Over the years, a ton of Legendary Pokémon have been introduced. These powerful creatures are typically known to be one-of-a-kind, incredibly strong, and famous among the population for their power, role in the creation of the world, or other legendary lore. There is no official definition for a Legendary Pokémon, but they’re typically understood to be well-known unique beings that are important in the legends of the in-game universe.
This has led to some confusion over what constitutes a Mythical Pokémon, as they were formerly considered part of the same group, but are now separate. There are also some Pokémon that seem like they should be Legendary Pokémon for various reasons. Here are some of the Pokémon that seem Legendary, but actually aren’t, and why.
Updated February March 1, 2021, by Thomas Bowen: The release of Pokemon Sword & Shield brought the total number of Pokemon in the series agonizingly close to the one thousand mark. Of these Pokemon, 81 hold the elusive ‘legendary’ status, which is actually quite a lot considering that there were just five of them in the original games. Despite this high number though, there are plenty of Pokemon who boast many of the same stats and attributes and are often compared with their legendary counterparts as a result.
15 Dragonite
Not only is Dragonite one of the most powerful Pokemon in the first generation Pokemon games, but it’s also one of the series’ very first dragon-type Pokemon and definitely has that Legendary Pokemon look about it. What’s more, its placement in the Pokedex is also a little suggestive.
Together with its earlier evolutionary forms, Dragonite is sandwiched between the three legendary birds and Mewtwo and Mew; the first five of the series’ Legendary Pokemon. This has led some to speculate that Game Freak had originally planned for the Pokemon to be legendary as well, although there’s very little evidence to back this up other than its Pokedex position.
14 Tyranitar
One of the strongest Pokemon in the Monster egg group, Tyranitar boasts some incredible base stats. Together, they add up to 600 and make the armor Pokemon stronger than many of the series’ earlier Legendary Pokemon. For comparison, the three legendary birds’ stats only total 580.
One of the other things that makes the Pokemon stand out is its unique type combination; with no other Pokemon possessing the rock and dark-type pairing. It also has some of the series’ most powerful moves in its learnset, evolves at a very high level and has one of the coolest looking Mega Evolutions so far.
13 Metagross
Much like Tyranitar, Metagross is an incredibly powerful Pokemon with stats that are on par with most of the series’ legendary creatures. Where it sets itself apart though is through its solid physical attack and defense stats, which few others can rival.
It takes an awful lot to bring down a Metagross and it’s this kind of durability that people often associate with Legendary Pokemon. What’s more, at just 1.6%, it has the exact same catch rate as some of those with legendary status like Articuno and Mewtwo.
12 Garchomp
Sometimes a Pokemon just looks like the should be legendary; and that’s definitely the case with Garchomp. The gold star emblazoned on the front of its head suggests there’s something special about it while the intricacies of its design are far more ornate than the average Pokemon.
As with most of the other pseudo-legendary Pokemon, it has very high base stats and excels when it comes to physical attacks as well. It also has access to some solid moves, has a decent type combination and is up there with some of the very best Pokemon in the series when it comes to competitive play.
11 Goodra
From its high base stats to its high level evolutionary requirements, there are plenty of reasons why some confuse Goodra for a Legendary Pokemon. The main one though is that, like many of the monsters found throughout the series, Goodra is seemingly based on a real world legend.
The Pokemon shares many similarities with a creature called the Lou Carcolh from French folklore; most notably its retractable tentacles and elongated body. There’s also a legendary Japanese creature called the Shussebora which is not too dissimilar to Goodra.
10 Darkrai
Many Legendary Pokémon come in pairs or trios, and Generation IV introduced a few of these groups. One of them consists of Cresselia, which represents the crescent moon, hopes, and pleasant dreams, and Darkrai, which is associated with the new moon and gives people nightmares. Together, they’re known as the Lunar Duo.
However, Cresselia is a Legendary Pokémon and Darkrai is Mythical. This is most likely because Legendary Pokémon are known to exist while Mythicals are not, and Darkrai operates in the darkness under the cover of shade and night. However, it throws the pairing off a bit having them fit different Legendary statuses.
9 Fossils
Fossil Pokémon are a bit strange when you think about it. They went extinct long ago but their fossils are used to resurrect them entirely, and really no one bats an eye at this. Various trainers use Fossil Pokémon on their team like it’s no big deal, even though it’s a miracle of scientific achievement.
Since they come in limited amounts and are pretty famous in the in-game world, one could make the argument for Fossil Pokémon to have Legendary status. However, they’re treated as any other Pokémon for the most part. Apparently, the ability to revive long-extinct life forms within seconds is not really that interesting to the people of the Pokémon world.
