The Five Best Grass Type Pokemon of All-Time
Grass is one of the most popular Pokemon types. In part, this is because it has a very solid theme, so much so that everyone can spot a Grass-type Pokemon when they see one. However, it should also be mentioned that there has been a Grass-type starter Pokemon in every single main installment of the long-running series, meaning that they hold a special place in a lot of people’s hearts. Here is our opinion on five of the best Grass-type Pokemon in the series:
Parasect
Parasect isn’t the most impressive-looking Pokemon that can be found out there. After all, it is an insect with a mushroom on its back, which has become so huge that most of the insect is covered by the mushroom cap. However, when one examines Parasect’s blank eyes, it becomes much more interesting. For those who are unfamiliar, blank eyes can mean a wide range of things in anime and anime-adjacent media. However, these things tend to indicate that someone has lost either consciousness or some other kind of control. By this point, people with an interest in parasitism might be able to guess Parasect’s true nature, which is that it is the mushroom rather than the insect hosting the mushroom. This is not speculation. Instead, this has been confirmed by multiple Pokedex entries, with an excellent example being the one stating that Parasect will stop moving if the mushroom is removed. What makes Parasect interesting is that it is horrifying in a way that is very true to nature. After all, there are numerous examples of parasites that can exert an enormous degree of control over their hosts, so much so that they can command their hosts to behave in suicidal and otherwise self-destructive ways. For that matter, it is amusing to note that the use of Parasect’s spores to make herbal medicine in the Pokemon setting is based on the use of a parasitic fungus to make herbal medicine in the real world.
Lurantis
On initial inspection, a lot of people would expect Lurantis to be both a Bug-type and a Grass-type Pokemon. After all, it looks like a mantis. Furthermore, its name shows clear influence from mantis. However, Lurantis is a pure Grass-type Pokemon, which makes perfect sense when one realizes that it is engaging in mimicry. There are a lot of plants that engage in one kind of mimicry or another. For example, bee orchids are famous for looking like female bees, which is useful for turning male bees into pollinators. Likewise, there are numerous plants that are harmless but have evolved warning signals that imitate those of their not-so-harmless counterparts. Lurantis doesn’t fall into either one of these two categories, seeing as how it is more than capable of protecting itself with its metal-cleaving beams. However, the Pokedex does state that its pretense of being a Bug-type Pokemon is meant for its protection. Considering the kind of predators that can be found in the Pokemon setting, that kind of redundancy seems smart and sensible. Besides this, Lurantis is also a visually pleasing Pokemon, which makes sense because it is inspired by flowers. Granted, it is rather unusual-looking because of its mimicry. However, the Pokedex makes it clear that there are Pokemon trainers who raise Lurantis for their appearance in much the same sense that gardeners raise orchids for their appearance, which makes it a real shame that the limitations of the Pokemon series makes it impossible to show the full range of riotous colors that might hypothetically exist in the Pokemon setting.
Cradily
Cradily is both a Rock-type and a Grass-type Pokemon. The Rock typing isn’t particularly surprising, seeing as how it is common in Pokemon that have been revived using Fossils. Meanwhile, the Grass typing is much more interesting because Cradily seems to be based on animals that can look like plants rather than actual plants. In short, Cradily seems to be based on crinoids, which include starfish, sea urchins, and sea cucumbers. The basic form of a crinoid is a stem supporting a crown that consists of a cup with a number of rays. Some crinoids are mobile, while others are immobile in their mature forms. Curiously, while Cradily uses its feet to anchor itself, it is capable of a very slow kind of self-movement. No one knows why Cradily was turned into a Grass-type Pokemon save for the potential explanation of its resemblance to a plant. In contrast, its status as a Fossil Pokemon is much understandable, seeing as how crinoid fossils are so common that scientists have actually managed to find entire colonies of the creatures that have been fossilized.
Shaymin
Sometimes, Pokemon can be likeable because of sheer cuteness. For proof, look no further than Shaymin, which is a Grass-type Mythical Pokemon that was introduced in Generation IV. Appearance-wise, it is essentially a hedgehog. As a result, Shaymin has short, stubby legs supporting a plump underbelly, which makes it extra-adorable when combined with the grass-like fur that grows on its back in the place of spikes. On top of that, Shaymin has pink flowers growing on both sides of its head, meaning that it pretty much comes with its own accessories. If there is one problem with this Mythical Pokemon, it is that its Sky Forme is nowhere near as adorable as its Land Forme, seeing as how it is something somewhere between a dog and a reindeer.
Alolan Exeggutor
Alolan Exeggutor is a very divisive Pokemon. On the one hand, it looks ridiculous; on the other hand, it is very amusing because it looks so ridiculous. In any case, the best part about the Alolan Exeggutor is that it has been hinted for a very long time because there is very old Pokemon merchandise showing an Exeggutor with a very long neck even though the base form looked nothing like that. As a result, Alolan Exeggutor is a great recall from the past, particularly its existence and the existence of other Alolan Pokemon gave rise to a huge amount of interesting speculation on how the same species of Pokemon might adapt to different regions with different conditions.
