There are a huge number of Pokemon across the various games that have been released in the franchise over the last three decades, with more being introduced all the time. As such, it is unsurprising that more new moves keep getting added over time, filling up the move-sets of the various Pokemon that are continually added.
This makes it difficult to know which moves are worth keeping around since Pokemon can generally only learn four moves at once. Many moves are often slept on by players, since they don’t realize the full potential that some moves come with. Water Pokemon and their moves include some of the very best the franchise has to offer, but some are secretly much better than players might realize.
The Best Pokemon Of Each Type, Ranked
With every type of Pokemon, there is always one that stands above all of the others.
8 Water Shuriken
Multi-Strike Speed Move
- PP: 20
- Accuracy: 100
- Power: 15 (x2-5)
An underrated but uncommon move, Water Shuriken, was introduced in Generation Six of the Pokemon games as a multi-strike move which comes with a priority attack. Originally, it was a physical move, but it has since been turned into a special attack that hits between two to five times in a single turn.
While the overall average power base is about 46.5, Water Shuriken can hit with up to 75 power. This, coming alongside the fact that it will almost always strike first, and has perfect accuracy, makes Water Shuriken a great move for any time players need to ensure a strike on their opponent’s Pokemon. Unfortunately, Water Shuriken remains a signature move, first for Accelgor and later for Greninja, meaning players won’t come across it too often.
7 Brine
Ultimate Battle Finisher
- PP: 10
- Accuracy: 100
- Power: 65 (or 130)
Brine is a solid water move which can be learned by a huge number of Pokemon, making it a favorite move for early to mid-game use. However, most players will forget just how useful this move is and will discard it from their Pokemon before they near the end of the game. But Brine’s special effect makes it one of the very best water moves in all of Pokemon.
Brine normally does 65 base damage, which is already a solid attack and will work well as a damaging move. However, if the opponent’s Pokemon is below half health, then Brine will do double damage, giving it 130 base damage, one of the highest damage values found in the game, fantastic for finishing opponents off.
6 Aqua Jet
Priority Move
- PP: 20
- Accuracy: 100
- Power: 40
Another move that doesn’t appear fantastic at the outset, Aqua Jet, can be very useful for certain Pokemon. While there are many water Pokemon that have pretty impressive speed stats, there are a few that don’t match up in this department. For them, having a move that is guaranteed to strike first can be excessively helpful to keep in their roster of moves.
9 Best Pokémon Games Released Only In Japan
Even though dozens of Pokémon games have made their way West, there are still more that were exclusive to Japan.
Aqua Jet works similarly to quick attack but with water-typing. It is a physical attacking move which comes with priority, meaning it is almost always going to hit before the opponent’s move. Many situations can make this useful, and for that reason, Aqua Jet is worth keeping despite the low power stat.
5 Splishy Splash
Crazy Double Effect
- PP: 15
- Accuracy: 100
- Power: 90
A bizarre move which has only appeared in one game out of all those released in the Pokemon franchise thus far, Splishy Splash brings a huge volume of power, as well as an extremely unusual effect for a water move. One of the signature moves of Pikachu in Let’s Go Pikachu, Splishy Splash has a 30% chance to paralyze the opponent’s Pokemon.
Paralysis is a hugely useful status effect in Pokemon, so much so that it’s worth keeping moves that do no damage but will paralyze the target. So a move with such a high percentage chance of paralysis, in addition to a huge 90 base damage stat, is not only worth keeping when it can be found but is one of the best water moves ever.
4 Crabhammer
Increased Crit Rate
- PP: 10
- Accuracy: 90
- Power: 100
Introduced in the very first generation of Pokemon games as a signature move, Crabhammer has since become a more widely available maneuver. Players can see from the start that Crabhammer comes with a ridiculously high power stat of 100, though the move is hampered slightly by only having 90% accuracy, which can harm it somewhat.
Despite this, Crabhammer is still a devastating move worth keeping, because it also comes with an increased critical-hit success rate. This means that, similarly to moves such as Slash, Crabhammer is much more likely to deal even more than its base damage to opposing Pokémon. Crabhammer can be a finishing move under normal circumstances, but with items that increase the critical-hit percentage even further, Pokemon can devastate everything in their path with it, hugely helpful for water-only runs in games.
3 Scald
Burning Water
- PP: 15
- Accuracy: 100
- Power: 80
Another move which comes with a surprising status effect, Scald, is similar in some ways to Splishy Splash, but much more commonly found. Introduced in Generation Five and having become a popular competitive move since then, many Pokemon players still fail to recognize the significance of this move.
The 9 Best Pokemon of Scarlet and Violet Explained
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet introduced a lot of exciting new critters, but there are 9 creatures that represent the best of what Gen 9 has to offer.
Burning is a fairly uncommon status effect that can be extremely useful, dealing extra damage to them each turn. Scald allows players to hit with 80 power, already a great move worth keeping just for the damage. Additionally, Scald has a 30% chance of burning the opponent’s Pokemon, and it will thaw out the user or opponent if they are frozen. With such a variety of useful aspects, Scald is worth prioritizing for all water Pokemon who can learn it, as the best new water move of its generation.
2 Fishious Rend
Absolute Destruction
- PP: 10
- Accuracy: 100
- Power: 85 (or 170)
Fishious Rend is another uncommon water move, but one worth mentioning since it is so completely destructive. Coming with a base power of 85, Fishious Rend looks good, to begin with, but if players can add items that help the speed stats of the Pokemon using the move, they’ll quickly see just how brutal this really can be.
Fishious Rend does double damage if the Pokemon using it goes first. As the signature move of the Fossilized Fish Pokemon, and not being usable in the most recent games, it doesn’t come up frequently. This is mostly because it would be far too powerful to be common, but players should keep it and use it frequently if they come across it.
1 Rain Dance
Turns The Field
- PP: 5
- Accuracy: N/A (Always Works)
- Power: N/A
Rain Dance is the most underrated water-type move in Pokemon history. Often forgotten by players immediately, Rain Dance doesn’t do any damage, it simply makes rain start all around the battle, affecting the field of play. What most players miss is that once Rain Dance starts, all water moves for the next five turns will do 50% more damage.
If a player has a strong water Pokemon, and they start a battle with one use of Rain Dance, they can go through three or four of the opponent’s Pokemon with buffed water moves before the rain ends. Additionally, fire moves are weakened by 50% for the duration of Rain Dance, which gives another potential advantage to the player if they are smart enough to make use of it, even for the very best water Pokemon.
