Strongest Pokemon In Diamond & Pearl (Based On Stats)

The fourth generation of the Pokemon franchise was revealed to the world in 2007 with the release of Pokemon Diamond & Pearl, and the games were mostly received well. Diamond & Pearl were praised for their innovation in the franchise’s shift to a more 3D style.

Some great creatures are available in Diamond & Pearl, and some have become fan favorites over the years; Garchomp, Lucario, and Gallade to name a few. Gen 4 is home to some truly great Pokemon, which include a lot of Mythicals and Legendaries. In terms of stats, however, some Pokemon in Diamond & Pearl are simply stronger than others.

Updated on February 11, 2025 by Ben Painter: Generation 4 Pokemon hold a special place in the hearts of many fans. It was kicked off with Pokemon Diamond & Pearl in 2007 and followed up with Pokemon Platinum in 2008. However, this list does not include any new Pokemon (or returning ones from previous games) in the game's follow-up entry, so Rotom's alternate forms with their boosted stats miss out. Some great Pokemon are available to be caught in these games, including those found in Sinnoh after the National Dex is accessed, which strangely includes some brand-new 'mons for Gen 4. As such, this article has been updated to feature even more of the strongest Pokemon found in Pokemon Diamond & Pearl out of those who are found before the National Dex and new Pokemon for Generation 4. Also grouping those who share the same base stat total.

18 Heracross, Gengar, Bronzong, Rapidash & Drapion

Base Stat Total: 500

• Type:
  • Heracross: Bug/Fighting
  • Gengar: Ghost/Poison
  • Bronzong: Steel/Psychic
  • Rapidash: Fire
  • Drapion: Poison/Dark

• Where To Find In Diamond & Pearl:
  • Heracross: Routes 205, 206, 207, 208, 209, 210, 211, 212, 213, 214, 215, 218, 221, and 222, Eterna Forest, Floaroma Meadow, Fuego Ironworks, Valley Windworks (Honey Trees)
  • Gengar: Old Chateau (Any Gen 3 game inserted)
  • Bronzong: Turnback Cave, Mt. Coronet
  • Rapidash: Evolve Ponyta
  • Drapion: Great Marsh (after obtaining National Pokedex)

Heracross

The first in a five-way tie of Pokemon with a base stat total of 500 is Heracross, who is an awesome Pokemon to use with a staggering 125 Attack stat. Gamers can hit hard with STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) moves such as X-Scissor and Close Combat.

Gamers will need to look out for Flying-type Pokemon as it is 4x weak, although it has respectable defenses to counter. To find Heracross, gamers will need to look for the Honey Trees and then wait six hours, but it has just a 5% chance of appearing. Players may need to wait a while to add the Bug/Fighting-type to the party.

Gengar

Joining from Generation 1 is the Shadow Pokemon Gengar who has remained a solid fan favorite since 1999. Ghost Pokemon have their uses and there aren't a lot of options to choose from in Diamond & Pearl. With an awesome Special Attack that can cut through Psychic and Ghost 'mons with ease.

The best way to add Gengar to the team is to catch a Gastly, which is found in the Old Chateau, the Lost Tower and Route 209 at night. It will then evolve into Haunter at level 25 and then into Gengar when traded, which is really annoying, but worth it if players can.

Bronzong

The first Generation 4 Pokemon on this list is Bronzong, who is a powerful Steel/Psychic-type Pokemon who has a base stat total of 500. It can be found in the wild as a rare spawn in Turnback Cave and Mt. Coronet. But it may be easier to catch Bronzor, which is found easily enough in Route 206, Wayward Cave, Turnback Cave and Mt. Coronet and then evolved at level 33.

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This Pokemon thrives in defense with 116 Defense and Special Defense, best used as a support Pokemon setting up Light Screen, Reflect and then Future Sight before switching out to a Pokemon with more offensive capabilities.

Rapidash

Another Generation 1 Pokemon, Rapidash, is a fast Physical Attacker which can be obtained fairly early on in the game, as a Ponyta in Routes 206, 210, 211, 214, and 215. Gamers will then need to level up to level 40, which is a fairly high level for a two-stage Pokemon.

Once Rapidash has finally been obtained, then gamers can make use of moves like Flame Wheel and Flare Blitz to do some serious STAB damage.

Drapion

Drapion can be found in Diamond & Pearl, without the need for evolution in the Great Marsh, but only after the National Dex has been acquired. Instead, gamers must evolve Skorupi at level 40, really high for a weak Pokemon, The Scorpion Pokemon is also found in the Great Marsh in Pastoria City.

When gamers finally have Drapion, they will have an awesome Pokemon with an epic typing of Poison/Dark, which completely neutralizes the Psychic weakness to Poison. With a base stat total of 500, its best stats are Defense and Speed, but it is fairly good all around apart from Special Attack.

