Line #56 MemeticLoser/Pokemon


1	----
2	!!Anime
3	* [[Characters/PokemonTheSeriesAshKetchum Ash Ketchum]] has been given this status for over 20 years by fans due to a combination of several factors, such as being the hot-blooded IdiotHero who often suffers {{Surprisingly Realistic Outcome}}s in [[FirstInstallmentWins the first few seasons]], having a rival with an AwesomeEgo who often steals his thunder (especially after a major victory), not coming home as a winner of a Pokémon League, and having a game counterpart (Red) that fans project their [[EscapistCharacter wish fulfillments]] on that they couldn't with Ash. It's common to see memes like "Gary was here, Ash is a loser"[[note]]Originally ''[[http://i.imgur.com/bJ2QMHS.jpg Shigeru is the best, Satoshi is an Idiot]]''[[/note]] or "Red is better than Ash." [[CharacterPerceptionEvolution However, this status gradually eroded around the late 2010s and 2020s]] when Ash started pulling off feats and accomplishments that not even his detractors can downplay.
4	** When he was first introduced, Ash was an immature, inexperienced child who was constantly put down by his peers and rivals, most notably [[TheRival Gary Oak]] (who gained a MemeticBadass reputation despite the fact [[AlwaysSecondBest he was always one rank behind Ash]] in ''every'' competition they had partaken). He only started getting better at being a trainer after the Indigo League,[[note]][[https://knowyourmeme.com/photos/1257625-pokemon His win/loss ratio is much higher than what most people believed]].[[/note]] but the [[Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries first few seasons of the anime]] left [[NeverLiveItDown a lasting impression]] on the fandom, and ''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhite Black & White]]'' series' attempt to SoftReboot on Ash's character (and Pikachu's power level) only reinforced such perception. The other main factor is the Pokémon League Conferences losses. For over 20 years, Ash has slowly being climbing the ranks in the Pokémon League Conferences, but never actually winning the championship until the Alola League. Because of this, and the [[CommonKnowledge fan misconception that winning a League makes you a Pokémon Master]], Ash has been ridiculed as a failed trainer simply for not winning a League, with his other major achievements, like the Orange League and Battle Frontier, being subjected as [[MovingTheGoalPosts side-competitions that somehow don't count]].
5	** During AprilFoolsDay 2018, the ''Official'' Pokémon website [[https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-news/trainer-spotlight-jessie-james-and-meowth/ got in on the fun]] by pointing out that Jessie's Coordinator career was equally successful to Ash's Trainer career-despite Ash trying his hardest for 20 seasons worth of television. After his victory in the Alola League was assured in Japan, the English website decided to hype it up by [[https://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-news/watch-ash-lose-tournaments-in-pokemon-the-series-on-pokemon-tv/ highlighting]] ''all the times he lost'', complete with catchy names and using "And then Ash loses." as a RunningGag.
6	----> '''Jessie's character page''': Several Pokémon Coordinators with a conspicuous resemblance to Jessie—Jessilina, Jessibella, and Jessica, just to name a few—have proven quite capable in Pokémon Contests. This medium is a perfect fit for Jessie, allowing her to show off her creativity, sense of style, and battling ability. She's been so successful in this realm that it's clear she could have a second career—she made it all the way to the semifinal round of the Sinnoh Grand Festival ("Coming Full-Festival Circle!"). A certain Twerp who wants to be a Pokémon Master has only achieved that placement in a major region's Pokémon League competition ''twice'', and he's been trying for 20 seasons!
7	** When he ''finally'' wins a League directly from the games, the Alola League, some fans still give him crap for it; the win is seen as inferior due to the [[MovingTheGoalposts Alola League just having been established and its rules not to other Leagues' standards]] (and thus not a "real" League, much like the Orange Islands). However, other fans decides to make Ash into a MemeticBadass, if only to highlight the irony that the childish looking Ash from ''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesSunAndMoon Sun & Moon]]'' ultimately won the championship rather than the more serious and badass-looking Ash from both ''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearl DP]]'' and ''[[Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY XY]]''.
