Legendary Pokémon make up a group of rare monsters in every generation – so rare that only one of each can be found in their respective games. Legendaries are considered to be a separate group from Mythical Pokémon, which are usually event-exclusive. In the games, Legendary Pokémon either sit in the overworld or roam across the map, making them a little more difficult to track down.
Unlike ordinary Pokémon, most Legendary Pokémon are genderless and usually cannot evolve. They also play a crucial role in the Pokémon world, being a great benefit to the environment or making sure that the world remains in balance.
Updated November 23, 2022 By Tom Steel: Legendary Pokémon will always be one of the main draws of a Pokémon game. With the recent release of Pokémon's ninth generation games Scarlet & Violet, this list has been updated to rank all nine generations and their respective Legendary Pokémon.
9 Too Many Legendary Pokémon Can Reduce Their Impact
Generation VII: Beast Killers, Guardian Deities, Cosmog & Cosmoem, Light Trio
A staggering 11 Legendary Pokémon were found in Alola, which was far too many for some players. The problem with having so many Legendary Pokémon is that the more there are, the less special they become.
Type: Null and its evolution Silvally were failed experiments intended to replicate the powers of Arceus, a concept that sounds oddly similar to the much more successful Mewtwo. The Tapus serve a purpose for each of the islands, but along with the others they just add up to one clustered roster. Having a Legendary Pokémon on every island, plus the Light Trio, would have been more than enough.
8 The Swords Of Justice & Forces Of Nature Are Underwhelming
Generation V: Swords Of Justice, Forces Of Nature, Tao Trio
Legendary Pokémon are meant to be mysterious Pokémon that are so difficult to find that many consider them to be a myth. That said, the Swords of Justice, Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion are incredibly easy to find, to the point where trainers will undoubtedly encounter them while doing a normal playthrough of the game.
Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus are even worse, as they resemble old men sitting atop clouds. Zekrom, Reshiram, and Kyurem are Gen 5's saving grace, as this is the first time Legendary Pokémon fuse together.
7 Zygarde Has Multiple Forms While Xerneas & Yveltal Play Pivotal Roles In The Pokémon World
Generation VI: Aura Trio
Xerneas and Yveltal are easily recognizable as Legendary Pokémon due to their large stature and glowing forms. Yveltal has an intimidating, draconic look while Xerneas looks more regal, showing how one is destructive while the other heals.
Zygarde is also an interesting Pokémon, as it has has five forms: a cell form, a core form, 10% form, 50% form, and a complete form, which is by far the strongest form. In Volcanion And The Mechanical Marvel, the complete form could stop a laser from Azoth Kingdom on its own.
6 The Legendary Birds Get Regional Forms & Two New Regis Are Introduced
Generation VIII: Hero Duo, Eternatus, Kubfu & Urshifu, Regieleki & Regidrago, Galarian Legendary Birds, The King's Steeds, Calyrex
Gen 8 has received plenty of harsh criticism, but fans were excited to see Legendary Pokémon get regional forms for the first time – making Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres look drastically different. Regidrago and Regieleki were also introduced, and like other Legendary Titans, fans had to solve puzzles to get to them. Zacian and Zamazenta quickly became popular as well, since one wields a sword in its mouth while the other acts as a shield.
Calyrex and his steed, either Spectrier or Glastrier, were likewise great additions, adding a lot of humor to the storyline each time it spoke to the player. Kubfu and Urshifu were not as impactful to the story, but the game gave trainers a chance to bond with thrm through cutscenes. Many of these Pokémon are only available through DLC, but as the complete package, Sword & Shield had a good selection of Legendary Pokémon.
5 Koraidon & Miraidon Changed The Roles Of Legendary Pokémon
Generation IX: Koraidon & Miraidon, Treasures Of Ruin
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Pokémon Scarlet & Violet have been met with mixed reviews. While performance issues have plagued their release, the Gen IX games have largely impressed with their creative use of an open world, and the new Pokémon species introduced. For the first time, the cover Legendary Pokémon for each game accompanies players through the entire story as a transport Pokémon and an active part of the story.
Koraidon and Miraidon are also joined by four more Legendary Pokémon in Scarlet & Violet, known as the Four Treasures of Ruin. Wo-Chien, Chien-Pao, Ting-Lu, and Chi-Yu can all be unlocked and faced by collecting stakes, making players work to meet the entire roster of Legendary Pokémon in Scarlet & Violet.
4 The Creation Trio Are Some Of The Strongest Legendary Pokémon
Generation IV: Creation Trio, Lake Guardians, Cresselia, Heatran, Regigigas
Dialga controls time, Palkia controls space, and Giratina controls antimatter. This makes it possible for them to destroy and remake the universe, which is precisely why Gen IV's villain, Cyrus, seeks them out. This makes them the strongest Legendary Pokémon, as other Legendary Pokémon are at most capable of destruction on a planetary scale.
The Lake Guardians are adorable additions, save for the fact that only Mesprit decides to become a roaming Pokémon after the trainer encounters it. Cresselia and Heatran are the most forgettable in Gen 4, as Cresselia doesn't exist as an overworld or roaming encounter until the trainer acquires a specific item. Heatran embodies the planet's core, but it's not as impressive as Groudon. That said, Regigigas appears in this generation as the leader of the Legendary Titans, opening up the realm of possibility that more could exist.
3 Entei, Suicune, & Raikou Were The First Roaming Legendary Pokémon
Generation II: Tower Duo, Legendary Beasts
After navigating through caves in order to find Legendaries from the previous generation, introducing roaming Legendary Pokémon in Gen 2 was a fresh new concept. They added an extra challenge, as players had to be careful not to make them faint, slowly whittling away at their health with each encounter.
Lugia and Ho-Oh required players to have an item specific to them in order for an encounter to happen. Gold, Silver and Crystal did an excellent job at making Legendary Pokémon rarer and harder to obtain.
2 Zapdos, Articuno, Moltres, & Mewtwo Were Exciting To Find On Your Own
Generation I: Mewtwo, Legendary Birds
The Legendary Pokémon in Red, Blue, and Yellow required players to solve puzzles to get through to them, in the form of navigating through caves or buildings. With many powerful wild Pokémon roaming the areas, it meant buying a lot of healing items or making multiple trips to the Pokémon Center.
Mewtwo is by far the hardest to get. At level 70, it quickly becomes a valuable addition to any Pokémon team. Mewtwo's backstory is also one of the most interesting in the games. He was a clone of Mew who worked for Giovanni for a short period of time. In the movies, the Legendary bird trio is fiercely territorial and inhabit islands next to each other, but the games wisely keep them separated, as they would likely fight each other.
1 Groudon & Kyogre Battled Until Rayquaza Intervened
Generation II: Super-Ancient Pokémon, Legendary Titans, Eon Duo
Generation III features one of the most exciting scenes in the series, in which Groudon and Kyogre clash in a cataclysmic battle. The player is required to either catch one of the two Pokémon or to awaken Rayquaza in order to stop the two from ending the world. This is the first time Legendary Pokémon fought each other in the games. To this day, Groudon and Kyogre still have the fiercest rivalry in the series, to the point where they would fight each other again if they had the chance.
In ORAS, the player is able to ride either Latios or Latias over the world map, which leads to special legendary encounters and the ability to find new places. This makes the Eon duo stand out from other Legendary Pokémon. Additionally, Regirock, Regice, and Registeel were introduced in Gen 3, requiring players to solve braille puzzles to encounter them.