Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearlremake the originalPokemon DiamondandPearl,returning players to their expansive Sinnoh region. The Sinnoh region included and introduced some iconic Pokemon for players to catch and evolve, and withBrilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl’saddition of the Grand Underground, players have even more opportunities to catch powerful Pokemon.
RELATED:Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl: Which Starter Makes The Game Easier?
Many players strive to create the strongest team they can, and with so many options to choose from, it can be difficult to find the right Pokemons. Fighting-types are a great choice for players needing a counter to common typings like Dark, Ice, Normal, Rock, and Steel, and are astaple on any powerful Pokemon teamthanks to their offensive potential. Fighting-type Pokemon are plentiful inBrilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, but some are more powerful than others.
Updated July 11th, 2022 by Russ Boswell: There are a lot of amazing Fighting-type Pokemon to be found in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. Those looking to get their hands on a pure Fighting-type have a few solid options and there are even more powerful Pokemon to be found for those that are willing to adapt to a dual type. Although many fans are anxiously awaiting the release of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, there are a bunch of players just now starting their adventure through the remakes of Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. To better help those players that are interested in snagging a fighting-type, the following list has been updated. It now includes even more entries for thebest Fighting-type Pokemon in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.
13Hitmontop
Those that are looking for a solid pure fighting-type Pokemon should take a look at Hitmontop. The spinning fighter was introduced in Generation II and offers well-rounded stats compared to its other “Hit” counterparts. It has a solid physical attack, as well as Defense and Special Defense. It will have trouble out-speeding its opponents but does have a unique hidden ability that allows it to gain speed whenever it flinches. It can also be found with either the Technician ability, which will upgrade Hitmonchan’s lower-power attacks, or Intimidate, which can outright lower and opponent Pokemon’s attack power.
Hitmontop is a great pick for someone that wants an earlier pure fighting-type that is capable of dishing out and taking damage. Players can use the Poke Radar to find Tyrogue in the Tall Grass of route 211 then evolve it into Hitmontop by keeping its Attack and Defense equal once it hits Level 20.
Hitmontop’s Stats:
12Hitmonchan
Another evolution of Tyrogue, Hitmonchan hits harder than Hitmontop while still maintaining solid Defense and Special Defense, making it a great pure Fighting-type that can take a punch from an opponent and then strike back with some solid force. It’ll have a hard time out-speeding any of the faster Pokemon found in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, but players won’t have to worry about it flinching thanks to its Hidden Focus hidden ability. Players will also have a choice of abilities when building their Hitmonchan and can pick between Keen Eye, which will keep the fighter from losing accuracy, or Iron Fist, which will upgrade its punching-based attacks.
Hitmonchan will evolve from a Tyrogue at Level 20 as long as its Defense is higher than its Attack.
Hitmonchan’s Stats:
11Hitmonlee
Perhaps the best of Tyrogue’s final evolutions, especially for players that want a solid physical attacker, Hitmonlee has the highest Attack stat of the trio. The pure Fighting-type has the highest Speed of the group, but it won’t necessarily be able to outpace most of the opponents that players come up against. Unfortunately, it also has a pretty low physical defense, making it much more susceptible to speedier Attack-based Pokemon. Players can mitigate this issue a bit with the Unburden hidden ability, which gives Hitmonlee a boost of speed whenever it uses a held item. It can also come with the Limber ability, which will keep it from being Paralyzed, or the Reckless ability, which powers up recoil-based attacks, making Hitmonlee an all-out attacker.
Hitmonlee will evolve from a Tyrogue at Level 20 as long as its Attack is higher than its Defense.
Hitmonlee’s Stats:
10Breloom
Breloomis a Grass/Fighting-type Pokemon first introduced in Generation 3. Though it has a 4x weakness to Flying-type moves, Breloom’s dual-typing gives it a long list of resistances that can come in handy during battle. Breloom also has a massive Attack stat that rivals even some of thelegendaries in the game. With a strong attack and a great move pool, Breloom can take out many opponents in only a few moves.
