People are mostly terrified or disgusted by bugs. They look creepy and annoying for some, but Bug-type Pokemon are of a different kind. There have been a lot of these things over the series through the years. Bugs may be freaky, but there are a ton of cute Bug-types and other Pokemon on this list.
It is time that we give these Bugs the recognition that they deserve, which is why we’re presenting our list of the 15 Best Bug-Type Pokemon in the series.
Bug types have been around since Gen 1, and they are super effective against Dark, Psychic, and Grass-types.
However, they are weak to Fire, Flying, and Rock-types. That being said, the Pokemon we list here are some of the best that you would want to have on your team in any game. If you’re interested, we also have a list of the best Water-types in the series.
Other Topics That Might Interest You
- 10 Best Pokemon In Gold and Silver
- 10 Best Non-Legendary Pokemon
- 10 Best Grass Type Pokemon
- 10 Best Mythical Pokemon
Table of Contents
15) Lokix
Let’s start our list of the best Bug-type Pokemon with a Gen 9 one. We have Lokix, which is a Bug and Dark-type which is the evolved form of Nymble. Its design is based on a grasshopper but is standing on two legs.
It has impressive Attack and Speed, so it’s a perfect Pokemon to be at the front when it comes to the bugs. It also has a good ability called Swarm which boosts Bug-type damage when its HP is below 50%.
Ideal Moves and Strategies
- A few good Bug-type moves are good like First Impression which is ideal since it works only during the first turn but paired up with Lokix’s high Attack stat, it can deal great damage. Leech Life, and even U-Turn are good on a situational basis.
- Dark-type moves can also be a good addition that relies on the Attack stat. Sucker Punch and Throat Chop are the players’ go-to Moves and even Swords Dance which is a Normal-type move.
- Equip Lokix with Choice Band for increased Attack or Choice Scarf for a Speed boost, but that depends on what you need.
14) Butterfree
One of the most beloved Gen 1 Pokemon is Butterfree. You can get this one very early by catching a Caterpie and evolving it in the earlier games. The Metapod phase is the toughest one to overcome, but when you finally evolve it, you get a nice butterfly Pokemon.
It is a Bug and Flying-type Pokemon which has an array of Moves to use. It can even use Psychic moves, which is perfect in or early gaming stages of Gen 1.
While a lot of its other stats are just average, its Sp. Attack isn’t so bad, especially in the early stages of the games.
Ideal Moves and Strategies.
- Bug moves are good, but most of the time Butterfree excels with Psychic-type Moves. Early on, you can get moves like Confusion and Psybeam, which you can change later into Psychic. Even the dreaded combo of Sleep Powder and Dream Eater can be devastating.
- It can also use good Bug moves like Bug Buzz and U-Turn. An ideal move before you start pumping out damage would be Quiver Dance which increases Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed. Have it also learn Giga Drain for survivability.
13) Shuckle
At first glance, Shuckle doesn’t look like a bug. It looks more like a turtle with a long neck stuck inside a rocky shell. Nevertheless, Shuckle is one of those Pokemon that people love for its weirdness, but it is also capable in battle.
Shuckle is an effective tank Pokemon because it has very high Defense and Special Defense. The greatness of its defense stats is muddled because Its other stats are abysmal.
So use Shuckle when you’re done with your setup, like allowing damage over time attacks to take their effects. Its ability Sturdy is also good because it can survive instant kill attacks by letting it sustain 1 HP.
Ideal Moves and Strategies
- Starting first with offense, since it has bad stats aside from Def and Sp. Def, you can give it Bug Bite for physical or Struggle Bug for special. Stealth Rock isn’t such a bad idea that deals damage per turn. Finish it off with Sticky Web that slows down enemies per turn. Gyro Ball works well with Sticky Web when the enemy is already slower than normal.
- Being tough and tanky, using support moves like Protect, Safeguard, and Withdraw. These Moves can help keep it sustained and alive. Rest isn’t a bad move to use to fully heal Shuckle while the other moves are doing their damage over time.
