Legendary Pokémon are some of the coolest pocket monsters in the entire franchise. They have the most elaborate designs, the best videogame stats, and some of the mightiest Pokémon cards. While all Mythical and Legendary Pokémon were once few in number, each new game has added more – so we've collected this handy list of every single one you can catch or collect.
If you'd like a complete Legendary and Mythical Pokémon list, this guide can provide – but our full 'How many Pokémon are there?' guide covers pocket monsters of all kinds. If you like rare and powerful things, you might also be interested in our guides to rare Pokémon cards and the best Pokémon cards. For now, though, let's meet the legends.
Gen 1 Legendary Pokémon
| Name | Image | Pokédex # | Type | Base Stat Total |
| Articuno |  |
#144 | Ice/Flying | 485 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zapdos |  |
#145 | Electric/Flying | 490 |
| Moltres |  |
#146 | Fire/Flying | 495 |
| Mewtwo |  |
#150 | Psychic | 590 |
In Pokémon Red and Blue, Mewtwo was an end-game secret. It appears in the high-level Cerulean Cave, which can only be accessed after beating the Elite Four and winning the Pokémon league.
Who is stronger, Mew or Mewtwo?
When Mew and Mewtwo face off in Pokémon: The First Movie, the fight ends inconclusively, as all the Pokémon are horrified by the (temporary) death of Ash Ketchum and stop battling.
In the Pokémon games, the answer is simple – Mewtwo wipes the floor with Mew, thanks to its much more powerful stats. Mew, like many Mythical Pokémon, has 100 in every base stat. With 130 Speed and 154 Special Attack, Mewtwo gets to act first and deals way more damage.
Gen 1 Mythical Pokémon
| Name | Image | Pokédex # | Type | Base Stat Total |
| Mew |  |
#151 | Psychic | 500 |
|---|
Mew was never intended to be a publicly available Pokémon. Developer Shigeki Morimoto added Mew to the code as an Easter egg just for his colleagues at Game Freak, using space on the cartridge that was freed up after debug tools were removed. Some players discovered Mew via glitches, starting rumors of a secret Pokémon that were hard for fans to verify or disprove in the early days of the internet.
The first time players could legitimately catch Mew was in Spring 1996, when Game Freak ran a promotion in manga magazine CoroCoro Comic, offering a few lucky winners the chance to mail in their game cartridge to have Mew added to their Pokédex.
How rare is Mew?
In the world of Pokémon, there is only one Mew. According to the events of Pokémon: The First Movie, Mew is an ancient species of Pokémon long thought extinct.
Mew is generally only available during special events. For example, in September 2023 it was possible to use a Mystery Gift and a code to unlock Mew in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet – but that code has since expired. However, it is available in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl if you have save data from Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! or Let's Go: Eevee! on your Switch.
Gen 2 Legendary Pokémon
| Name | Image | Pokédex # | Type | Base Stat Total |
| Raikou |  |
#243 | Electric | 580 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entei |  |
#244 | Fire | 580 |
| Suicune |  |
#245 | Water | 580 |
| Lugia |  |
#249 | Psychic/Flying | 680 |
| Ho-Oh |  |
#250 | Fire/Flying | 680 |
Four-legged counterparts to the legendary birds, Raikou, Entei, and Suicune were the games' first 'roaming Pokémon'. Instead of appearing as static encounters they could be found out in the world.
Ho-Oh was the 152nd Pokémon ever revealed, and the first sign that The Pokémon Company planned to expand beyond the original 151.
Not only was Ho-Oh teased in the CoroCoro magazine, but it also made an appearance in the very first episode of the Pokémon anime. Protagonist Ash Ketchum spots a Ho-Oh, but his Pokédex is unable to identify it.
Gen 2 Mythical Pokémon
| Name | Image | Pokédex # | Type | Base Stat Total |
| Celebi |  |
#251 | Psychic/Grass | 600 |
|---|
Gen 3 Legendary Pokémon
| Name | Image | Pokédex # | Type | Base Stat Total |
| Regirock |  |
#377 | Rock | 580 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regice |  |
#378 | Ice | 580 |
| Registeel |  |
#379 | Steel | 580 |
| Latias |  |
#380 | Dragon/Psychic | 600 |
| Latios |  |
#381 | Dragon/Psychic | 600 |
| Kyogre |  |
#382 | Water | 670 |
| Groudon |  |
#383 | Ground | 670 |
| Rayquaza |  |
#384 | Dragon/Flying | 680 |
Rayquaza has the highest base Attack, Special Attack, and the highest total of all base stats, of any Dragon-type or Flying-type Pokémon – but it has sometimes been very easy to catch.
In Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Rayquaza was needed to progress the Delta Episode side plot. The developers changed its catch rate from 3 to 45 (higher means easier, so this was a huge change) to ensure players would be able to snatch up the big green noodle. This was reverted in Scarlet and Violet when the mighty dragon reappeared in The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero.
The Regis, or Giants of Legend, are some of the trickiest legendary Pokemon to find in the games. In Ruby, Sapphire, or Emerald, you have to translate braille and do a bunch of puzzles to unlock them.
Gen 3 Mythical Pokémon
| Name | Image | Pokédex # | Type | Base Stat Total |
| Jirachi |  |
#385 | Steel/Psychic | 600 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deoxys |  |
#386 | Psychic | 600 |
Gen 4 Legendary Pokémon
| Name | Image | Pokédex # | Type | Base Stat Total |
| Uxie |  |
#480 | Psychic | 580 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mesprit |  |
#481 | Psychic | 580 |
| Azelf |  |
#482 | Psychic | 580 |
| Dialga |  |
#483 | Steel/Dragon | 680 |
| Palkia |  |
#484 | Water/Dragon | 680 |
| Heatran |  |
#485 | Fire/Steel | 600 |
| Regigigas |  |
#486 | Normal | 670 |
| Giratina |  |
#487 | Ghost/Dragon | 680 |
| Cresselia |  |
#488 | Psychic | 600 |
The Legendary Pokémon that appeared in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl really push the power level for the franchise. Dialga has the ability to control time, Palkia can warp space, and together they are capable of creating new universes.
Meanwhile, Giratina can rip holes in reality and lurks in the Distortion dimension. Many fans think of him as Pokémon's equivalent of the devil.
Gen 4 Mythical Pokémon
| Name | Image | Pokédex # | Type | Base Stat Total |
| Phione |  |
#489 | Water | 480 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manaphy |  |
#490 | Water | 600 |
| Darkrai |  |
#491 | Dark | 600 |
| Shaymin |  |
#492 | Grass | 600 |
| Arceus |  |
#493 | Normal | 720 |
Arceus is perhaps the most powerful Mythical Pokémon: it's worshipped as a deity by some humans, who may actually be right – it could be the creator of the Pokémon universe.
Manaphy is an unusual Mythical Pokémon, not just because it's inspired by the colorful slugs known as sea angels, but also because it's capable of breeding. Because its gender is unknown, Manaphy can only breed with Ditto. When this happens, it produces a Phione!
Gen 5 Legendary Pokémon
| Name | Image | Pokédex # | Type | Base Stat Total |
| Cobalion |  |
#638 | Steel/Fighting | 580 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terrakion |  |
#639 | Rock/Fighting | 580 |
| Virizion |  |
#640 | Grass/Fighting | 580 |
| Tornadus |  |
#641 | Flying | 580 |
| Thundurus |  |
#642 | Electric/Flying | 580 |
| Reshiram |  |
#643 | Dragon/Fire | 680 |
| Zekrom |  |
#644 | Dragon/Electric | 680 |
| Landorus |  |
#645 | Ground/Flying | 600 |
| Kyurem |  |
#646 | Dragon/Ice | 660 |
Known as the 'Swords of Justice', the three Fighting type legendaries Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion are inspired by the Three Musketeers. Which makes it a bit strange that they appeared just one Generation before the France-inspired region.
Thundurus, Landorus, and Tornadus are collectively known as the 'forces of nature' and would be joined by a fourth member, Enamorus, a couple of generations later. While their 'incarnate' forms are almost identical, each one also has a more animalistic 'therian' form which sets it apart and changes its stats.
Thundurus also has the honor of being the first pure Flying type Pokémon.
Gen 5 Mythical Pokémon
| Name | Image | Pokédex # | Type | Base Stat Total |
| Victini |  |
#494 | Psychic/Fire | 600 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keldeo |  |
#647 | Water/Fighting | 580 |
| Meloetta |  |
#648 | Normal/Psychic or Normal/Fighting | 600 |
| Genesect |  |
#649 | Bug/Steel | 600 |
Victini has a unique gimmick, being the very first Pokémon to appear in the Unovan Pokedex, with National Dex Number #000. There's some in-game dialogue about that number letting it 'bring victory' to the holder of the dex, but it's not very convincing: what's more likely is the designers just wanted to mark it out as special.