8	** By the end of ''Anime/PokemonJourneysTheSeries'', Ash's status as a loser completely went away as the series gave him access to fan-favorite Pokémon, battle gimmicks, and powerful opponents once thought to be off-limits to him due to the series' previous formulaic status quo. Jokes and memes about Ash being dumb were reduced to mocking him for [[BookDumb not knowing anything outside of Pokémon battles]], and the memes of him being a loser for not winning a League tournament went extinct after [[spoiler:Ash wins the World Championship by defeating Leon, the world's strongest and undefeated champion]]. And just when it seemed like [[ResetButton Ash would inevitably reset back as a novice]] in the new region and [[StatusQuoIsGod start the whole cycle again]], it was then announced that [[EndOfAnAge Ash and Pikachu]] will be retired and replaced by Liko and Roy in ''Anime/PokemonHorizonsTheSeries'', ensuring that Ash ended his journey on a high note.
9	* Some of Ash's Pokémon get this status either due to their win-loss ratio or infamous incidents that [[NeverLiveItDown they can never live down]].
10	** Ash's Torkoal has a rough reputation due to its poor track record during Ash's Hoenn journey. The few times it's been called upon after Hoenn has also resulted in losses, but to be fair, those fights were against [[OlympusMons Brandon's Registeel and Tobias' Darkrai]].
11	** Ash's Torterra is infamous among the fandom for having never won a single battle after fully evolving outside of [[GoldfishPoopGang Team Rocket]] despite its losses being meant to show [[TheWorfEffect how powerful its opponents were]]. There's a reason fans gave it the [[FanNickname flattering nickname]] of "Jobterra".
12	** Ash's Greninja gets subject to many memes due to it losing [[spoiler:against Alain's Mega Charizard X in the finals of the Kalos League]], despite having [[TheAce an otherwise excellent track record]] and it opponent having held against and in one case beaten OlympusMons on top of a similar if better track record. Ironically its impressive win against Sawyer's Mega Sceptile immediately prior despite its type advantage contributed to this by making Greninja's loss despite it having the type advantage feel more contrived. Quite ironic considering Greninja is otherwise a MemeticBadass.
13	* Team Rocket are the in-universe GoldfishPoopGang, but have their NotSoHarmlessVillain moments (including a few [[TeamRocketWins outright victories]]) and generally a character beating them down is supposed to demonstrate their potential as a trainer. Unfortunately most fans fail to even treat it as an accomplishment anymore, to the point the trope sometimes extends to characters who over rely on Team Rocket battles for any source of badassery.
14	* Team Rocket themselves are such an iconic example of loser villains that "Team Rocket" has become fan-speak for the {{Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain}}s in general, and many fans upset about a character's VillainDecay will complain they're turning into Team Rocket. Here on TV Tropes, this is why our trope page about otherwise ineffectual villains emerging victorious is titled TeamRocketWins.
15	* Celebi from ''Anime/Pokemon4Ever'', despite receiving a case of AdaptationalAbomination, is constantly tossed around during the movie, can't seem to win anything, and his status as a Guardian of the Forest seems more of an InformedAttribute. Subsequent appearences of Celebi didn't do it any favours, since it kept being defeated by much weaker mons, infamously a Houndour and a Shuppet.
16	* Trevor from ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesXY'' is best remembered as the guy who had a Mega Charizard Y... and getting his team completely swept by Alain's Mega Charizard X. While it's unfair to call Trevor weak since he was facing an elite trainer [[spoiler:who would eventually become the winner of the tournament]], the fact that his match was [[NeverLiveItDown the first one]] of the Kalos League and was [[TheWorfEffect clearly telegraphed]] to show Mega Charizard X's strength meant that Trevor has become synonymous with predestined loser. In fact, fans call any trainer clearly telegraphed to lose to a powerful opponent as getting "Trevor'd", [[spoiler:which ironically includes Alain in the [[Anime/PokemonJourneysTheSeries Master 8 Tournament]], as his first opponent is [[WorldsBestWarrior Leon]].]]
