The idea of having a type called “Fighting” in Pokémon is a bit odd considering fighting is the whole point of the games. Still, naming conventions aside, there are loads of cool Fighting-type Pokémon out there. Thankfully the world is full of many different hand-to-hand fighting styles, and that allows for a wide variety from generation to generation.
To best Fighting-types need to have a large and intimidating presence. Whether they achieve that through boundless muscles, deadly speed, or something else entirely is irrelevant, as long as they give off the vibe of something you wouldn’t want to be standing across a wrestling ring from.
Kommo-o
You could argue that Kommo-o cheats on the “intimidating presence” front by being a massive dragon, but we’re letting it slide because of how cool it looks. The way the scales layer its body makes it look like a king draped in gold chains with infinite power. What’s more, it has the Clanging Scales signature move, which is not only very powerful but is yet another piece of evidence that Pokémon should introduce a “Sound-type” in a future generation.
Gallade
Deliberately designed to be the opposite of Gardevior, the Psychic/Fighting-type combination is undoubtedly cool, and Gallade makes the most of it. It keeps that confident aura and sheer power of its counterpart while adding big arms that look like they could clobber a Mamoswine to death with ease. Then there’s its mega-evolution which turns those arms into deadly blades making it even better.
Hisuian Decidueye
Decidueye is already a brilliant design that lends itself quite easily to Fighting-type. Even still, Hisiuan Decidueye underwent a drastic redesign that brought out the viscous elements lying just under the surface. Rather than a cool and calm archer, this version looks like a patient monk who has studied many decades in martial arts and is ready to unleash fury beyond measure on its enemies.
Sirfetch’d
At some point in the development of Sword & Shield, someone looked at the celery-wielding Farfetch’d and asked, “what if we gave it a sword?”, at which point we can only assume the rest of the room burst into applause and a nationally holiday was named in their honour. It’s a duck with a sword and shield, what more do you want us to say? Go and duel with your duck already.
Zamazenta
Admittedly, a dog with a shield for a mane isn’t quite as cool as a dog with a sword in its mouth, but Zamazenta still has a lot of upside. Both Galar Legendaries look like kings of the land, but Zamazenta’s shield-mane gives it more of that sharp gold and red colouring that Zacian lacks. Whether or not charing head-first into everything really makes it a Fighting-type is up for debate, but you certainly wouldn’t argue with it if you were on the receiving end of its Behemoth Bash.
Hawlucha
Speaking as a proud pro-wrestling fan, there is a severe lack of Pokémon based on wrestlers. The over-the-top characters, colours, and spectacle seem like they would translate perfectly to a Pokémon design, but there are only two such ‘mons out there. Incineroar isn’t even a Fighting-type, which just leaves us with the high-flying, graceful, and powerful luchador bird, Hawlucha. It captures everything great about luchadors, even down to insisting on beating opponents with their signature move, Flying Press.
Machamp
The archetypical Fighting Pokémon, Machamp’s simplicity is what makes it so appealing, like most Generation 1 Pokémon. It’s a pure exaggeration of a bodybuilder’s physique and given an extra set of arms for good measure. It’s no wonder that trainers were so excited at the prospect of being carried around by one as one of Sun & Moon’s Ride Pokémon.
Infernape
The pattern from generations 3 through 5 of the Fire-type starter always getting the Fighting secondary type has long been derided, but it gave us some awesome Pokémon. Blaziken is beloved by many, Emboar is…fine, but Infernape is easily the standout from the group. An ape with flames for hair that has powerful strikes and very fast movement, what’s not to love? Plus, the Pokémon anime came along and made it one of Ash’s best team members ever, so it earns bonus points.
Urshifu
The star of the Isle of Armor, Ushifu almost immediately became a force to be reckoned with in competitive play. Having a signature move that guaranteed critical hits is borderline overpowered, especially as such attacks ignore any stat changes on either side. Aside from that, this bear trained in martial arts is one of the most powerful-looking Pokémon in all of Galar, especially when it hits the Gigantamax form that feels like an anime final boss.
Lucario
This probably doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone, Lucario is one of the most beloved Pokémon of all time, and it’s easy to see why. Riolu is such an adorable design that also brings the cool factor if that’s what you prefer in your monster design. When it evolves into Lucario it becomes one of the best humanoid designs ever, ensuring that it still feels like a powerful Pokémon, rather than a Sonic the Hedgehog reject like a certain Zeraora we could mention.
Written by Ryan Woodrow on behalf of GLHF.
