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For generations, fans have researched the world of Pokemon and what makes each species unique. There are so many weird and wonderful creatures to learn about and adopt as friends and lifelong companions, and trainers take pride in theming parties to a particular species. Gym leaders always focus on a single type of Pokemon, so many trainers have taken to doing the same.
However, outside of dragon-type Pokemon or mind-churning psychic, there are loads of sub-genres that could make your party powerful—one of which is the beautiful world of mushroom Pokemon. You heard me, MUSHROOMS. I’ll cover everything you need to know about this sub-genre in this guide to every mushroom pokemon!
Bottom Line Up Front
As of generation eight, there are eight specifically fungus-themed Pokemon to join your parties. Each has its unique look and charm, paired with some mighty moves that can and should be utilized in battle. I love all things fungus, so let’s dive right into what makes these Pokemon so unique.
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What is a Mushroom Pokemon
The wonderful world of Pokemon is home to a lot of plant-inspired Pokemon. We have seen many plant and flower species, which has also introduced us to some fantastic fungi friends. I am an avid fan of all things mushrooms, so as you can imagine, I adore all mushroom Pokemon. But what makes them so different from other plant Pokemon?
One of the defining factors I look for in a mushroom Pokemon is a cap and gills, which is a defining feature of fungi. There are several plant-like Pokemon that could technically count as mushroom Pokemon, but if it lacks a cap and gills, I haven’t included it in my list. The only exception, of course, is Shroomish. But with a name like that, it would be an insult to leave them out.
If a Pokemon’s design features a mushroom, but the Pokemon is not exclusively designed to look like a mushroom, it will also be included in this list. For example, Paras may not solely be a mushroom shape, but its design features two exclusive Poke-universe mushrooms.
Additionally, it evolves into Parasect, which is hosted by said mushrooms. Therefore, Paras rightfully deserves a place on my list because of this! With such expansive land and so many generations to sift through, there are many fantastic fungi to add to your party.
Where to Find Mushroom Pokemon
Although there isn’t a single location to find mushroom Pokemon, a few common areas are shared amongst the sub-species. As you would discover fungi in real life, mushroom Pokemon tend to infest darker, damper areas.
So my first suggestion would be to search in woodland areas, especially places like Eterna Forest, which has a decent amount of tree cover to create darker areas. Pokemon like Parasect and Shiinotic can usually be found near one another due to sharing the same interest in places, and the pair are known for fighting over territory.
In games like Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, I’d recommend looking in the crystal caves of the Grand Underground. Although it seems unusual to look for mushrooms in a crystal cavern, glowing fungi such as Morelull and ground-dwelling fungi hosts like Paras and Parasect usually linger around those areas.
Mushroom Pokemon also like warm environments, so I would avoid searching in forests near Mount Snowdin. Shroomish and Breloom, in particular, thrive in tropical forests and prefer places with a lot of leaf cover rather than large open spaces.
On the contrary, Foongus will linger in open spaces and use their design to lure into more covered spaces. So before diving into any caves, I suggest staying in forests to begin your mushroom hunt.
Paras – #046
Generation: One
Type: Bug/Grass
Abilities: Effect Spore or Dry Skin
Hidden Ability: Damp
How to evolve: Will evolve into Parasect starting at level 24
Appearance: Paras is a fascinating, insectoid Pokemon with a bright orange body and two substantial beady eyes. Paras is based on the nymph stage of a cicada, hence the hunched form and large eyes. Its body is segmented, and it has three pairs of legs.
The front pair are two large pincer-like claws. Atop its head is five spots, and it also has three teeth on either side of its mouth. But the mushroom element to Paras is the pair of red and yellow mushrooms on its back.
The mushrooms on Paras’ back are known as Tochukaso – a rare species of parasitic mushroom that Paras and Parasect exclusively produce. These mushrooms can be removed at any time. In the Pokeuniverse, they have medicinal benefits despite being so parasitic.
