With every new generation of Pokémon games, there always seems to be a collection of new creatures that get overlooked or underrated. The Alolan islands of the 7th generation of games titled Pokémon Sun & Moon brought with them a bevy of new creatures that trainers could fall in love with.
This also meant that there was guaranteed to be a selection of new creatures that would be forgotten about in favor of the ones that quickly surged in popularity. Let’s now look at the ten most underrated Pokémon native to the Alolan Islands.
10 Vikavolt
The reason Vikavolt is so overlooked is that it happens to fall into the label of a starting location bug-type. At this point in the Pokémon franchise, having a 3 stage bug-type evolutionary line is a tradition, and traditionally they’re not the best choice to be a part of your team. The great thing about Vikavolt is that it is a dual-typed Pokémon having both bug and electric moves at its disposal which in turn makes it more strategically viable. It also happens to just look cool, and in the anime, they use them to race which seems like a fun activity to do with a Pokémon you built a bond with.
9 Mudsdale
Mudsdale being underrated is pretty understandable when you take a step back and glance at the Pokémon. It evolves from a dumb-looking donkey inspired creature that doesn’t exactly communicate a formidable nature. Mudsdale itself looks like a giant horse with added design elements, so it doesn’t register as something otherworldly or fantastical. It can, however, become a defensive powerhouse for a team looking to include a symbolic brick wall of sorts. Its spit is a mud-like consistency and was used for the walls of old houses due to it being pretty resistant to elements when it dries.
8 Passimian
Passimian as an individual Pokémon just happens to be a monkey with a coconut-like berry in its possession. When you come to find out that it usually forms into groups of 20 members or so you start to understand how this creature can quickly become a formidable foe or invaluable ally.
Passimian is known to build strong mutual bonds and will do everything in its power to never let down someone or something it considers a comrade. They are led by a boss Passimian, who is appointed as such if it throws a berry the farthest. Berries are both their weapon of choice and the staple of their diet.
7 Drampa
The reason Drampa is often overlooked and underrated by trainers is due to its design. It registers less like a powerful dragon-type creature and more like a hippie who spends its time relaxing and taking things easy. It’s the creature who helps kids traverse long distances in an afternoon cartoon. Drampa is so protective of children that it will burn down the house of any bullies who bother the kids it’s made friends with. This powerful dragon serves as a babysitter of sorts in the towns it visits after traveling from its home deep in the mountains.
6 Araquanid
Spiders often get a bad rap as they are a common fear among humans and look more dangerous than they are. One glance at Araquanid would have you assuming it consumes all of the underwater creatures it finds beneath its feet. It happens to be one of the more empathetic Pokémon despite its appearance and will find weak and vulnerable Pokémon and care for them. It will protectively bring them inside their water bubble so it may serve as a barrier. Araquanid has also been known to try and put their trainers in their bubble for protection as well.
5 Dhelmise
A glance at Dhelmise doesn’t do much in letting trainers know what it is exactly. After closer inspection, you come to realize that the ghost and grass dual-type looks like a possessed ship wheel and anchor, but the spirit and soul of the creature reside in the seaweed that’s holding the objects together.
Dual-type Pokémon are always strategically more beneficial, and Dhelmise from a design perspective is pretty interesting. It’s much stronger than it looks as well as its main target when hunting for food happens to be Wailord.
4 Palossand
Like Dhelmise, Palossand is a dual-type Pokémon which means it has built-in value when building a versatile roster of Pokémon for battling. Instead of the grass and ghost-typing of Dhelmise, it sports both ghost and ground-types. It’s hard to justify the time and effort of obtaining a shiny variant of a Pokémon, but Palossand builds a strong case. Its shiny form ditches the beige sand in favor of charcoal black sand that helps make the subtle details of the sandcastle creature pop. Just don’t go digging underneath it unless you want to create your nightmares.
3 Crabominable
Crabs, unfortunately, are one of those real-life animals that have been used to death in the Pokémon franchise. That means whenever a new one comes out many trainers see it as a well-trod territory and don’t give the new animal any sort of consideration. Crabominable is an ice and fighting dual-type who looks every bit the part. It wasn’t always furry as it ended up on a snowy mountain in pursuit of the peak and over time it evolved to have fur so it could endure the hard elements. A crab with fur isn’t something that should be underrated or overlooked.
2 Primarina
With every generation of Pokémon games, there always ends up being one starter who gets forgotten about and becomes the focus of memes and jokes. Primarina never got the love that the other Alolan starter final evolutions did as fans fell in love with both Incineroar and Decidueye. Primarina’s design could have easily been clown-like and dreadful, but the designers went with a mermaid-inspired approach and this elegant water dog deserves more praise and attention. A dual-typing of water and fairy is pretty neat for a starter Pokémon and likely won’t happen again for quite a while.
1 Lycanroc
You would assume that a canine Pokémon would immediately become a fan favorite, but for some reason, Lycanroc never got the love that the likes of Arcanine of Lucario received. It probably has to do with its multiple forms and the difficulty of evolving your Rockruff into the specific form of Lycanroc you desire. Loyalty is something everyone respects and according to the Pokédex, a Lycanroc that’s raised from a young age by a trainer will become trustworthy of them and will never betray their trainer no matter what. Talk about a lovable Pokémon worth owning.
NEXT: Pokémon: The 10 Most Underrated Johto Pokémon, Ranked
