Pokemon is a franchise that is going on two-plus decades of dominance, and it’s managed to do that by constantly refreshing the series with new Pokemon. Some generations connect with fans more than others, but it’s hard to deny the steady consistency of the world of Pokemon.
Fans love the roster of almost 1,000 Pokemon with the Flying-type being a favorite among pockets of the community. With the release of Pokemon Sword & Shield, plenty of new Flying-types entered the fray, to join the rest of the mostly winged creatures that have come before them.
8 Rookidee (Galar)
Now, if this list was based on potential and final forms there’s no chance Rookidee would be on this list. The problem is that the Galar region has very few Flying-type Pokemon and among all of the new creatures in Pokemon Sword & Shield Rookidee simply happens to be the worst.
None of its base stats rise above the subpar range and trainers will have to wait until level 38 to get the full payoff of their investment. Its final form named Corviknight has an amazing design and gives the Pokemon versatility in the way of adding the Steel-type alongside its base typing of Flying.
7 Pikipek (Alola)
Almost anyone who sees Pikipek from the Alolan Islands for the first time will likely think the design is inspired by woodpeckers and/or hummingbirds. That makes the reality of its final form being a full-grown toucan so odd.
It also doesn’t help that this little thing is a mundane combination of the Normal and Flying-types. Its base stats aren’t great, with its strengths laying in its physical attack and speed. At the end of the day, it will always be odd that designers felt a woodpecker turning into a toucan made total sense.
6 Fletchling (Kalos)
Between its base stats and overall typing, there are more than enough red flags with Fletchling. Weirdly, both its middle and final form are Fire and Flying dual-types, but it happens to be a Normal and Flying dual-type.
Most fans believe it would make more sense if it was either a pure Flying-type or if it was changed to match the rest of its evolutionary line and was made a Fire and Flying dual-type. Thankfully this little robin evolves at level 17, so trainers won’t have to concern themselves with Fletchling’s shortcomings for too long in the grand scheme of things.
5 Vullaby (Unova)
Is Vullaby the Flying-type in the Unova region with the worst base stats? The answer to that is a quick and resounding no. Vullaby makes this list because it is both hideous from an aesthetic standpoint and the investment to evolve it doesn’t seem worth it.
To turn a Vullaby into a Mandibuzz a trainer must level it up to level 54. Unlike its Unova counterpart Braviary, trainers aren’t gifted with a cool design but instead will now have a full-grown turkey vulture by their side that will pick at their food and be hard to look at directly.
4 Starly (Sinnoh)
The Sinnoh region is a place that lacks Flying-type Pokemon and the roster is rather thin in that regard. Starly isn’t terrible and would likely supplant many other Flying-type base forms in other generations, but it happens to draw the short stick among Pokemon introduced in Pokemon Diamond & Pearl.
With the remakes to the 4th generation games right around the corner, there will be plenty of new and returning trainers building a bond with a Starly of their own. Whether they fully evolve it or not is an entirely different story.
3 Taillow (Hoenn)
The last of the bird Pokemon on this list is Taillow from the Hoenn region. Though Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire aren’t adored in the same light its predecessors are, the generation still unveiled some great Pokemon. It did make a big change though as the early game bird evolution went from a 2-stage to a 1-stage evolutionary line.
Taillow is the base form of that line, and despite it having a solid design for a bird Pokemon, it just happens to be the worst Flying-type in the generation for better or worse but does get better when evolved into Swellow at level 22.
2 Hoppip (Johto)
Combining the Grass and Flying-types is neat on the surface, but in the case of Hoppip, it doesn’t result in much. The Cottonweed Pokemon’s base stats are well below average and its two other evolved forms don’t add much in the way of viability.
Another weird thing about Hoppip is that it changes color both times it evolves for what seems like no reason. They also happen to be extremely light and can get carried away by light gusts, so trainers who own one will always have to be on high alert.
1 Zubat (Kanto)
Anyone who ever played Pokemon Red & Blue remembers walking in a cave and hearing the battle music and being greeted by the 70th Zubat they’ve seen in the last 10 minutes. The Poison and Flying-type evolves into an interesting and competent battler in Crobat, but this is more about its existence.
Trainers hate battling things that are common and/or aren’t easily defeated. In the case of Zubat, it offers little in the way of experience and its base stats aren’t great. Due to trainers running into it over and over it also quickly becomes more of a nuisance and less of a living creature.
NEXT: 10 Grass-Type Pokemon That Are Basically Plants
