The Best Legendary Pokémon Across the Franchise's Universe

Moltres, Zapdos and Articuno are the first trio of Pokémon. Deemed the “Legendary Birds,” they are also known as titans of fire, lightning and ice. This trio will be considered as one unit in this list because they are treated as such in the storyline too. While they are strong in their normal form, their Galarian versions have made them stand out. After the Sword and Shield came out, the Galarian versions of this trio were one of the most talked-about changes, and rightfully so. 

Galarian Moltres has become more powerful in its ability to burn enemies, Galarian Zapdos can move at the speed of light and strike swiftly, while Galarian Articuno uses its wings as weapons and flies using its psychic power. It can of course also strike with cold freezes. Zapdos is especially impressive, with his 125 attack stat and 100-speed. No matter what the enemy is, their combination of skills and abilities would be a huge help to have on your side in any Pokémon game.

Jirachi is a mythical steel and psychic type Pokémon found in the Hoenn region. The legend states that Jirachi can make every wish come true for a week every thousand years. However, even when it is sleeping, this Pokemon can wake up if it senses danger nearby. This makes it more dangerous than you would think at first glance.

Its signature move Doom Desire is one of the quickest attacks you will find across the Pokémon games. Its paralysis powers are also good for countering attacks. With its good defense and offense against most types, Jirachi is a powerful side-kick to have. 

Latios is a Dragon/Psychic-type Pokémon. What makes this Pokémon so great to have is simple: you want to have great offense and defense in your arsenal at all times. Latios provides that and then some. With the highest attack CP (Combat Power) out of all Dragon types excluding Rayquaza, and with the second-best defense after Latias, the combination this Pokemon brings is a very powerful one and is a lot to handle for any enemy.  Among psychic types, only Mewtwo is ahead in offense power. This speaks volumes with regard to how strong Latios is. Its weakness is its low stamina, which means these strong attacks can’t last long. It ranks second to last in stamina. Regardless, the fact remains that the attacks it can release in a short period are powerful enough to cause trouble for any Pokémon. 

The female counterpart to Latios, Latias is like-wise found in the Hoenn region. Together with Latios, they form the Eon Duo. It ranks lower in offense than a few other dragons including Latios, so why the higher ranking? Well, the key is in its balance of strengths and defense. While it does not rank the highest necessarily, its strengths are more balanced than other dragons. It ranks 5^th on CP out of Psychic types. What stands out from Latias is its defense. With a defense of 246, it leaves behind almost everyone else. If used especially in tandem with Latios, Latias could provide a very helpful balanced and defensive effort. 

Cresselia is a Psychic-type Pokémon. With a Max CP of 2777, it stands out in a few ways. One of the only Pokémon to specifically have one possible gender, the female Pokémon shines in her ability to dispel nightmares. Furthermore, what she lacks in Offense, she makes up for in Defense and Stamina. She ranks second-best out of all Psychic types in Stamina, and her Defense is also excellent. Simply said, while she won’t outshine any Legendaries in her attacking powers, her combination of defense and stamina make her a damage-absorbing super performer. In a battle, this could give you time to think of the next steps. Regardless of how good your offense is, if you are getting hit easily, there is no point. Cresselia is a powerful reminder of this and is worth considering as an asset. 

Xerneas is a Fairy-type Pokémon. It represents 1/3 of the Aura Trio, along with Yveltal and Zygarde. The legend says that when its horns shine in seven colors, it is sharing everlasting life. What makes Xerneas stand out is its outstanding charged moves. Xerneas is resistant to three elements, outnumbering its weaknesses to Steel and Poison. Geomancy is the name of its signature move, and you might hear a lot about it from Pokemon fans because it became a fan favorite due to its ability to increase Xerneas’s defense and offense by two stages. Furthermore, Xerneas is especially capable against Dragon-type Pokémon, which are considered some of the toughest ones to beat. What makes Xerneas less potent is the fact that after its bursts, it goes to sleep and does not engage in battle. 

