Who are the best gen 5 Pokémon? With 156 Unova residents to choose from, there are a lot of candidates for the best gen 5 Pokémon. It’s never easy picking out the top dogs, but we can handle it. Collectively, the PT team chose their favorite creatures. Some are incredibly badass, while one or two might have you questioning us, but have a little faith.
Like our other guides, we won’t include any starter Pokémon, legendary Pokémon, or mythical Pokémon, as they have their own guides, and it gives the unsung heroes a moment in the spotlight. For even more great guides, be sure to read our articles covering the best dog pokémon, snake Pokémon, cat Pokémon, bear Pokémon, best gen 1 Pokémon, and the best gen 8 Pokémon.
Here are the best gen 5 Pokémon:
Chandelure
Be our guest, be our guest, come see why this ‘mon’s the best. Tying for the prize of the best sentient piece of furniture alongside Rotom and its many forms, Chandelure (Lampent’s evolution) is a fire/ghost-type that looks like an enchanted chandelier. It’s known to use its flames to hypnotize people to lure them in (Chandelure, get it?) before being said to not just burn its victims physically but to scorch their spirits too.
Chandelure is a fan favorite from Unova, especially thanks to a whopping base special attack stat of 145. Whoever handed out stats for Pokémon Black and White was on a wild one, because this is just one Pokémon in a batch of them that possess some truly impressive stats that forever changed the meta. Chandelure is so popular, in fact, that it even takes up a slot in the Pokémon x Tekken mashup Pokken Tournament DX for Switch. Now, I don’t know if you’ve ever slapped around a luchador Pikachu with a sentient chandelier, but I can promise you it’s very, very fun.
Whether it’s the fire or ghost side of Chandelure that trips you up, our fire Pokémon weakness and ghost Pokémon weakness guides are ready to help you stand tall.
Hydreigon
The pseudo-legendary line of generation five, following along the lines of Pokémon like Garchomp, Dragonite, and the fossil Pokémon Tyranitar; Hydreigon is known as the brutal Pokémon, and its joint dark/dragon-typing along with its fantastic move pool and stat spread make this one a fearsome threat no matter the generation. Each monster in the evolution line also contains a German number, with Deino, Zweilous, and Hydreigon all counting from ein, zwei, to drei, representing the three heads of this brutal beast.
Its fantastic typing gives it immunity to moves from ground Pokémon and psychic Pokémon, making it a decent threat to ground Pokémon, Garchomps, and earthquake users the land over. Sadly, it does leave it extremely weak to fairy, so the years haven’t been kind to Hydreigon. Still, at least it has an awesome shiny, which turns the previously blue heads of the beast a bright green, and it’s so popular that the shiny even appears in the anime. In fact, I snagged one myself during a Pokémon Go community day.
Dragons can be tricky to defeat, but our dragon Pokémon weakness guide holds the secret to beating them.
Braviary
Known as the valiant Pokémon and clearly inspired by an eagle, Braviary cuts an intimidating figure and is easily one of the best bird Pokémon in the franchise. While the first four Pokémon generations take influence from regions in Japan, the United States influences the Unova region, so of course, Game Freak has to include an eagle Pokémon. Its coloring even represents the red, white, and blue of the American flag!
With dual normal/flying-typing, sadly, Braviary isn’t quite as cool to use in battle as it is to look at. But it does have a handy dandy new form in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, with the Hisuian Braviary changing to psychic/flying-typing, and sporting a new colour scheme with bright purples and pinks. It certainly gets our vote for one of the best Pokémon Legends: Arceus new Pokémon.
To bring Braviary back down to earth, check out our flying Pokémon weakness guide.
Krookodile
Just look at this sneaky guy! I’m going to be honest: I absolutely love crocodiles and alligators, so any Pokémon based on them instantly gets shot up the ranks for me, but Krookodile isn’t just a banging member of the Crocodilia family; it also looks incredible. Known as the intimidation Pokémon, Krookodile’s thick black stripes cover all of its body, but the bands over its eyes help to create the look of a robber’s mask. Just top-tier Pokémon design here; incredible work, Game Freak.
Krookodile sports a useful typing of dual ground and dark Pokémon, making it immune to electric and psychic moves. It does still have quite a few common weaknesses, though, such as water, grass, ice, and fairy; perhaps explaining why Krookodile hasn’t risen up into common use like other ground-type Pokémon such as Garchomp. Still, it will always have a place in my heart.
