Just like the real world, the Pokémon world has more than its fair share of creepy crawlies. From moths to caterpillars, there are plenty of Pokémon with far too many legs and eyes for their own good.
Many of these Pokémon are, unsurprisingly, Bug-types, which grants them resistance to three different types and access to a handful of fun moves, like Signal Beam. Bug-types have been around since Generation I, but the first spider ‘mon didn’t appear until Generation II.
Ever since, the series has received a variety of colorful and quirky spider Pokémon. Today, we’re taking a look at which spider Pokémon reigns supreme, considering stats, power, and aesthetic appeal.
Here’s every spider Pokémon in the series, ranked from worst to best.
8) Spinarak
| Category | Stat |
|---|---|
| HP | 40 |
| Attack | 60 |
| Defense | 40 |
| Special Attack | 40 |
| Special Defense | 40 |
| Speed | 30 |
| Total | 250 |
Out of all the spider Pokémon in our list, Spinarak comes in last because it’s not overly original. It’s cute enough, but it has middling stats and nothing design-wise that makes it stand out.
It doesn’t have much to set it apart from spiders in the real world, either. Even its Pokédex description says that “it waits motionlessly for prey to arrive,” which is what real spiders do when they’re hoping to get a bite to eat.
Its one saving grace is the charming smiley face on its back, which makes it look cute—or grumpy and fed up with the world, as shown in the image above.
7) Ariados
| Category | Stat |
|---|---|
| HP | 70 |
| Attack | 90 |
| Defense | 70 |
| Special Attack | 60 |
| Special Defense | 70 |
| Speed | 40 |
| Total | 400 |
Ariados gets a slightly better ranking than Spinarak thanks to its higher power level. This is due to it being the evolved form of Spinarak but also due to the slight power bump it got from Generation VII onwards—its original base stat total was 390, but in current-gen games, it’s 400.
Like many Bug Pokémon, Ariados is a dual Bug-Poison-type. It’s a realistic combination, but it made Ariados less impressive in our eyes. So many Bug ‘mons have this classification, which leads Ariados to feel very standard and unimpressive in terms of build.
Despite this, Ariados does stand out as one of the most aesthetically appealing spiders in the Pokédex, thanks to its vibrant color scheme and silly stripy legs. It’s not a powerhouse by any means, but for a level 22 evolution with a standard type combination, it does the trick as an early-game Pokémon.
6) Spidops
| Category | Stat |
|---|---|
| HP | 60 |
| Attack | 79 |
| Defense | 92 |
| Special Attack | 52 |
| Special Defense | 86 |
| Speed | 35 |
| Total | 404 |
If you find real spiders creepy, chances are that you find Spidops a little off-putting. This leggy Bug-type joined the Pokémon franchise in Scarlet and Violet, and it’s one of the more unique-looking spider ‘mons in the Pokédex.
While it is a pure Bug-type, Spidops has access to various move types in its move pool, ranging from Fighting-type to Dark-type.
It’s not the most intimidating critter based on stats and base power, but it’s not a bad Pokémon to pick up during the early stages of a Gen IX run, especially if you’re trying to get some Fighting-type power on your team.
5) Tarountula
| Category | Stat |
|---|---|
| HP | 35 |
| Attack | 41 |
| Defense | 45 |
| Special Attack | 29 |
| Special Defense | 40 |
| Speed | 20 |
| Total | 210 |
Tarountula is the pre-evolution of Spidops, so it’s a lot weaker in terms of stats and base strength, but it’s arguably a lot cuter. Instead of playing into the realistic spider aesthetic, Tarountula is much sillier, with a huge ball of threads on its back and a goofy little face.
Stat-wise, Tarountula is incredibly squishy. It could come in useful during the Scarlet and Violet Grass-type Gym at a push, but generally, Tarountula is a ‘mon that most players will simply fill out their boxes with and leave behind for the late-game.
