Ghost-type Pokemon are interesting. Way back in the days of the first generation, there were only three Ghosts in the entire game—Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar—and all three were also part Poison. In addition, their moves were only super effective against other Ghost Pokemon, making them questionably useful at best.
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PostsBut as later games came out, Ghost became the primary type used for taking down the notoriously powerful Psychic-type (back before the days of Dark-type Pokemon). Ghost Pokemon make up some of the most powerful monsters in the entire game, and we're counting down the strongest of them.
Updated on October 18, 2024, by Ryan Hay: There are tons of Ghost Pokemon from across all the different game generations and regions now, so we had to take another look at how they rank up to each other. We also put them in order based on their total stats.
While more Ghost Pokemon haven't been added since Scarlet & Violet's release, we did add some Ghost forms and a very cool legendary Pokemon from the Alola region.
23 Shedinja
Type: Bug/Ghost
Strong Against
Weak Against
Normal, Fighting, Poison, Ground, Bug, Steel, Water, Grass, Electic, Psychic, Ice, Dragon, Fairy
Flying, Rock, Ghost, Fire, Dark
Stat Total: 236
Shedinja gets an honorable mention because of its very unique defense, an Ability no other Pokemon has called Wonder Guard. This Ability prevents any move that isn't Super Effective from hitting Shedinja at all.
Its typing is Bug/Ghost, so there are a fair amount of moves that can still hit it, including Rock, Dark, and Fire - but everything else passes right through this little insect.
However, it only has one single hit point, so any move that hits is a sure KO. You also get this Pokemon using a strange method, as the result of the only evolution that turns one Pokemon into two.
When Nincada evolves into Ninjask, if you have a free party slot and a spare Poke Ball, you get a Shedinja - Nincada's empty, cast-off shell.
22 Sableye
Type: Dark/Ghost
Strong Against
Weak Against
Normal, Fighting, Psychic, Poison
Fairy
Stat Total: 380
First of all, let's just start with this: Mega Sabeleye is banned in most competitive play tiers. That on its own should give you an idea of how strong it is.
Regular old Sabeleye isn't bad, especially with its Dark/Ghost-typing whose only weakness is Fairy. But it is still a single-stage Pokemon, and those are rarely stand-outs with regard to strength.
Mega-evolving gives it massive Defense and Special Defense, probably because of the gigantic gem it's hiding behind. That, in addition to its ability Magic Bounce, which rebounds status moves and environmental hazards onto the user, makes it almost entirely overpowered.
21 Alolan Marowak
Type: Fire/Ghost
Strong Against
Weak Against
Normal, Fighting, Poison, Bug, Steel, Fire, Grass, Ice, Fairy
Ground, Rock, Ghost, Water, Dark
Stat Total: 425
Alolan Marowak took an already appreciated Kanto Pokemon design and took it to the next level, getting inspired by the islands and culture it calls home, wielding a spectral flamed bone that it uses as its primary weapon. The Bone Keeper Pokemon isn't just tough-looking but backs that up with solid defensive base stats.
Just don't look for it to win any races or strike first as its Speed is a bit of a weakness. If it has the Ability Lightning Rod, Alolan Marowak makes for an ace-in-the-hole against Electric-type moves, an ability that allows it to absorb that electricity to power up its Special Attack stat.
20 Mimikyu
Type: Ghost/Fairy
Strong Against
Weak Against
Normal, Fighting, Dragon, Bug
Ghost, Steel
Stat Total: 476
Everyone's favorite little creepy Pikachu stalker doesn't look like a very powerful Pokemon. It's made itself a little costume to appear as sweet and likable as possible, and it might lead you to think there isn't a lot going on under its disguise.
But Mimikyu is actually shockingly useful and its disguise works to its benefit. In fact, its Ability is called Disguise and allows Mimikyu to take one free hit where the stuffed Pikachu head absorbs all damage.
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PostsIt also has the unique Ghost/Fairy-typing, which lets it use powerful STAB (same type attack bonus) moves on every other type of Pokemon for at least neutral damage. Of course, once Mimikyu's disguise is broken, it doesn't have a lot of HP to its name, so it'd be wise to take your foe out quickly before it can whip up something deadly.
19 Cofagrigus
Type: Ghost
Strong Against
Weak Against
Normal, Fighting, Poison, Bug
Ghost, Dark
Stat Total: 483
Cofagrigus has an absolutely massive Physical Defense stat, and its Special Defense is nothing to scoff at either. Actually, that makes sense considering it's hiding most of its substance inside a sarcophagus.
