From Basculegion to Mimikyu, The Most Disturbing Pokemon Ever Created

In case you had forgotten, today’s Pokemon Presents was a pretty solid reminder: some Pokemon are straight-up horrifying. Sure, the majority of the lil’ monsters are as cute and cuddly as they are combat-ready, but for every few dozen of these playful pets, there’s always one that has a past more shocking than Pikachu’s thunderbolt. Most of the time, these Pokemon and their brutal rap sheets float by unnoticed by fans, but every now and then an unsuspecting fan takes a closer look at some of the series darker Pokedex entries, and it generally goes a bit like this:

While operating using the fuel from your fallen friends is already quite the start to this list, believe it or not, things only get weirder in the wonderful world of Pokemon. So, from consuming souls and murdering trainers to wearing their mother’s skull, here are some of the most disturbing Pokemon to ever grace the franchise.

1. Basculegion

At first glance, Basculegion seems just like any other fish in the sea, but a deep dive on the big guy given during the more recent Pokemon Presents conference revealed a lot we might not have wanted to know about them. According to the presentation, a Basculegion is created when “Basculin that live in the Hisui region [..] become possessed by the restless souls of other Basculin in their school that have perished in their journey upstream.” After these spirits enter the surviving fish’s body, they cause it to grow and act as a sort of fuel for the evolved Basculegion, giving it the ability to fight and swim incessantly. I’m not sure if the phrase “spectral cannibalism” is one that’s ever been thrown around before, but it seems pretty damn apt here.

2. Mimikyu

While Mimikyu looks adorable and its quest to impersonate a Pikachu in order to be loved and accepted is heartbreakingly cute, its Pokedex entries make it, without question, a pretty horrifying pokemon. According to its entries in the Pokemon Sun games, Mimikyu grows violent and will ultimately kill people if they look at their true form under their rags — even if it was on accident. In the entry for Pokemon Ultra Moon, there exists a record of a trainer who was unfortunate enough to pass by a Mimikyu on a windy evening, caught a glimpse of them, and “died painfully that very night.” To make matters worst, there also exists a “Busted Form” version of Mimikyu that is created whenever the neck of the Pikachu costume it’s wearing snaps, causing it the Mimikyu to become agitated. According to that oh-so-pleasant Pokedex entry, after becoming busted a Mimikyu “stands in front of a mirror, trying to fix its broken neck as if its life depended on it. It has a hard time getting it right, so it’s crying inside.” While some might think of Haunter and Gengar as the pokemon universe’s most murderous, I’d say Mimikyu is the one you really gotta look out for.

3. Spoink

While not as murderous as Mimikyu, Spoink is also an extremely upsetting pokemon to read up on. Introduced in generation three, Spoink is a psychic-type pokemon that essentially looks like a tiny pig atop a long, spring-like tail. While watching it bounce around is pretty cute, what’s not cute is learning that it only bounces because if it stops it will instantaneously die. According to its Pokedex entry in Pokemon Ruby, “the shock of its bouncing makes its heart pump. As a result, this Pokémon cannot afford to stop bouncing – if it stops, its heart will stop.” To make matters worse, the pearl the pig holds on top of its head acts as the pokemon’s power, meaning if it for some reason is taken or dropped, the Spoink will gradually slow down until it dies. Honestly, this is just one of the entries on this list that makes us think, “did you really have to go there, Nintendo?”

4. Cubone

Oh, Cubone. Out of all the disturbing pokemon backstories on this list, we figure this one is probably the most well-known, and for good reason. While Cubone is not a ghost-type pokemon, it is haunted by one: its mother. While it started as a rumor, it was quickly confirmed in Pokemon Yellow that the young pokemon is in fact wearing the skull of its dead mother on its head. According to its Pokedex entry, the skull used for “concealing its face as it sheds tears for its long-lost mother.” It then goes on to state Cubone, “cries loudly to express its loneliness” and “always carries a long, thick bone,” which is presumably also their mother’s. It is said that a Cubone will evolve into a Marowak once it comes to terms with its mother’s death, however many of them are picked off as their crying attracts their natural predator, Mandibuzz.

5. Yamask

Yamask feels weird to even call a pokemon because straight up, it’s just the spirit of a dead person. Like. There’s no way around it. A strange-looking, shadow-like creature, Yamask is known for holding a golden mask that, canonically, contains the face they wore when they were a human and offers them both comfort and a glimpse into their former memories when they look at it. If a Yamask’s mask is taken away from them, they’re said to become extremely hostile until they find it again. Furthermore, if someone wears their mask, they will ultimately become possessed by the Yamask. Last but certainly not least, according to Yamask’s grim entry in Pokemon Shield, the pokemon is said to spend its existence looking for someone who can recognize its former face, and cries as it does so.

6. Drifloon

If you thought we were done with all the more murderous entries on this list, you thought wrong. While Drifloon may look like a cute, little balloon, the pokemon is known for murdering children. In its Pokedex entry for Pokemon Heart Gold and Soul Silver, it states “any child who mistakes Drifloon for a balloon and holds on to it could wind up missing.” In Pokemon Sun, Nintendo expands on this, adding “stories go that it grabs the hands of small children and drags them away to the afterlife,” before adding “it dislikes heavy children.” Apparently, Drifloon is stuffed with the souls of the kids it carries away and grows bigger as it racks more up, thus enabling them to lift away even more. I’m sure there’s a “we all float down here” joke in here somewhere, but honestly I’m too disturbed to think of one.
7. Parasect

Let me just preface with this: I think the thing that truly makes Parasect so creepy is that it’s based on something that actually happens to insects in real life, despite it sounding like something out of The Last of Us. While Parasect looks just like a sort of strange bug, Parasect is actually a bug corpse that has been essentially hollowed out and taken over by a parasitic fungus, hence the vacant look and mushroom growing on its back. In real life, this fungus that does this is called Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, and it’s famous for killing carpenter ants, and frankly I think it’s rude of Nintendo for reminding me that zombies kind of do exist.