Throughout the entire Pokémon franchise, including the games and anime, there are many Pokémon that look stronger and more capable than they are in actual fact. While this can sometimes be due to them being exposed by move or type disadvantages, it can also come down to that specific Pokémon's stats.
When analyzing a Pokémon, their maximum health, attack, defense, special attack, special defense, and speed are all taken into consideration, with some obviously being better than others. As an example, extra defense with less attack would perhaps make sense for an armored Pokémon. However, stats are sometimes a detriment to Pokémon and stop their true potential for no real reason.
10 Wobbuffet's Defensive Prowess Could Be Reflected Better In Its Stats
Essentially one of Team Rocket's most familiar faces in the anime, Wobbuffet is only ever seen using defensive or counter-offensive moves. Therefore, due to its inability to use directly offensive moves, it makes sense that its attack and special attack stats are as low as 33 each. However, its supposed defensive capabilities are arguably not properly reflected in the defensive stats, with 58 for defense and special defense.
A substantial HP of 190 is not quite enough to make up for this, despite it bumping up Wobbuffet's total base stats to above 400. This therefore renders Wobbuffet pretty much useless beyond just using Counter to use an opponent's offensive prowess against itself.
9 Shedinja's Wonder Guard Ability Makes Its Stats Almost Unnecessary, Though It Needs More Offensive Power
Shedinja is an interesting and unique Pokémon in the sense that it only has 1 HP but has the ability Wonder Guard. With this ability, it can only take damage from super-effective moves. While this can create an intriguing battle dynamic, it doesn't change the fact that unless it's holding a Focus Sash, it will be defeated by one super-effective attack, even if that move is of low power.
Shedinja's most notable appearance in the anime sees it used by Colonel Hanson at Mirage Island, and it is noted how strong its defense is. Evidently, this isn't reflected with 45 defense and 30 special defense but rather the Wonder Guard gimmick. While high defensive stats aren't needed while Wonder Guard is its ability, Shedinja could do with extra attack power or speed to give it more of a chance in battle. Alternatively, it can just scrap the entire 1 HP and Wonder Guard idea altogether.
8 Vikavolt Has The Potential To Be One Of The Best Bug-Type Pokémon Out There
Making its debut in the Sun & Moon anime, Vikavolt is seen as an Electric-Bug Pokémon with blistering pace and captivating acrobatic prowess, with there even being a Vikavolt race that Sophocles enters in "A High-Speed Awakening." However, when taking a closer look at Vikavolt's base stats, it has a disappointing speed stat of 43.
If it was faster and kept its whopping 145 special attack with a slight improvement on one more stat, it would be a phenomenal Pokémon for any team within the games. As for the anime, Sophocles's Vikavolt was defeat by Kiawe's Charizard charging through it, so a defensive boost would also help it drastically.
7 Shuckle Is No More Than A Damage Sponge Without A Strategy Like Power Trick
Shuckle is well-known for its incredible defense and special defense, over 200 in both cases, but it has comically low base stats for HP, attack, special attack, and speed. However, in the Sinnoh League, Conway did have his Shuckle use Power Trick to flip the stats around and give it substantial offense instead, showing that Shuckle can be a formidable foe if used alongside a good strategy.
That being said, relying on such a method consistently makes no sense, as eventually trainers would figure this out and exploit it. Shuckle should have slightly more balanced stats, at the very least, lowering its defensive dominance and adding a small amount to its HP, attack, or speed.
6 Ferrothorn's In-Game & Anime Stats Should Align More Consistently
Ferrothorn only has 20 speed, but in the anime, this doesn't seem to be the case whatsoever. Its attacks are dodged by Ash's Pignite against Cameron in the Vertress Conference and by Ash's Pikachu and Riolu versus Rose in Pokémon Journeys, but its movement speed appears to be way above that.
As an intimidating mixture of Steel and Grass-type, Ferrothorn should be considered a behemoth of a Pokémon, but instead, its supposed significant defense and special defense seem to be easily broken in both cases. Allowing it more than 500 base stats would perhaps help to balance it out and help it achieve its true potential.
5 Steelix Is Slower Than Onix & Still Can't Take Too Much Special Offense
Steelix and Onix have the same problem, in that their obvious size and stature give them incredible defensive capabilities but it totally neglects special defense. Apart from physical Fighting-type moves, anyone facing either of these Pokémon would almost always opt for special moves to exploit that weakness.
Steelix's base stats are higher than 500, but this thanks to its 200 defense. Steelix having 30 speed, makes it too slow, and if it's hit by a super-effective move, its high defense will essentially mean nothing.
4 Flareon's Stats Should Allow For Better Fiery Offense
When looking at the stats of the original Eeveelutions, something doesn't seem fair. Vaporeon gets better HP and Jolteon gets significantly better speed, but Flareon is given better attack at the expense of worse special attack than its Grass and Water counterparts.
This may not sound like a problem as Flareon's attack of 130 looks great on paper, but as most of its Fire-based offense is special rather than physical, this really diminishes how useful Flareon can be in battle. Virgil did win the Vertess Conference with a Flareon in his team in the anime, but the Fire-evolution form of Eevee should really be this powerful and useful in the games too.
3 Mawile Would Undoubtedly Be Featured More Often With Higher Total Base Stats
As a dual Fairy-Steel type Pokémon, Mawile has a unique and intriguing design, with the potential to be a useful Pokémon in battle. However, other than a Mega-Mawile defeating Korrina's unruly Mega-Lucario, Mawile is barely seen in a battling capacity.
Even then, that Mega-Mawile barely even reflects regular Mawile's stats in the first place. With a base stat total of less than 400 and its attack and defense being its best stats at 85, Mawile desperately needs better stats across the board in order to make usable both in the games and in the anime.
2 Sableye's Mysterious Nature & Unusual Behavior Warrant Better Overall Stats
As an intriguing combination of Dark and Ghost types, Sableye is immune to Normal, Fighting, and Psychic, and is weak only to Fairy-types. It's greatly deserving of better stats that would better reflect its mischievous and tricky demeanor.
Sableye is similar to Mawile in that it has the same base stat total and was a version-exclusive to just one of the games in Ruby & Sapphire. However, its best stats are attack and defense at only 75. While its Mega-evolution sorts out its defense and special defense substantially, it somehow gets even slower, from 50 to 20 speed.
1 Onix Could Be So Much More Than Just A Big Pokémon That Can Take A Little Physical Damage
Brock's Onix is the first truly massive Pokémon that Ash faces in the anime. Despite it towering over most of its enemies, it has a worse base stat total than a Charjabug, relying mostly on its 160 defense.
While it is quicker than its evolved form Steelix, Onix desperately needs better-balanced stats across the board. Brock's Onix would have been a lot more useful in battles other than occasionally holding off Team Rocket if it could at least have taken a few more special attacks before being defeated.