Gen IV with the Diamond & Pearl games and anime series added a whole new dimension to the overall franchise, not to mention depth to the entire roster, with further evolution stages being added to original Pokémon and new Pokémon being introduced that would become fan favorites and mainstays within competitive Pokémon.
With the upcoming remakes for Diamond & Pearl, it is certainly worth taking a look at the Pokémon that added firepower to teams and challenges to opponents, both within the anime and the games.
10 Budew & Roserade Make Roselia Part Of A Credible Evolution Line Rather Than A Standalone
In Gen III, Roselia almost gets lost in the pack of new additions, as it doesn't have a lot of depth or usability, but adding both pre-evolution and final-evolution forms to it with Budew and Roserade in Gen IV makes it feel complete.
Roserade has 500+ base stats with a focus put especially on its special attack, special defense, and speed. It doesn't have a particularly varied move-set, but it does excel in Grass and Poison-type moves, with its Fire-type Weather Ball always packing a punch and offering a counter to its Ice-weakness.
9 Empoleon Introduces A Steel-Type To The Starter-Lines
Not only does the dual Steel-Water typed warrior penguin look battle-ready, but it actually really is. With 530 total base stats and 100+ special attack and special defense, Empoleon is the first starter line to introduce the Steel-type.
Empoleon isn't overly used in the anime, apart from with both Kenny and Barry. Although Infernape is featured heavily, if Empoleon was used by more trainers, its impressive move coverage would be shown off in its full glory, with Flying-type moves being added to its arsenal.
8 Spiritomb Had No Weaknesses Initially
Spiritomb is a unique Pokémon in the sense that when it was introduced in Gen IV, it had no weaknesses, due to it being both Dark and Ghost-type, rendering Normal, Fighting, and Psychic-type moves completely ineffective against it.
The later introduction of the Fairy-type changed this, but regardless, having one weakness in addition to almost 500 base stat points with a heavy focus on defense and special defense, makes Spiritomb a difficult Pokémon to defeat quickly. In Pokémon Platinum, the champion Cynthia is known to start off with one, which can frustrate players before getting to her unstoppable Garchomp.
7 Togekiss Adds A Usable Pokémon To The Togepi-Line
As adorable as Togepi and Togetic are, they have never been considered to be valuable members of a team when it comes to battling and dealing with tough opponents. The third evolution form of Togekiss changes this entirely.
With total base stats at 545 with an even spread of stats across the board and a potential move-set, including many Psychic and Fire-type moves as well as Fairy and Flying, it makes it very offensively versatile. Togekiss isn't really given a great showing in the anime other than when Dawn gets given one by Princess Salvia, but it is often used in competitive Pokémon battling.
6 Tobias' Darkrai Gave Ash No Chance
Darkrai is a Dark-type Mythical Pokémon that appears in The Rise Of Darkrai, and the anime on a few occasions. In the Hoenn Pokémon League, Ash was defeated by a trainer named Tobias, who only needed to use his Darkrai and Latios, with the Darkrai wiping out half of the team before falling to Ash's Sceptile.
Darkrai has a terrifying 600 total base stats with a scary 135 special attack and 125 speed, making it one of the toughest Pokémon to battle in the entire franchise.
5 Electivire Brings Electrifying Power & Destruction
Electivire is an Electric-type that hits hard with substantial physical attack, relatively high special attack, and speed. With a base stat total of 540, adding an evolution form to the already powerful Electabuzz, provides the franchise with a formidable Electric-type, useful in any team, provided they avoid Ground-type moves.
Electivire's strong and frequent use in the anime with the likes of Volkner, Gary and Paul, shows exactly how powerful and sought-after this Pokémon is. Comparisons may be made to Magmar's evolved form Magmortar, also introduced in Gen IV, but Electivire is preferred by most.
4 Infernape Is Yet Another Exemplary Fire-Type Starter
With the exception of perhaps two generations, the Fire-types are generally universally beloved and well-received, and the Fire starter for Sinnoh Chimchar along with its entire evolution line certainly are too. Infernape especially caught everyone's attention when it went into full-anime-berserk mode, unleashing its fiery rage.
Its stats are no joke either, with total base stats of 534 and attack, special attack and speed all over 100, perfectly complementing its dual Fire-Fighting typing. In the anime, both Ash and Flint's Infernape give performances that showcase the Fire-type monkey's brutal strength and why it is one of the best additions that the Sinnoh region brought to the franchise.
3 Garchomp Can Sweep Teams By Itself
The addition of the Gible-line with Gabite and Garchomp, adds immense depth to the entire roster of Dragon-type Pokémon. The Champion of Sinnoh, Cynthia, is universally known to be one of the toughest fights of the entire franchise, mainly because of her Garchomp.
As a dual Dragon-Ground type, Garchomp can not only learn all the strong Dragon and Ground-type moves but it can learn a variety of other strong offensive moves across several types. With only three type resistances and three weaknesses, a battle with Garchomp will more often than not come down to normal-damaged moves, which is where Garchomp's powerful move-set can be particularly deadly.
2 Lucario Is A Certified Fan-Favorite
As a dual Steel-Fighting type, Lucario only has three weaknesses to Fighting, Ground, and Fire, with resistance to an impressive eight types. Its exceptional 500+ total base stats with high attack and special attack stats make it a formidable opponent for any trainer to face. Lucario's aggressive attacking move-set and the option of Mega-Evolution only add to this.
In the anime, Lucario is the ace of many teams, most notably with Cameron and Korrina, before Ash finally obtains one himself during Pokémon Journeys.
1 Arceus Is The All-Powerful Supreme Being
Arceus is known as the creator of the Pokémon world and the most powerful among all of them. Its total base stats of 720, with 120 to every stat spelling certain doom for anyone facing it. Its power and intrigue help it stand above and beyond any other Mythical and Legendary Pokémon in Gen IV.
With Pokémon fans all over eagerly anticipating Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the almighty Pokémon is once again coming under scrutiny, with everyone looking forward to seeing how exactly the story revolves around Arceus.