The wonderful world of Pokémon is full of variety, especially now that the roster is well over 1000 strong. Across 18 types and a plethora of type combinations within that, nine generations of Pokémon have produced species of all shapes and sizes. Each Pokémon has a unique personality and attributes, often taking on various real-world inspirations. Strength and power are held in high regard when it comes to Pokémon battling, but players and trainers alike would do well to remember power doesn’t always come from the largest or most imposing species.
There are plenty of Pokémon on the roster that hold immense power despite being small in stature, or having a more cutesy and adorable aesthetic. This often applies to Mythical Pokémon, but there are also ordinary members of the roster that possess both immense strength and cuteness.
10 Keldeo
Keldeo is the embodiment of resilience and the typical underdog, as a Mythical Pokémon that is essentially a multicolored unicorn. It shows this much during the movie Kyurem VS. The Sword of Justice. The Water-/Fighting-type Colt Pokémon is aesthetically adorable with the blend of blues and reds, but this plays into the trope of not judging a book by its cover.
Keldeo has a base stat total of 580, which may be low when compared to other Mythical Pokémon, but it’s incredibly powerful and much more formidable than its design would otherwise suggest. Many forget Keldeo for other more substantial Mythical Pokémon, but it deserves more recognition for brightening up the Gen V roster.
9 Blissey
The Happiny line is undeniably adorable, all the way through from Happiny itself, via Chansey to Blissey. These Pokémon have always been associated with happiness and nursing others back to health, which is about as wholesome as it gets for a Pokémon’s premise and purpose. In fact, most of Blissey’s anime appearances have come alongside Nurse Joy or other medical personnel such as Brock.
Despite all the wholesome acts and adorable designs, Blissey still has a reputation as a bulky and formidable battler. Blissey racks up a base stat total of 540. While it possesses abysmal physical stats in 10 Attack and Defense, it makes up for it with 255 HP and 135 Special Defense. There is a reason defeating a Blissey grants players an extortionate amount of EXP — it’s simply that strong.
8 Diancie
Mythical Pokémon always run the risk of being forgotten, as is the whole premise of their mysterious existence and rare appearances. A prime example of this is Gen VI’s Diancie, and Pokémon fans would be forgiven for forgetting how powerful this Rock-/Fairy-type Jewel Pokémon actually is.
Diancie’s base stat total of 600 is standard for a Mythical Pokémon, but with only 50 for HP and Speed, this allows the other four stats to go off the charts in terms of power. Diancie may be cursed with some unfavorable type matchups with four weaknesses, but it gets an immunity to Dragon and five resistances. Diancie easily has one of the most adorable designs in all of Pokémon, really playing into its relationships with gems, but trainers should never underestimate it in battle.
7 Togekiss
Togepi was the first Egg Pokémon introduced in the original series of the anime, despite being a Gen II Pokémon. It has always been known as that baby Pokémon, the embodiment of pure cuteness. That it now has such a powerful final form, Togekiss, is still hard for fans to digest and understand.
Togekiss was introduced in Gen IV. Thanks to the Gen VI introduction of Fairy types, it’s a formidable Fairy/Flying Pokémon with two valuable immunities to Dragon and Ground — making it a great counter to Cynthia’s Garchomp, among others. Togekiss has a base stat total of 545, which is still surprising despite its obvious bulk and battling prowess, simply because of its serene nature and graceful presence.
6 Meloetta
Known as the Melody Pokémon, Meloetta exudes all the grace and purity attributed to those with the voice of an angel. It even has musical bar streaks in its hair and a treble clef-shaped headpiece to complete to ensemble. This tiny Mythical Pokémon may seem like a wholesome package destined to be targeted by evil forces — as shown in its anime appearances — but Meloetta has some power of her own hidden away.
Meloetta comes in two forms: Aria and Pirouette. Aria Forme Meloetta is a Normal/Psychic type with emphasis Special Attack, and Special Defense. The Normal/Fighting Pirouette Forme gets Meloetta ready for a scrap with better Attack, Defense, and Speed. Either way, Meloetta has a base stat total of 600, and can hold its own against the toughest of foes, especially when its Aria Forme only has two weaknesses to Bug and Dark.
5 Shaymin
Shaymin is as adorable a Pokémon in terms of design, nature, and personality as anyone will ever see. The tiny hedgehog-like Pokémon is literally known as the Gratitude Pokémon, challenging species like Chansey and Comfey for the title of the most wholesome Pokémon of the entire franchise. However, Shaymin can change into a different form, a deer-like Sky Forme, that is also pretty adorable.
Shaymin may be small in both forms, but as a Mythical Pokémon, it possesses incredible power. In fact, Shaymin has a base stat total of 600, which is dispersed across the board in the Land Forme, but favors Speed and Special Attack in its Sky Forme. No matter the form it takes, Shaymin is easily one of the most powerful Grass-type Pokémon, despite its adorable nature.
4 Bewear
While a lot of the more powerful yet adorable Pokémon fall into the Mythical category, one of the major exceptions is Bewear. At first glance, Bewear is an adorable large Bear with a pink, white and black color scheme. Bewear may look extremely huggable, but the fact it is a part Fighting type should warn trainers off immediately. Even Bewear’s noises are adorable, despite being a 7ft bear with plenty of physical offense to give anyone a real fight.
Bewear has a base stat total of 500, but through its Sun & Moon anime appearances alone, has showcased much more potential than that. Team Rocket’s Bewear guardian even went to toe-to-toe with Ultra Beasts Pheromosa and Guzzlord, bringing out a terrifying side of this bizarre yet caring Pokémon, as it released its full power.
3 Jirachi
Jirachi is yet another Mythical Pokémon with a wholesome nickname, adorable design, and generally pleasant concept. The Wish Pokémon tugged at the heart-strings of Pokémon fans all over when it bonded with Max in Jirachi: Wish Maker, and its wholesome presence is infectious. Jirachi even resembles a wishing star in its design.
However, Jirachi is not to be underestimated under any circumstances. As a Steel/Psychic type, Jirachi has nine type resistances and an immunity, as well as 600 total base stats spread evenly across the board. Jirachi’s varied movepool covers defensive, offensive, and supporting moves that can cover all bases — making it one of the most versatile Pokémon in the entire franchise.
2 Celebi
Celebi is one of the most mysterious Pokémon and the perfect representation of what it means to be a Psychic type. The Time Travel Pokémon has presented new opportunities for the Pokémon anime and games to take new directions further into the impossible, through two major roles in Pokémon movies. These powers and its 600 base stat total make it one of the most popular and respected Mythical Pokémon.
Celebi’s design resembles an alien or fairy, with the wide eyes and light greens completing its approachable and adorable aesthetic. Celebi with always have haters solely because of the Psychic/Grass combination being vulnerable to seven type weaknesses. However, Celebi is still perfectly capable of showing off its extraordinary power and potential at will.
1 Mew
It goes without saying that Mew is one of the most popular Pokémon of all time. When the August Pokémon Presents announced Mew and Mewtwo would come to Tera Raids in August and September, players flocked back to Scarlet & Violet, just in time for the DLC to drop on September 13th. Mew was the first Mythical Pokémon of the franchise, and the mouse-like New Species Pokémon set the precedent for Mythical Pokémon moving forward.
Mew has a base stat total of 600 spread evenly across the board, but has proven on countless occasions just how strong it can be. Its storied rivalry with Mewtwo should speak for itself, but this Psychic Pokémon is just too powerful for most opponents to handle, despite its adorable pink design and tiny stature.
