10 Worst Middle-Stage Pokémon
2. Prinplup
Out of all the crappy middle-stage starters, Prinplup easily takes the cake.
Just listen to the name - Prinplup. Prin. Plup. It's like someone at Game Freak got drunk and tried to say "Piplup" and they just rolled with it. Second of all, look at how awkward and stupid this thing looks. It has this dumb, pear-shaped body, these two mohawks attached to its beak, and these four "buttons" across its big fat tummy.
Plus, Prinplup technically ends up disadvantaged against both middle-stage starters from Sinnoh. Grotle (who just narrowly avoided inclusion on this list) takes it down handily with Grass moves, while Monferno gains the Fighting type and can easily outspeed it to deal neutral STAB damage instead of taking chances on Scratch and Leer. Sure, a Prinplup is more likely to win that battle, but if your health is in the yellow, you're out of Potions, and you're up against your rival's full-health Monferno, your victory isn't as secure as it should be.
Prinplup is an abomination, and an insult to Piplup and Empoleon.