Yveltal is a part of the Aura Trio along with the aforementioned Xerneas. By comparison, Yveltal’s and Xerneas’ stats are very similar. Yveltal is a Dark and Flying-type. Yveltal has great stats, especially shining with its 250 ATK. What sets it apart from Xerneas, however, is its fighting nature. Simply said, while Xerneas goes to sleep for 1000 years peacefully, when Yveltal goes to sleep for 1000 years, it destroys everything in its circle. This obviously makes for an extremely potent Pokémon. It’s also worth noting that it is highly ranked in PvP scenarios. Yveltal is the destructive beast enemies are scared of fighting.

Zekrom is a Dragon/Electric Pokémon. With a base stat of 680 and all-around balanced power, this Pokémon is a stand-out. It is said in the Legend that Zekrom is the Pokémon that sided with the Younger brother prince of the Unova region. He is a part of the Tao Trio, alongside Reshiram and Kyurem. Its signature moves are Charge Beam and Wild Charge. Zekrom is the strongest electric type Pokémon, and whenever you have a Pokémon which is the strongest in an element, you know you are dealing with something powerful. Its intimidating look has made it a fan favorite, and its PvP prowess has helped it become even more popular. 

Reshiram is a Dragon/Fire Pokemon. With its jet-engine-like tail, its ability to cause chaos with fire and the power to change the weather, it is difficult to consider this Pokémon anything less than extremely powerful. Reshiram is part of the Tao Trio and The Legend states that, unlike Zekrom which sided with the younger brother, Reshiram sided with the Older brother who sought the truth. Therefore, Reshiram burns castles with people who ignore the truth and are guided by greed. With its clean look, it has a grandiose aura; make no mistake about it, its ability to cause more neutral damage to all types of Pokémon is what puts it ahead of Zekrom.

Kyurem is the final 1/3^rd of the Tao Trio. The Legend says that when Reshiram and Zekrom fought and separated, the shell that remained created Kyurem. It is a Dragon/Ice-type Pokémon. With a base stat of 660, Kyurem is powerful in its own right, but what makes it very scary is its potential to fuse with Reshiram, creating white Kyurem. It can also fuse with Zekrom, creating Black Kyurem. These combinations are enough to scare any enemy away from battling with this Pokémon. 

Ho-Oh is the master/creator of the trio of Legendary Birds Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres. Ho-Oh created each one as a representation of his journey. A Fire/Flying-type Pokémon, Ho-Oh has a 239 attack CP. It is well very well balanced in defense and stamina. It can regenerate, which makes it an almost unbeatable Pokémon. Furthermore, it can summon the Legendary Birds and summon Pokémon from the dead. It is the Pokémon Ash sees flying in the sky often, and its rainbow colors are said to give happiness to anyone who looks at them, therefore Pokémon fans have a special connection with it.

Kyogre is a whale-like Pokémon. It belongs to the water type, and if it has the blue orb, it can transform itself to have a whopping 770 base stat. Kyogre is considered the strongest water-type Pokémon, and therefore any Pokémon that has a weakness against water types is doomed to have a tough time with this sea ruler. It is most efficient against Fire, Rock and Ground types. Its power is so great that it can cause sea levels to rise. 

Groudon is a Ground-type Pokémon. Together with Rayquan and Kyogre, it is a part of the super-ancient Pokémon. With his powers, he can create and move entire continents, while his battles with Kyogre are some of the scariest Pokémon legends ever told. His ability to become a fire Pokémon when in control of the orbit makes Groudon unparalleled and the true ruler of the ground. 

