Shuckle has the highest base Defense of any Pokémon: 230, and it has 230 Special Defense as well. Mega Steelix and Mega Aggron also reach 230 as forms, and Eternamax Eternatus has 250, but players cannot use that one.
The numbers come from the pokee.si Pokédex data. Across all species the average base Defense is 73, 50 Pokémon reach 130 or more, and 15 reach 150 or more.
The top 20 by base Defense
Nine of the top 20 are Steel types and nine are Rock types, and several are both.
| # | Pokémon | Type | Base Defense | Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shuckle | Bug/Rock | 230 | – |
| 2 | Stakataka | Rock/Steel | 211 | Ultra Beast |
| 3 | Steelix | Steel/Ground | 200 | – |
| 4 | Regirock | Rock | 200 | Legendary |
| 5 | Avalugg | Ice | 184 | – |
| 6 | Cloyster | Water/Ice | 180 | – |
| 7 | Aggron | Steel/Rock | 180 | – |
| 8 | Bastiodon | Rock/Steel | 168 | – |
| 9 | Onix | Rock/Ground | 160 | – |
| 10 | Pecharunt | Poison/Ghost | 160 | Mythical |
| 11 | Toxapex | Poison/Water | 152 | – |
| 12 | Registeel | Steel | 150 | Legendary |
| 13 | Doublade | Steel/Ghost | 150 | – |
| 14 | Carbink | Rock/Fairy | 150 | – |
| 15 | Diancie | Rock/Fairy | 150 | Mythical |
| 16 | Probopass | Rock/Steel | 145 | – |
| 17 | Cofagrigus | Ghost | 145 | – |
| 18 | Runerigus | Ground/Ghost | 145 | – |
| 19 | Orthworm | Steel | 145 | – |
| 20 | Melmetal | Steel | 143 | Mythical |
The best non-Legendary defenders
With Legendary, Mythical, Ultra Beast and Paradox Pokémon removed, Shuckle still leads, followed by Steelix at 200, Avalugg at 184, Cloyster and Aggron at 180, and Bastiodon at 168. Then come Onix at 160, Toxapex at 152, and Doublade and Carbink at 150.
The highest Defense of any form
| Form | Kind | Base Defense | Normal form |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eternamax Eternatus | battle | 250 | Eternatus 95 |
| Mega Steelix | mega | 230 | Steelix 200 |
| Mega Aggron | mega | 230 | Aggron 180 |
| Hisuian Avalugg | hisui | 184 | Avalugg 184 |
| Mega Slowbro | mega | 180 | Slowbro 110 |
| Mega Golisopod | mega | 175 | Golisopod 140 |
| Mega Chesnaught | mega | 172 | Chesnaught 122 |
| Primal Groudon | primal | 160 | Groudon 140 |
| Defense Deoxys | forme | 160 | Deoxys 50 |
Bulbapedia lists Eternamax Eternatus at 250 Defense, and says it appears in the Sword and Shield story battle and cannot be acquired legitimately. Bulbapedia also notes that Mega Steelix is tied with Mega Aggron and Shuckle for the highest base Defense among obtainable Pokémon, at 230. The biggest jump among usable forms is Defense Deoxys: from 50 to 160.
Highest Defense of each type
| Type | Highest base Defense | Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | Arceus | 120 |
| Fire | Torkoal | 140 |
| Water | Cloyster | 180 |
| Electric | Zekrom | 120 |
| Grass | Ferrothorn, Kartana | 131 |
| Ice | Avalugg | 184 |
| Fighting | Buzzwole | 139 |
| Poison | Pecharunt | 160 |
| Ground | Steelix | 200 |
| Flying | Skarmory | 140 |
| Psychic | Cosmoem | 131 |
| Bug | Shuckle | 230 |
| Rock | Shuckle | 230 |
| Ghost | Pecharunt | 160 |
| Dragon | Turtonator | 135 |
| Dark | Ting-Lu | 125 |
| Steel | Stakataka | 211 |
| Fairy | Carbink, Diancie | 150 |
Some type pairs come up again and again among tanks (the fan word for a Pokémon that soaks up hits): see Rock/Steel for Aggron, Bastiodon, Probopass and Stakataka, and Ground/Steel for Steelix.
The lowest Defense
| Pokémon | Type | Base Defense |
|---|---|---|
| Happiny | Normal | 5 |
| Chansey | Normal | 5 |
| Blissey | Normal | 10 |
| Smoochum | Ice/Psychic | 15 |
| Igglybuff | Normal/Fairy | 15 |
Chansey and Blissey are still famous for taking special hits. Chansey has 250 HP and 105 Sp. Def, and Blissey has 255 HP and 135 Sp. Def, so their Defense is the weak spot and the rest is not. Compare them in Chansey vs Blissey.
Defense and Special Defense together
Physical moves hit Defense and special moves hit Special Defense, so the total of both says more about a Pokémon's toughness.
| Pokémon | Defense | Sp. Def | Both | HP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shuckle | 230 | 230 | 460 | 20 |
| Stakataka | 211 | 101 | 312 | 61 |
| Bastiodon | 168 | 138 | 306 | 60 |
| Regirock | 200 | 100 | 300 | 80 |
| Regice | 100 | 200 | 300 | 80 |
| Registeel | 150 | 150 | 300 | 80 |
| Toxapex | 152 | 142 | 294 | 50 |
Shuckle's 460 is far ahead, but its HP is 20. A strong enough hit still knocks it out, and Shuckle's Attack and Speed are tiny too.
HP times Defense, a rough guide
A common shortcut for bulk (how much damage a Pokémon can take) is to multiply HP by Defense. It is a rough guide, not a game formula, because real damage also depends on level, the move and the type matchup.
| Pokémon | HP | Defense | HP × Defense |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ting-Lu | 155 | 125 | 19,375 |
| Melmetal | 135 | 143 | 19,305 |
| Giratina | 150 | 120 | 18,000 |
| Avalugg | 95 | 184 | 17,480 |
| Dondozo | 150 | 115 | 17,250 |
| Steelix | 75 | 200 | 15,000 |
By this measure, Shuckle does not make the list. Its 20 HP times 230 Defense is 4,600.
Body Press and Defense
Body Press uses the user's Defense stat instead of its Attack stat to work out damage, according to Bulbapedia. That makes a high-Defense Pokémon an attacker as well as a tank. Compare with the highest Attack page.
Where to go next
Check who moves first on the speed tiers page, or test your instincts in Higher or Lower.