The likes of Charizard and Pikachu may lead the way when it comes to the most popular creatures in thePokemonfranchise, but, when instead measuring for the most powerful Pokemon, they find themselves quite a way down the pecking order. It’s one that’s instead dominated by the series' many Legendary Pokemon, who more than live up to their title when it comes to sheer power.
First introduced in the Gen 1Pokemongames, Legendary Pokemon really are the cream of the crop. Granted, there are a handful ofnon-Legendary Pokemon who manage to get close, but, in a contest of pure stats, most Pokemon just can’t quite compete. Mega Evolutions and other non-permanent transformations aside, the strongest and most powerful Pokemon all typically fall under the “Legendary” label.
Updated July 24, 2025, by Tom Bowen:The past few years have been pretty good for Pokemon fans, with the Diamond & Pearl remakes, Legends: Arceus, and Scarlet & Violet having all been released across a relatively short amount of time. What’s more, these games all featured their fair share of Legendary Pokemon, with the five titles boasting almost all of the series' most powerful Pokemon between them. There were even a few brand-new Legendary Pokemon introduced, as well as new forms for a couple of the existing ones, thus helping to make some ofthe strongest Pokemon in the serieseven more powerful than they already were. Pokemon Legends: Z-A will presumably bring more big changes to the current meta, either by adding new Origin forms to some of the existing powerful Legendaries or introducing a few new ones of its own.
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Due largely to its fantastic Drizzle ability, Kyogre is a solid choice for those looking for apowerful Water-type Pokemonto round out their team. Of course, its monstrous 670 base stat total also helps quite a bit in this regard, with its 150 Special Attack and 140 Special Defense stats making Kyogre an incredibly tough Pokemon to topple without exploiting weakness.
Sadly, players no longer have access to Kyogre’s Primal form, which once saw its two special stats rising to 180 and 160 respectively and its physical Attack stat also getting a healthy boost from 100 to 150. Despite this, Kyogre remains one of the most powerful Pokemon in the series and one who is well worth seeking out in any game in which it can be caught.
Like its fellow Gen 3 Legendary, Groudon was nigh unstoppable while in its Primal form. However, this was as much the result of its incredible 770 base stat total as it was its signature ability, Desolate Land. This nullified all damage-dealingWater-type attackswhile active, meaning that players only really had to worry about Ground-type attacks and thus making Primal Groudon a very difficult Pokemon to counter.
Even without its Primal form though, Groudon remains one of the strongest Legendary Pokemon in the series, due largely to its sky-high stats. Where Kyogre specializes in Special Attack and Defense, Groudon is the king of physical, with its 150 Attack and 140 Defense stats perfectly complimenting its expansive learn pool, which features the likes of Earthquake, Hammer Arm, and Giga Impact.
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Koraidon is the box Legendary forPokemon Scarletand, as well as being a version exclusive Pokemon, isthe strongest Pokemon that players can catch in the gameat launch. Unusually,Scarletplayers are actually given Koraidon right at the very beginning of the game, though they won’t actually be able to do battle with it until after they have completed the main story.
Koraidon is a Fighting/Dragon-type with blistering speed and a high physical attack stat. Its defensive stats are pretty decent too, making it a solid addition to any team. This bodes well really, asScarletplayers will actually be able to catch themselves a second Koraidonby returning to the Great Crater of Paldea after completing the main story.
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WhilePokemon Scarletplayers will have toride around Paldea on Koraidon,Violetplayers are instead given access to Miraidon when they first begin their adventure. Unsurprisingly, when it comes to base stat totals, the two mascot Pokemon are incredibly similar, though Miraidon excels in the Special Attack department rather than physical and is an Electric/Dragon-type as opposed to Fighting/Dragon.
As with Koraidon, players gain access to Miraidon very early on and will be able toupgrade the Legendary Pokemonto improve its usefulness as a mount. It’s not until the very end of the game that they’ll unlock its battle form, at which point, players will be able to catch themselves a second Miraidon by heading back down into the Great Crater of Paldea.
