What Makes a Pokemon Strong?

Comparing the battle statistics of different Pokemon

Introduction

Pokemon have different battle statistics that affect how they perform. Some Pokemon have high Attack, while others depend more on Defense, Speed, or HP. This page compares 15 Pokemon to see how their statistics create different strengths.

The goal is to help someone understand that there is not one statistic that makes a Pokemon strong. Different combinations of statistics can make Pokemon useful in different ways.

Pokemon Statistics

Pokemon Type HP Attack Defense Speed
Bulbasaur Grass / Poison 45 49 49 45
Venusaur Grass / Poison 80 82 83 80
Charmander Fire 39 52 43 65
Charizard Fire / Flying 78 84 78 100
Squirtle Water 44 48 65 43
Blastoise Water 79 83 100 78
Pikachu Electric 35 55 40 90
Raichu Electric 60 90 55 110
Jigglypuff Normal / Fairy 115 45 20 20
Psyduck Water 50 52 48 55
Machamp Fighting 90 130 80 55
Gengar Ghost / Poison 60 65 60 110
Onix Rock / Ground 35 45 160 70
Chansey Normal 250 5 5 50
Dragonite Dragon / Flying 91 134 95 80
Table 1: Selected Pokemon and four of their main battle statistics.

Data Analysis

Pikachu vs. Onix

Pikachu

Pikachu

Onix

Onix

Pokemon HP Defense Speed
Pikachu 35 40 90
Onix 35 160 70

What does this show?

Pikachu and Onix both have 35 HP, but the rest of their statistics are very different. Onix has 160 Defense, which is four times Pikachu's Defense of 40.

Pikachu, however, has higher Speed. This shows that two Pokemon can specialize in completely different areas. Onix is much more defensive, while Pikachu depends more on speed.

Chansey vs. Machamp

Chansey

Chansey

Machamp

Machamp

Pokemon HP Attack Defense
Chansey 250 5 5
Machamp 90 130 80

What does this show?

Chansey has much more HP than Machamp, but its Attack statistic is extremely low. Machamp has less HP but has a much higher Attack of 130.

This comparison shows why looking at multiple statistics is important. A Pokemon with high HP is not necessarily the strongest attacker.

Glossary

HP
Hit Points. This represents how much damage a Pokemon can receive before fainting.
Attack
A statistic that affects the strength of physical attacks.
Defense
A statistic that affects how well a Pokemon can resist physical attacks.
Speed
A statistic that helps determine which Pokemon moves first in battle.
Type
The elemental category of a Pokemon, such as Fire, Water, Electric, or Grass.