Summary
There are someunique additions to the PokedexinPokemon Scarlet and Violet. While the game has some performance issues, the new species have been well-received by players. Water Pokemon fans will enjoy several new Pokemon this time around, including the adorable, sassy Quaxly as a starter Pokemon.
From mechanical sharks to transforming dolphins to Diglett’s watery cousin, there are some excellent Water Pokemon to choose from inPokemon Scarlet and Violet, some of which have powerful stats and abilities.
Updated June 14, 2025, by Ben Painter:Pokemon Scarlet & Violetbrought a new wave of Pokemon as part of gen 9, and the always common Water-type is abundant across Paldea. Continuing the trend fromPokemon Sword & Shield,the latest Nintendo Switch Pokemon title received two sets of DLC,Hidden Treasures of Area Zero: The Teal Mask & The Indigo Disc. Both DLCs included some new Pokemon for trainers to catch and battle, including somestrong Water-type Pokemon.
12Wiglett
Water-Type
It’s kind of easy to dunk on Wiglett for being, essentially, water-Diglett. However, Wiglett has a certain charm, and while it’s similar to Diglett in appearance, it’s actually pretty different in terms of abilities.
Wiglett isn’t the strongest Water Pokemon on this list, but it’s worth having around. It has two possible abilities: Gooey, which lowers the Speed of any enemies that come into contact with it, and Rattled, which raises Wiglett’s speed when it’s hit with a Bug, Dark, or Ghost-type move.Wiglett evolves into Wugtrio(sound familiar?) from level 26. Catching a Wiglett can be tricky: approaching it head-on will cause it to hide, burrowing into the ground. Players should sneak up behind it, target it with ZL, and then start a battle with ZR.
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11Finizen
Arguably one of the cuternew Pokemon for Gen 9, Finizen is a dolphin Pokemon. They don’t tend to travel alone, so players will find it along any coastline in Paldea in clusters. Finizen has the ability Water Veil, which prevents it from becoming Burned by Fire attacks.
Finizen is a lovely addition to any players' team. It has some interesting attacks at later levels, including Acrobatics (which does massive damage if the user isn’t holding an item) and the classic Hydro Pump. Finizen evolves into Palafin and is the only Pokemon in the game to evolve when the user joins a Union Circle.
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10Wugtrio
One can’t have Wiglett without Wugtrio. Wugtrio isn’t the best Water Pokemon in Gen 9: it has fairly average stats, so players will be choosing it initially for looks alone. However, it does have a very high speed of 120, which is interesting.
Wugtrio can learn the move Triple Dive. Triple Dive is a water-type multi-strike attack, hitting the target three times. This is a potentially powerful move as Wugtrio levels up, so this may make up for the less-than-stellar stats.
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9Veluza
Water/Psychic-Type
Veluza is a kind of mechanical shark Pokemon. Arguably, it’s kind of ugly. It’s also kind of cool at the same time. Putting looks aside for a moment, it’s a pretty decent addition to the Pokedex. Stats-wise, it’s above-average: it’s an aggressive Pokemon with some strong attacks, including Aqua Cutter, Liquidation, and Fillet Away.
Veluza is a single-stage Pokemon, and it actually has two types (Water and Psychic). It can be found in any coastal area in Paldea, and it’s pretty straightforward to catch. Using a Net Ball can increase the players' chances of success.
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8Quaxly
How can anyone ignore Quaxly? One of thethree starter PokemoninPokemon Scarlet & Violet, Quaxly is an adorable little duck with a quiff. Excellent stuff. It’s fairly typical for a starter Pokemon in terms of stats, but it has some excellent abilities later on, including Aqua Cutter and Acrobatics.
Quaxly’s evolutions (Quaxwell and Quaquaval) are divisive, to say the least. However, Quaquaval is a decent Pokemon to head up a team later in the game, and the Quaxly line is arguably one of the quirkieststarter Pokemonplayers have had for some time.
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7Palafin
Palafin evolves from Finizen, but not without effort: players must join a Union Circle to evolve Palafin, the only Pokemon with this requirement in the game (Palafin must be at least level 38 to do this).
Finizen is a great upgrade. In its regular form, it looks almost exactly like Finizen, but with the addition of a small red heart. However, if the player switches out Palafin, it will transform into Hero Form and stay that way for the rest of the battle. The Hero Form is pretty imposing: it has excellent stats, with a huge attack stat that makes Palafin an excellent fighter.
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6Quaquaval
Water/Fighting-Type
Quaquavalis Quaxly’s final evolution. It’s a stylish Pokemon, and it has some gorgeous animations. Having said that, it’s also a strong Pokemon with some excellent stats, with its highest stat in Attack. This makes it a powerful choice to head up a Pokemon team in the later stages of the game.
Quaquaval has some interesting moves, too, including the extremely apt move Feather Dance. Quaquaval is based on carnival dancers, so this is the perfect move. This move harshly reduces the opponent’s Attack stat, which is incredibly useful.
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5Dondozo
This is a single-stage Water Pokemon. It’s not the prettiest species, but it’s a big one! With a high HP, but a low Speed stat, it’s an excellent defensive Pokemon. Dondozo makes a great pair with another Pokemon, Tatsugiri. Dondozo’s signature ability (Order Up) works well in tandem with Tatsugiri’s signature ability (Commander).
If Dondozo has Tatsugiri in its mouth, it boosts one of the user’s stats based on Tatsugiri’s form. Meanwhile, Tatsugiri won’t be able to switch out, but it will have all of its stats boosted. A fair deal and an interesting pair to use in competitive battles.
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4Tatsugiri
Dragon/Water-Type
Appearances may be deceiving with this Sushi Pokemon as the little Water Dragon is a powerful Pokemon in the game with a staggering 120 Sp. Atk stat.
Tatsugiri can be found in three forms, curly form (orange), droopy form (red), and stretchy form (yellow). The forms are purely aesthetic, so it is up to the gamer which one they prefer. Partnering Tatsugiri with Dondozo is a match made in heaven as both of their abilities complement each other well,perfect for use in the double battlesfound in Blueberry Academy as part of theIndigo Disc DLC.
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3Iron Bundle
Ice/Water-Type
Pokemon Scarlet & Violetbrought fans a new category of Pokemon, Paradox Pokemon. InScarlet, these ‘mons are Ancient Pokemon, and inViolet, they are Future Pokemon. Iron Bundle is the latter – a version of Delibird from the faraway future.
Iron Bundle is a big improvement over Delibird as surprisingly, Iron Bundle is one of the quickest beasts in the game with an impressive 136 speed stat. Combining this with 124 Sp. At least it can obliterate opponents with a STAB Hydro Pump or Blizzard; there is no stopping this, as chances are it will out-speed any Pokemon.
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