Never forget, knowing the Dark Pokémon weaknesses is vital if you want to win a battle against Krookodile.
Excadrill
Remember earlier when I was talking about the impressive stats of some of the Unova region Pokémon? Meet Excadrill, who, with a whopping base 135 attack, is ahead of Zacian, Urshifu, Terrakion, Kyurem, and many others in the attacking department. You can just find this guy walking around. It’s just a regular ‘mon! I wouldn’t want to bump into one in the sewers of Unova, I tell you that.
Excadrill is a joint ground and steel Pokémon, making it immune to moves from poison Pokémon and electric Pokémon (and a nightmare for Gen 8 Pokémon Toxtricity), but it’s let down by weakness to fire, water, and even ground. If nothing else, it looks awesome, using its claws on both its arms and head to form a gigantic drill that it uses to burrow through the ground at high speeds. It also has the hidden ability mold breaker, which can allow ground-type moves to hit Pokémon with the levitate ability, so if you use it properly, Excadrill can be an incredible addition to a team.
If Exacdrill poses too much of a challenge, read our ground Pokémon weakness and steel Pokémon weakness guides to learn the secret to beating it.
Volcarona
It’s a giant fire moth. What else do I have to say? Another recipient of a monster stat boost, Volcarona, is a bug/fire-type that sports a stats of 135 in special attack. This beast packs a punch, and you don’t want to be on the receiving end of its flamethrower. Sadly it doesn’t have immunities, and it even has a 4x weakness to rock, meaning that a stealth rock does some serious damage to this creature.
Evolved from Larvesta, Volcarona has something of a majestic look to it, clearly inspired by Mothra, and just the bug/fire-typing is a unique and interesting combination. It also usually sports the ability flame body, so while it’s weaker to physical attacks than special, there’s a good chance you can burn opponents if they make physical contact with the beast. My Volcarona is the crown jewel of my team in Pokémon Black and White, and thanks to its enduring design and interesting type combination, I’m always eager to keep one in my team no matter the generation.
To exterminate Volcarona, consider giving our bug Pokémon weakness and fire Pokémon weakness guides a read.
Cofagrigus
Otherwise known as the coffin Pokémon, Cofagrigus clearly takes inspiration from the cursed sarcophagus of Egyptian pharaohs, and with its spooky black tendril-like arms and a dark grin emanating from the head of the coffin, it’s one of the creepiest Pokémon in the franchise. This mon is all about defense, sporting a whopping 145 physical defense and 105 special defense, which, alongside its single ghost-typing, means it has immunity to normal and fighting attacks.
Essentially, this is a really effective wall Pokémon, able to use status effects and other annoying moves like curse to needle away at opponents slowly, instead of an offensive approach. There is a creepy component to this creature, as it’s said that Cofagrigus swallows those who get too close, turning them into a mummy – certainly not what you want to stumble across if you’re a grave robber.
It has to be said, just being a ghost-type does leave it open to attacks from other ghost Pokémon and dark Pokémon, and if gen five does anything, it introduces a lot of fantastic new dark Pokémon, which brings us nicely onto…
Zoroark
While gen four introduced a bipedal pseudo-legendary in Lucario, who is so popular they appear in the flagship Pokémon movies, gen five introduced the illusion fox known as Zoroark, who has a very unique ability. Zoroark is the only Pokémon with the ability illusion, which means that when it enters battle, your Zoroark takes on the appearance of a different Pokémon from your team, confusing your opponent and possibly causing them to waste an ineffective move on the dark-type.
It backs this up with a respectable 120 special attack stat and a decent speed of 105, but while its ability seems designed to let Zoroark take a couple of punches, its awful physical and special defense stats of a measly 60 mean that Zoroark isn’t standing there for long. If you want to see the definition of a glass cannon, this is probably it. Still, the single dark-type gives it immunity to psychic moves, if nothing else. Meanwhile, the incredible Hisuian Zoroark not only sports a ghostly figure and flowing white fur, but its normal/ghost-typing gives it immunity to normal, fighting, and ghost-type moves. Look out for this one in the future!
Luckily for you, our normal Pokémon weakness and ghost Pokémon weakness guides explain how to beat Zoroark.
