At the moment, “only” 893Pokemonexist. In the games, all of thePokemonhave their own set of stats. These combine Attack, Special Attack, HP, Special Defense, Speed, and Defense.
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Defense is a stat that decides how much damage a Pokemon takes when hit with a physical move. And physical moves themselves are (typically) determined by Attack. Usually, Attacks make physical contact with the Pokemon, so thehighest Defense Pokemonendure or reflect these moves as much as possible.
Updated Jul 30, 2025 by Suzail Ahmad:Pokemon is one of the biggest franchises in the world. In the last few years, Game Freak has been consistently releasing new titles, giving Pokemon fans more content to enjoy. The recent Pokemon games have received a mixed reception from the fans, and the rushed release of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet has only made things worse.
However, that hasn’t stopped fans from playing the game and searching for the right Pokemon for their teams. One of the main aspects to consider while looking for strong Pokemon to include in the party is defense. Pokemon that havehigh defenseare able to withstand more attacks, which can make all the difference in the midst of a battle. So, here are thebest defensive Pokemonin the games.
17Runerigus
Runerigus is the evolved form of Galarian Yamask, and it made its debut in Generation 8. In order to evolve Yamask, the players must travel to the large rock arch in Dusty Bowl after the Pokemon has taken at least 49 damage without fainting.
Needless to say, this is one of the most unique ways of evolving a Pokemon. Runerigus is a Ground/Ghost-type Pokemon, which makes it a formidable opponent. In addition to having a defense of 145, Runerigus has attack and special defense stats of 95 and 105, respectively.
16Diancie
Diancie is a Rock-Fairy-type Pokemon that was introduced in Generation 6. It is a mythical Pokemon with very limited weaknesses. It has a 2x weakness to ground, water, and grass and a 4x weakness to Steel-type attacks.
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Considering the similarities between Carbink and Diance, it wouldn’t be a stretch to consider the latter the evolved form. Among other stats, Diancie has a defense stat of 150, which makes it a very durable Pokemon.
15Ice Rider Calyrex
Ice Rider Calyrex is one ofthe new legendary Pokemonthat were introduced in Generation 8. It was a part of theSword and ShieldDLC. The Pokemon has two natures, Psychic/Ice, which makes it susceptible to many kinds of attacks, and to make matters worse, it has a speed of just 50.
So, to make Ice Rider Calyrex a usable Pokemon, the developers had to make the other stats better. They focused on the Pokemon’s defensive stat increasing it all the way to 150. In addition to its defense, Ice Rider Calyrex also has good attack and special defense stats, which makes it a good addition to any team.
14Doublade/Aegislash
Introduced in Generation 4, Doublade is a Steel/Ghost-type Pokemon. It evolves from Honedge after it reaches level 35. Thanks to its defense stat of 150, Doublade is able to tank several hits from the opponent. It can be evolved further into Aegislash, which is a rather unique Pokemon.
Depending on the move, Aegislash can turn into either its blade form or shield form. The blade form is focused on attack, while the shield form takes care of defense. Doublade is not an amazing Pokemon; there are many better options for competitive trainers.
13Carbink
Carbink is a Pokemon first introduced inPokemon XandYversions that look like a small rabbit-like head atop a crystalline, floating body. It’s one of the few Rock-Fairy dual-type Pokemon in the series, and its base Defense stat of 150 makes it a formidable foe indeed.
Its described as living in small communes and regularly grooming one another with their soft manes. They’re not to be messed with, though, thanks to their ability to shoot lasers from the gems embedded in their body.
12Registeel
Registeel premiered in Generation 3, being the trio ofRuby,Sapphire, andEmeraldversions. It’s a Legendary Steel-type Pokemon with a Defense stat of 150 thanks to its incredibly hard outer shell – Registeel’s extreme durability actually comes from thousands ofyears spent under intense pressureunderneath the earth’s surface.
The Legendary Titans from Generation 3 (as well as Generation 7) tend to bePokemon with high defense, but it’s not the focus for all of them. They are shrouded in mystery and difficult to catch, making them all the more enigmatic.
11Toxapex
Toxapex was introduced in Generation 7 –PokemonSunandMoonversions. Toxapex is a Poison and Water dual-type Pokemon that evolves from Mariane, and its nickname is the “Brutal Star” Pokemon – with a base Defense stat of 152, it’s a brutal tank indeed.
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It’s a great Pokemon to add to the party because it can endure a beating while letting Poison damage tick by on its foe. Its poison sac is described as being so toxic that even a Wailord has a hard time recovering.
10Deoxys
Thanks to the change in cellular structure, Deoxys (in Defense Forme) gets a base Defense stat of 160. While not in terms of Defense particularly, it does have the highest Special Defense among all the Psychic-type Pokemon.
Clearly, Deoxys’s design originates from aliens as well as the nucleic acid double helix or a chromosome package. The name itself is literally an abbreviation of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
9Onix
One can only wonder how many hard objects Onix absorbed to bolster its body enough for a base Defense stat of 160. In fact,of all unevolved Pokemon, it has the highest amount. (Additionally, Onix is the heaviest!)
Unsurprisingly, Onix is a rock snake, possibly even inspired by the Mongolian death worm. Its name is merely a corruption of “onyx” (the mineral).
8Bastiodon
Whatever material it is made of, Bastiodon and its face get it to a base Defense stat of 168. Put together, Bastiodon has the highest base Defense and Special Defense!
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Since it is a Fossil Pokemon, it draws inspiration from a dinosaur but also a fortress. Bastiodon’s name is a combination of “bastion” and “don,” a suffix used in many dinosaur names.
