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To be clear, this isn’t just a comparison of similarities. Monsters in Yu-Gi-Oh! are often humanoids or other types that would never be contained in a Poké Ball. The ten monsters we’ll be looking at are those that we could realistically see in the Pokémon universe as catchable Pokémon. You won’t find any Obelisks on this list.
10 Blue-Eyes White Dragon
If we had to pick one monster in the Yu-Gi-Oh! universe who would embody a legendary Pokémon, it would have to be the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Not only does its name seem to suggest it is special compared to others on this list, but the Blue-Eyes White Dragon is also regarded as legendary in the anime early on.
Think about it, before we saw the Egyptian God Cards, this bad boy was regarded as the rarest card in existence. Kaiba ripped up one which Yugi’s grandfather owned, making his three the only copies left in the world. When he combined them into one, our universe was shattered.
9 Bitelon
Bitelon is a pretty powerful Yu-Gi-Oh! card which largely goes unnoticed. With 2400 attack and an ability which lets it deal direct damage when attacking defensive monsters, Bitelon is certainly no pushover. At level six, it’s also relatively cheap to get one of these on the field quickly against opponents.
Now imagine this guy as a Pokémon. We think it’d retain its water typing and fit into a similar niche as Electabuzz or Magmar originally had as strong Pokémon with no evolutions. Maybe someday a baby version could be added, but we definitely see the merit in letting Bitelon stand alone as a sweet solo Pokémon.
8 Kuriboh
If you’ve never looked at Kuriboh and thought about a fuzzy Tangela, you will every time you see the card from now on. Seriously, do a side-by-side. Mind-boggling. Take into consideration all of the different versions of Kuriboh as well, and you’ll see that this card could be placed into a number of cycles within the Pokémon world.
Early on in the Yu-Gi-Oh! anime, Yugi overcomes the mythical Blue-Eyes White Dragon with one of these guys and a little innovation. By comparison, we can’t help but think that Kuriboh is the Pikachu Yugi never had.
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7 Monster Egg
This thing is just cute. Looking at it, we can’t help but think of Togepi. Monster Egg is such a great representation of a baby Pokémon who will eventually evolve, that we can already see where it fits. Even if it doesn’t make the cut as a Pokémon, it could easily be considered as an egg.
Eggs in the Pokémon games still occupy inventory space, so even if you feel this is where Monster Egg logically fits, we still count this as a win. If it is an egg, it’s technically already in the game. Its flavor text gives us an edge though, in that it clearly attacks by flinging eggshells. Pokémon have attacks.
6 Ryu-Ran
Speaking of eggs, how about this card? If Monster Egg isn’t close enough, Ryu-Ran has to be. Not only does it have visible arms, legs, and wings, but it also has a name that isn’t just a description. Perhaps this could evolve from Monster Egg. Perhaps not. Either way, it comes packed with its own evolution in the form of Magna Ryu-Ran.
The requirement of Toon World for Magna Ryu-Ran makes this seem like evolutions that would require an evolution stone. If you count Monster Egg as the stage one, this line could fit into a generation, just as the Oddish line does.
5 Baby Dragon
Baby Dragon also has an evolution in the fusion monster Thousand Dragon. It really makes us think of Slowpoke even though it embodies both of his evolutions. On the one hand, Baby Dragon and Time Wizard combine in a similar fashion to the fusion of Slowpoke and Shellder to become Slowbro.
On the other hand, if you think about Time Wizard as an item and the spell card Polymerization as a trading mechanism, this process is a lot more akin to the Slowking evolution. In any case, we think Baby Dragon is right at home on this list and would make an excellent addition to Pokémon.
4 Petit Moth
To start, this is basically Caterpie. Look at it. This card is famous for being one of Weevile Underwood’s most important cards in the anime. Outside the anime, bug decks are pretty popular designs that see a lot of play.
As it is, this card was made to be a Pokémon. It has several evolutions in the card version based on how long the monster card Cocoon of Evolution is attached to it. With the powerful card Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth being an ideal result of this, it’s easy to see how these decks can gain powerful advantages.
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3 Relinquished
Relinquished is a powerful ritual monster who takes over the stats of another monster and equips it. When it’s supposed to die, that other monster dies instead. It makes a great way to clear your opponent’s monsters and it’s a ton of fun at parties. We like to think of it as a much more intimidating Ditto.
Unlike Ditto, this guy has a fusion which is essentially an evolution. The Thousand-Eyes Restrict, which results from fusing Relinquished with Thousand-Eyes Idol, is a beefed-up version which also locks all opposing monsters into their current positions and prevents them from attacking.
2 Tatsunootoshigo
How this ever became a Yu-Gi-Oh! card is a bit beyond us, but it’s definitely a runner-up for the strangest cards ever made. Its text box says “A bizarre monster with the torso of a horse and a fish’s tail. It gallops through the sea as if it were the wind.” If that doesn’t sound like a Pokédex entry, nothing does.
Since it has an Earth typing, we’d probably go ahead and change that if Tatsunootoshigo were to make the translation into Pokémon, but little more. Rapidash and Ponyta already have a corner on the flaming horse market, so there’s definitely room for this mermaid companion. If only it were a ghost Pokémon, Tatsunootoshigo could make consideration for a bizarre list based on the Pokédex alone.
1 Fenghuang
We feel like Fenghuang already exists in Pokémon. Take a long hard look at Ho-oh and tell us that there isn’t a striking resemblance. Once you’ve compared the images, we think you’ll agree that Fenghuang fits right in as a legendary bird for the generation of Pokémon we’re building in this article.
Fenghuang’s ability gives the sense that it’s a bit elusive to boot. That definitely doesn’t hurt our argument. Add to that the ability to destroy all traps and spells, and we have a legend in the making right here. The only knock we can find with bringing Fenghuang in right away is the abundance of legendary birds with the fire type. Thanks, Moltres.
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