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First introduced in the Gen 4Pokemongames, Regigigas is the creator of the Legendary Titans. With this in mind, it should come as no surprise to learn that it is stronger than all of the other Regis, each of which boasts a base stat total of 580 as opposed to Regigigas' impressive 670 total.
Despite its great size, Regigigas is actually a fairlyfast Pokemonwith a base Speed stat of 100. Its 110 Physical and Special defenses allow it to withstand a decent amount of punishment, as too does its 110 HP stat. Where Regigigas really shines, however, is through its Physical Attack stat, which stands at a mighty 160 and helps make Regigigas one of the most powerful Pokemon around.
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Like its fellowSun&Moonmascot Solgaleo, Lunala is a somewhat unusual Legendary Pokemon in that it is obtained through evolution. Though this idea has been played around with a little since the Gen 7 games, it came as something of a surprise back in 2016, with players needing to evolve first Cosmog and then Cosmoem in order to get their hands on the box Legendary.
As one might expect from a mascot, Lunala is one of the strongest Pokemon in the series, boasting a base stat total of 680. A good chunk of this comes courtesy of its HP and Special Attack, both of which sit at 137, with the rest of its stats all sitting somewhere around the 100 mark. This makes Lunala one of the more well-balanced Legendary Pokemon and a solid pick for those looking for apowerful Ghost-type Pokemon.
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Whether in its Ice Rider or Shadow Rider form,Calyrex is one of the strongest Pokemon introduced in the series to datethanks to its monstrous 680 base stat total. It’s one of the more recent Legendary Pokemon too, having first made its debut in the Gen 8 games, reintroducing the fusion mechanic that was first explored duringPokemon Black 2&White 2back in 2012.
Interestingly, when not fused with Glastrier or Spectrier,Calyrex is actually one of the weakest Legendary Pokemon due to its 500 base stat total. Though both fusions offer the same 680 total, Shadow Rider Calyrex arguably has the edge over its Ice Rider counterpart due to its 150 Speed and 165 Special Attack. That said, Ice Rider Calyrex is quite a bit bulkier and can hit pretty hard with physical attacks.
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Prior tothe introduction of Galarian Moltres in Gen 8, Yveltal was the only dark-type Legendary in the series, making it incredibly useful in certain situations. It’s still an exceptional Pokemon even with this extra competition though, as despite both Pokemon being Dark / Flying-types, Yveltal’s base stat total is 100 higher.
This results in all six of Yveltal’s key stats being above Galarian Moltres', with the most impressive being its 131 Attack and Special Attack. The Mythical Pokemon Darkrai can at times be more effective due to it being a pureDark-typeand much faster to boot, but, more often than not, Yveltal is the best option for those in need of a Dark-type Pokemon.
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There are an awful lot of Dragon-type Legendary Pokemon these days, but when Reshiram was first introduced in gen 5, there wasn’t nearly as much competition. Despite more than a decade having passed though, Reshiram still boasts one ofthe coolest designs in thePokemonseriesand remains the only Dragon / Fire-type Legendary to date.
Reshiram’s 150 Special Attack stat is by far its most impressive attribute, but it’s also strong in just about every other department as well. It becomes even more powerful when fused together with Kyurem, but, even on its own, it should be more than a match for the majority of other Pokemon.
First introduced in the Gen 7 games, Solgaleo is a Psychic /Steel-typeLegendary with high Attack and Special attack stats. Though it’s able to fuse with Necrozma, the resulting Dusk Mane Necrozma boasts the same 680 base stat total as Solgaleo’s unfused form, showing just how strong it and its fellow Gen 7 mascot Lunala really are.
Though some may prefer Necrozma for its extra versatility or Lunala for its Special Attack-centric stats, many consider Solgaleo to be the best of the trio thanks to its excellent move set and its many resistances and immunities. Ultimately though, which one of them is truly the best will depend on which type best compliments the player’s team.
