Pokemon and its various regions are filled to the brim with many creatures, although not all of them were created equally. To truly be the very best (like no one ever was), catching a Legendary Pokemon can often be crucial when it comes to defeating the current champ. Of course, these powerful beasts are not easy to come by and are legendary for a reason.
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While some Legendary Pokemon are flying high as the best around though, others find themselves languishing in the pits of despair. Quite frankly, some Legendary Pokemon really don't deserve their "Legendary" status, either due to their poor stats or their underwhelming and lackluster designs.
Updated May 31, 2021, by Tom Bowen: Though most Legendary Pokemon do tend to have the edge over their regular counterparts when it comes to stats, this isn't always the case. Mega Evolution has really leveled the playing field in this respect, although the base stat totals of some Legendary Pokemon were underwhelming even before the mechanic was introduced in the gen six games. As a result, for every great Legendary Pokemon scattered throughout the series, there are just as many that are destined to disappoint.
14 Best – Suicune
Catching Suicune can be a bit of a chore, but it's definitely worth the effort. It's one of the most underrated Legendary Pokemon in the series and offers a solid option when it comes to adding a water-type Pokemon to one's team. Granted, some players may prefer to go with Kyogre, but there are plenty of compelling reasons to choose the Legendary Beast instead.
Suicune has decent physical and special defense stats as well as resistance to all fire-type moves. It can learn Blizzard and Ice Beam too, allowing it to provide coverage against dragon and flying type Pokemon as well as ground, rock and fire while still only taking up a single spot in the team.
13 Worst – Uxie
The Lake Guardian trio found in the fourth generation of Pokemon games are all pretty underwhelming, but none more so that Uxie. Its 580 base stat total is worse than many regular Pokemon, while its initial move set is also incredibly limited. The worst thing about Uxie, however, is its type.
Due to the high number of Legendary Pokemon with access to psychic-type moves, there's no logical reason why a player would ever choose to use Uxie if some of the others were also at their disposal. Even if they weren't, the likes of Alakazam, Metagross and Espeon all offer a lot more than Uxie, making it redundant in all but a few unlikely scenarios.
12 Best – Arceus
Stat for stat, Arceus is the strongest Pokemon in the series, although there are one or two who can best it with the help of Mega Evolution. Assuming, as many are expecting, that Arceus will get a Mega Evolution of its own in Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl, its lead over the trailing pack is only going to grow larger too.
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That it's able to change its elemental type with the help of special plates makes it an incredibly versatile Pokemon that is capable of holding its own against pretty much any foe. Its stat distribution is a little disappointing in some ways as it doesn't really excel in any one area. As an all-rounder though, no Pokemon is better suited.
11 Worst – Heatran
The Pokemon series has a ridiculous amount of powerful fire-type Pokemon, many of which are legendary. Unfortunately, however, with a base stat total of just 600, Heatran is far from the strongest of the bunch and is also one of the slowest Legendary Pokemon to ever grace the series.
Though its dual typing can be useful in certain situations and its moveset isn't half bad, there are just too many better options out there for Heatran to ever really be viable. Its abilities aren't great either and it can't Mega Evolve, leading most to choose either Groudon or Charizard ahead of it when looking for a fire-type Pokemon for their team.
10 Best – Lugia
The Guardian of the Seas, Lugia, has always been popular due both to its psychic prowess and its prominent appearance in the Pokemon 2000 movie. However, in generation two, Lugia proved itself to be far more useful in combat than its fellow mascot, Ho-Oh, despite initially being seen as the weaker of the pair.
To get Lugia, trainers needed to be playing the Silver version of the game or have a friend who owned it that was willing to trade it over. It is worth noting that while Lugia may be more powerful, Ho-Oh does deserve an honorable mention due to its status as the master of the three mythical beasts – Raiku, Entei and Suicune.
9 Worst – Regirock
The Hoenn Legendary Titans are an underwhelming trio in general and are a strong candidate for the worst group of Legendary Pokemon. Regirock stands out in particular, although not in a good way. It's a fairly average ground-type Pokemon at best, with many regular Pokemon able to give it a run for its money.
Trainers have a wide range of rock-types to choose from, and, in generation three, there are plenty that can do exactly what Regirock can do. Granted, Regice and Registeel aren't much better, but at least as ice and steel-types, they are a bit more unique. Their master, Regigigas is by far the most interesting out of the four, although this doesn't really help poor Regirock.