Joltik
We have but one word that explains why Joltik is on this list: adorable. Joltik isn’t setting the world on fire (or doing anything electrifying, as the case may be) but is a sweet little lad who deserves love. Admittedly, most spider Pokémon are anything but cute, but this tiny arachnid is just a baby – look at those little blue-tipped legs. Its eyes and yellow fur are precious, too.
A fun tidbit about Joltik is that at just 0.1m, this Pokémon is one of the smallest in the game, which should tell you not to expect much from it in battle, and the same is true for its evolution, Galvantula. Regardless, a Pokémon doesn’t have to be amazing in battle to be loved, so we will continue to declare our love for Joltik.
Though Joltik isn’t likely to cause you any trouble, you should still know what the electric Pokémon weakness is just in case you stumble across Luxray, Jolteon, or Raichu.
Haxorus
Yep, we have another dragon Pokémon on this list, and while Haxorus isn’t a pseudo-legendary like Hydreigon, it still takes a lot of work to get, thanks to the level you need (48) to evolve Fraxure. As far as designs go, this is one ferocious-looking dragon who stands out from much of the gen five crowd. One look at Haxorus and it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that it has a high base attack stat, and it moves at a pretty high speed, too.
What is interesting about Haxorus is that although it looks incredibly intimidating, Haxours is actually a very kind Pokémon, though that doesn’t mean it’s not terrifying when angry. Hazorus does go on the defensive should someone invade its territory, and will make use of its glorious tusks – yes, those stunning tusks are its pride and joy, so maybe avoid touching them when giving your usually docile pal attention.
Beartic
I’m just going to say it, I’m a sucker for bear Pokémon, and considering how much I love polar bears, it feels like Beartic was always destined to hold a special place in my heart. Luckily for me, Beartic also happens to be quite a fierce Pokémon, boasting a 110 attack stat in gen five and six, which then reaches 130 from gen seven onwards.
It’s health and defense stats aren’t too shabby either, though it does suffer in the speed department, but what do you expect from a hulking mass of a fur like Beartic?
Going back to Beartic’s ferocious nature, it’s quite intimidating to know that when it captures its prey, it sometimes breathes cold air into them, freezing and preserving them for later. Maybe go after a Cubchoo and evolve it. There’ll be a friendship there, and maybe Beartic will be less inclined to make you its dinner.
Bisharp
As a dark and steel Pokémon, Bisharp is quite a ferocious creature, boasting many resistances that can make it a pain to deal with in battle. Plus, there’s no denying how badass its design looks. You can tell this Pokémon has a temper and is ready to dish out some serious offense – it’s even wearing a war helmet.
Stats-wise, Bisharp boasts a 125 attack stat and 100 defense making it tough to handle. Be careful if you bump into one in the wild. They’re known to be in charge of a group of Pawniards, sending them after their enemies before they charge in to deliver the final blow.
Trubbish
We’re not sure how a Pokémon based on garbage is cute, but Trubbish somehow pulls it off quite well. This little poison-type just exists, going about its business; it might be the eyes and teeth that make it so endearing.
Unsurprisingly, it does little in the way of damage and is pretty vulnerable defensively, but hey, maybe your opponent will take pity on Trubbish and give it a free pass.
Mienshao
Admittedly, Mienshao isn’t the first gen 5 Pokémon you think of, but it deserves a spot on this list for being quite a hard hitter; the saying float like a Butterfree and sting like a Beedrill comes to mind when thinking about its 125 attack and 105 speed stats. However, this does come at the detriment of its HP and defense stats, but we can’t say no to some heavy offense. The best defense is offense, right?
We also can’t help but be fond of Mienshao’s design, which gives sensei/mixed martial arts master vibes, with a long mustache, majestic fighting pose, and long fur on its arms resembling a robe. It’s certainly quite the glow-up from its first stage, Mienfoo, who looks cool but clearly has yet to master the craft of fighting.
How many gen 5 Pokémon are there?
There are 156 new Pokémon in the Unova Pokédex, so there’s a lot of competition to beat in order to make it onto our list of the best gen 5 Pokémon.
When were the gen 5 Pokémon games released?
The first gen 5 Pokémon games, Black and White, were released in Japan in September 2010, coming to a Western audience in 2011. The sequels, Black 2 and White 2, were released the following year in 2012.
Alright, trainers, that’s it from us today, and we hope you found some great gen 5 Pokémon to fill out your team. Head on over to our Pokémon Go Eevee evolution, Pokémon Go raids, Pokémon Go community days, and Pokémon Go events guides too!