Parasect – #047
Generation: One
Type: Bug/Grass
Abilities: Effect Spore or Dry Skin
Hidden Ability: Damp
Appearance: Much like its pre-evolution stage, Paras, Parasect is an orange insectoid Pokemon. However, instead of having two mushrooms on its back – Parasect has been entirely overrun by the parasitic Tochukaso.
As a result, the back of the Pokemon is exclusively red and yellow mushroom, with only its underside and legs poking out. If the mushroom is removed, the Pokemon will stop moving. The mushroom essentially controls Parasect. In addition, Parasect has two large, white eyes with no pupils. Much like Parasect, it also has two large pincers as its front two legs.
Shroomish – #285
Generation: Three
Type: Grass
Abilities: Effect Spore or Poison Heal
Hidden Ability: Quick Feet
How to evolve: Evolves into Breloom starting at level 23
Appearance: Shroomish is an interesting approach to a mushroom Pokemon since it doesn’t resemble a typical mushroom shape. If I were to compare it to any fungi, I’d say it closely resembles a puffball. The frilly top half of Shroomish is beige and covered in green spots.
It has two small black eyes, a triangular mouth, and a long furrowed brow line. The top of Shroomish appears like an opening, where it will release its spores by shaking. The bottom half of Shroomish is green, with two tiny round feet. Unusually, this Pokemon has no arms or hands.
Breloom – #286
Generation: Three
Type: Grass/Fighting
Abilities: Effect Spore or Poison Heal
Hidden Ability: Technician
Appearance: Breloom is potentially one of my favorite mushroom Pokemon, even though it doesn’t initially look like a mushroom. Breloom is a bipedal, dinosaur/kangaroo-like Pokemon who packs a punch. With its charming disposition, you wouldn’t expect the power behind this Pokemon – so don’t let its bright eyes fool you.
Much like Shroomish, Breloom is green and beige. Its face and tail are beige, while its body and top are green. Towards its head is a mushroom cap with a green top, beige gills, and a red, berry-like growth to either side. In addition, Breloom has a beak-like mouth and beige frilled segments towards the base of its neck.
To offset the green and beige, this Pokemon has two red claws on both hands and feet. Finally, the end of its tail is made up of four clumps of hardened, toxic spores.
Foongus – #590
Generation: Five
Type: Grass/Poison
Abilities: Effect Spore
Hidden Ability: Regenerator
How to evolve: Evolves into Amoongus starting at level 39
Appearance: Foongus is undeniably one of the most apparent mushroom-like Pokemon. Both its name and its design are explicit references to fungi.
Foongus is a small, beige, mushroom-shaped Pokemon with a cap resembling a Pokeball. The stem of its body has small, stubby arms with no hands and no feet. Foongus also has a rounded, pink mouth and tiny black eyes. The Pokeball design on its cap is used to lure people close, where it will release poisonous spores to defend itself.
Amoongus – #591
Generation: Five
Type: Grass/Poison
Abilities: Effect Spore
Hidden Ability: Regenerator
Appearance: Amoongus has a very similar appearance to Foongus in terms of its Pokeball cap and pink puckered mouth, but it drastically grows in size post evolution. Amoongus adapts its previously stubby arms into two additional Pokeball-colored caps, which it uses as shields.
Compared to its pre-evolution, Amoongus has a more fierce disposition and stern facial expression. It releases the same poisonous spores as Foongus, which will grow into mushrooms if not washed off soon enough. The Pokeball design on its hands and cap are used to lure in enemies, but due to its size, this doesn’t work as well as Foongus’ approach.
Morelul – #755
Generation: Seven
Type: Grass/Fairy
Abilities: Illuminate or Effect Spore
Hidden Ability: Rain Dish
How to evolve: Morelull will evolve into Shiinotic starting at level 24
Appearance: Morelull is another very short, mushroom-like Pokemon. It is predominantly white and has a rounded body with three long, thin stalks on its head. Attached to each stem are three mushroom caps. The center cap has a pink upper half and a dark purple fringe.
