Summary
A lot of opponents that you will face in thePokemongames are easy-going, and you will be able to beat them by just exploiting type matchups. However, the same cannot be said for many tough fights which require you to employ certain strategies or even use helpful battle and healing items.
These adversaries are certainly not kidding around, and they can bring your entire team down in seconds, if you make a wrong turn during a battle or if you use types that leave you at a disadvantage. This list ranks them all on the basis of the trouble they give you while you attempt to defeat them.
10AI Turo
This section contains endgame spoilers for Pokemon Violet, so read at your own discretion if you haven’t cleared Area Zero in the game yet.
The battle with AI Turo is one of the most challenging ones, as he brings out paradox Pokemon that you might be unprepared to deal with the first time you face him. Even if you were to exploit his weaknesses by using Ground-type Pokemon, he has Iron Bundle in his team that can stop you from doing that.
As it is an endgame battle, the Pokemon AI Turo owns are over-leveled, so if you are less than level 70, it will be that much harder to take him down. His Pokemon use various types of moves, which may be super-effective against many Pokemon in your team.
9Steven
After facing the tough elite four, the champion Steven is waiting for you at the end, but by the time you face him, your team will be exhausted by the battles you have to go through before facing him. Even though he uses a Steel-type team, you may’t beat him just by exploiting his weakness.
While most of his team consists of Steel-type Pokemon, he also owns some Ground and Rock type Pokemon. It makes the battle more troublesome as the Fire-type Pokemon that you were using to beat his steel type will be vulnerable against his Armaldo, Cradily and Aggron.
8Red
The version of battle with Red, when you face him at Mount Silver at the end of the game, was even harder in the remake, considering that he could utilize the new moves that were introduced in future generations.
His Snorlax is particularly hard to deal with, as normal-type Pokemon don’t have a lot of weaknesses. It also knows the move Rest, which can restore it to full health. Even if you successfully beat his Snorlax, brace for his wild card Pikachu who can wipe out your team quickly with its strong electric attacks.
7Kieran
Kieran may seem like a weaker character during the Teal Mask DLC, however, he becomes obsessed with completely destroying his opponent in the Indigo Disk DLC. He is known to be ruthless, and the battle with him will not disappoint if you like an element of difficulty to the Pokemon games.
Kieran’s weakness is apparently Ogerpon, the Pokemon he is obsessed with throughout the main plot. While using Ogerpon will have you covered for the battle, it won’t be as breezy, as Kieran owns Incineroar, which is strong against the Grass and Rock types. If you are using your Ogerpon with his Rock mask, it will be quickly defeated, making the rest of the fight much harder.
6Ultra Necrozma
The battle with Ultra Necrozma is the hardest legendary battle in the Pokemon games. It caught a lot of players off-guard with the sheer power of its attacks. The Legendary Pokemon will repeatedly use Photon Geyser which can knock out your team quickly, especially if you are under-leveled.
Ultra Necrozma’s ability Neuroforce will defeat any Pokemon instantly, as super-effective moves become more powerful. That’s not all you have to deal with, as it has a powerful Z-move in store namely “Light that Burns the Sky,' which it might menacingly use when you thought you had him.
5Cynthia
Conquering the Pokemon League by dethroning Cynthia is one of the toughest tasks in Generation 4 games. She uses a team that utilizes multiple types, which can make forming your own team to fight her very hard.
A few Pokemon she uses, like Spiritomb, have barely any weaknesses that you’re able to exploit, making it very tough to beat her unless you have a fairy-type Pokemon in your team. Her Garchomp is a tough nut to crack and the battle with her becomes even harder in the remake as it can now use Sword dance that increases attack greatly.
4Ghetsis
There are a few battles that force you to stock up on some healing items like revives and max potions just to clear a fight you are stuck at. Ghetsis is one of the most fearsome Team Leaders in the games, and his team is equally daunting, especially considering that he has one of the most powerful Pseudo-Legendaries, Hydreigon.
Hydreigon has great speed stats, which means if you have a Dragon-type Pokemon on the field, it will be able to take it down faster than you are even able to attack it. The fact that you are unable to use your caught Legendary effectively during this battle certainly raises its difficulty level.
3Giovanni
Mewtwo was always a hard Pokemon to beat as a Psychic type who knows the move Recover, but this particular battle with Giovanni is especially harder as he mega-evolves it in the middle of the fight. This makes Mewtwo much stronger than before, enough to one-shot your weaker Pokemon.
You will be easily using various healing items throughout this battle, and you might have to resort to reviving your Pokemon repeatedly, till Mewtwo runs out of his Recover PP. You don’t only need the correct type matchup, but your Pokemon should have great stats to stand a chance against Giovanni.
2Whitney
Whitney’s Miltank has made a mark on all Pokemon fans who played the Generation 2 games, back in the day. This was probably the most difficult challenge many young trainers had to go through when theyweren’t as experienced with the series.Also, Normal-type Pokemon are greatly underestimated leading many to be totally un-prepared.
Her Milk Drink move was a menace to deal with, as it can completely ruin your battle strategy. Just when you are about to finish it off, Miltank will use it to restore her health. If that wasn’t enough, she would also use Stomp to make your Pokemon flinch, which prevents you from attacking when you want it the most.
1Volo
This entry contains endgame spoilers for Pokemon Legends Arceus, so avoid reading if you haven’t completed the second part of the game.
Volo appears as a friendly neighborhood guy until he shows his true strength near the end of the game. His six Pokemon team is quite formidable, but even after you beat that, he will summon a wild card Giratina, who you will need to beat twice with your current team and health.
Giratina will also end up evading your attacks often, which will give Volo more chances to attack you. It becomes even more frustrating considering that Giratina has some powerful moves that can one-shot your Pokemon.