Gen 6 Legendary Pokémon
| Name | Image | Pokédex # | Type | Base Stat Total |
| Xerneas |  |
#716 | Fairy | 680 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yveltal |  |
#717 | Dark/Flying | 680 |
| Zygarde |  |
#718 | Dragon/Ground | 600 |
These three legendary Pokémon are known as the Aura Trio by fans. They obviously resemble the letters X, Y, and Z, but are often theorized to be inspired by creatures from Celtic or Norse mythology as well, with Zygarde in particular being linked to the World Serpent Jormungandr.
Gen 6 Mythical Pokémon
| Name | Image | Pokédex # | Type | Base Stat Total |
| Diancie |  |
#719 | Rock/Fairy | 600 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoopa |  |
#720 | Psychic/Ghost | 600 |
| Volcanion |  |
#721 | Fire/Water | 600 |
The mythical Pokémon Volcanion was the first Fire and Water type ever created, and three generations later, it's still the only one in the game. Which is a shame, as it's a pretty sweet type combo, with three 4x resistances.
Gen 7 Legendary Pokémon
| Name | Image | Pokédex # | Type | Base Stat Total |
| Tapu Koko |  |
#785 | Electric/Fairy | 570 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tapu Lele |  |
#786 | Psychic/Fairy | 570 |
| Tapu Bulu |  |
#787 | Grass/Fairy | 570 |
| Tapu Fini |  |
#788 | Water/Fairy | 570 |
| Cosmog |  |
#789 | Psychic | 200 |
| Cosmoem |  |
#790 | Psychic | 400 |
| Solgaleo |  |
#791 | Psychic/Steel | 680 |
| Lunala |  |
#792 | Psychic/Ghost | 680 |
The four Tapu Pokémon are guardian deities of the four islands that make up the Alola region. While most Legendary Pokémon are pretty loose in their ties to real-world mythology or religion, these four are quite clearly inspired by the four great gods of Hawaiian religion. Each has a 'shell' it can close up to form a stylized animal head.
Solgaleo and Lunala represent the sun and moon and are unusual for legendary Pokemon in that they have an evolutionary line. Lunala and Solgaleo are the two optional evolutions of Cosmog. First, however, it becomes Cosmoem. Joint tied for heaviest Pokémon, Cosmoem weights 999.9kg (or possibly more, this might be the max the Pokédex can show).
Despite this, in the anime Ash Ketchum carries the thing around effortlessly. So I guess we can add super-strength to the boy's list of superpowers, right next to 'unaging'.
Gen 7 Mythical Pokémon
| Name | Image | Pokédex # | Type | Base Stat Total |
| Magearna |  |
#801 | Steel/Fairy | 600 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marshadow |  |
#802 | Fighting/Ghost | 600 |
| Zeraora |  |
#807 | Electric | 600 |
| Meltan |  |
#808 | Steel | 300 |
| Melmetal |  |
#809 | Steel | 600 |
Gen 8 Legendary Pokémon
| Name | Image | Pokédex # | Type | Base Stat Total |
| Zacian |  |
#888 | Fairy | 670/ 720 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zamazenta |  |
#889 | Fighting | 670/ 720 |
| Eternatus |  |
#890 | Poison/Dragon | 690 |
| Kubfu |  |
#891 | Fighting | 385 |
| Urshifu |  |
#892 | Fighting/Dark or Fighting/Water | 550 |
| Regieleki |  |
#894 | Electric | 580 |
| Regidrago |  |
#895 | Dragon | 580 |
| Glastrier |  |
#896 | Ice | 580 |
| Spectrier |  |
#897 | Ghost | 580 |
| Calyrex |  |
#898 | Psychic/Grass | 500 |
| Enamorus |  |
#899 | Fairy/Flying | 580 |
Gen 8 Mythical Pokémon
| Name | Image | Pokédex # | Type | Base Stat Total |
| Zarude |  |
#893 | Dark/Grass | 600 |
|---|
Zarude was added to Pokémon Sword and Shield in the Isle of Armor DLC.
Gen 9 Legendary Pokémon
| Name | Image | Pokédex # | Type | Base Stat Total |
| Wo-Chien |  |
#1001 | Dark/Grass | 570 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chien-Pao |  |
#1002 | Dark/Ice | 570 |
| Ting-Lu |  |
#1003 | Dark/Ground | 570 |
| Chi-Yu |  |
#1004 | Dark/Fire | 570 |
| Koraidon |  |
#1007 | Fighting/Dragon | 670 |
| Miraidon |  |
#1008 | Electric/Dragon | 670 |
| Okidogi |  |
#1014 | Poison/Fighting | 555 |
| Munkidori |  |
#1015 | Poison/Psychic | 555 |
| Fezandipiti |  |
#1016 | Poison/Fairy | 555 |
| Ogerpon |  |
#1017 | Grass | 550 |
| Terapagos |  |
#1024 | Normal | 450/ 600/ 700 |
The core Pokémon Scarlet and Violet games added six new legendaries: Wo-Chien, Chien-Pao, Ting-Lu, Chi-Yu, Koraidon, and Miraidon.
