Top 5 underrated Pokemon

No.1: Ditto

It can do anything, it can be anything, it could be any damn Pokemon on the face of the earth… and it chooses to be a little piece of pink/purple jelly – Ditto is the most underrated Pokemon on this list by a long shot.

With the ability to transform into a different Pokemon and learn a wide variety of moves, probably more than any other Pokemon on the PokeDex, Ditto should be a big time player.

On the Pokemon TV show you'll see the likes of Blastoise, Dragonite, Lapras and others all competing at the Pokemon League, but never Ditto.

Now, surely any trainer would just keep one of these in their ranks, even as a last resort. Imagine the scene, Ash is struggling when Pikachu comes against a Steelix, but instead of being stuck in the mud and admiring the Pokemon that is defeating him he simply throws out a Ditto and has a Steelix for himself A flawless tactic, but never utilised.

The idea behind Ditto is so simple and so great but he's rated so badly in the Pokemon series, and that's why we have named him as the most underrated Pokemon.

Ditto was always one of the Pokemon I'd try to catch, simply because of its unpredictability. It's a Pokemon that can change once, twice, countless times and improve its level in doing so. For me, when I started this article I was trying to think of all the small Pokemon that evolve into something better, but when you look at a Pokemon like Ditto there's no competition. Ditto is the most underrated.

"Why catch'em all if you have a Ditto?" said the laziest guy in the room.

So, did we miss any off the list? Let us know whether or not you agreed with our picks in the comments section below and we'll try our best to respond!

2: Meowth

The mastermind behind Team Rocket and the only Pokemon that speaks like a human, Meowth is one of the most seriously underrated characters.

Meowth is in an elite group of Pokemon where they are better than the Pokemon they evolve into, Pikachu and a few others share the same trait.

Fair enough, Meowth, Jessie and James might not have caught Pikachu properly (yet)… but Meowth seems to contribute a lot more than that Persian Giovanni has. Meowth is one of the most iconic characters from the TV series, yet on the video games he doesn't seem to be very well rated at all.

He has a coin on his head and a brain like a human, this cat-like Pokemon is one of the best they have to offer.

Unlike the other pages we're not going to include the Pokemon that Meowth evolves into because during evolution he seems to lose his voice – one of his best abilities. Meowth isn't a comedic choice like Magikarp and Krabby, this Pokemon genuinely is underrated and hopefully one day he'll capture Pikachu and prove it to everybody!

3: Magikarp

Now, don't run away, hear us out.

If you look away from all of Magikarp's shortcomings, the constant slapping around when outside of water, the constant splashing and the constant, well, just being useless all around… there's a really good Pokemon deep down, you just have to look for it.

Magikarp is not a stupid Pokemon and it is certainly not useless, it is a dragon baby preserving its energy for evolution. And, when he evolves, well, you know what happens…

Boom! From a dragon in the making to a fully grown Gyarados. Magikarp might not come across as the best to have in battle but things can, and they will, change.

The decision to include Magikarp is based mainly on patience. Magikarp may not seem the best overall Pokemon but if you're patient with it, Magikarp could easily be regarded as one of Pokemon's most underrated characters.You know what, let's just be honest for a moment, it's only in here because it evolves in Gyarados.

4: Scyther

When you think about Pokemon's flying types, the first ones to spring to mind are usually Lugia, Charizard, Ho-Oh, Zapdos, Moltres and Articuno, maybe a few others. But, the flying-bug types are just as cool.

Scyther appeared on the Pokemon TV show a few times, most notably the old and rather frustrating Scyther caught by Tracey in the Tracey gets Bugged episode, but it was never a main character… and you have to wonder, why?

This Pokemon is tall, strong and is able to learn a variation of different moves, but just wasn't rated in the same bracket as others with the same profile. Scyther was chiefly referred to as a Safari Pokemon, especially in the games, but still had the potential to feature as Ash, Brock or even Misty's main Pokemon.

It evolves into something even more spectacular too, Scizor (below), a very rarely found Pokemon on the video games.

Scyther looks and feels like a different type of flying Pokemon, and it would have been nice for it to feature more regularly on the TV show. However, that didn't stop me training one myself and evolving it into Scizor on the video game, a seriously underrated Pokemon.

5th: Krabby

The beast that we don't hear enough about, Krabby just wasn't appreciated as the monster that he would soon become.

Krabby is not an ordinary water-type, often found in groups on the beach and eventually caught by Ash Ketchum during the Mystery at the Lighthouse episode. We didn't see Krabby all that much after that, well, partly because Krabby was so good he won his first battle against an Exeggutor and evolved.

Considering the devastating slash that this Pokemon was capable of – we all know the one – it just wasn't rated as highly as it should have been.

Not to mention what it evolves into. If you thought Krabby was a menace, the let us introduce you to Mr. Kingler:

This pick was more based on personal experience than anything. So many times have my Pokemon been on low health and a Krabby has popped and slashed them back to the Pokemon Center. This little critter is like my arch enemy, and Kingler… don't even start me on Kingler – just look at his little evil grin! Deadly.

There are hundreds of Pokemon on the Pokedex, thousands of opinions on Pokemon from people all around the world, but only five Pokemon can make it on the most prestigious list GameZone has to offer – well, it's not but we'll enjoy this moment while it's here – the top 5 underrated Pokemon.

Each Pokemon trainer has preferences, you might like water-type Pokemon for example, or maybe grass-type. Well, we're going to be taking a look at a few different types of Pokemon that aren't rated too highly, but are still cool nevertheless.

Some Pokemon definitely have a lot more potential than others, but don't get taken all that seriously – especially on the Pokemon games. If you're reading this with a specific Pokemon in mind, then this, this is for you!

So, let's get started…