This is At the Buzzer’s list of the top 25 Pokemon of all-time. We’re in the serious business zone now, counting down one by one until we reach the very best. For more information, click here or check out the Related Links down at the bottom of the post. Don’t forget to vote on how we did in the poll below!
Today’s Pokemon ferries people across the sea on its back. It may sing an enchanting cry if it is in a good mood. They have gentle hearts. Because they rarely fight, many have been caught. Their number has dwindled. Its high intelligence enables it to understand human speech.
21) Lapras (2 votes, 107 points)
Chris: I messed up on my list. When I originally went through the list of 718 Pokemon, I ended up picking about 55 creatures for consideration. I narrowed things down further than that pretty quickly, but there was a problem: I didn’t even have Lapras survive the first cut. I just missed him. He wouldn’t have been super high, but it might have made a difference.
One of the few cool things about the Orange Islands arc was that Ash and Misty and some other dude with a camera that nobody cared about so let’s not mention him got to ride around on Ash’s Lapras, cruising through the open seas. In the games, you got a Lapras for free during a crucial junction in the Sliph Co. building, and X/Y did something similar by handing you a Lapras just before the first time you need to Surf.
But more than any of that, I just like the noises Lapras makes. It’s adorable when it hits the scene, and it sounds hilarious when it uses Ice Beam, almost like that kitten in the YouTube video where it’s enjoying its food.
Shaun: If Garchomp is the Lamborghini of Pokemon, Lapras is the spacious luxury vehicle. With Lapras, utility meets design and power.
Here you have a Pokemon that can tank and ice beam with the best of them, but is also basically a water horse. The guy is MADE for ferrying people across water. His inclusion in the anime was essential to Ash’s journey, both for world progression and also for fighting. Essentially a Loch Ness Pokemon, Lapras is beautiful, and just owning one makes you want to be a better person.
Of course, I couldn’t vote Lapras as high as it did unless it had specific sentimental value for me. In Lapras’ case, this story comes in the form of VICTORY.
My sister liked to challenge me to Pokemon battles, especially when her Pokemon were a good 20 levels higher than mine, and also legendary. Apparently she took joy in straight steamrolling me.
What she was not prepared for, however, was my Lapras having access to Sheer Cold. Sheer Cold is a one hit KO move, but it only hits something like negative 10 percent of the time. Unfortunately for her, Lapras is a being of miracles.
Zekrom: One hit KO.
Giratina: One hit KO.
Every Pokemon on her team, in quick succession: One hit KO.
Lapras didn’t care. He was determined to win, and that water horse single handedly willed me to victory. After that, Lapras solved the financial crisis, and went on to direct and star in one of the most influential films of all time.
On that day, Lapras’ power and beauty went down in legend. You shall never be forgotten, Lapras.