The mask-wearing Ogerpon and its opposing numbers Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti – the so-called Loyal Three – were added later in September 2023's Teal Mask DLC, forming the main storyline of that expansion's Kitakami region.
The most recent legendary Pokémon to join the series, Terapagos, was added in the December 2023 Indigo Disk DLC. It's the first known Pokémon to exhibit the 'Terastal phenomenon', which causes Pokémon to take on various new, jewel-like forms which alter their usual Pokémon types. These Terastal forms play a major part in the Pokémon TCG Stellar Crown set.
Gen 9 Mythical Pokémon
| Name | Image | Pokédex # | Type | Base Stat Total |
| Pecharunt |  |
#1025 | Poison/Ghost | 600 |
|---|
Pecharunt was added to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet in The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero Epilogue: Mochi Mayhem DLC, released in January 2024.
Legendary Pokémon FAQ
How many Legendary Pokémon are there in total?
There are currently 68 Legendary Pokémon and 23 Mythical Pokémon.
What's the difference between Legendary and Mythical Pokémon?
Legendary Pokémon are incredibly rare, but Mythical Pokémon are so rare that people in the Pokémon world doubt their very existence. In gameplay terms, Mythicals were once only available to catch during exclusive events.
However, some of them have appeared in mainline games, like the recent Generation-nine Pecharunt, which is available in DLC. Others are added to mainline games on the Switch if it contains a save file for another Pokémon game.
What is the rarest Legendary Pokémon?
In the world of Pokémon, all the Legendary Pokémon are equally rare: there's just one of each of them. The Mythical Pokémon aren't rarer, they're just much less widely known about.
In our world, the rarest Legendary Pokémon is most likely Diancie. The last time you could get a Diancie was at a 2016 South Korean real-world event, as a gift for Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire.
Do Legendary Pokémon come in groups?
Yes, most Legendary Pokémon are members of a group, usually introduced to the setting at the same time, as part of the same generation of Pokémon. Examples of these groups include the original Gen 1 Legendary Birds, a trio of Articuno, Moltres, and Zapdos, and Gen 7's 'legendary quartet' of Tapu Bulu, Tapu Fini, Tapu Koko, and Tapu Lele – known as the Guardian Deities.
With some exceptions – like the Lunar Duo of Darkrai and Cresselia – Mythical Pokémon are not organized into groups, but stand alone as their own entities.
Can Legendary Pokémon evolve?
Yes, some Legendary Pokémon can evolve – but most can't, and the ones that can sometimes do it in unusual ways, compared to regular Pokémon.
Gen 6's Type:Null (evolving into Silvally) and Cosmog (evolving into Cosmoem) were the first to do it – with Cosmoem going on to evolve into either Solgaleo, in Pokémon Sun, or Lunala in Pokémon Moon.
Do Legendary Pokémon have genders?
No, most Legendary Pokémon have no gender – but there are some exceptions.
Four Legendaries can canonically only be female:
- Cresselia
- Enamorus
- Latias
- Ogerpon
Seven can only be male:
- Fezandipiti
- Landorus
- Latios
- Munkidori
- Okidogi
- Thundurus
- Tornadus
And three can be male or female:
- Heatran
- Kubfu
- Urshifu
Are there Legendary Pokémon cards?
Yes, Legendary Pokémon from every generation appear in a whole variety of cards for the Pokémon Trading Card Game. The more popular legendary or mythical 'mons often get picked for the fancier foil and illustration card treatments saved for the rarest printed cards, meaning they can end up being the most desirable to collect.
However, it's important to remember that that's not a rule in the TCG. 'Legendary' is not actually a Pokémon card rarity type and Legendary and Mythical Pokémon have appeared in cards of all rarities, including bog standard common cards.
What are Pokémon LEGEND cards?
Briefly, during the HeartGold & SoulSilver card sets of the early 2010s, the Pokémon TCG introduced a small set of variant cards which exclusively featured Legendary Pokémon – their most distinctive aspect being that each 'card' was in fact two cards, of the regular Pokémon card size, which created a combined artwork when laid edge to edge.
Of the nine such two-card combos released, seven featured a pair of legendaries together (one on each half). The other two are the two Gen 2 Legendary birds Ho-Oh and Lugia – with the wild-looking, two part Lugia LEGEND now one of the most valuable Lugia cards.
If you found this guide handy, you might also enjoy our look at all the different Pokémon card types.