17	* A popular clip from ''Anime/PokemonOrigins'' is called "Red's Jolteon fails at life," where despite Jolteon having an ability that absorbs Electric attacks, it gets [[OneHitKill one-hit KO'd]] by Rhyhorn's Thunderbolt. Even if one considers that Gen I did not have abilities, it's still a fully-evolved Pokémon with an elemental resist losing to an unevolved Pokémon with awful Special Attack, which could only happen if Jolteon was either really low leveled or at very low HP. By extension, the rest of Red's team other than Charizard qualifies, as a common AlternateCharacterInterpretation is that he overleveled his starter while neglecting everyone else, like many real-life kids playing the games did.
18	!! Video Games
19	* The Bulbasaur line was [[OvershadowedByAwesome ignored by many fans]] in favour of Blastoise and Charizard, due to players picking the starter that was on their game cartridge. Even though its final evolution, Venusaur, got some more attention in generations V and VI, it's still portrayed as the runt among the Kanto starters by fans, though this has started to change.
20	* The Chikorita line gets this even worse than Bulbasaur due to its final evolution Meganium's relatively cutesy design and shallow movepool. It infamously struggles hard in Johto due to being at a disadvantage in a large number of major battles in its own region, and it doesn't help that it's been a LowTierLetdown in competitive play since around Gen V.
21	* Amongst the four trade-evolution Pokémon from gen I, Golem tends to be treated as the ButtMonkey that no one's able to take seriously and is forgotten about compared to the other three. This is because Alakazam and Gengar are considered to be two of the strongest Pokémon of Gen I, and still are with each passing generation. Meanwhile, Machamp started off okay, but eventually gained a massive following over the years. Particularly after Machamp was given an ability in No Guard that paired perfectly with Dynamic Punch to make it perfectly accurate, which gave it a unique niche in competitive play. Meanwhile, other than getting an Alolan variant in Gen VII, Golem's been left to rot. While the other three were commonly seen in unique trainer teams to the point of being staples of their types, Golem was barely used by trainers, and nobody uses one in its debut — perhaps because it's the final form of a ComMon, and perhaps because its [[AchillesHeel disastrous weaknesses to Water- and Grass-type moves]] make it a pushover against most late-game teams. This is pushed further in competitive circles, where Golem was OU in the first generation for over a decade, only for it to drop to NU thanks to some new discoveries destroying its old niche and causing it to be seen as a worse Rhydon. Not even being a great Pokémon in Gen II OU could save it after that, as later generations weren't much kinder to it.
22	* Flareon, despite its popularity, has a reputation for being the weakest of the Eeveelutions. In addition to its poorly-optimized stat spread making it a slow GlassCannon that's easy to take out with physical attacks, it's well-known for having a [[PoorPredictableRock terrible movepool]] in most generations, being a victim of the lack of a physical/special split in the first three and infamously being stuck with the 65-power ''Fire Fang'' as its best physical STAB move until ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' gave it Flare Blitz. Eevee also tends to be fairly hard to obtain in the earlier games, sometimes being [[UniqueEnemy limited to one]], so evolving it into Flareon is seen as a waste of its potential.
23	* Bruno has this reputation among challenge-runners of the first-generation games, due to him being generally regarded as the [[BreatherBoss easiest major fight in the game.]] He's a Fighting-type specialist in a region where Fighting is underpowered and Psychic is [[GameBreaker one of the best types in the game]], his Fighting-types are not particularly fast and have poor movesets, and his non-Fighting team members consist of two [[FakeUltimateMook Onix]]. While many innocuous battles can turn into surprising roadblocks, it's rare to find a playthrough where Bruno's whole team doesn't go down in one hit each, much less one where he actually manages to knock the player out. Because of this, runs enjoy mocking his poor performance, often skimming over him entirely or referring to him as a generic Hiker rather than an Elite Four member.
