Pokemon’s most wholesome, heartwarming PokeDex entries of all time

In my last Pokemon PokeDex analysis, I examined the most terrifying and all-around unsettling PokeDex entries in the Pokemon franchise, including Drowzee licking your nostrils while you sleep with its prehensile anteater tongue, Gengar stalking you in perpetuum, Gorbyss drinking entrails and blood and Drampa engulfing bullies’ houses in dragonflame just to name a few.

This time around I decided to switch it up, lift your spirits and share with you my favorite heartwarming, uplifting and wholesome Pokemon PokeDex entries in the entire series. Because at the end of the day, we’re all playing Pokemon to have fun and enjoy ourselves, aren’t we?

Pikachu

Just when you thought Pikachu couldn’t get any more nauseatingly adorable, Game Freak had to go and do a thing like this in Pikachu’s Pokemon Sword & Shield PokeDex entry:

> When Pikachu meet, they’ll touch their tails together and exchange electricity through them as a form of greeting.

What, were you expecting them to sniff each other’s hindquarters?

Lapras

Lapras has always been one of my favorite underrated Pokemon since the Generation I days. It has a bulky base HP, solid overall stats and looks like a serene, icy-blue, Loch Ness Monster.

Past PokeDex entries have revealed the benign creature’s misfortune, however. Namely, its place on the Pokemon endangered species list. As the Red/Blue PokeDex entries from 1996 reveal, Lapras is “A POKéMON that has been overhunted almost to extinction.”

Pokemon Gold‘s PokeDex entry pours salt in the wound:

> They have gentle hearts. Because they rarely fight, many have been caught. Their number has dwindled.

Real big accomplishment, Lapras hunters. Good job hunting down a graceful, gentle Pokemon that doesn’t even fight back. (I’m going to assume the “caught” in the above sentence is referring to evil Pokemon hunters ensnaring Lapras in an actual steel-jawed trap or something and not just some Pokemon trainers in swim goggles and a pair of speedos butchering innocent Lapras on the Victory Road waterways.)

By Generation III, in Pokemon Ruby/Sapphire, Lapras’ plight unfortunately hasn’t improved:

> People have driven LAPRAS almost to the point of extinction. In the evenings, this POKéMON is said to sing plaintively as it seeks what few others of its kind still remain.

All those times we forced Lapras to use Sing in a Pokemon battle just got a whole lot more depressing.

If the Pokemon Gold entry was pouring salt in the wound, then the Pokemon Black/White 2 PokeDex entry is the twist of the Honedge.

> Able to understand human speech and very intelligent, it loves to swim in the sea with people on its back.

Lapras can understand human speech (a pretty impressive feat if we’re strictly talking in-game and not the anime) and ferries people willingly on its back and the people of the Pokemon world repay it by overhunting the poor bastard to the point of wiping it out to near extinction? Plus, the fact that Lapras is completely cognizant of everything people are saying and still doesn’t fight back makes it an extra level of deplorable.

Don’t write any scathing hate mail to Game Freak just yet. Thankfully, more recent PokeDex entries have revealed some uplifting developments for Lapras’ predicament.

Like the Pokemon Moon PokeDex entry in 2016:

> These Pokémon were once near extinction due to poaching. Following protective regulations, there is now an overabundance of them.

It may have taken twenty years, but we finally did it, folks: Lapras is off the endangered species list. Now, GameFreak, can we have an in-game storyline where we give those no-good Lapras poachers their comeuppance?

Marowak

The tragedy of Cubone, the impetus for our Most Frightening PokeDex entries article, is one that’s well known in Pokemon circles.

As you might know, witnessing the death of its mother affects Cubone in a more repercussive manner than any other Pokemon in the game. The poor guy is so distraught over the loss that it, in an act that’s equally heartrending and morbid, starts wearing the skull of its dead mother as a helmet.

The Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire PokeDex entry for Cubone doesn’t make the situation any less difficult to deal with.

> CUBONE pines for the mother it will never see again. Seeing a likeness of its mother in the full moon, it cries. The stains on the skull the POKéMON wears are made by the tears it sheds.

