10 Worst Pokémon Mega Evolutions of All Time, Ranked

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It’s often hard to satisfy the Pokémon community. When Pokémon Legends: Z-A introduced new Mega Evolutions—something the series hadn’t seen in years—designs for Pokémon like Mega Hawlucha and Mega Dragonite immediately drew criticism from fans.

Honestly, as a fan, one of my biggest gripes with Mega Evolutions and similar things is that a lot of them just don’t feel different enough from the original Pokémon. Some of the worst ones barely seem like new designs at all! Yeah, the stat boosts are cool, but they’re not really what I remember – I want to be excited by how a Pokémon looks when it evolves, and a lot of these just fall flat.

Mega Lucario Gets a Coat and Nothing Else

Lucario is a Fighting-type Pokémon that walks on two legs and resembles a dog. Its Mega Evolution plays into the familiar image of a powerful warrior by adding what looks like a coat – essentially, the fur on its back grows longer to create that effect.

However, Mega Lucario’s design isn’t a huge departure from its original form. It can initially seem like a small improvement, much like Mega Hawlucha which mostly just appears to have a different mask. When Mega Lucario was first shown, some fans were even concerned it was a regular evolution, feeling it didn’t change enough to warrant the transformation.

Mega Absol Got Wings and Not Much Else

Many Pokémon fans playfully point out that Mega Dragonite seems to just add wings to the original Dragonite. While that’s a simplification, you could say the same about Mega Absol – in both designs, the wings are the most noticeable change.

When Dragonite Mega Evolves, it gains a pearl like Dragonair, plus feather-like details on its shoulders and legs, and a horn that changes shape and color. Mega Absol, on the other hand, grows larger horns and its head gem expands, and it develops more fur around its ankles, with a redesigned tail. These changes are subtle, and most players won’t notice them unless they really look closely, except for the wings.

Mega Mawile Just Gets a Haircut

I always thought Mawile was a cute, little Pokémon, so it’s tough to make big changes to its design. Honestly, Mega Mawile mostly just adds another mouth, and it looks like it got a new pair of red shorts because its arms and legs changed color! It’s a simple but effective update, I think.

The update gives Mawile’s ponytail a look more like two braids. Because Mawile is already a relatively small Pokémon, making significant design changes is difficult, but it seems like the creators could have been a little more ambitious.

Mega Sableye Just Hides Behind a Gem

Okay, so Sableye’s Mega Evolution is… interesting. The biggest thing, honestly, is this huge gem shield it gets. It kinda fits Sableye’s sneaky vibe, but it’s a little disappointing because that’s pretty much the only major difference when it Mega Evolves. I was hoping for more!

Okay, so I was checking out Mega Sableye, and if you really look closely, you’ll notice some cool little details. Its teeth actually turn gold, the things sticking out of its head get longer, and it even grows another horn! Plus, its gem eyes go red, which makes it look way more intimidating. But honestly, most of these changes are pretty small. It feels more like it’s wearing a new battle outfit than a complete makeover, you know?

Mega Medicham’s Fancier Design Is Completely Forgetable

Mega Medicham isn’t the most memorable Mega Evolution, but it does gain a stylish new turban. The turban features flowing, glowing scarves and is complemented by gold bracelets and gemmed legwear, giving it a more refined and elegant appearance.

The turban is a good addition to Mega Medicham, giving it a more developed look, but it’s too minor of a change on its own. Mega Medicham needs more substantial updates – beyond just a hat – to really stand out and be memorable.

Mega Venusaur Has the Worst Evolution of the Kanto Starters

Mega Venusaur is easily recognized by the large pink flower blooming on its forehead. While it also has some minor differences like new markings on its head and a few more vines, it largely resembles the original Venusaur.

Gigantamax Venusaur makes a bigger impact by dramatically increasing the size of its flower, almost hiding its body. Official artwork also adds more vines to emphasize the change. While Mega Venusaur appears slightly larger and more overgrown in the game, it feels like a minimal update to its original design.

Mega Gardevoir Looks Even More Human

Fan-made Pokémon designs are often debated, and ‘Mega Gardevoir’ is perhaps the most human-looking one. It strongly resembles a woman wearing a wedding gown.

Additionally, Mega Gardevoir loses some of the color found in the original design. While regular Gardevoir has green accents on its upper body, Mega Gardevoir is mostly white, making it appear less vibrant than its original form.

Mega Salamence Makes One Big Change But Misses the Big Details

Mega Salamence is often the subject of jokes because of its dramatically large, crescent-shaped wings, which tend to draw attention away from the fact that most of its body remains relatively unchanged. Aside from the wings, the biggest differences are a larger chest, supports added to its back legs, and a more defined pattern at the base of its neck.

The biggest change is definitely to Salamence’s wings, but they aren’t actually that different from the original design. While the wings do alter Salamence’s overall shape, it’s not clear if this is a positive change.

Mega Ampharos Is Meme Worthy

When Mega Ampharos evolves, it takes a design cue from its earlier form, Flaaffy, gaining a magnificent mane and a large, fluffy tail. This transformation has become a popular subject for jokes and internet memes, especially because Mega Ampharos surprisingly also becomes a Dragon-type Pokémon.

Aside from its dramatically improved hair, Ampharos doesn’t change much. Its horns are a little different, the markings on its chest are altered, and its body becomes a lighter color overall. Without the noticeable hair, it would be hard to tell it had evolved.

Mega Kangaskhan Doesn’t Change At All

As a huge Kangaskhan fan, I was so excited to see its Mega Evolution! But honestly, the biggest change is with its little one. Mega Kangaskhan’s mom doesn’t really change much at all – she looks pretty much the same. It’s the baby that gets a total glow-up! It grows out of the pouch and becomes this adorable, smaller, lavender-colored version of Kangaskhan, just without the pouch itself. It’s such a sweet and unique take on a Mega Evolution!

Mega Evolutions don’t always need huge changes to be good, but Mega Kangaskhan feels like it could have been much better. It would have been great if the adult Kangaskhan had also received some updates, but unfortunately, the final result is a bit underwhelming.

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2026-01-26 07:11