It's a pure Ghost-type too, meaning it's only weak to Dark-types and other Ghost Pokemon while being completely immune to Normal and Fighting.
What really gives Cofagrigus an offensive edge is that it can use the moves Nasty Plot — which sharply boosts its Special Attack — and Trick Room — which affects the Speed stat of all Pokemon on the field. Fast Pokemon become slow, slow become fast, and Cofagrigus becomes terrifying.
18 Golurk
Type: Ground/Ghost
Strong Against
Weak Against
Normal, Fighting, Electric, Poison, Rock, Bug
Ghost, Water, Grass, Ice, Dark
Stat Total: 483
This imposing goliath of a Pokemon might not seem like the best choice at first. It's part Ground-type, which makes it weak to common types like Water and Grass, and its Defense stats are nothing to write home about. Maybe it's a little fragile; it even has a bandage sticking together and a crack in its chest!
But what really makes Golurk stand out is its incredible Physical Attack stat. Plus, it has an Ability that boosts all of its punch-based attacks. With an absolutely devastating Shadow Punch and immunity to Fighting and Electric moves, Golurk's a good addition to any team.
17 Spiritomb
Type: Ghost/Dark
Strong Against
Weak Against
Normal, Fighting, Psychic, Poison
Fairy
Stat Total: 485
What happens when you trap 108 restless spirits inside of a rock with a scary face on it? You get Spiritomb, of course! This Pokemon is Ghost/Dark-type, which makes it completely immune to Fighting, Psychic, and Normal moves.
It also has great defensive stats and pretty good Attack, with a lot of moves that make Spiritomb a good support team member. However, it doesn't have a lot of HP to back up its Defense and no useful way to recover health, which limits its overall usefulness.
16 Cursola
Type: Ghost
Strong Against
Weak Against
Normal, Fighting, Poison, Bug
Ghost, Dark
Stat Total: 510
This addition to Sword & Shield is a rare example of a Pokemon actually being better than its evolution and for some very important reasons. This poor soul may not look like the prime example of a tank Pokemon, but Corsola can be an absolute nightmare to take down and seems to virtually live forever.
With the use of Eviolite to take advantage of its base form and boost defenses, and the amazing move that is Strength Sap, physically attacking Pokemon are going to have an extremely rough time against it.
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Posts 2Strength Sap has the unique property of healing the user an amount equal to the target's Attack stat, as well as lowering the enemy's Attack by one stage. This can completely shut down most Physical Attackers, and it isn't made any easier for them with the Ghost-type being immune to common Physical typings like Normal and Fighting.
15 Dhelmise
Type: Ghost/Grass
Strong Against
Weak Against
Normal, Fighting, Ground, Water, Grass, Electric
Flying, Ghost, Fire, Ice, Dark
Stat Total: 517
This might just be some sentient algae possessing some bits off a shipwreck, but that doesn't mean it can't be formidable in the right hands. Dhelmise has good Defense and access to the self-healing move Synthesis, making it easy to keep it in play for a long time.
It also has access to Rapid Spin, a move that rids the field of all environmental hazards like Stealth Rock, which is all over the competitive play. Add to that a truly incredible Attack stat, and Dhelmise is ready to go head-to-head (does this thing have a head?) with even the sturdiest Pokemon.
14 Aegislash
Type: Steel/Ghost
Strong Against
Weak Against
Normal, Fighting, Poison, Flying, Rock, Bug, Steel, Grass, Psychic, Ice, Dragon, Fairy
Ground, Ghost, Fire, Dark
Stat Total: 520
Being Steel/Ghost-type grants Aegislash an impressive amount of resistances and immunities right off the bat, but that's not what makes it so formidable. No, that would be its unique Ability Stance Change, which lets it swap between its Blade Forme and Shield Forme.
In Blade, it sacrifices Defense for 150 in both Attack and Special Attack, while in Shield it does the exact opposite. And since it's an Ability and not a move, it does this stance change automatically whenever it uses an offensive move, or its signature move, King's Shield.
This makes Aegislash an extremely powerful and dangerous attacker that's also incredibly hard to take down. If a rival Pokemon even tries to attack it after it's used King's Shield, that Pokemon has its Attack drastically lowered.
How dare it even think about laying a claw on Aegislash.