12) Shedinja
The Shedinja from Gen 3, which is a Bug and Ghost-type gets that reputation of being a hard Pokemon to deal with. That’s because it has Wonder Guard as its ability which is considered one of the most amazing abilities in the series, for the most part.
This ability is exclusive to Shedinja, and it blocks all attacks except for Shedinja’s weaknesses. If you don’t have Moves that are super effective and strong attacks against Shedinja, then there’s no way you can win.
People think this is unfair, but it is actually easy to overcome. Just have super effective Moves against it such as Dark, Fire, Flying, Ghost, and Rock.
Ideal Moves and Strategies
- Shedinja’s best stat is Attack, and its HP is super low. It’s a good physical attacker, and if you want to rely on Bug-type attacks, use X-Scissor as your best moves and if you’re able to obtain it, Bug Bite isn’t so bad.
- Shedinja excels much more outside the realm of Bug moves. It has a wide range of attacks, such as Will-O-Wisp which is a Fire-type move is good because it can cause Burn and if Wonder Guard is in effect, can capitalize on Shedinja’s properties.
- Other ideal moves fall under the Ghost-type such as Confuse Ray, Shadow Claw, Shadow Sneak, and Phantom Force.
11) Scolipede
Scolipede is the final form of Venipede which comes from Gen 5. This Bug and Poison-type has a knack for being strong if built right. It is also usually a banned competitive Bug type.
That’s right, most people don’t want to face this in battle or competitive events. It has the Poison Point ability, where it inflicts Poison on those that deal damage to it in close range.
It has an impressive Attack as well as its base Speed stat. You may want to build your Scolipede for fast-paced attacks.
Ideal Moves and Strategies
- When it comes to Bug Moves, start with Bug Bite and later change it with Mega Horn. These are straight up Moves that rely on Attack which Scolipede is good at.
- Several Poison-type Moves like Poison Jab, and Toxic are welcome additions to your arsenal and pair them up with the held item Poison Barb.
- Finally, these moves that are a variety of attacks are also ideal for Scolipede. We have Earthquake, Rollout, and Throat Chop.
10) Galvantula
While in the realm of reality or video games, the debate whether spiders are bugs or arachnids, Galvantula is pretty much a bug here. Based on real-life tarantula spiders, Galvantula is a Bug and Electric type.
This spider has high Special Attack and Speed, so compared to some of the physical attackers we mentioned on this list, Galvantula is your speed special attacker.
On top of it, its ability Compound Eyes raises its accuracy by 30%.
Ideal Moves and Strategies
- For the best Moves, you’ll be relying more on other types but for Bug moves, try to use Bug Buzz and the rest would be more on Electric-types.
- Electric moves such as Thunder, Thunder Wave, Electro Web, and Volt Switch are very much welcome.
Funny enough, a couple of Grass moves are good on Galvantula, such as Absorb for lower levels and Giga Drain when the levels get higher.
Other Grass Moves such as Energy Ball are also a good call. Equipping Choice Specs for a boost in Special Attack isn’t a bad idea.
09) Yanmega
We’re already within our top 10 best Bug-type Pokemon, and what better than Yanmega, the dragonfly Pokemon. Yanmega came from Gen 4, and evolving this thing is very different.
You have to level up a Yanma up to 33, but it needs to have the Ancient Power Move learned. No Ancient Power means the Yanmega can’t evolve, but it can evolve even at a later level as long as the Yanma has Ancient Power learned.
Yanmega has high Special Attack and Speed that is good to boot. Its ability Speed Boost increases the Speed stat that makes it up to a point of being incredible Speed.
Ideal Moves and Strategies
- The only ideal Bug Move for Yanmega is Bug Buzz, utilizing the Special Attack and Speed stats. The other thing is that you’re already stuck with Ancient Power which isn’t a bad move. It deals Special damage and raises stats by chance.
- Other good Moves to teach Yanmega are Air Slash, Giga Drain, and even Psychic.
08) Centiskorch
Coming in at number 8 is the Gen 8 Fire and Bug-type, Centiskorch. The Bug is the secondary type, but that’s not a bad thing. It has good HP, Attack, Special Attack, Special Defense, and decent Speed.
