Pokemon Let’s Go Hitmonlee or Hitmonchan: Which You Should Pick

Hitmonlee or Hitmonchan: Which You Should Pick in Pokemon Let’s Go

After dispatching of the students in Saffron City’s Fighting Dojo, you will be honored with a gift of a free Pokemon; either the piston punching Hitmonchan, or Hitmonlee, the kicking fiend. Here’s whether you should pick Hitmonlee or Hitmonchan in Pokemon Let’s Go.

It’s the same conundrum we’ve been facing since all the way back in Pokemon Red and Blue, but these familiar Fighting beasts have added a lot more techniques to their repertoire since then. So which should you choose to add to your roster?

On the base level, Hitmonchan and Hitmonlee have a few similarities. Their HP and special defense stats are the same (a respectable 110 for the latter, however the dreadful 50 base HP will limit their longevity), as well as their absolutely paltry 35 special attack stats. Needless to say, if you were considering a special attacking Pokemon, you’d best look elsewhere.

Hitmonlee is the more offensive of the two, with a punishing 120 attack stat, as well as 87 speed that can help outpace some of its biggest threats. Hitmonchan isn’t too far behind (105 and 76 in attack and speed, respectively), but its 79 defense is the biggest difference, significantly trumping Hitmonlee’s 53.

Overall, Hitmonchan is the more balanced and versatile option, and its access to the elemental punches means that it has excellent type coverage for the different foes you encounter. Unfortunately, its viability is crippled by the absence of abilities in Pokemon Let’s Go, where Iron Fist would help land more power behind its punches.

Hitmonlee thrives as a prototypical glass cannon in Pokemon Let’s Go, dishing out punishing blows with moves like High Jump Kick. Again, being unable to access the Reckless ability in Pokemon Let’s Go neutralizes a degree of competence, but it is not as apparent with Hitmonlee as it is with its boxing contemporary.

As always, picking between the two is not as simple as “this or that,” because it ultimately depends on what kind of role you are looking to fill. Hitmonlee is the more traditional Fighting-Type Pokemon, helping to thin out the enemy ranks before being quickly dispatched of, due to its abysmal HP and defense. Hitmonchan is a better support option, and its access to Ice Punch means that it has a chance to fend off Flying-Type Pokemon, however, its lesser speed means that many of the birds it comes up against will land the first — and often fatal — attack.

If you simply cannot choose, however, Hitmonchan’s wider utility makes it the more attractive option as a jack-of-all-trades. It also operates a little differently from traditional Fighting-Types, whereas Hitmonlee’s role could feasibly be filled by another fast, frail Pokemon like Primeape (albeit far less capably). Keep in mind that either Hitmonchan or Hitmonlee can be found in the wild on rare occasions.

Which Pokemon did you opt for? Let us know in the comments, and make sure you check out our Pokemon Let’s Go wiki for more guides and tips. We’ll HitmonLOVE you for it.