Pokemon is coming off of the release of Pokemon Sword & Shield’s second DLC expansion, The Crown Tundra. It added a ton of older Pokemon to the National Pokedex for the Galar region, and even managed to sneak in a few new horse-inspired Pokemon as well.
When looking at the roster of almost 1,000 creatures the franchise has become home to over the last two decades, you forget how big or small certain Pokemon are in relation to humans and to one another. Let’s take a look at a few Pokemon that are way shorter than most people assume.
Updated April 28, 2022 by Jerrad Wyche: With the recent release of both the fourth generation remakes of Pokemon Diamond & Pearl and Pokemon: Legends Arceus, fans are getting to interact with their favorite Pokemon in new and exciting ways. Throw in the announcement of Pokemon Scarlet & Violet, and there are plenty of things to look forward to. The starters for the ninth generation games were revealed, but it’s still unclear what their final forms will look like, and if their proportions will physically match the larger-than-life personalities they’ll likely carry.
14 Nidoqueen And Nidoking
The beautiful sprites of Nidoqueen and Nidoking would lead you to believe that they are both massive, fierce creatures. The truth of the matter is that these Poison/Ground dual-types are much smaller than you’d expect.
They each stand at around four feet tall, with Nidoking coming in generally a few inches taller than its blue counterpart. The two are prime examples of how presence and ferocity go a long way in being more physically imposing than they would otherwise seem.
13 Flabebe
Flabebe is a perfect example of a Pokemon everyone can look at and infer that they are tiny, but it’s never really clear just how small the Single Bloom Pokemon is. It tends to hold onto a flower for support, in hopes of protecting it from drifting away.
Not only does it weigh one-fifth of a pound, but it stands at just four inches tall. This makes Flabebe one of the smallest Pokemon in existence. Considering that this size is an average, that means there are other Flabebe that are much shorter and lighter.
12 Bronzong
Typing in the world of Pokemon does a lot of heavy lifting when it comes to people assuming things about certain creatures. Steel-type Pokemon, for instance, are thought of as rugged and tough, and likely massive in size due to metal being a substantial resource.
Bronzong, the Bronze Bell Pokemon, was first introduced in the fourth generation of games where it landed as an intriguing Steel/Psychic dual-type. Since it is based on a bell, people assume it is large, but it actually stands at just above four feet tall. Its real strength is in its density, as this creature weighs in at a staggering 400 lbs.
11 Gastrodon
Gastrodon is a Pokemon based on sea slugs, and is back in the minds of Pokemon fans following the release of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. It may be based on a slug, but its appearance makes it look like a Lapras that can walk on land.
Sure, it’s likely no one assumed it would be a giant, but the fact that it’s just three feet tall is a bit of a shocker. Gastrodon and its evolutionary line feel like one that could see a third and final form that morphs it into a larger water-adjacent beast of some sort.
10 Orbeetle
Orbeetle is a Bug and Psychic-type that very much resembles a ladybug of some sort. That means that if you learned it was tiny you’d likely respond with “well, yeah, it’s a bug,” and move on in the conversation.
Orbeetle’s issue is that its Dynamax form turns it into something that makes it look like an alien spaceship. Dynamax is confusing in general, as Pokemon grow so much larger in size that you often forget what they actually look like when they’re found in the wild.
9 Roselia
Roselia barely makes its way on the list as its assumed size and actual size aren’t as egregious as the rest of the list. Roselia is a Grass and Poison-type standing at a foot tall and weighing just four pounds. This seems about right for a plant, or rather rose-based Pokemon, but it makes it far cuter and less dangerous.
Roselia is capable in battle and carries a solid special attack base stat that makes it pretty competent in battle. It’s hard to strike fear in your opponent though when your Pokemon is smaller than the world’s tiniest dog breeds.
8 Kommo-O
Reading the Pokedex entry for Kommo-O paints a picture for the Dragon and Fighting-type that makes it sound so intimidating. It is known to avoid weaker entities and will only challenge and fight what it judges to be worthy opponents. It lurks in the darkest parts of caves hoping a challenging battle stumbles upon it.
How tough can a five-foot-tall lizard that weighs 170 lbs be? It happens to be the first of several Dragon-types on this list that have a reputation and lore that don’t quite match up to their physical stature.
7 Torkoal
You’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who actively dislikes turtles. Despite their lack of speed or movement, the old reptiles have won over the hearts of humans for one reason or another. The fascinating thing about turtles and tortoises is that they run the spectrum in terms of size.
A look at the Fire-type turtle Torkoal may have you assuming it’s large, like the Galapagos turtles in real life. It happens to stand a bit over a foot tall, but thanks to its thick body and low center of gravity it weighs over 175 lbs.
6 Trevenant
When someone mentions the word ’tree’, what do you picture in your mind? You likely picture a standard oak tree of some sort, and it’s probably around 20 feet tall. If someone told you that Pokemon introduced an “Elder Tree Pokemon” that was Grass/Ghost-type, your mind would likely fall in the same place, though the tree would likely look a bit creepier.
Trevenant, unfortunately, was made to be the world’s smallest tree, as this supposed ancient tree stands at just shy of five feet tall. It makes sense considering it evolves from the souls of dead children.
5 Tyranitar
It’s no secret that people love Godzilla and other Kaiju in films, cartoons, and video games. Giant monsters are awesome, and the size of them and how they can destroy everything in their path makes them super entertaining.
Tyranitar happens to be the Pokemon Company’s homage to Japan’s beloved giant green lizard, and it looks the part. Thankfully Tyranitar wasn’t given as bad a treatment as Salamence or Charizard, but standing at just six feet tall is pretty disappointing in its own right considering the inspiration.
4 Drifblim
Hot air balloons are fascinating forms of transportation that have been loved for years and are the subject of their own international festivals and fiestas. Drifblim, a scary Ghost and Flying-type from the fourth generation of games, is the living embodiment of a hot air balloon.
With it having incredible health stats and being inspired by what it is you’d assume it’d be larger than it is. Sadly, it floats at around four feet tall and somehow weighs 30 lbs despite being mostly filled with air.
3 Salamence
If this list of Pokemon proves anything, it’s that dragons and Dragon-types get worked over more often than not. Salamence looks to be a large and powerful dragon that can destroy kingdoms and wipe out armies of soldiers, right?
Well, this blue and red menace would have a tough time destroying a single home, let alone a kingdom. It gets rather sad when you see that Salamence is just shy of five feet tall on average, and weighs around the same as an NFL running back.
2 Joltik
Now, you may be scratching your head wondering how anyone would assume Joltik is large, but that’s not the issue. Most people would look at the Electric-type spider and guess that it was likely a couple of inches tall at the very least.
It turns out that it is an itsy bitsy spider, around 0'04" tall and weighing roughly a single pound. Trainers won’t have to wait long to see it grow, as once it evolves in Galvantula it stands at well over two feet and weighs around 30 lbs on average. Don’t think about how many people have likely accidentally stepped on a Joltik.
1 Charizard
We couldn’t do a list like this without including the king of disappointment, Charizard. It happens to be one of the most popular Pokemon in the entire franchise, and a go-to fan favorite for many people. It’s an orange dragon that has Fire-type abilities, and there aren’t too many things cooler than that.
The problem is that it doesn’t have the stature you’d expect from an awesome-looking dragon. It doesn’t tower over its enemies, but rather stands shoulder-to-shoulder with them — coming in at an average of five feet tall.
NEXT: Pokemon That Prove There Needs To Be A Dinosaur-Type