Base Stats:

17 Roserade, Machamp & Honchkrow

Base Stat Total: 505

• Type:
  • Roserade: Grass/Poison
  • Machamp: Fighting
  • Honchkrow: Dark/Flying

• Where To Find In Diamond & Pearl:
  • Roserade: Evolve Roselia
  • Machamp: Evolve Machoke
  • Honchkrow: Evolve Murkrow (Diamond only)

Roserade

Roselia gained another evolution (and pre-evolution) in Diamond & Pearl in Roserade, which is one of the best Grass Pokemon in the game, with an awesome moveset and stellar Special Attack with 125.

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It is also easy to acquire. Budew is found as early as Route 204 and evolves into Roselia when leveled up with high friendship and then into Roserae with a Shiny Stone. To get this item, gamers will need to head to Route 228 or Iron Island.

Machamp

Sadly, Machamp cannot be just caught in the game, which is a shame as it is one of the best Fighting types in the franchise with 505 base stat total. A lot of these stats are in its 130 Attack stat, Close Combat will wreck through Normal, Ice and Rock-type opponents.

Machop is found on Routes 207, 208, and 210, Mt. Coronet and then evolves into Machoke at level 28 and then into Machamp when traded. An annoying method, but one that can be worth it to get a powerful Pokemon.

Honchkrow

Hocnkrow is a fantastic mixed-attacker, but it can only be obtained for players of Diamond version. Murkrow is found in Eterna Forest and in the Lost Tower at night. It will need the Dusk Stone to evolve, which is located for players in the Galactic Warehouse and Victory Road.

Dark types are great to use, and Honchkrow is one of the best, fairly easy to obtain in the game as well, and it completes the Pokemon with a base stat total of 505.

Base Stats:

16 Gliscor, Weavile & Steelix

Base Stat Total: 510

• Type:
  • Gliscor: Ground/Flying
  • Weavile: Dark/Ice
  • Steelix: Steel/Ground

• Where To Find In Diamond & Pearl:
  • Gliscor: Evolve Gligar
  • Weavile: Evolve Sneasel
  • Steelix: Victory Road, Iron Island, Snowpoint Temple

Gliscor

Stepping up slightly to a 510 base stat total are three Pokemon, two of which were new for Generation 4. First up is Gliscor which is a unique Ground/Flying type Pokemon. Decent all-around stats but with specialities in Defense, Attack and Speed.

It must be evolved from Gligar to be obtained, which is found on Routes 206, 207, 214, 215, and 227, Stark Mountain. Then players will need to find the Razor Fang at Battle Park and evolve it at night.

Weavile

An epic Pokemon, Weavile, is the brand-new evolution for the Generation 2 Pokemon Sneasel. It can be found on Routes 216 and 217, Acuity Lakefront, Lake Acuity and Snowpoint Temple. Gamers will need the Razor Claw to evolve it, which can be found on Route 224 and Victory Road, holding the item and being leveled up at night.

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Weavile is one of the best fast physical attackers in the game, capable of hitting hard and fast with moves such as Night Slash and Avalanche.

Steelix

A returning Pokemon also shares the same 510 base stat total, Steelix from Generation 2. Gamers can evolve from Onix to get it, but this involves trading. Gamers are better off just catching the Iron Snake Pokemon at Victory Road, Iron Island or Snowpoint Temple.

A monster of a Pokemon, its 200 Defense makes it one of the highest in the entire franchise, and it will be a powerhouse in the game. Setting up with moves like Iron Defense and Stealth Rock, but also no slouch offensively with 85 Attack. It will take a lot to take down Steelix.

Base Stats:

15 Lickilicky, Yanmega & Tentacruel

Base Stat Total: 515

• Type:
  • Lickilicky: Normal
  • Yanmega: Bug/Flying
  • Tentacruel: Water/Poison

• Where To Find In Diamond & Pearl:
  • Lickilicky: Evolve Lickitung
  • Yanmega: Evolve Yanma
  • Tentacruel: Routes 205, 213, 218, 219, 220, 221, 222, 223, 224, 226, and 230, Pastoria City, Canalave City, Sunyshore City, Valley Windworks, Fuego Ironworks, Iron Island, Pokémon League (Surfing)

Lickilicky

Generation 4 was great for connecting the previous generation's Pokemon back into the franchise, and a great way that they did this was with new evolutions and pre-evolutions. One Pokemon that benefited was Lickitung with its new evolution, Lickilicky, which came with some big buffs to its stats, mainly in HP and Defenses, but this Pokemon is handy in all areas apart from Speed.