Breloom’s pre-evolution, Shroomish, can be encountered in the wild inGreat Marsh. Shroomish will evolve into Breloom at level 23.
Breloom’s Stats:
9Hariyama
Hariyamais a pure Fighting-type Pokemon with a great Attack stat. WhileHariyama is a heavy hitter, its other stats fall to the background and can be underwhelming when in use. With low Speed and Special Attack, Hariyama is outpaced by many of the other Fighting-type options in Sinnoh. However, its Attack makes it worth trying.
Hariyama evolves from Makuhita at level 24. Makuhita can be found in tall grass onRoute 225,and can be quickly leveled up and evolved into Hariyama.
Hariyama’s Stats:
8Toxicroak
Toxicroakis a solid Pokemon all around, but its biggest downside is its 4x weakness to Psychic-type moves. With Psychic-type Pokemon being fairly common, this can pose real problems for Toxicroak during battle. However, Toxicroak does have access to some great Poison and Fighting-type moves, and can come in handy during combat.
RELATED:Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl: Best Pokemon To Pair With Piplup & Where To Catch Them
Toxicroak’s pre-evolution Croagunk can becaught in theGrand Underground, and both Croagunk and Toxicroak can be found in the wild in theGreat Marsh. Croagunk will evolve into Toxicroak at level 37. This is a high-level evolution, but players can takeadvantage ofBrilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl’sExp. Share for quick level-ups.
Toxicroak’s Stats:
7Heracross
Heracross’s Bug/Fighting-type typing leaves him with to a 4x weakness to Flying-type damage which can really hinder Heracross in battle. However, Heracross has great stats, and makes a great choice for players who want a Pokemon that they won’t have to level up or evolve to achieve high stats.
Heracross is a single-evolution Pokemon, meaning players who catch Heracross will not have to evolve it or level it up too much to reap the benefits of its stats. Heracross can be found all over Sinnoh withinHoney Trees.
Heracross' Stats:
6Machamp
Machamphas great stats across the board and stands out with its enormous Attack stat, which allows it take out many opponents in just a few turns. It doesn’t have any major weaknesses or resistances, and is useful in many battles throughout the game.
Machamp evolves from Machoke, which evolves from Machop. Machop is catchable early in the game and can be found onRoute 208,Route 210, andMt. Coronet. Machoke can also be caught in the wild, spawning onRoute 211,Route 216,Route 217, andRoute 226. Both Pokemon can also be found in theGrand Underground. Machop will evolve into Machoke at level 28, but will need to betradedwith another trainer to evolve into Machamp.
Machamp’s Stats:
5Poliwrath
Poliwrathis a powerful Pokemon with all-around great stats. It is not only one of the best Fighting-type Pokemon, but also comes in as one of thebest Water-type Pokemon, with a split move pool of strong Water and Fighting-type moves.
RELATED:Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl: Where To Find The Old Rod
Poliwrath has two prior evolutions, Poliwag and Poliwhirl. Both Pokemon can be found in theGrand Undergroundonce players have attained theNational Dex. They can also be caught in the wild onRoute 225with the fishing rod, orRoute 227andRoute 228while surfing. Poliwag will evolve into Poliwhirl at level 25, and will then require aWater Stoneto evolve into Poliwrath.
Poliwrath’s Stats:
4Gallade
Galladeis a Psychic/Fighting type with high Speed, Attack, and Special Defense stats. This typingmeans it has few weaknesses, and can hold its own against most other Pokemon typings. Gallade has a great move pool made up of powerful Fighting and Psychic-type moves, like Dream Eater, Close Combat, and Psychic.
Gallade’s lower evolutions, Ralts and Kirlia, can both be found in theGrand Underground, with Kirlia only appearing once players haveaccess to theNational Dex. Ralts and Kirlia can also be found onRoute 203andRoute 204once players have the ability to use thePoke Radar. Ralts will evolve into Kirlia at level 20, and players canuse a Dawn Stone on amaleKirlia to evolve it into Gallade.
