Who are Pig Pokemon? Exploring the unique pocket monsters across all generations

Of all the shapes and sizes that pocket monsters come in, Pig Pokemon are one of the most common. Some are cute and adorable and make you want to reach out and pet them, while others look angry and scary — which you will probably like to maintain your distance from. When it comes to mammal-inspired designs, the pig is one of the most common, following the absolutely massive number of rodents that have Pokemon designed after them.

Nearly all generations of Pokemon have one or more creatures whose designs are based on pigs. As with all baby versions of pocket monsters, they start out small and adorable, and more often than not, evolve into beasts who would rather have your respect than your pats on the head. Here are all the Pig Pokemon that have appeared in the games and anime as of this writing.

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All Pig Pokemon across all generations of Pokemon games

Generation I

The first pocket monster whose design was clearly inspired by a pig has to be Mankey. Ironically enough, it is also the least pig-like of them all. The name itself resembles a primate (monkey) more than a pig, and the fact that its evolved form is called Primeape doesn't help its cause either.

However, there is one factor that gives these Fighting-type critters' porcine heritage away, which is their flat, pink nose. Even Generation IX's Annihilape retains this feature, solidifying its place in the Pig Pokemon category.

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Generation II

Swinub was Johto's pig-representative. The cute Ice/Ground-type Pokemon resembles a blob of fur with a pink nose. It seems to be a perfect replacement for a pillow or a warm hug buddy for a cold night in the mountains, where it is found. It evolves into Piloswine, which looks more like a hybrid between a furry mountain cow and a pig, and has a more boar-like appearance with its tusks just starting to grow.

At the end of this evolution line, there is Mamoswine who looks like an angry father pig, and was later introduced in Generation IV. This is one Pig Pokemon you wouldn't want to piss off, for it could very easily pick you up and throw you right into the Ice Age.

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Generation III

Spoink and Grumpig, the Psychic-type creatures, are the Pig Pokemon native to Hoenn. These are the first critters that get the iconic coiled tail of pigs right. Other than that, neither of them are creatures with much more to write home about, being quite middling when it comes to battling prowess.

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Generation V

Generation V gave Pig Pokemon their first main character moment. Tepig, the perfect embodiment of a small, adorable piggy that everyone wants to play with, was the Fire-type starter of the Black and White games of that generation.

Both of its evolved forms, Pignite and Emboar, are nice designs and take inspiration from Japanese Sumo wrestlers. However, the only thing acting against them is their Fire/Fighting-type, which became a bit of a passé after Blaziken and Infernape from the two previous generations.

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Generation IX

Given how popular Pig Pokemon are, it is actually a bit strange that the creators decided to stay away from these creatures as a design inspiration for three entire generations. However, it was because of this wait that when Lechonk came to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, it instantly became a hit among the players.

Of all the early-game Normal-types, it has to be the most famous. The angry-looking, dirt-loitering creature is peak Pokemon design, and the fact that it gets a different evolution based on its gender makes it pitch perfect.