When one thinks of Psychic-type Pokémon, some obvious examples come to mind: Mewtwo, Alakazam, Metagross, and more. But, there are some that probably come to mind first for very few people, typically because it’s easy to forget they’re even Psychic-type at all.
Every type is attached to some Pokémon that don’t seem like fitting candidates, or to Pokémon that people forget have that type at all, and Psychic is no different. There are definitely some Pokémon that many forget are Psychic-type. Here are some of the best examples of that.
10 Gothitelle
The gothic and emo darling of Generation V, Gothitelle and its pre-evolutions, Gothorita and Gothita, are often positioned as counterparts to the Solosis-Duosion-Reuniclus line. Each of these families is typically exclusive to opposite games, and they share a lot of commonalities in their evolutions levels and stats.
With both lines, it’s easy to forget that they’re Psychic-types. But, it’s arguably easier to forget with the Gothitelle family — they really seem like they’d be Dark-types due to their designs, but they aren’t.
9 Lunatone and Solrock
Another set of Pokémon that serve as a pair are Solrock and Lunatone, sun- and moon-shaped Pokémon from Generation III. These two are obviously Rock-types given their appearances and design inspirations, as well as the fact that in-game they are said to be pieces of rock that fell to earth from space.
As with most alien Pokémon, these two have been given the Psychic-type. It’s easy to forget they’re dual-types, as they mostly just seem like rocks, fitting for being just Rock-types.
8 Oricorio
One Pokémon introduced with a cool set of form changes in recent years is Oricorio, the resident dancing bird of the Alola region whose form changes based on the island it is associated with. Inspired by birds native to Hawaii, these Pokémon have four different types to match the appearances of their dance styles.
Since the Electric-type Pom-Pom Oricorio and Ghost-type Sensu style feature in the competitive scene and the Fire-type Baile Oricorio features on Elite Four member Kahili’s team, it’s easy to forget that one of them, the Pa’u Style, is Psychic-type, since it’s not often seen or used.
7 Chingling
An oft-forgotten Pokémon, in general, is Chingling, the Baby Pokémon pre-evolution of another forgotten Pokémon, Chimecho, introduced a generation earlier in the Hoenn region. Chimecho’s only real claim to fame is fan speculation that it was originally planned to be a Legendary or Mythical Pokémon.
It’s no surprise, then, that Chingling and Chimecho are both pretty forgotten by fans. But, if one were to simply see them at face value, they might assume they’re Steel-types, given their design inspiration of bells and chimes, as well as their appearance. However, they’re pure Psychic-types.
6 Victini
Moving on to actual Mythical Pokémon brings this list to Victini, one of the resident Mythical Pokémon of the Unova region. Like many small, cute, sprite like Mythicals before it (Mew, Celebi, Jirachi), Victini is a Psychic-type Pokémon. It’s unclear why this typing is given to so many of these Pokémon, but alas, it is.
However, Victini doesn’t seem as connected to the Psychic-type as its fellow Mythicals. It is much more clearly a Fire-type Pokémon. But, it is a dual Psychic/Fire-type — a combination that remains relatively rare.
5 Unown
A Pokémon that was introduced under the guise of a strange mystery remains exactly that — mysterious and unexplained. This Pokémon is Unown, which originally came in 26 forms representing the letters of the Latin alphabet, before two more were added in Generation III, a question mark and an exclamation mark.
These Pokémon are weird, intentionally. They’re seemingly connected to Legendaries, without it being clear if they themselves are Legendaries. Like most strange Pokémon with mystical powers, Unown are Psychic-type, which can easily be forgotten.
4 Alolan Raichu
There were several Generation I Pokémon given new regional variants in Alola, with some of them being much more memorable than others. Ninetales’ conversion from a Fire-type to an Ice/Fairy-type is one of the more notable changes, as well as Marowak changing from Ground-type to Fire/Ghost.
Another change that occurred but wasn’t as obvious was Raichu going from pure Electric to Electric/Psychic. Nothing about its appearance suggests it’s a Psychic-type, with its surfer-design lending more credence to it being Water/Electric. But, it’s a Psychic-type.
3 Starmie
There is a trio of Pokémon from Generation I that have decades of confusion over which of them is Psychic-type following them to this day. This trio is Venomoth, Starmie, and Golduck (sometimes Psyduck). All three could easily be Psychic-types, but only Starmie is.
The confusion over these three can sometimes lead some to forget that Starmie is a Psychic-type, especially given the fact that it doesn’t look like it’s a Psychic-type at all. However, it is rumored to have a connection to space, and in Pokémon logic, space = Psychic.
2 Bruxish
While Golduck might not be a Water/Psychic-type, despite everything pointing to it being Psychic-type, there is a Pokémon that does have this combination typing that is easy to forget about entirely: Bruxish.
This ugly fish from the Alola region is seemingly forgotten, not featuring in any promotional material for the series and not included in Sword & Shield. As a result, it’s easy to forget about as a player, and its typing is even more forgettable, especially since nothing about its appearance lends to it being a Psychic-type.
1 Lugia
It might not be the most forgettable Psychic-type, but it is a confusing Psychic-type that is easily mixed up by players. Everything about Lugia points to it being a Water/Flying-type.
First, it’s called “The Diving Pokémon” and “the guardian of the seas.” It is found in the sea at the Whirl Islands in Johto, a region it serves as the mascot for opposite the Fire/Flying-type Ho-oh, who is connected with the story of a massive fire. Lugia also has a famous role in the movie The Power of One, where it is closely connected with the sea and famously seen swimming through the water in multiple scenes.
Because of all of this and more, Lugia is obviously a Water-type. But, amazingly, no. It’s a Psychic/Flying-type.
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