Lugia is a Psychic/Flying-type. It represents ½ of the Tower Duo with Ho-Oh, and the two are considered polar opposites of each other. Lugia is the “guardian of the seas” while Ho-Oh is the “guardian of the skies”. Lugia’s powers consist of being able to control the Legendary Birds, being the only one who can stop the Legendary Birds from fighting with each other and the ability to change the weather by calming and causing storms. Lugia is so powerful that it chooses to hide undersea for long periods of time, due to the damage it could cause even by accident. What makes Lugia more powerful than Ho-Oh is the fact that Lugia can fly as well as stay underwater, while Ho-Oh can only fly. Not to mention, its wings can cause damage that lasts for 40 days. Lugia’s destructive power can be matched by very few Pokémon. 

Palkia is a Water/Dragon-type, and represents 1/3 of the Sinnoh Trio along with Dialga and Girantina. Palkia represents space and so naturally its ability is warping space and traveling through different dimensions. It is known that Palkia has battled with Dialga in the past. Its most famous attack is Spacial Rend. With a base stat of 680, its skills are balanced perfectly across all aspects. Being a water type, there are certain elements that it will struggle against, but don’t make a bet against this Pokémon in any given battle. 

Dialga is a Steel/Dragon-type Pokémon. It is 1/3 of the Sinnoh trio, representing time. Dialga’s ability is that it can control time—whether that means slowing it down, speeding it up or stopping it altogether. It can travel to the past or future and its metallic body makes it very useful in battles, as it is very robust. While its defense is not necessarily the highest, and it is weaker against fighting and ground types, a Pokémon that can warp time is surely going to have an advantage over any other monster it faces. 

Giratina is 1/3 of the Sinnoh Trio, representing antimatter. To measure Giratina’s strength, you have to realize that it was so dangerous that Arceus itself sent it to the Distortion world for being too violent and fighting against the rest of the trio. In terms of pure terrifying skills and looks, Giratina might be at the top of the list out of all of the Pokémon. With its ability to travel behind dimensions and its 284 stamina, don’t expect that this troublemaker will get tired anytime soon. 

Rayquaza is 1/3 of the super-ancient Pokémon together with Kyogre and Groudon. It is a Flying/Dragon-type. Its power is so great that many consider it to be a worthy candidate for strongest Pokémon of them all. It can withstand the weather changes from Kyogre and Gourdon, while it reaches a whopping 780 CP in its mega form. To make matters worse for its enemies, It is the only Pokémon that doesn’t need any special items to reach its mega form, because as the legend goes, Rayquaza ate meteorites that gave it the power it needed to transform on its own. It feeds itself in the Ozone, and it appears very rarely. Its appearance in the Super Smash Bros. games has made it popular in gaming and anime culture. Perhaps the best proof of its strength is the fact that it is the only Pokémon that had the power to stop Kyogre and Gourdon from fighting with each other further, therefore helping save the world. No matter what combination you’re using with/against Rayquaza, note that it is a Pokémon standing at the top of the strongest of all time, and that very few combinations can cause damage.

Mewtwo is a psychic type Pokémon. Arguably the most recognizable Pokemon outside of Pikachu, Mewtwo is simply jaw-dropping in terms of skill. He is a man-made Pokémon created in a lab by Team Rocket. With a mega-evolution that gets its stats up to 780, coupled with the the ability to read and manipulate minds as well as imitate movement, beating Mewtwo is a task you are almost certain to fail. Its tremendous powers, combined with its cold mannerism caused by being outed as a DNA experiment, make Mewtwo a legendary Pokémon in every sense of the word. This Pokémon stays above any Pokémon on Planet Earth. With its two mega forms, it is always going to have an upper hand against almost any other pocket monster.

While Mewtwo might be arguably the strongest on Earth, Arceus is the “God of Pokemon”. Known also as the “Original One”, Arceus most likely created the entire Pokémon Universe. It is difficult to argue against his powers, such as: making objects become thin air, bringing them back again, time-warping, etc. It has a base stat of 720, with no weaknesses since it is perfectly balanced across all categories. It can recreate Pokémon and can transform to any type. While its balance in stats means it can lack one specific strength, fighting against the creator of the Pokémon world is as difficult as it sounds, and as such he is the number 1 on this list.