Forget cats and dogs, there are great Pokemon to be found when you start looking at all the monkeys. We’ve had them from Gen 1 to Gen 9, from starters to Pokemon that you get as gifts.
While there isn’t a monkey Pokemon for every type, there is a great amount of type coverage if you’re looking to make a team of just monkeys. In our ultimate tier list, we’ll be ranking the monkeys from bottom to top in a gigantic tier list to show you which ones are awesome for team building and having during your next run of Pokemon. Keep in mind, this is all our personal opinion. All Pokemon are viable as long as you put some thought behind their move sets and stats.
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16. Munkidori
Munkidori is a blue monkey Pokemon that is part of the Loyal Three, a name that quickly turns into a parody during the events of the Teal Mask DLC. Among monkey Pokemon, this one gets the least style points, looking more like a Super Monkey Ball character from Walmart instead of a Pokemon. While the design may be a little odd, the typing is quite interesting for a monkey Pokemon. Toxic Chain can be great in competitive battle, the Poison and Psychic coverage giving Munkidori some real flexibility in move set as well.
15. Simisear
Simisear is the second stage evolution of the fire monkey you obtain in Pokemon Black and White. If you were an Oshawott enjoyer, this Pokemon was your number two for that first Gym. Design-wise, they take the silliest of the three stances, not shooting for cute or cool, but for something in between. Stat-wise, this Pokemon is straight Fire, but not necessarily in a good way. The move pool is limited, with abilities like Gluttony or Blaze not doing much to help a somewhat frail stat spread.
14. Pansear
Pansear is the fire monkey Pokemon you receive if you choose Oshawott in Pokemon Black or White. While they’re great for the beginning game and have a cute design for a fire monkey, the benefits of having Pansear on your team stop soon after that first Gym. Much like the evolution that comes after it, Pansear is a little frail, with no abilities or special moves to help it aside from Work Up.
13. Rillaboom
Rillaboom is a design for a monkey Pokemon that loses its cuteness in exchange for muscle. The design is inseparable from their drums, making the base Pokemon look just a tad plain without them. Design oddities notwithstanding, Rillaboom is a great Attacker, albeit slow. It is a plain Grass type, which keeps it out of any weakness pools with a second type but doesn’t allow for much versatility either. With access to moves like U-Turn and Body Slam, you can run it well as a paralyze/run away combo if you get lucky enough to strike first.
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12. Passimian
Passimian is one of the best recent monkey Pokemon designs, making the lack of move pool a shame. The coconut hat and use of coconuts in animations make this Pokemon a vibrant example of cool designs that look like animals without overstepping. Even as a part of the 3D era, this Pokemon manages to sport a cool look. The only problem with Passimian is its relatively small movepool for a Fighting type, with so many Normal moves and not enough impactful Fighting moves to make much of a splash in competitive play.
11. Oranguru
Oranguru is the second monkey Pokemon to come in with a great design during Gen 7, with just as unique a design as Passimian. With a bit more competitive viability, Oranguru is great for Double Battles, with all the tricks a Psychic type tends to have in its move pool. Good defensive stats and a substantial Special Attack keep this Pokemon relevant even in the current generation of Pokemon.
10. Simipour
The cutest of the monkey trio of Gen 5, Simipour is an endearing water monkey evolution that is held back only by its mixed attacker status. With some help from EV training though, moves like Blizzard, Scald, and other such type advantageous moves prevent Simipour from being completely lost in the dust online. With an impressive Speed stat, Simipour can keep up with most Pokemon in the competitive scene despite the drawbacks.
9. Panpour
Panpour is the pre-evolution to Simipour and one of the cutest options for your elemental monkey trio. It gets points for design, being the only water monkey besides its evolution in the PokeDex. Aside from mascot power, it doesn’t have much weight to throw around in competitive, even within its class of Little Cup.
8. Simisage
One of the coolest looking of the monkey trio, Simisage was the first grass monkey before Grookey came along. The sage design for this Pokemon to look old and wise is a clever twist that gives this Pokemon personality among the three. Concerning its stat spread though, there is some left to be desired. Like the other elemental monkeys, it is cursed with mixed attacker status, having to rely on EV spreads to function with one or the other after Super Training.
7. Pansage
Pansage is the tiny version of Simisage, and although he isn’t as cool, he makes up for it with plenty of pre-evolution moves. During the beginning phase of Pokemon Black and White, Pansage can even learn moves like Seed Bomb and Work Up, making it pretty viable to complete the campaign.
6. Thwackey
Thwackey is the second stage evolution of Grookey, and for many, a crowd favorite form of the monkey grass Pokemon starter. It does more than make Grookey a head taller, giving him a funny name and two sticks instead of one. I think it would have been great if this evolutionary line kept the drumsticks instead of bringing a whole drum to the third stage. Thwackey is where this line starts learning some impressive moves, paving the way for competitive play down the line with moves like Slam and Wood Hammer coming in at later levels.
5. Grookey
This grass monkey Pokemon caught everyone’s attention during Gen 8 for good reason. The design of this monkey is fantastic, with its singular stick being a part of it instead of an accessory that it holds in its hand. The ears on Grookey and the tail are reminiscent of coconut husks, giving the money a more woodland appearance. Among starters, Grookey is a great pick, having a good attack stat and a lively move pool.
4. Ambipom
Ambipom is one of the more unique monkey designs in Pokemon, with multiple fists for punching and a mischievous face. Among all the Pokemon in the list, it is the most viable in competitive play thanks to its Technician ability, which makes moves like Double Hit devastating.
3. Aipom
Aipom was one of the original monkey Pokemon – a colorful contrast to Mankey. While Mankey and Primeape were angry, somewhat realistic-looking monkeys, Aipom goes to the more cartoonish side of things to create a Pokemon that looks like it came straight out of Glove World. That being said, Aipom is a delightful little mon that even holds its own in Little Cup.
2. Primeape
You can’t knock the original angry monkey Pokemon, Primeape. It may just be a plain Fighting-type, but between abilities like Anger Point and moves like Rage and Close Combat, it can make a splash in any battle. Design-wise, this monkey is perfect for the appearance of a rage-filled barbarian fighter, living up to that title through moveset alone.
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1. Mankey
The first monkey is the best. It looks just like a cartoon monkey should, with angry eyes and lanky limbs, good for mobility and following you around in the overworld. While Mankey isn’t as powerful as its evolution, it still holds a sturdy spot as a solid Fighting-type that you can find early on in any variation of Gen 1. Mankey is a staple for most Pokemon teams of that generation, which helps secure its spot at the top of the monkey barrel.