24	* Ledian is often mocked by the fandom, even more so than the other Bug-type CrutchCharacter Pokémon. Part of the reason is that, despite learning several punching moves and having Iron Fist as its hidden ability, it has a base Attack stat of 35, on par with [[SarcasmMode such muscle-bound brawlers]] as ''Kadabra''. It's often the punchline of jokes mocking the "win using your favorites" mindset.
25	* Prior to release of ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'', Oshawott were seen as huge Memetic Losers who were ugly, sad-looking, and weren't as cool as Snivy (or "[[FanNickname Smugleaf]]"). This led to a near instant meme of portraying them as TheWoobie. After release though, the meme died out due to the fact that it evolves into the reasonably BadassAdorable Dewott and then into the straight up badass Samurott.
26	* Popplio had similar reactions to Oshawott upon its reveal prior to the release of ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon''. Just like Oshawott, this mostly dissipated when its evolved forms were revealed.
27	* Out of the three teams of ''VideoGame/PokemonGo'', Team Instinct is the one that's most often mocked as stupid and weak due to being the smallest team and for having the least threatening-looking leader. The other teams are not immune to this, however. Team Valor is often stereotyped as being absurdly reckless and obsessive. Team Mystic (and Valor) can also be this in areas where they lack strength.
28	* Rather contradictory to his status as a bit of a MemeticBadass, it isn’t uncommon for Blue Oak to be a ButtMonkey in the Japanese fandom and in Japanese fanworks, especially his post-second generation self, whether it be being the victim of Red’s and the HGSS protagonists’ antics or his childish, bratty behavior and catchphrases in the first generation being (affectionately) mocked. Even in the English fandom he’s often the victim of HelloInsertNameHere hijinks, though this is due to his aforementioned bratty personality.
29	* Most ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'' fanworks, as well as ''VideoGame/PokemonMasters'', have the female protagonist, [[BreakoutCharacter Dawn]], as the main character. This leaves her SpearCounterpart, Lucas, left as Rowan's assistant aka the secondary rival (with Barry being the primary rival). Lucas often gets shoved into a ButtMonkey role because his role as [=NPC=] isn't really that important after the midway point of the game. His implied crush on Dawn turns him into an AbhorrentAdmirer, if Dawn [[ObliviousToLove even notices it]]. And that's for people who actually remember that [[OutOfFocus he exists in the first place]] since Lucas was notorious for being left out in other Pokémon media, most notably in ''WebAnimation/PokemonGenerations'', a series that gives full priority to the male protagonists. By 2021, when ''[[VideoGameRemake Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl]]'' was released, fans were genuinely (and delightfully) surprised that [[ThrowTheDogABone Lucas managed to squeak out]] a cameo in ''WebAnimation/PokemonEvolutions'' as well as finally being announced for ''Masters'' as a playable character at the tail-end of the year due to how long he's been forgotten prior.
30	* Speaking of ''VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl'', the Team Galactic grunts are often made fun of because of their... [[FashionVictimVillain unusual fashion style]] and hair cuts.
31	* Though a MemeticBadass among some, Red's DistaffCounterpart Leaf gets this due to being ExiledFromContinuity. Red is a reoccurring character in the games and is both a MemeticBadass with fans and FamedInStory with canon. Leaf on the other hand has been absent ever since her appearance in ''[=FireRed=] and [=LeafGreen=]'', with implications being (unlike most other opposite-gender protagonists) she just doesn't exist in canon. Leaf is thus the object of many jokes and is portrayed in Red and Blue's shadows. However, this portrayal has also led to her being portrayed as an IronWoobie. Eventually, Leaf ''[[TheBusCameBack does]]'' return after being absent for more than a decade after her debut as an alternate skin of the returning Pokémon Trainer (himself based on Red) in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate''.
32	* Arceus, despite essentially being God Himself, is constantly having arse jokes made about its name. [[ViewerPronunciationConfusion This isn't actually how it's pronounced]], but that doesn't remotely stop the jokes.