Its fiery moves can protect it from Fire-type attacks. It makes the effectiveness of Fire against Bug-types normal due to its dual typing. Centiskorch can be versatile when it comes to how you build it for offense, be it Physical or Special.
Ideal Moves and Strategies
- There’s not much when it comes to Bug Moves, you can just rely on Bug Bite or Bug Buzz.
- Using Fire moves is where the real charm happens for Centiskorch. Start with Will-O-Wisp for lower levels and guaranteed Burns. For a physical build, go for Fire Lash, and for special, go for Burn Up or Inferno. Don’t forget about equipping it with Charcoal in case you focus on Fire.
- Some Poison Moves like Coil and Venoshock are welcome to its arsenal.
07) Heracross
This Gen 2 Bug and Fighting-type is an impressive specimen for any team. Heracross is somewhat tricky to obtain but not impossible.
Anyway, it has an impressive base Attack stat and decent Special Defense. Its other stats aren’t really that good, but they don’t have to be.
It can have the Swarm ability, but you may prefer that the Heracross you have has Guts. Guts allow it to have a boost in Attack when it has an active status ailment. Also, Heracross has a Mega Evolution form in case you get one in the later games.
Ideal Moves and Strategies
- Having high Attack, several Fighting-type Moves can benefit Heracross. Depending on the game, you can go for Moves like Close Combat and Brick Break.
- Mega Horn isn’t such a bad idea as well for the Bug-type aspect. Using Night Slash and Earthquake are good Moves with the latter for double battles as long as your teammate isn’t hit by Ground Moves. These physical attacks greatly benefit from Heracross’ high Attack. Choice Band isn’t a bad item to give it.
06) Araquanaid
Araquanaid looks like it came from something from a science expert. It looks futuristic, and this Pokemon comes from Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon which are just a few of the Gen 7 games.
Its pre-evolution form Dewpider comes full circle with this deadly-looking Pokemon. Being a Water-type first and a Bug-type second, it has an array of Water-type attacks on others. It’s more of a tank having very high Special Defense and high Defense.
It also prefers to have an array of Physical attacks over Special Moves. It does have a nice Hidden Ability called Water Absorb, which restores a portion of its HP when hit with a Water-type attack.
Ideal Moves and Strategies
- Starting off with some Bug moves, you get to use Bug Bite as a form of offense. Leech Life does sync well with the purpose of making Araquanaid a tank.
- Water Moves can come in different forms, with Liquidation for offense and Scald for damage over time. Scald works well when your enemy is losing HP, and your Araquanaid is sustaining itself. To sustain itself even further, teach it Aqua Ring for some heals. Don’t forget to equip some Leftovers.
05) Scizor
We’re in the top 5 of our best Bug-type Pokemon list. We’re taking a look at the Gen 2 Bug Steel type, which is Scizor. Scizor is obtained when you trade a Scyther carrying a Metal Coat.
This is an impressive Bug Steel type combo because, with the Steel-typing, it reduces a lot of the weaknesses that the Bug-type usually has. The downside is that this combo takes four-times weaknesses from Fire-type moves.
Fire is its biggest Weakness, so make sure to avoid using it against those enemies. Scizor has a high Attack and a decent Defense stat to boot. Scizor also has a Mega Evolution in the later games.
Ideal Moves and Strategies
- Having high Attack, make sure you teach it Physical-based Moves. You have Bug Bite for the early game, X-Scissor, or U-Turn for Bug type Moves.
- Other good offensive Moves like Iron Head, Metal Claw, and even Night Slash if you have it.
- A couple of Normal Moves are also not bad such as priority Moves like Quick Attack or Swift. Swords Dance is a good buff, as well as even Flash Cannon. Go for Choice Band or Choice Scarf for a Speed boost in case you don’t want to use priority moves.
04) Buzzwole
This guy probably got its name from the term swole, which is used to describe characters that have bulky and muscular bodies. Buzzwole is pretty much that, and it is a Bug and Fighting-type Pokemon.