8 Genesect
Another Mythical that should have its status changed to Legendary is Genesect. While Mythicals are Pokémon that are so rare their very existence is cast into question, Genesect is pretty well-known to exist, as its a human creation. Pokémon like Celebi and Mew are considered Mythical because their existence is a rumor and they are the subject of old stories and tales.
Genesect, however, was created by Team Plasma and given cyber upgrades. It was revived from a fossil (many think a Kabutops fossil) and enhanced with modern tech in an attempt to create the world’s strongest Pokémon. The anime even shows several Genesect in a group created by Team Plasma. It’s pretty clear these things exist and they’re pretty ubiquitous.
7 Zoroark
Zoroark shouldn’t necessarily be a Legendary, but there is confusion over whether or not it is one. A few things have led fans to believe this Pokémon is Legendary when it isn’t, and it’s entirely understandable.
Zoroark was the main character of a movie, which is a role typically held for Legendaries and Mythicals, and it has been distributed prominently through events in-game, which, again, is typically reserved for Mythicals. Its shady in-game lore, rarity, and hushed status also lend to the idea that it’s pretty unique and legendary in the literal sense. But, Zoroark is just a regular Pokémon like many others.
6 Absol
There’s another pure Dark-type that many have confused for a Legendary Pokémon, long before the existence of Zoroark. That is Absol, the Dark-type introduced in Generation III. Many, many people have questioned online whether Absol is a Legendary, so the misconception is pretty popular.
However, Absol is just a regular old Pokémon. Part of why people think it’s Legendary is probably because of its rarity and the fact that it’s rarely seen by human eyes. Absol is also apparently considered a bad omen, as natural disasters seem to occur after people see it. This shroud of mystery contributes to its rarified image.
5 Unown
There are some Pokémon that really are headscratchers when it comes to why they’re not Legendary Pokémon. This is definitely the case with Unown. Everything said in the games and anime about these Pokémon points to them being Legendary, but for some reason, they just aren’t.
Like many other Legendaries, these Pokémon are shrouded in mystery and are studied by scientists and researchers. They’re said to be ancient beings with some role in helping establish human language. They also have odd, unexplained powers and they featured prominently in a movie, where they were actually considered Legendary by the characters and a special book belonging to the character Molly.
4 Volcarona
Joining Zoroark and Absol in the category of Pokémon that fans mistake for a Legendary is Volcarona. This Fire/Bug-type from Generation V is often considered to be Legendary for a few reasons. In the Gen V games, one can be caught by approaching its sprite on the overworld at the bottom of a fancy dungeon, where it’s level 70. Typically, this approachable sprite system is reserved for Legendaries.
It’s also incredibly powerful and very rare, plus it evolves at an insanely-high level. Despite all of this, it’s not Legendary, and many of them can be obtained if you have the patience to catch and evolve some Larvesta.
3 Rotom
Rotom is an incredibly strange Pokémon. It’s capable of inhabiting or possessing various electronic devices, most notably the household appliances that it takes over to make its various obtainable forms: a fan, a lawnmower, a washing machine, a refrigerator, and a microwave oven. However, it’s also been shown to possess a Pokédex to make the Rotom Dex from Gen VII and a bicycle to make the Rotom Bike in Gen VIII.
In the Generation IV games, when Rotom was introduced, the player could only obtain one — and only through an event. This also contributed to the confusion over its Legendary status.
2 Arcanine
One of the most commonly confused Pokémon in terms of Legendary status is Arcanine. There are a few very understandable reasons for this, most of them centered around the fact that it seems Game Freak originally planned to make it a Legendary before something changed their minds.
Arcanine’s official title is quite literally the “Legendary Pokémon,” and its Pokédex entries and other in-game lore all point to its Legendary status. Some Pokédex entries call it Legendary and say it’s been “described in Chinese legends.”
A famous screenshot of an early anime episode also shows a tablet containing the Legendary Birds alongside an Arcanine, which really doesn’t help.
1 Spiritomb
Spiritomb definitely seems like it should be a Legendary. One-of-a-kind in the game it was introduced? Check. Incredibly detailed in-game lore about its ancient history? Check. Requires a special item to obtain it? Check. Doesn’t evolve? Check. But, it isn’t.
Spiritomb is said to have been a wicked being made up of 108 spirits that was chained to the Odd Keystone for its cruel misdeeds 500 years ago. The player can typically only obtain one through a series of specific events, too. However, despite all of this, it’s not a Legendary Pokémon.
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