33	* Regigigas will quite possibly remain in this status as long as it retains in signature Ability, Slow Start, which halves its Attack and Speed for an excruciating five turns, despite really lacking the movepool to stall out those turns and just begging foes to force it out with Roar or Dragon Tail. It's often seen as the worst Legendary in the entire series, even being outclassed by evolved ComMons like Raticate and Stoutland, leaving it largely as the butt of jokes. And just to add insult to injury, when it puts in a post-game appearance in ''VideoGame/PokemonLegendsArceus'' a game that completely excludes Pokémon abilities, the devs still saw fit to make sure it had Slow Start anyway.
34	* Slaking will forever be remembered as the mon that starts as a pathetic sloth, seems to gain vitality and strength as Vigoroth, and ends up with stats ''on the same level as [[OlympusMons Groudon or Kyogre]]''... but with an ability that makes it unable to attack every other turn, turning it from a terrifying offensive threat to [[LowTierLetdown one of the worst Pokémon in the game.]]
35	* Diantha is generally regarded as one of the worst Champions in the series, suffering not only from a fairly easy battle (even though her team is hardly weak), but also a dearth of screentime beforehand, ultimately not leaving much of an impression.
36	* Raichu is the butt of many jokes in the fandom because it lives in the shadow of its pre-evolutions Pichu and especially Pikachu. Most non-fans don't even know that Pikachu ''does'' evolve, resulting in a fan joke that Game Freak probably regret creating Raichu. Even Game Freak themselves got in on the joke, as one of its Pokédex entries in ''Sun and Moon'' outright [[LampshadeHanging lampshades]] its unpopularity.
37	--> ''Because so many Trainers like the way Pikachu looks, you don't see this Pokémon very often.''
38	* Zygarde is widely mocked due to the fact that, despite clearly being designed in the vein of similar "third legendaries" like Giratina, Rayquaza, and Kyurem, it never received a spotlight game or [[TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter any meaningful expansion on its original concept of a protector against natural disasters,]] with its new forms ended up being shunted into ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' as a plot-irrelevant CollectionSidequest. It doesn't help much that in its debut appearance, it was basically just a strictly worse Garchomp due to lacking its signature move and ability. The anime did reduce a bit of this status but it still sticks with it. In ''VideoGame/PokemonSwordAndShield'', more specifically in the Crown Tundra DLC, it took back a bit of ground since it becomes the hardest Dynamax Legendary to fight. Twelve years down the line, however, Zygarde ''finally'' shed this reputation with the announcement of ''Pokemon Legends Z-A'', giving it its long-overdue spotlight game at a time where most people were expecting a Unova remake--before long, people were reworking the old memes mocking Zygarde to be about its triumphant return to form.
39	* ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon''‘s evil team, Team Skull, has this status for trying way too hard to be cool and [[PokeThePoodle not actually being that evil when you get down to it]]. It really helps that their leader, Guzma, is a silly LargeHam doofus. Anyone can see that they’re [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain far more comic relief than legitimate threat]]. This is [[EnforcedTrope intentional]], however, as it makes them very unique among the Pokémon villain teams for being much more lighthearted than the previous evil teams. [[spoiler:It also hides that [[TheManBehindTheMan the Aether Foundation]] are the game’s true villain threat.]] Fans typically rank them in the top three best Pokémon villain teams specifically ''because'' of their endearing loser status in the fandom, with Team Rocket and Team Plasma typically as their competition. While the developers made them losers on purpose, the fans have run with it and love them for it.
40	* In all of his appearances, Alder has never won a single fight so some view him as this. Worst is, Alder actually never beat the previous Unova Champion; he was given the title. Several people also prefer Iris over him. Poor guy can't catch a break.
41	* While otherwise every bit [[TheAce The Champion]] the game and fandom portray him as Leon quite simply [[NoSenseOfDirection couldn't find his way home]] on a straight road without his ''younger'' brother's help. This often extends in fanworks to him stumbling into ''[[CharacterExaggeration alternate realities and different points in time]]'' [[AchievementsInIgnorance just to get somewhere mundane]].
