Some Pokemon have very surprising stats, especially those that look a certain way but whose stats tell a different story. Some Pokemon look weak but have very high attack stats, while others look fast but are extremely slow.
Within that, there are, of course, Pokemon that have surprisingly-high speed stats. Some Pokemon look like they’d be fast, like Talonflame and Weavile, and they have speed stats to match. But, in the same speed range as the fastest Pokemon are some that really don’t seem like they belong there. Here are some of those seeming anomalies that will whizz past you before you even realize they have a high speed stat in the first place.
10 Miltank
Anyone who has ever been chased by a real cow knows that they can hustle pretty quickly when they need to, able to move at speeds around 40 km/h (20 mph). They don’t have great turning abilities, but in a straight line, they can really motor.
Anyone else, though, might be surprised to find that cows are kind of fast when they need to be. This is also the case for the cow Pokemon, Miltank, who has a strangely-high base speed stat of 100. This catches many players by surprise, given its rotund design and seeming heft.
9 Cryogonal
Introduced in Generation V, Cryogonal is a pure Ice-type that is, quite literally, a giant snowflake. It almost appears as though it could be a Steel/Ice-dual type, given its metallic and geometric design. Cryogonal doesn’t look like it would be incredibly fast, especially since Ice-types typically aren’t.
At 148 kg (326.3 lbs), it also isn’t the lightest Pokemon around. However, like Miltank, this Pokemon is apparently capable of making that heft move at quite a pace, with a base speed stat of 105.
8 Persian
It’s no secret that big cats can move fast, with cheetahs famously being the fast land animal in existence. Lots of big cat Pokemon can also move pretty fast, and Persian is no exception, moving at a nice base speed stat of 115.
It’s a bit surprising, though, given that Persian is meant to be a lazy, pampered luxury housecat without much reason to move quickly for hunting or the like. It ties for base speed with Mega Rayquaza and Raikou.
7 Kadabra
Kadabra doesn’t necessarily look like a super slow Pokemon, but nothing about its design speaks to it being fast, either. If one were asked to guess blindly at Kadabra’s speed stat, they would probably assume it’s somewhere in the average range.
However, Kadabra clocks in at a nice base speed of 105. Alakazam is also fast, but it’s a fully-evolved powerful Pokemon, and it also lacks that big, hefty body that Kadabra has.
6 Regigigas
Regigigas was introduced in Generation IV after Gen III brought us the first of the Legendary Golems, Regice, Registeel, and Regirock. All four of these Pokemon were big, bulky titans made of heavy natural materials that were styled around insanely-high defensive characteristics.
It’s already strange, then, that Regigigas is so fast, with a base speed stat of 100. But, it’s made kind of hilarious by Regigigas’ infamous signature ability, Slow Start, which cuts its attack and speed in half for the first five turns of battle. Is it fast, or is it slow? Seems unanswerable.
5 Eiscue
Sometimes Pokemon in the top echelons of a particular stat seem to be chosen completely at random. Such is the case for Eiscue, which, when it doesn’t have its big blocky head and is in its NoIce Face Form, is tied for the 15th-highest base speed stat (130) alongside Jolteon, Mega Aerodactyl, and Mewtwo.
In its Ice Face Form, Eiscue’s base speed stat is a meager 50. Apparently, that block of ice is the only thing holding it back from being a speed demon.
4 Dugtrio
Dugtrio is a strange enigma of a Pokemon, held up for decades as one of the most meme-able creatures in the series, partly thanks to the mystery of what its underground body looks like, but also for the fact that it learns moves that don’t make sense like Scratch and Sucker Punch.
Another aspect of Dugtrio’s strangeness, though, is its speed stat. It’s unclear how this weird Pokemon manages to book it at a base speed stat of 120, but it just makes it all the weirder as a species.
3 Whimsicott
Whimsicott, which is designed to look like a large cotton puff, loves to float along on the wind currents and go where the wind takes it. It’s unclear why it bothers, though, since it seems like it could easily outpace the wind with ease, at a base speed stat of 116.
It’s not obvious why Whimsicott is one of the fastest Pokemon around, especially given its tiny little legs and very non-aerodynamic cotton puff hair. But, here we are.
2 Purugly
There are a few Pokemon that serve as commonly-cited examples of disproving of what people assume their stats should be. Purugly is one of those Pokemon. Many believe it to be a slow, defensive Pokemon, given its appearance and apparent bulk.
However, it’s quite the opposite. Purugly has a disappointing defense stat but a whopping 112 base speed, tying it with Mega Lucario. The Pokédex explains this trick, though, stating that it uses its tails to cinch its own waste and make it look larger and bulkier.
1 Electrode
It has always been a bit of a head-scratcher as to why Electrode is one of the fastest Pokemon in the series. Introduced in Generation I as the fast Pokemon, Electrode would hold this title until Generation III introduced Deoxys and Ninjask.
To this day, Electrode is still tied for fifth place with a base speed stat of 150, alongside other ultra-fast speed racers like Mega Alakazam and Shadow Rider Calyrex, sitting only one point behind Pheromosa. Until the recent introduction of the new reigning speed champ, Regieleki, Electrode sat in fourth place.
Nothing about its appearance or design explains its almost-unmatched speed, but Electrode has held onto its top-ten spot for decades and it might continue to in the future.
NEXT: 10 Pokemon You Forgot Were Psychic-Type
