Ok Pokemon creators, we get it. Electrode’s predecessor (Voltorb) was designed with all the intention to fool people into believing he is a Pokeball. But why use the same trick twice? Just compare Voltorb and his evolution. He just gains (a little) facial expression.

How about Electrode’s abilities? Both Voltorb and Electrode have the same three: soundproof, static and aftermath. The only difference is that Electrode’s defense and special attacks are slightly more powerful. He also floats in Electrode clouds that has the ability to become a massive bomb or electrocute people. Why can’t Voltorb do this in his uncaptured status? Or why not simply have Voltorb as a female and Electrode as a male of the same Pokemon species? But as they are, Electrode is simply an unnecessary evolution.

Here we can see that the creators of Pokemon might be tired after having to create so many generations of critters. Palossand’s predecessor, Sandygast, can function at least as a somewhat clever idea. It is a small amount of sand that resembles a ghost and that’s about it.

Everything looks kinda ok, but when Sandygast becomes Palossand… he becomes a sand castle. A freaking sand castle! With hearts as decorations! Wasn’t he a ghost? Isn’t he supposed to be, well, scary? We can not comment yet on its abilities, but this evolution looks like a bad and unnecessary trip.

Dragalge’s predecessor, Skrelp, is a moody looking sea dragon that uses his camouflage as an algae in the realm of battles. Once an enemy comes close, he uses his poison to immobilize it. When Skrelp evolves into Dragalge, he spits a more powerful venom. Mmm… this is cool, but couldn’t the Skrelp do it? Here we also have three abilities for both Skrelp and Dragalge: poison point, poison touch and adaptability. It is true that he only remains down on speed, but Dragalge becomes really ugly when he evolves.

Speaking about ugly, let’s also look at that unappealing color palette. When Dragalge is a Skrelp, at least the colors are limited, so it does not look so bad. But evolution does not benefit Dragalge. What is that on the top of its head? Is he ready for the brazilian carnival or something? This is a bad case of splitting the abilities and characteristics of a Pokemon into two versions. Sorry, but Dragalge could have been developed better.

For beginners, Granbull’s predecessor is not exactly the most useful Pokemon in battle. His name is Snubbull and, although he looks ill tempered, his overall pink color and shy nature are not helpful. He even has a power called… Run away. Do you think that the combination between a bulldog and a fairy could get any worse? Unfortunately, it does.

When Snubbull becomes Granbull, it apparently wins combative abilities, thanks to his powerful jaw. But when you find out that his balance is bad, you think twice about using his help. Granbull is too busy not falling in the middle of battle to be able to attack. Plus, Granbull still is a shy Pokemon! His Run away becomes Quick feet (more of the same) Agh! Pokemon trainers have to be very patient with him, but the efforts don’t pay off much, right? This is an example of a Pokemon that should belong only in the category of exotic pet. Besides that, it was enough with creating Snubbull with more jaw power. Granbull is definitely unnecessary.

Amoonguss is another Pokemon designed to fool trainers into thinking they have found a Pokeball. Its predecessor, Foongus, is slightly more clever than the plain looking Voltorb and Electrode. The bad thing is that Foongus does not have any special abilities. It simply… exists.

Oh, but when it evolves, surely the Pokemon acquires some valuable strengths, right? No, my dear otakus. Amoonguss grows in size, but apart from that, it only loses points in cuteness. Amoonguss would have been better off staying a Foongus. Why bother to evolve when the stats and fighting ability don’t change? Poor Amoonguss is one of the most unnecessary Pokemons ever.

Bellsprout is a somewhat cute plant Pokemon that has a pretty good chance against an enemy. It has a good appetite, flexibility and speed. When it evolves to become Weepinbell, he is even more dangerous. So… why on Earth do we also have Victreebel?

This Pokemon evolution is not even cool, cute or funny. Just look at this mis-shaped plant. The special abilities for Weepinbell and Victreebel are the same (Chlorophyll and Gluttony). Although Victreebel has speed and an overall strong attack as its former selves, it chooses to allure its enemies with a sweet smell. This might be an astute way of saving energy up, but it is not precisely exciting in a Pokemon duel. Sorry Victreebel, we will stick up with Weepinbell.

At least the initial Pokemon from this family (Vanillite) looks cute and has its hilarious moments when it is left bald. Vanillite also possesses cool powers (icy wind, mind you), but when it evolves to become Vanillish, it starts to look weird. Vanillite’s powers increase, but they are not particularly interesting. So, what happens when it reaches its last stage?

When Vanillish finally becomes Vanilluxe, he has two heads and its temper becomes bad. Who likes Pokemons with bad temper? Their abilities are the same: Ice body and weak armour. Yes, his special attack is more powerful, as he can invoke blizzards and the like, but can’t he be like that in his Vanillish form? Here is another Pokemon who does not need to evolve that much. Or if Vanillish is going to evolve, at least cooler features, a better design and improved character would be desirable.

We understand we are in an environmental conscience era. Anime and games can also join the cause and create clever characters or storylines to influence people in a positive direction. Watch that word there: “clever”. Essentially, it is everything that Garbodor is not. His predecessor (Trubbish), at least is somewhat cute and can control his undesirable bad smell.

But what happens when he evolves into Garbodor? Ehm... this Pokemon basically becomes an exploded trash bag. This is so visually and conceptually unappealing that we cannot understand how Garbodor exists in the Pokemon realm. I mean, who would like to have a pile of trash inside their Pokeballs?

Trubbish has Stench, sticky hold and aftermath as abilities, while Garbodor has a weak armor instead of sticky hold. Hum… do we really want to have a weak armor for the price of a smelly evolution? Plus, all of his abilities (attack, defense, , special attack, special defense, speed, etc.) are rather mediocre, as none of them stands out. Please stay as a Trubbish, Garbodor.

Here we have another pro-environmental concept for a Pokemon gone wrong. Muk’s predecessor, Grimer, is created with trash combined with the moon’s rays. Huh? Did you know that the moon shoots rays? o.O Nevermind, Grimer is a piece of slime that is highly uncomfortable to anyone due to its strong smell, with few remarkable abilities. We mean, stench, sticky hold and poison touch are not very nice, especially taking into account that there are other Pokemon with poison who are more appealing both at combat and overall design.

What happens when he evolves to Muk? Well, his overall aspect gets a little worse. Just watch his lack of expression and overall muddiness. It is true that his attack and special defense go up, but this does not compensate his lack for better or at least slightly more original abilities. Plus, his smell is still a problem. Unless you are Ash and have a great relationship with Professor Oak (who somehow manages to take away Muk’s undesirable features), there is not much that you can do with this Pokemon as a trainer.

Ok Poke addicts, let us breath in to try to keep patient. There is a certain creativity in wanting to design Pokemon based on objects, but the “Klink - Klang - Klinklang” trio is the worst of the worst in the Pokemon world. They are made of metal (in case we didn’t realize because of their names). Their face expressions are the most basic and unappealing, and that is just the beginning.

So, what happens when Klink becomes Klang? He still has three abilities: Minus, plus and clear body. Klang basically spins (like its predecessor). And throws small gears away. His overall attack and defense remain at mediocre levels. Honestly, can we get a more unnecessary evolution than this one? Hundreds of Pokemons can throw stuff away already! Klinklang is slightly more powerful, but that’s it. It would make more sense to evolve Kling to Klinklang. Klang is the worst designed and unnecessary Pokemon evolution ever.