Our guide to the best gen 4 Pokémon is here to whittle this motley crew down to the greatest of them all. The leap to Pokémon on DS was a huge one. The world felt more alive than ever, and even the Pokémon were more animated than in any previous title. So to match this evolution, Game Freak delivered a stonking selection of new creatures that are still celebrated to this day.
The selection from Sinnoh is as weird as it is wide, featuring the most evolutions of previous Pokémon that any gen has seen before or since. Fan favorite lines finally got some power thanks to plenty of evolution stones and new methods. Meanwhile, even the completely new Pokémon have seen nothing but love since. This is going to be tough… Also, we won’t be covering starter Pokémon, mythical Pokémon, or legendary Pokémon here as they appear in different lists.
Let’s dive into our guide to the best gen 4 Pokémon.
Yanmega
The ancient dragonfly Pokémon Yanmega takes on the appearance of some of the prehistoric bugs that actually inhabited the earth many millennia ago. To drive this fact home, Yanma can only evolve into this ‘mon when it knows the ancient power move. It’s one of many Pokémon in Diamond and Pearl that are evolutions of ‘mon from previous gens, but I’ve always had a soft spot for it because I just didn’t think that many people were rooting for Yanma.
Yanmega wields the dual flying and bug Pokémon combination, which sadly gives it a bunch of weaknesses. It’s four times weak to rock Pokémon and two times weak to flying Pokémon, fire Pokémon, electric Pokémon, and ice Pokémon. However, it balances this with immunity to ground, helping it cause some problems for popular threat Garchomp. It might not be the best competitively, but the mixture of the prehistoric design and interesting lore has always made it a winner in my eyes.
At number 469 in the Pokédex, Yanmega is described as being able to create shockwaves by churning its wings, and these shock waves cause serious injuries to those struck by them. Oh, and prepare yourself if you want to fight this thing, it likes to bite its opponents apart while moving at high speeds.
If you want to know how squash Yanmega, our bug Pokémon weakness and flying Pokémon weakness guides can help you out.
Garchomp
Let’s get this one out of the way. Garchomp rules, and that’s not up for debate. Its top-tier Pokémon design has yet to be beaten before or since, every inch of that dragon Pokémon looks absolutely incredible, and I have never met a single Pokémon fan that had a bad word to say about it. It looks like a cross between a dragon, a crocodile, a jet, and a submarine. You don’t have to worry about making sense when you look that cool.
If you were around during the original Pokémon Diamond and Pearl days back when the series was making its first steps into online battles, you likely remember that Garchomp was an absolute menace. This powerhouse was on every single team, ready to spam earthquake and take down almost every other Pokémon in the meta. It’s still a fearsome foe with an insane speed stat and an impressive attack, but over the years, it’s four times ice. Pokémon weakness has found more Pokémon to exploit it, not to mention its weakness to dragon and fairy. It’s not quite the beast it once was, but it hasn’t fallen far from grace.
To discover more about this type of ‘mon, check out our dragon Pokémon weakness guide.
Rhyperior
This is more of a personal pick because something about the big lug known as Rhyperior has always just worked for me. I’ve always loved Rhyhorn and Rhydon, and Rhydon, in particular, already feels like a Pokémon pushed as far as it can go. So, how did Game Freak take the concept further? Well, they just made Rhyperior even larger. Fantastic stuff, honestly.
While it may be a slow one, Rhyperior also learns the ice move avalanche, which does double damage if it’s used after the Pokémon has already taken damage. This means if Rhyperior can withstand an earthquake, then it’s got a good shot of bringing down a Garchomp, which is no easy feat. And in fact, its second ability solid rock reduces damage from super-effective attacks! Overall, Rhyperior is just an absolute tank, and it has the looks to match.
As Rhyperior is a hybrid Pokémon, we suggest you consult both our ground Pokémon weakness and rock Pokémon weakness guides on the best ways to deal with it.
Drifblim
It’s hard to choose between Drifloon and Drifblim, but the evolution just about takes it for me. Something about a floating ghost balloon is particularly creepy, and the Pokédex entries don’t do anything to dissuade this notion. Drifloon and Drifblim are known for stealing children and carrying them off in the breeze, which is actually a terrifying thing to read as a kid.