The caps on the left and right sides of the center have a light purple top and darker purple bottom. These caps glow in darker woodlands, and groups of Morelull have been known to come together to guide lost trainers. The base of the mushroom is Morelull’s face, which comprises two round brown eyes and white roots resembling feet. The top of the head is bumpy and is supposed to resemble hair.
Shiinotic – #756
Generation: Seven
Type: Grass/Fairy
Abilities: Illuminate or Effect Spore
Hidden Ability: Rain Dish
Appearance: Shiinotic is a much larger mushroom Pokemon compared to Morelull. Its body is made up of a thin stem-like shape with a frilly pink base and two tiny feet. It’s essentially a big mushroom! Towards the top of the stem is Shiinotic’s bulbous face which has the same large brown eyes as Morelull.
Shiinotic also has an upturned, smiley mouth and two circles of blush next to both eyes. However, the main feature of this Pokemon is its large purple mushroom cap. This cap has a fluffy pink rim and pale green spots towards the top.
The same pale green makes up the gills and underside of the mushroom cap. Much like Morelull, the spores within the cap allow it to glow in darker areas. Unusually, this Pokemon also has two slender, root-like arms on either side of its body. These arms are used to suck the energy from its predators. Shiinotic is known to fight with Parasect over territory.
Honorable Mention
Although these are the only explicit fungi Pokemon, there are a few that people tend to assume are also fungi. For example, Gloom and Vileploom are sometimes referred to as mushroom Pokemon due to their plant-like design. In addition, these Pokemon feature a Rafflesia flower, an incredibly parasitic flowering plant. Rafflesia plants are referred to as ‘meat flowers’ or ‘corpse plants’ due to releasing a foul, rotting meat-smelling odor.
However, Rafflesia plants are not fungi despite being parasitic. They are almost like fungi, as an individual flower will grow thread-like tissues, but because they aren’t fungi exclusively, Vileplume and Gloom sadly haven’t made my list of fantastic mushroom Pokemon.
FAQs
Question: Are all Mushroom Pokemon grass-type?
Answer: Most mushroom Pokemon are dual-type, meaning they have two types applied to them, one of which is grass. However, Shroomish is the only exclusively grass-type. So technically speaking, all mushroom Pokemon are grass-types, they just tend to have a second type alongside them. I would’ve expected mushroom Pokemon to be predominantly poison over grass, given how many of them produce toxic spores!
Question: What is a Tochukaso Mushroom?
Answer: The Tochukaso mushroom is a fungus exclusive to the Pokemon Universe. Tochukasu is the Japanese name for a caterpillar fungus, which infects an insect host and changes its behaviors. However, caterpillar fungus and Tochukaso look nothing alike. The Tochukaso mushroom has a red cap that is covered in yellow spots, and it has a beige stem. If I compare it to an actual mushroom, I’d suggest its closest counterpart would be a fly agaric. A similarly poisonous red mushroom, but a fly agaric has white spots instead of yellow.Â
Question: Is Breloom a mushroom?
Answer: Breloom is considered a mushroom Pokemon, and I’ve included it on my list due to its prominent mushroom cap headpiece and the underlying gills beneath. Although its entire body doesn’t look like a mushroom, it still has many significant fungi features. Additionally, it’s the evolved form of Shroomish, a firm member of the mushroom Pokemon family.Â
Summary
When you first play through a Pokemon game, I can’t imagine mushroom Pokemon would be at the top of your list to form a party out of. However, after diving further into types and abilities, I think Mushroom Pokemon could create a mighty team.
With dual-type Pokemon like Morelull, who would be strong against ground, rock, water, fighting, dark, and dragon, accompanied by Breloom, who would additionally be strong against steel, rock, ice, and normal, you’d have a pretty strong party with those Pokemon alone.
As I’ve already mentioned, I love mushrooms. I find them incredibly fascinating, so bringing them to life through Pokemon is something I will always adore. However, I have never attempted to create an entirely mushroom-based Pokemon party. I need to try it, and I think it would become pretty unbeatable. So maybe it’s my time to become Pokemon’s first mushroom-type gym leader.
