Which Pokemon Game Has The Most Legendaries?

So, you’re curious which pokemon game has the most legendaries, are you? Many trainers often wonder which entry in the franchise contains the highest concentration of these mythical creatures. The sheer number of legendaries varies quite a bit across the series.

Some games focus on a smaller set, with tightly woven narratives around a handful. Others present a massive roster to hunt and collect. Finding the best game for legendary hunting is definitely important.

Which Pokemon Game Has the Most Legendaries?

Have you ever wondered which Pokémon game has the most amazing legendary Pokémon? It’s a question many trainers ask, and the answer is not always straightforward! It depends on how you count them. We will dive deep into the world of legendary Pokémon and see which games hold the record for having the most. Get ready for a journey through different regions and generations!

What Makes a Pokémon “Legendary”?

Before we dive into the numbers, let’s talk about what makes a Pokémon legendary. Legendary Pokémon are special! They are usually very powerful and rare, often tied to the lore and story of the Pokémon world. Unlike regular Pokémon, you usually can only catch one of each legendary Pokémon in a game. They might have unique abilities and moves. These Pokemon are not typically found roaming around like Pikachu or Eevee, you have to go on a quest to find them and you will often battle them first.

Legendary Pokémon are a big part of what makes the Pokémon games so much fun. Each generation introduces new and exciting legendaries with unique designs, type combinations, and back stories. Some legends are based on real-world myths, while others are unique creations of the Pokemon universe. The allure of catching them all adds a considerable challenge to any adventure!

Categories of Legendary Pokemon

We often use terms like “box legendary” and “mythical Pokémon” when talking about legendaries. These terms help us categorize them further. Let’s explore these categories:

• Box Legendary Pokémon: These are the Pokémon that are often featured on the game’s cover. They are usually key to the game’s story. Think of Pokémon like Dialga, Palkia, or Solgaleo. They are usually the main focus of the plot.
• Mythical Pokémon: These Pokémon are even rarer than regular legendary Pokémon! They are often only obtainable through special events and are not part of the main game story. Examples include Mew, Celebi, and Arceus. They are usually more difficult to get and not obtainable by in game means.
• Sub-Legendary Pokémon: These can be seen as “lesser” legendaries and are more common than box legendaries. The Bird Trio (Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres) are examples. They are usually a bit less powerful and might be easier to find compared to box legendaries.

Counting Legendaries: It’s Not That Simple!

So, how do we decide which game has the most? It can be tricky because we need to consider a few things. Do we count mythical Pokémon? What about forms that look different? It’s like counting jelly beans; you have to decide what counts as a separate bean. Here’s how we will tackle this:

• Unique Pokémon: We will primarily count each unique legendary Pokémon. So if a Pokémon has multiple forms, we will focus on its original entry to avoid overcounting.
• Mythicals Included: For our most part, we will include Mythical Pokémon because these are still legendaries, and we will note if they are considered events or not. This way, we get a clear picture of the overall amount of legendary Pokémon.

Now, that we understand how we are counting legendary Pokemon, let’s explore some of the Pokemon games and their legendary counts.

Analyzing the Generations: Who Leads the Pack?

Let’s go through each generation and see how many legendary Pokémon each one brought into the Pokémon universe. This journey will highlight how the number of legendaries has evolved with each generation, and we will see which generation and main series game came out on top.

Generation I: The Starting Line

The very first generation of Pokémon, which started with Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue/Green, introduced us to some iconic legendaries. The original games included the legendary birds: Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. There was also the extremely powerful Mewtwo as well as the mythical Mew. Here is a breakdown:

• Articuno
• Zapdos
• Moltres
• Mewtwo
• Mew (Mythical)

This brings the total for Generation I to 5 legendaries, one of which was a mythical.

Generation II: Expanding the Lore

Generation II, starting with Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver, brought three new legendary creatures of their own, with Suicune, Raikou and Entei, also called the legendary beasts. We also saw a new addition to the mythical category with Celebi. This generation introduced the idea of legendary trios, and this can be seen with these three legendaries.

• Raikou
• Entei
• Suicune
• Lugia
• Ho-Oh
• Celebi (Mythical)

This puts the legendary count at 6 with one being mythical.

Generation III: A New World of Legends

Generation III, which included the Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire games added a lot to the lore with legendaries based on land, sea, and sky. The new mythical Pokémon Jirachi and Deoxys also came out of this generation. Rayquaza, Groudon, and Kyogre added to the box legendaries. Let’s see the full list below:

• Regirock
• Regice
• Registeel
• Latias
• Latios
• Kyogre
• Groudon
• Rayquaza
• Jirachi (Mythical)
• Deoxys (Mythical)

This bumps the total to 10 legendaries, including two mythicals.