8 Best – Rayquaza
Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire are great games in their own right, but Pokemon Emerald took the third generation of Pokemon games to brand new heights. Not only can players catch both Groudon and Kyogre, but they can also get their hands on the powerful dragon type Pokemon, Rayquaza.
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Naturally, as a dragon, Rayquaza has the potential to use some devastating attacks and its secondary typing only serves to bolster its arsenal. That it's able to mega evolve without the use of a Mega Stone in later games makes it entirely unique, while its ridiculously high stats are matched only by Mega Mewtwo.
7 Worst – Type: Null
The short version of this entry is "Null is dull." A man-made Pokemon, much like its counterpart Sivally, Null is of the normal variety. Dubbed the Beast Killers, one would expect something menacing, or at least extremely powerful. Yet, it would be fair to say that man failed in the creation of Null.
There is nothing at all special about this Pokemon. In fact, all it succeeds in doing is proving that Mewtwo was an impressive creation that will never happen again. There is nothing wrong with normal-type Pokemon, but they can lack a certain oomph, especially when it comes to one that is of legendary status.
6 Best – Entei
One of the three legendary beasts, Entei is a fire-type Pokemon with a devastating learn set and has proven to be incredibly popular over the years thanks to its appearance in Pokemon 3. Though his brethren, Suicune and Raiku, have also appeared in movies and the TV show most tend to favor the fire-type beast.
Admittedly, generation two boasts quite a few powerful fire-types, including Typhlosion and Ho-Oh. However, for a trainer that does not start with a Cyndaquil or is playing through the Silver version of the game, the legendary beast is a must-own. Catching it can be a little annoying, but it's arguably well worth the effort.
5 Worst – Tornadus
As one of the three Legendary Pokemon that makes up the Forces of Nature trio, Tornadus sounds intimidating enough on paper and does have some powerful moves in its learn set. Unfortunately, however, unlike the other two Forces of Nature, Tornadus is purely a flying-type, which can often be fairly restrictive in battle.
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Thundurus and Landorus are streets ahead of Tornadus thanks to being lightning and ground-type, respectively, although even they have their problems. As a trio, despite the epic name, the Forces of Nature are incredibly underwhelming in battle and are therefore unlikely to feature in too many teams as a result.
4 Best – Mewtwo
The clone of the legendary Mew, this is one occasion where the clone certainly surpasses the original. Mewtwo is a psychic Pokemon, and a very powerful one at that. If a player wished to capture mankind's greatest creation, they first needed to defeat the elite four in the Pokemon Red, Blue and Green games, before proceeding to the Cerulean Cave.
Of course, one cannot discuss Mewtwo without acknowledging its anime appearances. The legendary Pokemon makes its debut in the first movie, followed by a reappearance in Mewtwo Returns. It's also one of only two Pokemon to have multiple Mega Evolutions and is tied with Mega Rayquaza as the strongest Pokemon while in its Mega form.
3 Worst – Tapu Bulu
One of the legendary Pokemon that forms the Guardian Deities, Tapu Bulu hails from the Alola region. Admittedly, the guardians are somewhat unique given they're all mixed-types, though all fall under the fairy category in one way or another. Unfortunately though, Tapu Bulu's secondary typing is grass.
The legendary Pokemon can be found on Ula'ula Island in Pokemon Sun and Moon, although is probably the most underwhelming Legendary Pokemon in the game. Grass and Fairy is not a combination that needs repeating, nor is it one that can bring much to the average team.
2 Best – Urshifu
One of the more recent Legendary Pokemon, Urshifu, and its first stage Kubfu, were first introduced to the world in Pokemon Sword and Shield as part of the Isle of Armor DLC. Finally, after several decades, players had a rare Pokemon that is of the fighting variety.
Furthermore, Urshifu is also a hybrid, with its secondary type being dark. Combined, these two types create an incredibly powerful Pokemon that can stand its ground against any opponent that gets in its way. It's also one of only four Legendary Pokemon that comes from evolution, making it fairly unique in that respect.
1 Worst – Moltres
One of the three legendary birds from generation one, Moltres always seemed to be a bit disappointing in comparison to Zapdos and Articuno. The disappointment only continued when generation two hit and Lugia and Ho-Oh were added to the ever-expanding roster of Pokemon; the latter of which was also a flying-fire-type.
It also didn't help that the original Pokemon games were filled with powerful fire-type Pokemon, while decent ice and electric types were a little harder to come by. Not only that, but the fact that Moltres could fly was made redundant to any trainer who also happened to own a Charizard.