Who’s cutting onions? Fortunately, the story of Cubone acting like the Pokemon equivalent of Norman Bates doesn’t end there; when it evolves into Marowak, Cubone not only undergoes a physical transformation but a mental one as well.

“A Marowak is the evolved form of a Cubone that has grown tough by overcoming the grief of losing its mother. Its tempered and hardened spirit is not easily broken.”

Much like the transformative tale of Magikarp, Pokemon teaches us a similarly inspiring parable with Cubone: persevere through times of difficulty, for eventually grow we’ll grow as individuals. And grow into the helmet we fashioned from our mother’s skull too.

Artist: SergChayote on DeviantArt

Dragonite

According to Dragonite’s Ultra Moon PokeDex entry:

> You’ll often hear tales of this kindhearted Pokémon rescuing people or Pokémon that are drowning.

[Insert a 7-foot, 3-inch, beach-swole Dragonite with red rescue buoy tucked one arm swooping into the water slow-motion Baywatch-style to rescue a Pokemon trainer who swam too far out from shore.]

“I’ll be ready
(Whenever you fear) oh don’t you fear
(I’ll be ready)
Forever and always, I’m always here”

Igglybuff (Pokemon Sun)

Igglybuff’s Pokemon Sun PokeDex entry:

> It likes to sing but is not yet good at it. With praise and encouragement, it will get better little by little.

The image of a Pokemon trainer cheering its Igglybuff from unpolished karaoke bar singer into Pokemon Pavarotti is not only heartwarming, but the essence of Pokemon should be — the sort of relationship every trainer should strive to achieve with their beloved companion.

Artist: 3Paula3

Drampa

Even though the Drampa PokeDex entry we took a look at in my Most Terrifying PokeDex Entries is a bit excessive — like John Wick levels of excessive — you can’t deny that Drampa is about as loyal a Pokemon you’ll ever come across. And also for the children.

Per Drampa’s Ultra Moon PokeDex entry:

> It appears in towns and plays with the children. Drampa will protect kids when they’re in danger, so their moms don’t have to worry.

Maybe this is why moms in the Pokemon world are so downright eager to shove their elementary school aged children out the front door to become Pokemon masters.

“You’ll be fine, honey. There’s nothing to worry about. Drampa will be there rearing you for me during your formative years while mommy has wine night for the next eight years straight.”

All jokes aside, as a parent myself, it’d be nice to have a Pokemon like Drampa around as an extra set of eyes and claws making sure the neighborhood children don’t run out into the street or fall off their skateboards. Although, best of luck to you, Drampa, when those same children turn into teenagers. “Me and Pikachu can snort this entire roll of Rare Candies if we feel like it, Drampa. You’re not my real dad!”

Mega-Pinsir

Mega-Pinsir’s Pokemon Ultra Sun PokeDex entry:

> After Mega Evolution, it becomes able to fly. Perhaps because it’s so happy, it rarely touches the ground.

Can’t you just see the immense “happiness” in Mega-Pinsir’s eyes?

Just imagine it flitting around in the sky like an enormous, crazy-eyed hummingbird, pollinating fruit-flowers and chirping jubilant songs beneath the golden sun. And then happily skewering another Pokemon on its two, enormous pincers.

Aggron

Aggron’s Pokemon Sapphire PokeDex entry:

> Aggron is surprisingly protective of its environment. If its mountain is ravaged by a landslide or a fire, this Pokémon will haul topsoil to the area, plant trees, and beautifully restore its own territory.

Aggron, Steel/Rock behemoth who claims an entire mountain as its territory. Also an extraordinary, attentive landscaper.

I’ve always liked Aggron on account of it being an absolute unit, its bad-a– design and its Steel/Rock dual-typing — but who knew it was such a gentle giant with a green thumb? Such horticultural diligence only adds to Aggron’s appeal.

Alolan Rattata

Alolan Rattata’s Pokemon Ultra Sun PokeDex entry:

> It shows no interest in anything that isn’t fresh. If you take it shopping with you, it will help you pick out ingredients.