42	* Hisuian Avalugg. Its Kalosian counterpart was already a LowTierLetdown due to being a MightyGlacier with a [[AnIcePerson type]] more suited for a GlassCannon or FragileSpeedster, so many fans were excited to see how it would fare in ''Legends Arceus'', since it's a game that turned other lackluster Pokémon such as Goodra, Basculin, and Ursaring into more than respectable mons. Instead, it received a set of traits that seem almost designed to be useless: the [[DishingOutDirt Rock]] type, literally the only thing that could've made it defensively weaker; a boost to Speed that still leaves it only slightly faster than Slowbro; an ability (Strong Jaw, which boosts biting attacks) that can only be used with two of its moves (Ice Fang and Crunch); and a signature move (Mountain Gale) with a chance to flinch the opponent, despite the fact that it's too slow to ever outspeed and flinch anything. To quote WebVideo/{{Magcarjoe}}:
43	--> '''Magcarjoe''': Now listen little Timmy, I want you to look me, look me right in the eyes and say "Gamefreak had no malicious intent in making a [[MightyGlacier defensive Pokémon]] have the worst dual typing in the entire game [...] [[FromBadToWorse But it gets worse, oh it gets worse]]: They had the audacity to give this thing with more weaknesses than a man with glass bones and paper skin stats like it's a tank. Oh yeah, it's definitely a tank, [[GeniusBonus too bad the tank they based it off it's the goddamn Tog]], [[FakeUltimateMook fine defense right there, oh movement speed?]] What's that? [[GeniusBonus This is absolutely not a TOG2 moment.]]
44	* For the standards of Champions, Geeta from ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet'' has a bad team and an even worse strategy to use them.[[labelnote:Explanation]]Some members of her team include ComMon Gogoat and the notorious LowTierLetdown Avalugg. Her Veluza doesn't have the power-boosting Sharpness ability and doesn't set up with [[StatusBuff Fillet Away]], making its offense completely mediocre. Her ace is Glimmora, a Pokémon made to set up field hazards, but it's sent out last, so her team can't take advantage of them. Meanwhile, her Kingambit, a Pokémon that gets stronger the more of its teammates have been defeated, is sent out early.[[/labelnote]] Because of this, combined with the hint that she's a PointyHairedBoss to fan-favorite Larry, she's come to be portrayed as a fumbling embarrassment to the title and concept of Champion. To put this in perspective, even ''Guzma'', the above-mentioned silly LargeHam doofus, the guy whose childhood bedroom [[AlwaysSecondBest is filled with bronze trophies and a single silver trophy]], the guy who ''flunked out of his region's equivalent of the Gym Challenge'', is still competent enough to use his own ace properly, sending it out first to take full advantage of both its ability and SignatureMove. Even when the ''Indigo Disk'' corrected this and had her send Glimmora out first and her Kingambit out last (complete with Tera-Flying to dodge its weaknesses to Ground and Fighting), by then it was too late.
45	* Pokémon with dual typings that are 4x weak to Grass, like Rock/Ground, Rock/Water, and Water/Ground, often get clowned on in memes. They are often depicted as being gravely injured or outright dying when they come in contact with a single blade of grass or a leaf. Similarly, Pokémon that are 4x weak to Water (with the exception of [[MemeticBadass Magcargo]]) get depicted as instantly dying if they get splashed with a bit of water or get caught in the rain.
46	* Delcatty gets mocked a lot for having a rather low 380 base stat total for what's supposed to be a fully evolved Pokémon, which basically puts it in line with the fully evolved [[CrutchCharacter early Bugs]]. However, you have to wait longer to get Delcatty due to it being a Moon Stone evolution — for a lot of people, the wait for such an abysmal Pokémon later in the game isn't worth it. Delcatty got buffed up to 400 BST from Gen VII onward alongside receiving a buff to its Normalize ability, but even then, its reputation as a weak Pokémon has stuck with it. It's also known for being heavily OutOfFocus in the later games, leading to jokes that Game Freak forgot Delcatty even existed — while it and Skitty were fairly prominent in the Gen III games, since then, they've rarely appeared in any regional dexes, with their last non-remake appearance being in ''X and Y''.