Buzzwole is considered an Ultra Beast, which is just a special type of Pokemon. It’s not a Legendary or Mythical Pokemon and one that you would want on your team if want.
As far as powerful bug types go, this Pokemon is raw power armed with powerful attacks as long as they are under the Physical aspect. It has decent Speed, and its Special stats fall behind.
Ideal Moves and Strategies
- Having a high base power, it can arm itself with Lunge, with is a strong Bug-type attack.
- A lot of its moves are mostly effective for its Fighting-type. A couple of ideal Fighting moves are Focus Punch, Hammer Arm, Superpower, and even Drain Punch.
- Several of the other punch moves like Mega Punch and Ice Punch are good to add. Equip Choice Band for more power or Choice Scarf for more speed.
03) Pheromosa
At first look, you would think Pheromosa is a Bug or Fairy-type. The bug design is obvious since it looks like a walking cockroach. It is actually like Buzzwole, which is a Bug and Fighting-type. It is also an Ultra Beast, but its stats are widely different.
Pheromosa has high Attack and Special Attack as well as impressive Speed, which is higher than those two. Its defensive stats are bad, though so it is ideal to deal damage in high amounts by utilizing its speed to get rid of enemies fast and furiously.
Pheromosa is only obtained in Pokemon Moon or Ultra Moon. This means you have to trade it to Pokemon Sun or other games.
Ideal Moves and Strategies
- Considering it has a balance offensive stat, any Bug Moves like Lunge, Bug Buzz, and U-Turn are good enough.
- Fighting Moves such as Focus Blast for Special or Close Combat for Physical can be ideal.
- Ice- Moves can also be a good array of Moves for Pheromosa. Go for Blizzard and Ice Beam for a variety of attacks.
Pheromosa benefits from Choice Band for Physical, Choice Specs for Special, or Choice Scarf for Speed.
02) Volcarona
Volcarona is considered to be one of the best Pokemon in the series. It is classified to be a pseudo-Legendary and not a complete one. It is a Fire and Bug-type, so it completely cancels out its Fire-type weakness.
Then again, it becomes more susceptible to Rock type Moves. Its Flame Body ability is good because it inflicts Burn on enemies that touch it on attack. Speaking of Fire, Volcarona excels more on that rather than the Bug aspect.
Ideal Moves and Strategies
- Use Moves like Sunny Day to boost Fire damage or Will-O-Wisp for instant Burns. Then again, Flame Body may already be a good ability, so focus on Fire Moves that rely on Special Attack. Fire Blast, Heat Wave, and Overheat are good Moves for an offense.
- Bug-type Moves such as Bug Buzz and Quiver Dance are ideal. Quiver Dance boosts Volcarona’s Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed, allowing it to deal more damage and be faster.
01) Genesect
The number and best Bug-type Pokemon in the series, at least according to us is Genesect. This Gen 5 Legendary Bug and Steel-type Pokemon was modified by Team Plasma. It’s part Pokemon and pat machine, but that’s what makes it the best.
With the exception of its HP, its other stats are very high and good, making it an excellent choice. Its ability to Download raises its Attack and Special Attack when it is swapped into the battle.
It is resistant to a lot of Moves, but it is extremely weak to Fire, being a Bug and Steel-type.
Ideal Moves and Strategies
- For Bug Moves, go for Bug Buzz or X-Scissor and even Leech Life to supplement them.
- Genesect is perfect for different Moves of different types focusing on damage. Go for Moves like Flamethrower, Ice Beam, Thunderbolt, Flash Cannon, and even Dark Pulse.
- Pair a good item depending on which field you want to focus in.
In Closing
That concludes our list of the 15 Best Bug-type Pokemon in the series. Do you agree with our list? Maybe there are some bugs in here that should have been ranked higher or lower. There could also be some Bug Pokemon that are not on our list that should have been there.
There is a multitude of Bug Pokemon from different Generations. These are just the ones that fill the ranks of the best ones that you can use. It may be tricky to get some of them but at the end of the day, try to get them if you can.
