Hitmonchan vs Hitmonlee: Which is better in Pokemon GO?

Multiple Pokemon have branching evolutionary paths in Pokemon GO. Slowpoke and Poliwag are two of the most common picks, but recent attention has been turned towards Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee. Both starting as counterparts of each other, they eventually became a part of the same family after the introduction of Tyrouge in the second generation.

While both monsters are valuable in their own right, some players may be wondering which one's superior. Both critters have relatively similar stats, but the true difference lies in their movepool. While Hitmonlee has great attacking potential, many would prefer Hitmonchan's more impressive moveset.

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Benefits of using Hitmonlee in Pokemon GO

Hitmonlee has a slightly higher attacking stat, but it has much less coverage in its movepool (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Hitmonlee is already a rare creature compared to other highly used Fighting monsters like Hariyama, Machamp, and Conkeldurr. With such rarity, there must be an incentive for obtaining this creature. While Hitmonlee does possess a high attacking stat of 224, it is slightly more fragile with a low defense stat.

This creature has access to Close Combat, which is a powerful Fighting-type move that comes with the trade-off of lowering its user's defensive stats. With this in mind, Hitmonlee has the potential to make for a fast closer once all of the opponent's shields have been used up. It also possesses Stone Edge which may catch some weakened Flying-types off-guard.

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Benefits of using Hitmonchan in Pokemon GO

Hitmonchan offers more balanced stats and a much better movepool (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Hitmonchan is often seen as the preferred choice between the two original Hitmon creatures. This has much to do with its movepool in Pokemon GO, as the critter can access all of the elemental punch moves. Having Fire, Ice, and Thunder Punch all on one creature can often be a huge selling point for players who want to make anti-meta battle teams.

Hitmonchan also has access to Counter, unlike Hitmonlee. Counter is one of the strongest fast attacks in Pokemon GO and a huge make-or-break detail for many meta Fighting-types in the Battle League. Hitmonchan also offers more defense than Hitmonlee at the cost of less attack. This serves it much better for the game's battle system.

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Hitmonlee or Hitmonchan: Which one's better in Pokemon GO?

Hitmonchan offers a more consistent and adaptable battling experience, so it is the preferred choice of many (Image via The Pokemon Company)

Between the two creatures, and not considering their third Hitmontop family member, Hitmonchan is simply the better option. Owing to its higher defense, the critter can stay in battle much longer than Hitmonlee, indirectly giving it a higher damage output potential.

Hitmonchan also has a better moveset, allowing it to compete in many more matchups. Having all of the elemental punches in addition to Counter makes it a frightening Fighting-type in many conditions.