47	* Spidops, introduced in ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet'', is frequently mocked for being a weak CrutchCharacter reminiscent of earlier Bug-types in a generation infamous for major PowerCreep in its new Pokémon. The fact that fellow early two-stage Bug family, Nymble/Lokix, has an only somewhat better BST but also a far better movepool, stat spread, and general gameplay direction that makes it surprisingly decent, even by Gen IX standards, makes Spidops look especially embarrassing by comparison.
48	* Since the release of ''Scarlet and Violet'', Corviknight has often been portrayed as a hapless victim of Tinkaton, who will hunt and attack Corviknight to the point that they've been deemed unsafe to use as transportation in Paldea. This is despite Tinkaton's dex entry calling this act "daring", implying that Tinkaton does this [[ChallengeSeeker for the challenge]] and that Corviknight usually comes out on top in their encounters.
49	* Seviper and Heatmor are often mocked for being considered drastically inferior to their respective rivals, Zangoose and Durant. Heatmor in particular is well-known for the fact that Durant, a Pokémon which has a double weakness to its Fire type and which it eats in large quantities, can outspeed it and OneHitKO it with a Rock- or Ground-type coverage move.
50	* Electivire is often treated as a loser for a number of reasons. For starters, it's saddled with being a physical Electric-type, an archetype that's notoriously poor in competitive ''Pokémon'' as detailed below. Two things make Electivire stand out from others of its ilk, however; the first is its status as a [[SkillGateCharacters noob trap]] in its debut generation, as the "Gyaravire" core, in which it was paired with the much stronger Gyarados in order to (in theory) cover each other's offensive weaknesses, gained significant popularity despite being predictable and easy to beat in practice. This resulted in Electivire being locked into Generation IV OU by the end of its lifespan despite having no viability there. The second is its [[BaseBreakingCharacter divisive design]], with many fans of its pre-evolution Electabuzz finding it to be a goofy-looking downgrade to the Electric Pokémon.
51	* Iron Jugulis usually isn't taken seriously by fans, for a couple of reasons. In addition to its [[InherentlyFunnyWords funny name]] and being considered one of the least inspired Paradox Pokémon in terms of design, it's also mocked for inheriting Charizard's "curse" of being a dragon Pokémon that isn't even Dragon-type, in '''2022'''.[[note]]Charizard at least had the excuse of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness concerning the Dragon type.[[/note]] Fans speculate that something ''must'' have gone wrong during [[{{Robosexual}} the Hydreigon-robot mating ritual]] that allegedly created the species. Even in battles, it can't learn Hydreigon's best nuke option of Draco Meteor[[note]]which can only be learned by permanent Dragon-types, [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg Mew, and Arceus]][[/note]] and has to settle with the AwesomeButImpractical Hurricane instead. It's one of the more mediocre Paradox Pokémon on Website/{{Smogon}} and has only niche viability in VGC, and the fact that it's a counterpart to the [[HighTierScrappy exceedingly overpowered]] Flutter Mane is often used as an example of Game Freak favoring ''Scarlet'' over ''Violet'' when it comes to version exclusives.
52	* Some Pokémon, while well-liked among the casual fanbase, have an infamous reputation among the competitive community of Website/{{Smogon}}:
53	** Charizard, due to its extreme popularity among the general fandom causing it to be used ''ridiculously'' often by {{noob}}s despite its crippling flaws (such as its huge Stealth Rock weakness, subpar bulk, and not-that-great base offensive stats), usually leading to said noobs being [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomped]]. It's particularly notable in this role in [[VideoGame/PokemonRedAndBlue Gen 1 competitive play]], where it's completely outclassed by Moltres in OU, but still somehow gets used on low ladder. [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap This did get fixed to some extent]] in Gen VI due to the introduction of two very strong Mega Evolutions for it, but the base form is still considered this, as well as any versions of it in Ubers. It has since been booted back here after the 8th gen’s removal of Mega Evolution killing any viability it had (and Dynamax being banned from most formats ''including Ubers'', which forbids use of its otherwise excellent Gigantamax form, doesn't help). Other Pokémon which end up in tiers far above where they're actually viable due to their popularity, such as Jolteon, Typhlosion, and Donphan, also get mocked, but not to the same degree.
