The word "normal" itself means something that's ordinary and expected, implying nothing too special. The world of Pokémon has lots of vibrant and exciting types and species of Pokémon, but this means that the Normal-type Pokémon often get overlooked.
Often associated with weaker Pokémon found towards the beginning of the games, there are actually some pretty strong Normal-type Pokémon, and many of them showcase their strength in the anime. Normal types actually have very few weaknesses, with Fighting-type moves being super-effective and Ghost-types immune, and they can learn some varied moves, making Normal-types less boring and ordinary than they seem.
10 Noctowl Learning Psychic-Type Moves Can Be A Game Changer
Throughout all of his adventures, Ash has nearly always tried to get a Flying-type Pokémon specific to the region he's in at the time. In Johto, that Flying-type was Noctowl, and a Shiny version at that. Noctowl produced a vitally impressive performance for Ash versus Ecruteak Gym Leader Morty, when it learned Confusion and managed to defeat Morty's Haunter and Gengar.
Ash called upon Noctowl once more to help him against Conway in their Lily of the Valley Conference matchup, where it was able to defeat the bizarre Lickilicky before falling to Conway's Dusknoir. This was due to its use of the unknown-at-the-time move, Trick Room, which allowed the normally-slow Dusknoir to attack first and knock out the Owl Pokémon.
9 Ambipom Is Happy To Compete At Any Level, Battling Or Competing
Ash caught Aipom back during the Battle Frontier arc after the Hoenn adventures and took it to Sinnoh. There, Aipom helped Ash defeat Gardenia at the Eterna Gym but gradually began to reveal its preference for Pokémon contests, so Ash and Dawn traded Aipom for Buizel.
Now belonging to Dawn, Aipom quickly evolved into Ambipom and would help Dawn win the Celestic Ribbon. It eventually moved on to Ping Pong, excelling in a tournament before being scouted by fellow competitor, O, who would eventually take it off Dawn's hands to help it become a Ping Pong superstar.
8 Slaking's Laziness Can Sometimes Overshadow Its Immense Power
The hulking Lazy Pokémon, Slaking, is Generation III's version of Snorlax, known for its lazy nature and its love of sleeping and eating. However, its strength was showcased in the anime under the ownership of Petalburg Gym Leader Norman in Hoenn and by Sawyer at the Lumiose Conference in Kalos.
Norman's Slaking is formidable and dangerous in the games but in the anime, it doesn't knock out any of Ash's Pokémon, despite showing promise. On the other hand, Sawyer's Slaking is able to defeat one of Ash's Pokémon, Hawlucha, before falling to his Talonflame.
7 Tauros Brought Incredible Physical Power To The Table And Should Have Been Used More
The Wild Bull Pokémon, Tauros, has had a decent showing in the anime. Tauros is known most of all for belonging to Ash Ketchum, with Ash in fact catching 30, due to a herd consistently blocking his intended targets, but he also faced one on his Orange Islands travels, even losing his Squirtle to one.
Ash called upon the help of Tauros on a number of occasions, most notably in the Orange League, when it helped to not only defeat Drake's Venusaur but also helped to tire out his prized Dragonite. Tauros mostly made use of powerful physical moves like Take Down and Horn Attack, while also using a powerful Ground-type move, Fissure.
6 Swellow's Speed And Agility Make It One Of The Best Normal And Flying Types
Swellow is one of the stars of Ash's team during his Hoenn adventures, earning him several crucial victories and shining in the process. Ash's Swellow was able to defeat Winona's Swellow and teamed up with Pikachu to deploy an unusual Thunder Armor strategy to get past Tate & Liza.
Swellow helped Ash progress in the Hoenn Pokémon League, scoring two knockouts against Katie, forcing a double-knockout tie against Morrison, and defeating two of Tyson's Pokémon, even though this wasn't enough for Ash to ultimately defeat Tyson. Swellow's speed and aerial prowess made it one of Ash's most useful Pokémon during his Hoenn campaign.
5 It Took A Gradual Strategy To Eventually Defeat Whitney's Miltank
Whitney is known to be among the toughest Gym battles in all of the Pokémon games due to her Miltank, and they're also a formidable duo in the anime. When Ash and Whitney meet for the first time, Ash eases past Whitney's Nidorina and Clefairy with just Cyndaquil, but Miltank is a complete game changer, wiping out all of Ash's Pokémon, including Totodile and Pikachu.
It takes incredible thought and meticulous planning to counter Miltank's Rollout in the rematch, with Cyndaquil tiring out Miltank, Totodile creating trenches with Water Gun, and Pikachu being able to use the trenches to get under Miltank and deal a finishing blow. Regardless of its defeat, Miltank's Rollout technically knocked out five of Ash's six Pokémon used over two matches, which is no small feat.
4 Silvally's Ability To Become Any Type Makes It Incredibly Powerful
Silvally is a truly unique Pokémon, introduced during the Sun & Moon anime series. It was initially created by Faba to fend off Ultra Beasts, with it saving Lillie when she was attacked by one as a child. Gladion ended up stealing it from Faba as he was opposed to Faba's experiments and mistreatment of the Synthetic Pokémon.
Silvally ends up becoming one of Gladion's strongest main fighters, providing several intense and exciting match-ups against Ash and a number of other trainers. Silvally is primarily a Normal-type, but it can become whatever its trainer wants it to be when given a memory of a specific type. This makes it an all-purpose Pokémon, potentially useful against any opponent regardless of type.
3 Bewear's Switch From Caring Host To Terrifying Bodyguard Is Somewhat Alarming
Although never really seen in an official battling capacity, the Sun & Moon series features a wild Bewear that takes a particular interest in the lovable Team Rocket trio of Jessie, James, and Meowth. Bewear takes care of them and also provides the anime with some creative new Team Rocket blast offs.
Bewear showcases incredible strength on a number of occasions, surprising everyone in the process. Its showdown with Pheromosa is awe-inspiring as the dual-type Normal/Fighting Pokémon ferociously batters the Ultra Beast. Bewear is somewhat overbearing, but its loyalty and commitment to keeping Stufful and Team Rocket safe is admirable.
2 Ash's Snorlax Defied The Odds — And Gravity, On Occasion
Not caught until the Orange Islands adventures after the initial Kanto journeys, Ash's Snorlax ends up becoming one of his most trusted Pokémon over the course of the entire series. Ash would go on to call upon the Sleeping Pokémon multiple times throughout Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh to help with various battles and competitions.
Snorlax is known for its ability to Rest mid-battle and regain health, but Ash's Snorlax's trump card ended up being the move Hyper Beam, with it helping to defeat Harrison's Steelix and Hypno in their Johto Pokémon League match before eventually falling to Houndoom. Snorlax also used Hyper Beam to defy gravity during Ash's Battle Frontier battle against Greta's Medicham, propelling it up and giving it momentum for a powerful Body Slam.
1 Arceus Is An All-Powerful Not Very Normal Normal-Type
Similarly to Silvally, Arceus can change its typing if it holding a certain item, in this case a Plate. In Arceus and the Jewel of Life, the power of Arceus is on full display and is indisputably overwhelming. Arceus is seen in a destructive battle with Giratina, Palkia, and Dialga, the other Generation IV Legendary Pokémon.
Arceus is considered by many in the Pokémon universe to be the creator of everything, from the region of Sinnoh to the entire world, including all of its inhabitants. This isn't necessarily believed by everyone in the anime, but such speculation alone adds a certain level of gravitas to the powerful Normal-type Pokémon.