What Is The Heaviest Pokémon?

The diverse creatures in the Pokémon universe exhibit an astonishing range of shapes and sizes, with some boasting remarkable weights. Each Pokémon has an official height and weight recorded in the Pokédex, serving not only as comparison points but also influencing gameplay mechanics in certain situations. Moreover, as development has progressed through the various Generations, the record for heaviest Pokémon has come to belong to a surprising figure.

Cosmoem & Celesteela: Titans of Weight

Currently, the heaviest Pokémon in the franchise are Cosmoem and Celesteela, which are tied at 2,204.4lbs (or 999.9kg). Although it is easy to accept Celesteela’s 30-foot, two-inch body having such a weight, with it being one of the biggest Pokémon there are, the fact that it is matched by the tiny four-inch (actually its width according to concept art, making its true height even shorter) Cosmoem can be a surprise. However, given that the Protostar Pokémon has a strong association with celestial bodies, this may actually be a reference to the super-dense nature of objects like black holes.

Ironically, despite the weight of these two Pokémon, circumstances render Heavy Balls useless in obtaining them. Cosmoem is obtainable only by evolving Cosmog, which is itself only obtainable by Lillie gifting the player Nebby in the Gen 7 games or through trading with an NPC in Pokémon Sword and Shield’s Crown Tundra DLC. As a result, there is currently no opportunity to attempt to catch a Cosmoem with the Poké Ball variety explicitly designed for heavy Pokémon. Similarly, as an Ultra Beast, Celesteela is only realistically capturable with the use of a Beast Ball, once again making Heavy Balls irrelevant.

Historical Heaviest Pokémon

Originally, Snorlax was by far the heaviest Pokémon, weighing in at 1,014.1lbs (460.0kg). Of course, heavier Pokémon have appeared over time, although Snorlax is still counted among the heaviest of all. After Snorlax, Groudon also held the record of heaviest Pokémon at 2,094.4lbs (950.0kg). Although this was matched by Eternatus in Generation 8, Gen 7’s Primal Groudon had already broken its original form’s record with a weight of 2,204.0lbs (999.7kg). Today, Primal Groudon is therefore only slightly lighter than the current record-holders.

The Ability Heavy Metal doubles the weight of a Pokémon and can be given to Cosmoem and Celesteela via Skill Swap or Entrainment. As a result, the heaviest a Pokémon can actually be in the games is 4,408.8lbs (1,999.8kg).

Impact on Gameplay

Although a Pokémon’s weight can often simply be treated as flavor text, there are occasions in which it becomes a much more important piece of trivia. The power of several Moves, namely Low Kick, Grass Knot, Heavy Slam and Heat Crash, are affected by the weight of the Pokémon involved. Heavier Pokémon can be dealt more damage by the former two, while the latter two moves also take the user’s weight into account to increase power based on the weight difference. Meanwhile, Sky Drop will fail if the target is more than 440.9lbs (200kg), rendering Cosmoem and Celesteela immune.

Moves and Weight

Although Cosmoem’s movepool is limited to only Teleport and Cosmic Power, Celesteela can learn Heavy Slam. This means that it can leverage the full potential of the move far better than most other Pokémon, which has a maximum Power of 120 when the target is 20% or less of the user’s weight. On the other hand, because of their weight, both Cosmoem and Celesteela will face the full brunt of Grass Knot and Low Kick, Moves which also have 120 power when used against them.

The Uniqueness of Cosmoem

The fact that, despite being one of the smallest Pokémon in the franchise, Cosmoem is also one of the heaviest is a perfect example of how strange Pokémon can be. Of course, nothing is without its reasons, and in context, the Protostar Pokémon’s weight does make sense. It is also interesting to note that Cosmoem’s weight is matched only by a fellow Gen 7 Pokémon, Celesteela. Given the absurd numbers already reached, at present it seems unlikely that an even heavier Pokémon could emerge. That being said, future Pokémon games could naturally bring any number of surprises.