferrothorn, which has a base Speed of 20.

Bonsly

Bonsly has a base Speed of 10 and stands 0.5 m tall. It is based on a bonsai tree and on petrified wood, which would explain its pure Rock type, because all the organic material in petrified wood is replaced with minerals. Its flowerpot resembles a diaper and it tends to cry a lot. Its tears elicit sympathy, but the water is merely a physiological mechanism for keeping itself in good health. Its Rock Head ability protects it against recoil damage. It evolves into Sudowoodo, which has a base Speed of 30.

Trapinch

Trapinch has a base Speed of 10 and stands 0.7 m tall. It is based on the larval stage of the antlion, which lives in a conical sandy pit before it matures into a winged adult, and its head resembles a cartoon foothold trap. It makes an inescapable conical pit and lies in wait at the bottom for prey to come tumbling down. Its Arena Trap ability prevents opponents from fleeing or switching out. It evolves into Vibrava, which has a base Speed of 70, and then into Flygon, which has 100.

Pyukumuku

Pyukumuku has a base Speed of 5 and stands 0.3 m tall. It may be based on a sea cucumber, some of which expel part of their respiratory system to keep predators from eating them, and its innards appear to be based on a human fist. If it encounters a foe, it spits out its internal organs as a means to punch them. Its Innards Out ability makes an opponent that knocks it out take damage equal to the HP it had left, and it does not evolve. (Its idea of a counterattack costs it its insides, which is a bold plan for a Pokemon that moves last.)

Munchlax

Munchlax has a base Speed of 5 and stands 0.6 m tall. It is based on a baby bear, and its eating habits match those of bears preparing to hibernate, including the honey and the searches through garbage and compost. The yellow patch of fur on its chest resembles a baby's bib. Its robust stomach lets it devour even rotted matter, and it visits villages to seek out food scraps meant for compost. Its Thick Fat ability halves damage from Fire and Ice moves. It weighs 105 kg and evolves into Snorlax, which has a base Speed of 30.

Shuckle

Shuckle has a base Speed of 5 and stands 0.6 m tall. It may be based on an endolith, an organism that lives inside porous rocks or animal shells, and it may also draw on scale insects, one family of which is known as tortoise scales. The berries stored in its vaselike shell eventually become a thick, pulpy juice. Its Defense and Special Defense are both 230, while its HP is 20 and its Attack and Special Attack are 10. Its Sturdy ability stops it from being knocked out from full HP.

Slow Is Usually a Stage

Twelve of the 15 slowest Pokemon evolve, and every one of them is faster after it does. Trapinch starts at a base Speed of 10 and ends as Flygon at 100, and Gimmighoul's final form, Gholdengo, has 84.

The three that never evolve are Shuckle, Stakataka and Pyukumuku, and each has a Defense of 130 or more, where no other Pokemon on this list passes 95.

Slowest Pokemon FAQ

What is the slowest Pokemon?

Shuckle is the slowest Pokemon, with a base Speed of 5. Munchlax and Pyukumuku have the same Speed.

Is Slowpoke the slowest Pokemon?

No. Slowpoke has a base Speed of 15, and 9 Pokemon are slower than that.

Can a Pokemon have a base Speed below 5?

No. The lowest base Speed of any Pokemon in the National Pokedex is 5.