It has a mixture of ghost and flying types, giving it three different immunities in normal, fighting, and ground. However, a slew of weaknesses and some limp stats have always kept Drifblim out of the competitive scene, which is a shame because of its unique typing. At the very least, it looks really cool and has some of the creepiest lore the Pokémon world has ever seen.
As one of the best ghost Pokémon, it’s a good idea to read our ghost Pokémon weakness guide to discover how to deal with Drifblim in battle.
Lucario
Let me tell you, when I first saw Lucario I lost my mind. While over the years the saturation of bipedal Pokémon has soured the bunch a little, Lucario has always had a stoic and legendary nature to him that I just love. In fact, when it was first announced many people thought it was a legendary as it was starring in the next Pokémon movie. It doesn’t help that Lucario is based on the Egyptian god Anubis, only making its claim to the legendary status more solid.
But no, Lucario is just a regular Pokémon, and yet is still treated with the sort of reverence and mysticism within Diamond and Pearl that I wish so many legendary Pokémon had. Getting to Iron Island to nab a Roilu egg is really tough, and it builds up so much excitement for when you eventually discover the fighting and steel Pokémon and its awesome evolution. Lucario also has the rare honor of having a mega evolution that looks good. Honestly, this ‘mon can do no wrong.
To learn how to knockout Lucario, consult our fighting Pokémon weakness and steel Pokémon weakness articles.
Bidoof
I shouldn’t have to explain why Bidoof is so great, but just in case you are some sort of alien from a faraway planet and your first introduction to the planet earth is reading this article, let me break it down. Bidoof absolutely rips. This little fella? Adorable, an angel, just the best. Unlike some of the other rodents or low-power Pokémon you meet in the initial roots of your adventure, Bidoof has somehow garnered a huge fan base thanks to its impeccable design and countless memes. Sorry Sentret, you’re basic.
It feels mean talking about Bidoof in any competitive sense because it’s not really meant for that. Back in Diamond and Pearl Bidoof and its evolution Bibarrel became known as the HM pack mule, being made to shoulder the burden of several of the moves, letting players free up move slots for other Pokémon while still traversing the world. Luckily, there’s little need for this anymore, and the games have been much kinder to our little friend, especially in its appearance in Pokémon Legends: Arceus where the beaver Pokémon just looked to be having a great time.
Look, as much as we love Bidoof, you need to know how to handle one should you cross it in battle, so discover how to defeat this ‘mon with our normal Pokémon weakness guide.
Spiritomb
Pokémon loves to get deep with its lore, but you might not realize just how deep the Spiritomb lore well goes. This dual ghost Pokémon and dark Pokémon originally had zero weaknesses and three immunities, making it a really tough opponent to hit. Sadly, the addition of fairy has changed things, but having a single weakness is still nothing to sniff at, especially when some types have as many as three or four weaknesses.
If you played the original Diamond and Pearl back on the DS you may remember that Spiritomb’s quest involved an item called the odd keystone, and players interacting with 108 players over the GTS. This is actually a nod to an ancient Chinese book called Water Margin, about an outlaw called Song Jiang and his 108 bandit companions. The spirits of the 108 bandits were originally trapped in an ancient artifact, only to be released, causing havoc for the nearby villages. So if you’ve ever wondered why everything around involves the number 108, now you know.
Fighting what lurks in the shadows may seem daunting, but our dark Pokémon weakness guide can help to light the way in battles against creatures such as Spiritbomb.
Mismagius
Sticking with the creepy theme, our next favorite gen 4 Pokémon is Misdreavus’ evolution, Mismagius. That’s right, the adorable little ghost from Gold, Silver, and Crystal didn’t get an evolution until our arrival in Sinnoh, though you can trust me when I say it was worth the wait, as Mismagius is one of the best ghost Pokémon across the entire series.
This ghost is well known for its curses. Sure, it doesn’t kidnap kids like Drifloon and Drifblim, but it can cause utter misery. Luckily, some of them also chant incantations that give happiness, so it’s pretty much a 5/50 chance as to what luck you get from them.
That’s it for today, folks, though we reserve the right to come back and add even more gen 4 Pokémon to this list because there are too many great ones to choose from. To discover the best ‘mon from other regions, check out our guide to the best gen 1 Pokémon, gen 2 Pokémon, and gen 3 Pokémon, gen 5 Pokémon, gen 6 Pokémon, gen 7 Pokémon, gen 8 Pokémon, and gen 9 Pokémon next.