In the Pokemon franchise, it’s hard to miss the tool known as the Pokedex, the little gadget that records various details about encountered Pokemon. This handy information usually boils down to their species, typing, height, weight and some flavor text describing that species’ behaviors and habits. Some of these entries are just adorable.
Every Pokemon has an established overall size, big or small. Fans often don’t consider the real-life inspirations for all of these different critters, though. Of course, Pokemon don’t have to be the same size as the real animals that helped inspire them (many Bug-type Pokemon, for instance, would be scarcely visible if they were), but there are still some that appear a lot larger than they ‘should’ be. Without the aid of Dynamax, Gigantamax or anything else, of course, that would be too easy!
10 Pidgeot: Never Underestimate This Evolution Line
Pidgeot is one of the most recognizable Flying-type Pokemon to date. It’s a popular pick for Trainers starting out in the Kanto region. It also makes appearances in the iconic teams of Trainers like Falkner (the first Johto Gym Leader) and Blue (the former champion and Gym Leader of Kanto).
Pidgeot stands nearly 5 feet tall, which means this bird is big enough to stand next to most young teenagers at eye level. When you consider how tiny real-life pigeons are, this gives a sense of just how terrifying it would be to run into these in these iconic birds in the wild.
9 Inteleon: An Imposing Pure Water-Type
Inteleon is the Water-type starter Pokemon of Galar (a region with its good and bad points like any other), beginning life as a tiny, fearful lizard.
Chameleons can be smaller than an inch in size or roughly two feet long, making them some of the smallest reptiles on the planet. In an ironic twist, Inteleon may very well be one of the tallest reptiles in the Pokemon series, standing at a proud 6'3". This actually makes Inteleon over a foot taller than the formidable and physically imposing Krookodile!
8 Horsea: It’s No Seahorse
Horsea is the first stage of three in an evolutionary line that takes clear inspiration from seahorses. In the real world, these creatures are absolutely tiny, with some species being just an inch (or even less) tall.
Horsea is 1'4" in size. While that may not seem very large, this is just the earliest stage. Each time it evolves it grows a minimum of two more feet. Its final evolution, the underrated Kingdra, reaches a size that rivals that of a dolphin (5'11")!
7 Exeggcute: One Alone Would Be Very Big
Exeggcute is a bit of an odd case, as it’s not entirely clear whether it’s based on a cluster of eggs or seeds. Whatever the case may be, though, they’re far larger than fans may think.
Each Exeggcute is, like Horsea, as tall as 1'4" (the same height as fellow Psychic-type Mew, interestingly) with a width to accommodate it. While this is still small as far as Pokemon dimensions go, it’s another critter that would be an awe-inspiring sight in the real world.
6 Greninja: A Lean, Mean Water Shuriken Machine
Greninja is another fan-favorite when it comes to Pokemon. It’s a very popular starter pick for Trainers beginning their journeys in Pokemon X and Y, even if Froakie seemed rather weak at first. Its design is heavily inspired by frogs, of course, but it stands at a majestic height no frog could achieve.
Greninja is actually almost five feet tall (4'11"). It’s a formidable warrior (assuming it’s been given the right moveset by its Trainer), boasting strength, agility and a terrifying Ash-Greninja form that should never be underestimated.
5 Corviknight: The Taxi ‘Drivers’ Of Galar
Corviknight, just like Pidgeot, is the final stage of the first major Flying-type players will encounter on their journeys (in their respective regions). In that same vein, both Pokemon are truly massive compared to their real-world counterparts. This is especially true with Corviknight.
Ravens, the inspiration for its design, can achieve a size of around two feet long. Corviknight itself is a monstrous 7'3". It’s no wonder these gigantic, imposing Flying Pokemon (with Steel as a second typing) are used to ferry Flying Taxis in Pokemon Sword and Shield.
4 Crobat: The Confounding Cave-Dweller
Crobat is much less common than its infamous starting stage Zubat, but both boast designs perfectly fitting of a Flying/Poison Pokemon (a unique typing). Fiction and the media often depicts bats as being very small, which is true for the vampire bats used as inspiration for the Zubat evolutionary line (they don’t tend to achieve much more than a length of one foot).
Crobat might make you look differently at these creatures, though. Reaching a huge size of 5'11", the sight of one of these monsters perched atop a cave ceiling would be enough to send anyone running.
3 Voltorb: That’s No Poke Ball!
Voltorb’s design is a common source of criticism. It’s quite clearly inspired by a simple Poke Ball. There are many different types of Poke Ball in the series (some much better than others), but they all have rather consistent sizes.
They’re usually either small enough to be concealed in a Trainer’s hand or just big enough to perfectly fit in a palm. This Electric-type orb, meanwhile, is actually a shocking (pun intended) 1'8" in size! With its tendency to explode, Trainers definitely have to make sure not to mistake one for a tremendously oversized Poke Ball.
2 Wishiwashi: Its Schooling Form Is Gigantic
Wishiwashi is one of many fish-inspired Water-type Pokemon. Its Schooling Ability is incredibly powerful (though not as much so as some overpowered Abilities in the series), setting it apart from the bunch. It’s essentially two Pokemon in one, as its two forms are so very different.
A standard Wishiwashi, the Small Fry Pokemon, is 8 inches in size. In its Schooling form, however, it amasses fellow Wishiwashi and becomes a mighty aquatic creature almost 27 feet long (26'11")! Don’t forget that it has an even bigger Totem form in Alola, as seen in Generation VII and in anime episode “Big Sky, Small Fry.” Its size isn’t all that drastically increases, either. Its raw power in its Schooling form can stand up to some of the strongest Pokemon out there, though its lacking Speed makes it tough to use without employing Trick Room or similar strategies (and taking too much damage will revert it back to its original form).
1 Empoleon: One Powerful Penguin
Empoleon is a regal penguin Pokemon from the Sinnoh region (soon to be revisited thanks to the Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl remakes), sporting an equally majestic type combination of Water/Steel. It clearly takes its inspiration from the emperor penguin, a very large species of penguin that reach up to 3'3".
Empoleon, however, would tower above all real-life penguin species at 5'7". It’s no wonder that its Pokedex classification is the Emperor Pokemon. Another noble, powerful Pokemon that is often underrated.
NEXT: 10 Pokémon Way Shorter Than They Look