Alolan Rattata might seem kind of evil with its Dark-typing and villainous-looking mustache but as it turns out it just really wants to make sure you get the most out of every trip to the grocery store.

If you’re anything like me, no matter how diligently I’ve put together a grocery list, there’s always one or two items I seem to forget — with Alolan Rattata there my forgetfulness, as well as the tedium of grocery shopping in general would be a thing of the past.

Vanillite

Vanillite’s Pokemon Moon PokeDex entry:

> It feels pleasantly cool when embraced. This Pokémon is treasured by households in warm regions.

Good guy Vanillite: Saving on air conditioning bills during those hot Sinnoh summers.

Buzzwole

Buzzwole’s Pokemon Ultra Moon PokeDex entry:

> Buzzwole goes around showing off its abnormally swollen muscles. It is one kind of Ultra Beast.

Why would Buzzwole make this list, you ask? A Pokemon going around flexing his biceps in people’s faces doesn’t sound very wholesome. Or polite, for that matter.

To that I have two things to say: One, what were you really expecting from a bodybuilding mosquito Pokemon?

And two, instead of imagining Buzzwole as some selfaggrandizing gym jerk who makes insectile buzzing noises the whole time it’s hitting side chest poses, picture him as the Pokemon world’s Arnold Schwarzenegger, accent and all.

“Dat’ss right, I’m a mosquito who wyurks out in a chymnasium. I don’t want to hyurt you. Just admire my unparalehled insect biolochee.”

Suddenly, Buzzwole’s gone from gym jerk to the most uplifting (pun), inspiring and affable Pokemon in history.

Murkrow

Crows get a bad rap in real life, being seen as raucous harbingers of misfortune, pillagers of corn crops and pilferers of other birds’ nests. This perception extends to the crow’s Pokemon equivalent, Murkrow as well. Per Murkrow’s Pokemon Moon PokeDex entry:

> Seen as a symbol of bad luck, it’s generally disliked.

But just like real life crows, who according to scientific studies are one of the most intelligent, non-primate animals on the planet, able to manipulate tools, solve puzzles, recognize faces and even give people gifts — Murkrows aren’t necessarily just omens of ill-fate. They display intelligence and awareness as well. Just ask any iced-out Murkrow trainer drippin’ in the finest pilfered jewelry this side of Kanto.

From the second part of the same Murkrow PokeDex entry:

> Yet it gives presents—objects that sparkle or shine—to Trainers it’s close to.

So the next time you ask yourself, “Why choose Murkrow?” you should also ask yourself, “Do I also hate being lavished with lustrous gifts and shiny jewelry?”

Goodra

Goodra’s Pokemon Ultra Sun PokeDex entry:

> It’s very friendly toward people. If you grow close to it, Goodra will hug you with its sticky, slime-covered body. Don’t get mad.

I watched enough Real Ghostbusters growing up with Slimer giving Egon, Ray, Venkman and Winston all those mucilaginous embraces to know that a slimy hug isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

There’s another reason why I’d hug Goodra without a care in the world. And that’s because thanks to Goodra’s considerable Special Defense stat and Sap Sipper ability it is pretty much the perfect counter to Celebi, a mythical Grass/Psychic Pokemon introduced in Gold/Silver. Despite being adorable, Celebi was one of the most annoying Pokemon you could ever face in the competitive battling meta of Pokemon Generations II and III, so the presence of Goodra alleviates some of the pain from those Celebi-induced losses.

So come here and give me a hug, Goodra, you big, slimy galoot. Of course I won’t get mad.

Oh, one last reason I’d hug Goodra and enjoy every second of it. I’d rather give it a hug and be on its good side than anger it and run the risk of being on the receiving end of one of its punches — which the Pokemon Y PokeDex entry describes as being thrown with the “equivalent of the force of a hundred pro boxers.”

Which wholesome Pokemon PokeDex entries warmed your heart the most? Did I leave out any wholesome Pokemon PokeDex entries that should’ve made the list? Let me know in the comments.