It’s no secret plenty of Pokemon are based on real-life creatures. Some of the designs for Pokemon make it fairly obvious to tell what creature they’re based on, while others take a little more investigative work. One particular creature that doesn’t have many obvious inspirations in Pokemon is the tiger.
The tiger is a fierce member of the big-cat family, particularly found in forested areas across Asia. With Pokemon’s roots being in Japan, you might think plenty of Tiger Pokemon can be found across the Pokedex. However, that’s not the case; there are only a handful of tigers in the various Pokemon regions.
Here’s a complete list of every tiger Pokemon we could find in the Pokedex.
All Tiger Pokemon, listed
It might be surprising to hear I could only find roughly eight Pokemon with a distinct tiger-like design or reference to a tiger in the Pokedex. Some of the Pokemon won’t strike you as a tiger, but there’s a specific reason for every pocket monster on the list below.
Litten, Torracat, Incineroar
Let’s start with arguably the most obvious tiger-like Pokemon. It’s the Litten line from Generation Seven, which includes Litten, Torracat, and Incineroar. All three of the Fire-type cats definitely look like felines, but it’s not until you see Incineroar you realize they’re based on tigers. Litten and Torracat look more like a tiger cub, which bears a resemblance to domesticated cats.
Landorus (Therian Forme)
Landorous looks nothing like a feline but when you see its Therian Forme, you see it might be the truest tiger in the entire series. The Therian Forme brings Landorous down on all fours, complete with a long tail and menacing yellow eyes. You might see Landorous more in its Incarnate Forme, but its Therian Forme is what you want if you’re going for a full feline party.
Chien-Pao
Next up, we have another pure tiger Pokemon in Chien-Pao. This legendary Pokemon from Scarlet and Violet is a part of the Treasure of Ruin, a group of four legendaries. Chien-Pao doesn’t look like a traditional tiger, as it has a blue and gray color scheme over the standard orange and black. However, this is possibly due to Chien-Pao being based on Baihu, a mythological Chinese tiger that has a similar color and body type to the legendary.
In any case, Chien-Pao is without a doubt a tiger, and sports one of the more intriguing Pokemon designs for a tiger in the series.
Raikou
Now we’re getting into some Pokemon you may not have considered were based on tigers. Raikou is a part of the Legendary Beasts trio from Gen. II and while it might look like another type of cat, it’s based on a sabertooth tiger. Sabertooths aren’t direct ancestors of the tiger we know today, but it’s still technically a tiger by all accounts.
Purugly
It might seem completely out there, but if you look in the Pokedex, Purugly is described as the “Tiger-Cat Pokemon.” While the meaning of a tiger-cat could be left up to debate, I’m saying that description qualifies Purugly as an official tiger Pokemon. Of course, in the real world, Purugly would seem extremely out of place in the forests of Asia with the other modern tigers. But for this list, Purugly slides right in alongside them.
Zeraora
Rounding out the list is Zeraora, a Mythical Electric-type Pokemon from Gen. VII. While Zeraora’s base form looks like a regular, yet angry cat, its shiny form lends credence to the fact it may actually be a tiger. The Shiny form of Zeraora may be based on white tigers, as it trades its yellow fur for bright white fur. This is sort of a stretch, but given the fact Zeraora already is a feline Pokemon, I think it’s okay to call the Mythical an honorary tiger thanks to its shiny form.
And that does it for every tiger Pokemon in the entire series. There aren’t too many of the fierce felines in the Pokedex, but perhaps more will be added in future games. For a look at every base cat Pokemon in the franchise, check out our previous guide.