That being said, it’s got one of the most unique designs when looking at spider Pokémon as a whole. It doesn’t just feel like a real-world spider has been pasted into the Pokémon world despite seemingly being based on an orb-weaver spider. It’s a charmingly strange critter.
4) Dewpider
| Category | Stat |
|---|---|
| HP | 38 |
| Attack | 40 |
| Defense | 52 |
| Special Attack | 40 |
| Special Defense | 72 |
| Speed | 27 |
| Total | 269 |
In a similar fashion to Tarountula, Dewpider manages to stand out from the arachnid Pokémon lineup with a strange and endearing design. It’s a Bug-Water dual type, which isn’t exceptionally unique, but its design shows off its typing perfectly.
Likely taking inspiration from the diving bell spider, Dewpider puts a small bubble of water across its head when it goes on land to find food. According to its Pokédex entries, Dewpiders compare water bubble sizes if they ever come across one another, with the bigger bubble being determined the best.
It’s silly and seemingly pays homage to an interesting real-world creature, and it has decent stats for an early-game critter. What’s not to love?
3) Araquanid
| Category | Stat |
|---|---|
| HP | 68 |
| Attack | 70 |
| Defense | 92 |
| Special Attack | 50 |
| Special Defense | 132 |
| Speed | 42 |
| Total | 454 |
Araquanid is Dewpider’s evolution, and as a result, it’s more powerful.
It’s not overly different from Dewpider, keeping the water bubble hat and Bug-Water dual type, but it’s a lot stronger in terms of stats. It also has access to some incredible moves in its learn set, like the Water-type attack Liquidation.
Having Water in its typing helps Araquanid defend against the Fire-types and Rock-types that usually make Bug-type skitter away in fear.
2) Galvantula
| Category | Stat |
|---|---|
| HP | 70 |
| Attack | 77 |
| Defense | 60 |
| Special Attack | 97 |
| Special Defense | 60 |
| Speed | 108 |
| Total | 472 |
Unlike Ariados, Galvantula has an interesting type combination. Known as the EleSpider Pokémon, this critter is a Bug-Electric dual type with a funky design and competitive potential.
It’s a late evolution—evolving from Joltik at level 36—but this is a positive for a Bug Pokémon. Early evolution is a trap many Bug-types fall into; this gives them a lot of power early on but causes them to struggle against Pokémon, which receive a power boost later in the game.
Not only is Galvantula a heavy-hitter in the video games (providing you train it and pick a solid move set), it’s also a powerful Pokémon in the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Stellar Tera-type Galvantula ex came out in Stellar Crown, and it’s made a splash in some high-level decks.
On top of all this, Galvantula is an interesting-looking spider with fluffy, yellow fur and big, sparkly eyes. It’s one of the best spiders in the Pokémon franchise, but in our opinion, it’s not quite the best.
1) Joltik
| Category | Stat |
|---|---|
| HP | 50 |
| Attack | 47 |
| Defense | 50 |
| Special Attack | 57 |
| Special Defense | 60 |
| Speed | 65 |
| Total | 319 |
Some people may argue that Joltik isn’t technically a spider, on account of it having four legs. It’s officially classified as an arachnid, though, so we’re counting it.
It’s the pre-evolution of Galvantula, and although it doesn’t evolve until level 36, we have no qualms about it staying in its pre-evolved form a little longer than most other bugs. It also has decent stats for its size and apparent power.
Despite its hilariously tiny size (it weighs 1.3lbs, according to the Pokédex) we wouldn’t be so upset if we found one of these in the house. It learns a great assortment of Bug-type and Electric-type moves and only has a couple of weaknesses, making it a surprisingly good battle pick.
Plus, it’s adorable. Joltik is tiny and fluffy, with big, shiny eyes. Even if you’re not a fan of spiders, it’s hard to deny that Joltik has the best spider Pokémon design in the Pokédex.
When you’re building your next team in Scarlet and Violet, make sure to consider the spiders in the Pokedex. They might not be as popular as other critter-types, like cat Pokémon, but they have some unique designs and can pack a serious punch with the right build.
Read the full article here