To add a Lickilicky to the roster of Diamond & Pearl, gamers must first obtain the National Dex and have access to Swarms. Lickitung will spawn at Lake Valor in certain encounters. It will then evolve into Lickilicky once leveled up while knowing the move Rollout, which it learns at level 33.

Yanmega

Disappointingly, despite being a new Generation 4 Pokemon, Yanmega cannot be used until after the Pokedex has been upgraded to the National Dex. This is because it must have evolved from Yanma when leveled up while knowing Ancient Power, which can only be found in the Great Marsh with the National Dex.

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Despite this, if gamers can use Yanmega, they will have a fantastic Pokemon with the 515 base stat overall. Great Special Attack and speed, moves like Air Slash and Bug Buzz will cause serious damage.

Tentacruel

Tentacruel is somewhat of an underused Pokemon, despite being a member of the Original 151, it is actually great to use in-game and insanely easier to acquire as Tentacool is found in basically every patch of water.

It is fast, has high Special Defense and is decent in both Attack and Special Attack. Tentacruel should be a real Water-type option for those who did not choose Piplup as the First Partner Pokemon.

Base Stats:

14 Gallade

Base Stat Total: 518

• Type: Psychic/Fighting
• Where To Find In Diamond & Pearl: Evolve Kirlie (male)

With a respectable base stat total of 518, there is a brand-new Pokemon for Generation 4, Gallade, who is an evolution of Male Kirlia, when given the Dawn Stone. It becomes a Psychic/Fighting-type, and thus, it thrives in Physical Attack with moves like Close Combat and Psycho Cut being the pick of the bunch.

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Sadly, gamers will need to wait until after they get the National Dex and the Poke Radar to use Gallade. Ralts will spawn in Routes 203 and 204 and then evolve into Kirlia at level 30 and then into Gallade when exposed to the Dawn Stone, which can be located on Route 215 and Mt. Coronet.

Gallade's Base Stats:

13 Luxray

Base Stat Total: 523

• Type: Electric
• Where To Find In Diamond & Pearl: Evolve Luxio

Luxray has 523 points in its base stat total and is a pure Electric-type, a great typing to have. It has a single weakness to Ground, resistances to Electric, Flying, and Steel, and its STAB attacks hit Water and Flying super effectively. Dragon, Grass, and Ground all resist its own type, which is really the only major flaw.

In terms of stats, Luxray suffers a bit. While it has great Attack and serviceable Special Attack, it is somewhat slow and has middling defenses, making it easy to KO. Players who want to take advantage of Luxray's fantastic typing and stats are in luck, as this is one of the easiest Pokemon to get in Sinnoh. Shinx, Luxray's pre-evolution, is available immediately on Routes 202, 203, and 204.

Luxray's Base Stats:

12 Eeveelutions

Base Stat Total: 525

• Type:
  • Vaporeon: Water
  • Jolteon: Electric
  • Flareon: Fire
  • Espeon: Psychic
  • Umbreon: Dark
  • Leafeon: Grass
  • Glaceon: Ice

• Where To Find In Diamond & Pearl: Evolve Eevee

Eevee has been ever present in the Pokemon franchise ever since the original titles, Pokemon Red & Blue. In Generation 4, two new Eeveelutions were introduced, Leafeon and Glaceon. However, Eevee is tricky to acquire. The first way is getting the gift Pokemon from Bebe in Hearthome City after getting the National Dex. The other is to catch it in the Trophy Garden, but that is a rare spawn, and it only appears at certain times.

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Once Eevee is in the party, it can evolve into seven different types, so it is up to the player which direction they take. The two new ones evolved while being leveled up near the Moss Rock (Eterna Forest, Leafeon) or the Ice Rock (Route 217, Glaceon). All Eeveelutions share the same base stat total of 525, but they are spread out in different ways - some are better on offense, some on defense.

Although there are a few other Pokemon who share the same base stat overall, that are available in Pokemon Diamond & Pearl, having them all in one entry with the Eeveelutions would just be confusing.

Base Stats:

11 Hippowdon, Probopass, Torterra, Lucario, & Dusknoir

Base Stat Total: 525

• Type:
  • Hippowdon: Ground
  • Probopass: Rock/Steel
  • Torterra: Grass/Ground
  • Lucario: Fighting/Steel
  • Dusknoir: Ghost

• Where To Find In Diamond & Pearl:
  • Hippowdon: Route 228, Evolve Hippopotas
  • Probopass: Evolve Nosepass
  • Torterra: Evolve Grotle
  • Lucario: Evolve Riolu
  • Dusknoir: Evolve Dusclops

Hippowdon

Sharing its base stat total with the Eeveelutions is the Ground hippo, Hippowdon, who specializes in HP, Attack, and Defense but is less than desirable in other respects. However, it won't be much of a problem as a high-powered Earthquake will leave opponents in ruins. It can also take a hit quite nicely as well.

