-Mewtwo
Throughout the Pokémon series, Legenday Pokémon have, to some degree, been at the centre of the story. From the cloned creation of an escaped Mewtwo, to the Sword and Shield saviours of Zacian and Zamazenta, these powerful and rare Pokémon have been there for the player to add to their dex, especially if you want to catch ‘em all.
Being the epitome of strength and rarity, these particular Pokémon appear to have had more time and effort put into their creation. You can tell a Pokémon is likely to be Legendary by its unique design and obvious visual strength. This power translates into the movesets and stats too – resulting in powerhouses, often banned in tournaments.
Legendary Pokémon were also available to obtain outside of the main game by partaking in real-world events, such as going to a Pokémon movie. These “event Legendaries” were eventually given their own category of Mythical Pokémon, but for the sake of this list I’ll be combining both the traditional and non-traditional Legendaries – call me old fashioned!
Whether it’s a radical design, typing or sheer strength, I hope you enjoy my pick of Legendary Pokémon.
Did You Know?
- Until Generation VII, no Legendary Pokémon was able to evolve.
- Many Legendaries have several “forms” such as Giratina and Deoxys.
- Pokémon Red & Blue had the fewest number of Legendary ‘mon, totalling 4.
10) Zapdos
In a majority of the Pokémon games, you’re able to catch numerous legendary Pokémon. Usually, they are made up of the focal Legendary Pokémon, such as Mewtwo, and three others that have some sort of bond. In Pokémon Red and Blue, this group of three are known as the Legendary Birds, and from these Pokémon, Zapdos was always my favourite. Firstly, I loved that he’s found just chilling in the Power Plant – like a lost pigeon that’s somehow made its way indoors – but mostly, I think he has the best design of the three. He was also a big part of my first Pokémon team. I really wanted an Electric type on my team but few of these can be found in the wild in Red and Blue. Naturally, I lent towards Zapdos and it was great to see him receive a Galarian form in the Crown Tundra DLC for Sword & Shield.
9) Entei
Another Legendary Pokémon within a group, and next on my list, is Entei. Part of the Legendary Beasts, I love the legend that surrounds this ‘mon. Supposedly revived by the powers of Ho-oh it is believed that a new Entei is born every time a volcano is formed – pretty mega. But mostly, the reason this Pokémon gets onto my list is the trouble I had catching him, and the elation when I finally succeeded. In Gold & Silver, once the Legendary Beasts flee from Brass Tower, they freely roam Jhoto. This means that you have to try and hunt them down as random encounters. When they finally appear, there’s a chance they’ll flee if your Pokéball is unsuccessful, meaning you have to start the hunt again. I lost track of the number of times this happened to me with Entei in particular, so was overjoyed when that fiery beast finally submitted to my Ultra Ball!
8) Manaphy
Outside of the main series of Pokémon, I must admit, I’ve not ventured into many of the other titles. Recently, I’ve spent many hours on Pokémon Go, Pokémon Snap and Pokkén Tournament, but I’ve never been one for Colosseum or Mystery Dungeon. However, one spin-off title that I sunk hours into is Pokémon Ranger, a game that sees you helping the locals of Fiore by sorting out their Pokémon related issues. You have to use the DS stylus to draw circles around the Pokémon without their movement, or attacks, breaking the chain. The gameplay’s repetitive, but I really enjoyed it, and the final mission rewards you with a Manaphy egg, that you could transfer to Pokémon Diamond or Pearl. I did exactly that and it allowed me to start my team with a fire type in Torchic, and a water type in Manaphy. It got me off to a flying start for my Hoenn adventure, even if I was going in with a powerful legendary!
7) Yveltal
On the 3DS, Pokémon saw three titles released starting with X & Y, before moving onto Sun & Moon and Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon respectively. Out of the three titles, I’ve always lent towards X & Y. Although I appreciate Sun & Moons attempt to mix it up by removing the traditional gym battles, I really love this feature in Pokémon games, and missed it sorely. Another reason is that, within Pokémon Y, the mighty Yveltal exists and oh boy, talk about a well designed Pokémon. I mentioned in my Top 10 Pokémon Types list that when they get the design on a Dark type right, they really get it right – and it shows here. I know Xerneas may be more popular, and that it was used in Smash Bros. but for me, Yveltal takes the seventh spot.
6) Giratina
Pokémon with the dual typing of Dragon and Ghost are a thing of rarity – with the release of Pokémon Sword and Shield, there are now only two in total. Dreepy, which eventually evolves into Dragapult, and the Legendary Pokémon; Giratina. No words are needed to translate the ferociousness of this extremely aggressive and territorial Pokémon. It moves through dimensions at ease and can switch between different formes using the Griseous Orb. The Altered forme favours defense whilst the Origin forme is great if you want to set up Giratina as a sweeping Pokémon. But regardless of which forme you opt for, both are badass, and the overall brute power and design of Giratina means he’s not a legendary to be ignored!