Generation IV: Gods and Time

Generation IV, which saw the introduction of Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, really upped the ante with not one, but two legendary trios and the introduction of the God of Pokémon, Arceus. We saw legendaries that control time, space, and anti-matter. The Mythical Pokémon Darkrai, Shaymin, and Manaphy were also introduced in this generation. Check the list out below:

• Uxie
• Mesprit
• Azelf
• Dialga
• Palkia
• Heatran
• Regigigas
• Giratina
• Cresselia
• Arceus (Mythical)
• Manaphy (Mythical)
• Darkrai (Mythical)
• Shaymin (Mythical)

With 13 legendaries in total, it puts Generation IV at four mythicals.

Generation V: Truth and Ideals

Generation V saw the release of Pokémon Black and Pokémon White with some unique legendary concepts like the legendary sword trio and the dragons that represent yin and yang. The Mythical Pokemon, Genesect, Keldeo, Victini and Meloetta were also introduced. Here’s the count:

• Cobalion
• Terrakion
• Virizion
• Reshiram
• Zekrom
• Kyurem
• Victini (Mythical)
• Keldeo (Mythical)
• Genesect (Mythical)
• Meloetta (Mythical)

This generation has a total of 10 legendary Pokemon with 4 mythicals.

Generation VI: Fairy Tales and Power

Generation VI, which introduced the Pokémon X and Pokémon Y games, included the legendary Pokémon that were meant to represent life and destruction, Xerneas and Yveltal. We also got the mythical Pokémon Diancie, Hoopa, and Volcanion. Take a look at the list:

• Xerneas
• Yveltal
• Zygarde
• Diancie (Mythical)
• Hoopa (Mythical)
• Volcanion (Mythical)

This adds up to a total of 6 legendaries, three being mythical.

Generation VII: Ultra Beasts and Gods

Generation VII, with Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, introduced a unique concept of Ultra Beasts, which are a type of legendary. This generation also had two box legendaries and the new Mythical Marshadow, Magearna, and Zeraora. Let’s look at this list:

• Tapu Koko
• Tapu Lele
• Tapu Bulu
• Tapu Fini
• Solgaleo
• Lunala
• Necrozma
• Nihilego
• Buzzwole
• Pheromosa
• Xurkitree
• Celesteela
• Kartana
• Guzzlord
• Poipole
• Naganadel
• Stakataka
• Blacephalon
• Marshadow (Mythical)
• Zeraora (Mythical)
• Magearna (Mythical)

That brings the total of legendaries to 21, with 3 mythicals in the mix. This generation has the highest count of legendary pokemon.

Generation VIII: The Galar Region’s Might

Generation VIII includes Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield. These games brought new legendary Pokémon that represent elements of royalty. They also introduced a new mythical Pokemon, Zarude. Here is the breakdown:

• Articuno (Galarian)
• Zapdos (Galarian)
• Moltres (Galarian)
• Zacian
• Zamazenta
• Eternatus
• Regieleki
• Regidrago
• Glastrier
• Spectrier
• Calyrex
• Zarude (Mythical)

There are 12 legendaries in total, one being a mythical.

Generation IX: The Latest Legends

Generation IX, which includes Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, has a good mix of new and old legendary Pokémon. We also saw the introduction of the Mythical Pokémon Pecharunt, which you could not get through the main storyline. Let’s take a look at this generation’s list:

• Wo-Chien
• Chien-Pao
• Ting-Lu
• Chi-Yu
• Koraidon
• Miraidon
• Ogerpon
• Terapagos
• Pecharunt (Mythical)

This adds up to 9 legendaries with 1 mythical.

The Final Count: Which Game Wins?

Now, after going through all of the main series games in the pokemon series, let’s take a look at the totals:

Based on this analysis, Generation VII, specifically the games Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, have the most legendary Pokémon with 21, including the Ultra Beasts. This beats out every other generation by a significant amount. While other generations might have introduced more Mythical Pokémon, Gen VII’s collection of Ultra Beasts gives it the edge.

While Generation VII has the most legendaries, every generation has its own unique set of special Pokemon that offer memorable challenges. Each generation offers different experiences for trainers to seek out and catch their favorite legendary Pokemon.

Earliest Legendary Pokémon in Every Game

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, Pokémon Legends: Arceus features the highest count of legendary Pokémon, making it the game with the most. This includes various forms and those acquired through specific methods. The sheer number makes the title stand out in terms of these powerful creatures.

Therefore, if you are considering which pokemon game has the most legendaries, Pokémon Legends: Arceus is the clear winner. Its approach to catching mythic creatures is very different to other titles in the franchise.