Hippowdon can be found as a rare encounter on Route 228, but it will be easier to catch its pre-evolved form in Hippopotas at the Maniac Tunnel. It will then evolve at level 34, with its color being determined by the Pokemon's gender. The male has a tan and black/gray color scheme, and the female is covered in a darker coloration.

Probopass

This Pokemon may have a controversial design, but in Pokemon Diamond & Pearl, it is an awesome Pokemon with a respectable base stat total of 525. This is mainly stored in its Defenses, something that a lot of Steel-type Pokemon share.

Unlike in the game's follow-up, Platinum, this Pokemon cannot be found before the National Dex as it must be evolved from Nosepass, which will only appear via swarms on Route 206. Nosepass evolves into Probopass when leveled up at Mt. Coronet. It may not win any races, but it can take hits and strike back with reasonable Special Attack. STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) moves such as Flash Cannon or Power Gem will do some damage.

Torterra

Torterra is a Grass/Ground-type Pokemon, the only one of its kind. Grass/Ground is a somewhat rough combination. While its STAB moves do hit seven different types for super effective damage, neither type can hit Grass, Bug, or Flying Pokemon neutrally. It also comes with a 4x weakness to Ice and additional weaknesses to Bug, Flying, and Fire, with only resistances to Rock, Ground, and an Electric immunity to make up for it.

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Lucario

Lucario is a Fighting/Steel-type Pokemon. This combination is amazing, as it's a more offensive take on the usually defensive Steel-type. It only has three weaknesses to Ground, Fire, and Fighting, with a hefty six resistances, two quadruple resistances, and an immunity to Poison in exchange for this.

Offensively, Lucario's STAB moves can hit six types super effectively, and there is no individual type that can resist both Fighting and Steel. Lucario has very high Attack, Special Attack, and Speed but middling defenses. This makes its role very obvious: it's a fast-mixed attacker that uses this great type combination both to switch in safely and to do meaningful damage. Riolu (Lucario's pre-evolution) is given out as an Egg at the end of Iron Island, provided that the current party space is less than 6. Riolu will then evolve when it has a high friendship level during the day.

Dusknoir

Dusknoir is a pure Ghost-type Pokemon, easily one of the best single types to have. It has only two weaknesses to itself and Dark, resistances to Bug and Poison, and immunities to Normal and Fighting. Ghost-type moves hit every type in the game at least neutrally, except for Normal and Dark, while also doing double damage to itself and Psychic.

Dusknoir has extremely high defenses and good Attack, but the rather poor HP stat does hurt its survivability quite a bit. Wild Duskull are located on Route 224 when using the Poke Radar in Diamond & Pearl and can be found regularly on Route 209, the Lost Tower, and Turnback Cave.

Base Stats:

10 Empoleon & Mamoswine

Base Stat Total: 530

• Type:
  • Empoleon: Water/Steel
  • Mamoswine: Ice/Ground

• Where To Find In Diamond & Pearl:
  • Empoleon: Evolve Prinplup
  • Mamoswine: Evolve Piloswine

Empoleon

Empoleon is the final form of Gen 4's Water-type starter, Piplup. It is the only Water/Steel-type, which is a phenomenal typing. Water/Steel gives Empoleon nine resistances and an immunity to Poison. Combine that with high Special Attack and Special Defense stats, and the result is a great Pokemon.

Empoleon evolves from the Water-type starter for Diamond & Pearl, meaning that players are given the option to pick it right at the beginning of the game. If the player picked another starter and still wants Empoleon, they will need to trade members of the family in from other games.

Mamoswine

Mamoswine has an excellently offensive typing in Ice/Ground in addition to having a great Attack stat and decent Speed. Combine all of that with its fantastic design and wonderfully punny name, and the result is an all-time fan favorite. Wild Swinub can be found on Route 217 as a swarm encounter.

Base Stats:

9 Infernape

Base Stat Total: 534

• Type: Fire/Fighting
• Where To Find In Diamond & Pearl: Evolve Monferno

Infernape is the final evolution of Sinnoh's Fire-type starter, Chimchar. With 534 as its base stat total, Infernape is an extremely offensively focused Pokemon. It has incredibly high Attack, Special Attack, and Speed stats, but unfortunately, it also has very frail defenses. Fire/Fighting is always a great offensive type, allowing its STAB moves to hit seven different types for super effective damage. Infernape can also learn moves that are unusual for its typing, such as Earthquake and Thunder Punch.

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Infernape evolves from the Fire-type starter for Diamond & Pearl, meaning that players have the option to pick it right at the beginning of the game. If the player picks Turtwig or Piplup, they will need to trade members of the family in from other games.

Infernape's Base Stats: