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Normal-type Reviews: Awards Ceremony

At last, we almost reached the end where Normal-types will be awarded with a selection of awards. We’ve come this far, so let’s do this! I have carefully picked the Pokémon so that at least one representative of each family can be found in at least one award. This is done so that nobody is left out.

To see the awards and which Pokémon assigned to them, please check this article out.

Starting the string of awards is the best name, and what better way to start off with Pyroar? It’s certainly a simple combination of two words, but it conveys an effective combination of the fiery and proud nature of this Pokémon. Despite having differences in genders, this name suits either of them, making it a good gender-neutral name.

Runner-ups: Regigigas, Exploud, Slaking

Pidgeot and its Mega Evolution takes in the title of the coolest, with the latter being cooler than the former, which is to be expected for something that is an upgrade. What makes Pidgeot cool is its speed and flying abilities, along with its long plumage that resembles hair to add to the coolness. To emphasise on Mega Pidgeot’s extra coolness, its plumage is longer than the original, along with a more intimidated look in its eyes.

Runner-ups: Braviary, Kecleon, Swellow, Staraptor, Zangoose, Fearow, Porygon-Z, Heliolisk

Quite a few Normal-types could feasibly be the toughest, whether it’s their demeanour or their power. Ursaring is chosen for possessing both. It is one of the most powerful Pokémon, especially when it received status because of its Guts ability, or perhaps Quick Feet. It would be even more dangerous if its child is threatened, because its fury knows no bounds. It helps that its face is characterised by toughness as well, especially when it’s angry, though you can recognise its toughness in its usual expression.

Runner-ups: Slaking, Tauros, Snorlax, Braviary, Stoutland, Diggersby, Purugly, Wigglytuff

As an owl, Noctowl automatically looks like it has a lot of wisdom, at least because owls are thought to look like wise animals. Fortunately, it is indeed as clever as it looks, due to its ability to catch things in darkness efficiently, and it has some intellectual power, which must be why it could use all those Psychic moves.

Runner-ups: Smeargle, Stantler, Ambipom

The changes in seasons are a beautiful thing to behold, due to having a change in scenery even in the same place. Similarly, Sawsbuck may be a single Pokémon, but its antlers and coat changes with the seasons to suit is surroundings, and each form has its own form of beauty to admire. Of course, it helps that its antlers are magnificent, which is what we love about any type of deer: it makes them look quite majestic.

Runner-ups: Lopunny, Cinccino, Chatot, Meloetta, Mega Audino, Pyroar

While this is not my personal opinion on the cutest Pokémon, it’s definitely the cutest in a lot of people’s list. After all, there’s a reason Eevee has many fans, and by extension, all of its evolutions. With its big eyes, furry body and resemblance to canines (especially dogs or foxes), the appeal to Eevee is quite obvious and easy to understand.

Runner-ups: Zigzagoon, Swablu, Audino, Meowth, Skitty family, Pidove, Azurill

There are quite a few worthy candidates taking the title for the funniest Normal-type, thanks in part to the existence of some quirky Pokémon. We have Bouffalant’s exaggeratedly large afro, as well as Spinda’s spiral patterns. In the end, I picked Diggersby due to a couple of nominations, so my take on what makes Diggersby the funniest is due to several factors. The first and foremost is its muscular arms that is not found on its hands, but on its ears. In addition to this, its body type is a huge departure from Bunnelby’s smaller stature, so to see it becoming fatter and lazier is an unexpected surprise. While Diggersby may be funny, it is powerful, so you won’t want to mess with this bunny!

Runner-ups: Bouffalant, Doduo family, Spinda, Bidoof, Ditto

Normal-types are not known for their frightening qualities, but there are some that qualify for this spot. One such example of this spot is Arceus, the god of Pokémon. Having the powers of a god meant that those who didn’t please it will face the wrath of the Judgment, which is so powerful it annihilate things. The threat of that makes it one of the scariest Pokémon.

Runner-ups: Tauros, Lickilicky, Watchog

At first glance, Smeargle doesn’t look like much. Although Smeargle is supposed to be a canine, it looks rather cow-like. Its tail also has some secretion that is best left unknown (for those who can’t stand being disgusted). The strangest aspect of Smeargle is its ability to learn any move in the game, which includes things that it doesn’t seem to be able to do. How does that work? There’s boundless imagination found in art, but this is ridiculous!

Runner-ups: Ditto, Castform, Lickilicky, Sentret family

Pokémon has fantastical creatures based on the real animals, and they have at least something that hints at their unusual abilities and traits. Although that is the case, some of these look a lot like the real animal that they could disguise as one, especially for Normal-types. Furfrou is chosen for this one because it resembles a poodle (but larger), even though its main trait is being able to be groomed into all kinds of styles, which is something that is also done on poodles. Sure, it could do Pokémon stuff, but it is still one of the most normal Pokémon in existence.

Runner-ups: Rattata, Skitty, Herdier, Fletchling, Eevee

There are quite a number of Normal-types that hardly look like a Normal-type, and the trick is to pick the one that resembles the least among the group of Pokémon that don’t necessarily share a common trait. Since Normal-types tend to be organic, the ones that hardly resemble Normal-types are those that are inorganic, and it so happens that the Porygon is the most artificial Normal-type, thanks to their digital capabilities and their perfectly clean skin, and in Porygon’s case, polygonal body.

Runner-ups: Castform, Dunsparce, Helioptile family, Swablu, Kecleon

There is a lot of variety among Normal-types, so to find something truly original is quite a task. For this one, I picked the Whismur family, because they are known for their sound-based abilities. Who would have thought that sound could be associated with Normal-types? Starting from the quiet Whismur, followed by the loud Loudred, and the excessively noisy Exploud, the evolution is natural and progressive on their abilities. They also look like original creatures compared to most Normal-types, who are based on one of the animals in the animal kingdom.

Runner-ups: Farfetch’d, Heliolisk, Braviary, Jigglypuff family, Porygon family

Dogs are useful for people since the dawn of time, as their loyalty and strong sense of smell come in handy. Stoutland’s ability to find and rescue people in extreme places while being able to stand those conditions when travelling is very helpful for anyone who are lost or in need. Of course, since Stoutland is a dog, it also works as a great pet (especially for dog-lovers), and its fur would especially be great to touch.

Runner-ups: Miltank, Ditto, Castform, Smeargle

When it comes to efficiency, one such family that couldn’t be ignored is the Starly family. For one, this is a Flying-type family, so their ability to Fly is what makes them quite useful to have. Even Intimidate from Staravia onwards could be a life-saver. There is also the fact that Staraptor has great Attack and two powerful moves for great coverage (Brave Bird and Close Combat), not to mention Normal STAB, making it a potent threat all around.

Runner-ups: Bidoof family, Fletchling

In this category, I decided to omit any Pokémon that received Mega Evolutions, because these evolutions are an obvious step up for the Pokémon, due to being either a stronger version of the original or having an original version that is stronger anyway (so no Kangaskhan here). This award is thus relegated to Ditto, whose possession of Impostor suddenly makes it a viable battler, because saving one turn in doing its job is that powerful. Now Ditto could steal an opponent’s sweep or take a quick look at what the opponent’s moveset is, or even copy their Mega Evolution with item intact, making it a cool Pokémon to use, even if its HP is still too low to properly take advantage of duplicating an opponent’s form.

Runner-ups: Kecleon, Exploud, Wigglytuff, Chansey, Porygon2

It sounds absurd to suggest that a legendary Pokémon is the most improvable battler, but based on how Regigigas performs compared to other legendary Pokémon, that is precisely the reason it deserves the spot the most. Slow Start is an ability that limits Regigigas abilities too much, and it lacks a lot of moves that most Pokémon can learn, namely Protect. Certain improvements could include lowering the Slow Start limit, giving Regigigas moves that make stalling easier or even save Slow Start’s turn limit so it doesn’t reset. Basically, changes should be made so that Regigigas could live up to its name and as a legendary.

Runner-ups: Girafarig, Stantler, Farfetch’d, Furret, Watchog, Delcatty

The spot for best in competitive battling is a tough one, because while there are only a few Normal-types that are immensely useful competitively, each of them have qualities that put them at the top. Arceus would have been the most obvious one due to its high stats and the ability to change type, but that would be cheating a bit since its type could change. Ultimately, I picked Chansey for this spot mainly because it has seriously high defences that make it difficult to take down, and it could use that opportunity to aid its teammates through its healing powers.

Runner-ups: Arceus, Mega Kangaskhan

As far as Mega Evolutions are concerned, Mega Kangaskhan is the top. There’s some competition for this award, though, but Mega Kangaskhan tops its competition through its strength of teamwork between parent and child, which not only looks endearing, but is an effective battle tactic. After all, attacking twice is so powerful that it had to be controlled in some metagames to prevent overcentralisation.

Runner-ups: Mega Pidgeot, Mega Audino, Mega Lopunny

With so many Normal-type moves, it’s little wonder that there could potentially be several moves that can be considered the best move, since their functions are different, yet effective in their own way. After some pondering, I decided to go with Protect. Why? Not only can this move be learned by most Pokémon, it actually prevents them from most types of effects, allowing some breathing room for passive effects to activate while keeping the user safe. It’s also one of the best tactics in a Doubles battle, because it is potentially a life-saver for the team, especially if the opponent double-targets.

Runner-ups: Substitute, Swords Dance, Return/Frustration, Recover, etc.

The Normal-type Gym Leaders we have currently are all great in their own way, but when it comes to the real decision, it gets trickier, since both Unova’s Normal-type specialists have their own merits that deserve the spot. Thus, I picked Lenora because you can easily identify that Lenora is of a much different ethnicity from the other leaders, more than Surge and Fantina. Despite standing out, Lenora is just as capable as the others, having some achievements in her profession and being in a mixed marriage. After all, this highlight on how it’s normal for anybody to be potentially a Gym Leader.

Runner-ups: Cheren, Whitney, Norman

Next time, there will be one last article for the Normal-types where I will outline my thoughts on the Normal-type, as well as revealing some of my favourite and least favourite Normal-types. The opinions might be different from what is expressed in previous versions, so you can say that my opinions might change from before. I hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I have writing it.