5) Ho-oh
Pokémon Gold & Silver are still my favourite entries in the series. It just felt like Nintendo got everything right with Generation II. The number of new Pokémon was a nice balance, Dark and Steel types were introduced to add to the complexity and difficulty of the game, and you were able to revisit Kanto, meaning you could take on 16 gyms in total. Another area where the games succeeded in my opinion was the design of the Legendary Pokémon. I know a lot of people favour Lugia from this generation but as an avid fan of fire type Pokémon, I always preferred Ho-oh. I’m not sure whether it’s the overall design, or the subconscious seed Nintendo planted by showing Ho-oh in the first episode of the animated series, but I’ve always loved the design of this “guardian of the skies”.
4) Thundurus
The “Forces of Nature” Legendary Pokémon from Black and White had a similar feel to the Legendary Beasts. These Pokémon roamed Unova, and you had to chase them down by following the storms over the map to then weaken, and capture them. For me, it was always Thundurus that I loved from these three ‘mon, and the Legendary that I got into my team, ASAP. With impressive stats, and a really cool dual type of Electric and Flying, Thundurus played a big part in my Generation V team. Stacking Thundurus with Rain Dance means that Thunder (which usually ignores accuracy and evasion whilst active) is guaranteed to hit, delivering a lot of damage. This, combined with Thundurus’ only weaknesses being Rock and Ice, meant it was an absolute powerhouse, and often cleaned out entire teams without taking too many hits!
3) Mewtwo
Grabbing that 3rd place spot is the OG Legendary Pokémon, Mewtwo. Mewtwo was what Pokémon Red & Blue was all about – not just becoming the elite four champion – but capturing ‘em all as Mewtwo is placed as the final hurdle at #150 in the dex. With an impressive special attack base stat, and future sight on deck as a STAB move dealing 120 power with 100% accuracy, Mewtwo’s reputation as one the most powerful ‘mon is well founded. I really love Mewtwo’s inclusion beyond the main game series as well. He’s appeared in several of the anime movies, Super Smash Bros., Pokkén Tournament, and was even in detective Pikachu. It’s at this point that Mewtwo is probably the biggest threat to Pikachu as a mascot – although Pikachu is obviously going nowhere.
2) Rayquaza
This absolute demon of a Pokémon normally lurks around the top spot on most lists for best Legendary but unfortunately, just misses out on the grand prize here. However, I wouldn’t turn your nose up to 2nd place, especially when the ‘mon in that position is as absurdly strong as Rayquaza. Part of Hoenn’s weather trio, Groudon rules over the lithosphere (or land), Kyogre rules over the hydrosphere (or water), and Rayquaza rules the atmosphere (or, you guessed it, the air). I feel that Kyogre and Groudon drew the short straw when they were given just a single typing, whilst Rayquaza was given both Dragon and Water type. However, as the legend suggests that it’s only Rayquaza that can stop the conflict between Groudon and Kyogre, I guess it’s pretty fair. Rayquaza was strong enough as it was, before they went ahead and gave him a mega evolution too. Who would have guessed they could have improved not only his strength but general ferocious aesthetic as well, as Mega Rayquaza looks even more daunting. He’s definitely the best Legendary in Hoenn in my opinion, but he falls just short in comparison to the number one spot…
1) Darkrai
Landing in my number one spot, is the fiendish Dark type Pokémon, Darkrai. Dark by name and dark by nature, Darkrai chases away people and Pokémon by sending them into a nightmarish slumber – errr, no thank you. But yes thank you to the delicious design and power behind this stand out, legendary Pokémon. Much like Manaphy, Darkrai would eventually be classed as a Mythical Pokémon. Darkrai was initially obtained by going to the “Pokémon: Rise of Darkrai” movie, before seeing an in-game release. The polar opposite of the Crescent Moon Pokémon Cresselia, Darkrai for me, is a Pokémon designed to perfection. Mostly Black, but with a fantastic White “emo-style” fringe and Red jaw-like necklace…of sorts…Darkrai is the epitome of it’s type. A few other Pokémon truly capture the looks and feel of their typing like Darkrai does. He may not be as impressive in the stat department as other legendaries. However, with his combination of immunities and resistances against a number of types, he’s not one to take for granted on the battlefield. Darkrai might be out there haunting people in their nightmares, but for me, I’ll find him in my dreams as we skip down Victory Road, on our way to Pokémon Champion glory.
These are my favourite Legendary ‘mon, but really when it comes to the legendaries, there’s no shortage of cool designs and power. All the Legendary Pokémon to date have impressed me in one way or another and it’s a shame I can’t get them all on this list. I’m sure I’ll compile another one soon, showing off some of the other awesome legendary Pokémon the series has to offer!