54	** Crowned Zamazenta receives this treatment due to being designed as a defensive-oriented counterpart to Zacian, yet lacking the tools to excel in this role in Ubers, and at one point, being ranked lower than its Hero of Many Battles form in the viability ranking[[note]]This is no longer case as its Hero form has been unranked with its Crowned form finding its niche as a Yveltal check after Zacian's banned to AG[[/note]]. To add insult to injury, Zamazenta received a {{nerf}} to both its stats and its Dauntless Shield ability despite being nowhere near as overwhelming as Zacian was, and Regidrago's Dragon's Maw remained intact but Regieleki's Transistor got {{nerf}}ed, showing that exceptions can be made but not for Zamazenta.
55	** Virizion, Tapu Bulu, and Wo-Chien are often lumped together as a friend group of complete losers due to sharing the dishonor of being Grass-type members of Legendary quartets where they're far weaker than their fellow members. Tapu Bulu in particular is the butt of many jokes where its position as the Guardian of Ula'Ula Island is usurped by the non-legendary Rillaboom, another Pokémon with its Grassy Surge ability who can utilize the terrain summoned far better.
56	** Quite a few Pokémon start off as competitive mainstays or outright {{Game Breaker}}s, but due to PowerCreep or outright nerfs, [[HowTheMightyHaveFallen start to tumble out of their once-lofty positions]], which invariably causes this. Tauros, for instance, was considered the scariest Pokémon outside of Mewtwo and Mew in the first generation, but the many axes taken to its stats, its Normal typing, and its main moves caused it to decline all the way to the ignominious tier of ZU, the lowest available tier, in Gen IX. This creates a lot of jokes about them having peaked in high school, abruptly getting fired from their once-stable jobs, or getting clowned on by Pokémon they were once considered far superior to.
57	** Physical Electric-type Pokémon, most notably Luxray, are often a target of mockery for their perennial lack of good STAB moves, and consequently being doomed to LowTierLetdown status as a result. The best STAB option for most of them, Wild Charge, is a ScrappyWeapon for having the same base power as Thunderbolt, but [[CastFromHitPoints recoil damage]] and no paralysis chance, leading to jokes that Game Freak blatantly favors special Electric-types over physical ones. The ones which evade this status, such as Zeraora and Pawmot, have better [[SecretArt signature moves]] to fill this role. This has been downplayed to a certain extent by the introduction of Supercell Slam, an Electric-type counterpart to Jump Kick, but the issue of massive recoil still exists should the move miss or be nullified by ubiquitous Ground-types.
58	** Articuno, despite being quite powerful in the lore and independently popular due to its pleasing design, has becomes something of a byword for an underwhelming Legendary since Generation II, when the Special split caused it to take a harsh cut to its offense. The short version is, while Articuno has high stats overall, they're distributed such that its only standout stat is Special Defense, and it also has an Ice/Flying typing that gives it some major issues as a wall (particularly a x4 Rock weakness that turns Stealth Rock into a death sentence). Though it's far from the only Legendary to not perform well competitively, or even the worst one[[note]]the true answer is likely either Phione or base Calyrex, depending on who you talk to, though both of them were intentionally made to be unimpressive[[/note]], its miserable tiering placements over multiple generations coupled with FirstInstallmentWins makes it something of a default pick when discussing why legendaries aren't necessarily banworthy. That said, Articuno did manage to take back some ground when player Nikhil Reddy won a VGC tournament while running a bizarrely simplistic Articuno set[[note]]three different Ice STAB moves, with the fourth being Sheer Cold, Choice Specs, Ice Tera-type[[/note]] that nonetheless paid off thanks to good team support.

Context MemeticLoser / Pokemon