The likes of Charizard and Pikachu may lead the way when it comes to the series' most popular Pokemon, but, when instead measuring for the most powerful, 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 regards to power.
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First introduced in Pokemon Red & Blue, Legendary Pokemon are the cream of the crop. Granted, there are a handful of non-Legendary Pokemon who do get close, but, in a contest of pure stats, they 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 August 4, 2021 by Tom Bowen: With Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl now just around the corner, many fans are speculating what changes are going to be made to the games' legendaries. The fourth generation of Pokemon games already features some of the best and strongest Legendary Pokemon in the series. Were Game Freak to give some of them Primal or Mega Evolution forms though, their fighting potential would skyrocket, likely bringing them on par with the very best legendaries that the franchise has to offer. For now, however, players will have to make do with their current base stat totals, which, it has to be said, are certainly not to be frowned upon.
15 Kyogre (670)
When it comes to special attack and defense, Kyogre is an absolute beast. To be more precise, it's a Primal Beast, and, as such, is able to transform into its primal form when holding a Blue Orb. This transformation increases its base stat total to a whopping 770, with its special attack and defense stats rising further to an impressive 180 and 160 respectively.
Sadly, Primal Kyogre can only be used by those who are playing Omega Ruby & Alpha Saphire, but, even its base form, Kyogre is able to pack quite the punch. It has a fantastic array of moves at its disposal, many of which benefit greatly from the Pokemon's Drizzle ability.
14 Groudon (670)
Much like Kyogre, Groudon is only able to transform into its primal form in the remakes of Pokemon Ruby & Sapphire. Again though, just like its partner in prime, it can still be incredibly effective even without the additional power that it gains while in its enhanced primal form.
Where Kyogre specializes in special attacks, Groudon is instead geared more towards physical moves. Attacks like Earthquake and Precipice Blades allow it to dish out some impressive damage, while its drought ability can at times makes it incredibly difficult to counter.
13 Palkia (680)
Palkia's dual-typing can at times be a bit of a double-edged sword, though it ranks among the very best in both the water and dragon-type categories. Its 680 stats are distributed fairly evenly, but it does lean a little more towards special attacks than it does physical ones.
This bodes well for Palkia owners, as it has access to some ridiculously powerful special attack-based moves. The pick of the bunch are probably Spacial Rend and Hydro Pump, but it can also dish out some decent rock and ground-type damage with moves like Power Gem and Earth Power too.
12 Dialga (680)
Much like its fellow gen 4 legendary, Dialga has been blessed with two types. As well as being a dragon-type Pokemon, it also has access to Steel-type moves and is once again among the very best in class for both types. If ever the Pokemon gets a Mega Evolution or a primal form like it did in Mystery Dungeon, it would be right up there with the very strongest Legendary Pokemon in the series.
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As with Palkia, Dialga favors special attack-based moves and has quite a few devastating ones in its locker. In particular, Roar of Time can be absolutely deadly when attacking weakness, as too can some of its learnable steel-type moves like Flash Cannon. With the Diamond & Pearl remakes now just around the corner, the future could be very bright for Dialga indeed.
11 Lugia (680)
Though not quite as popular as its fellow gen 2 mascot, Ho-Oh, Lugia is still an incredibly useful Pokemon to have on one's team; assuming, that is, that players can find one. It has access to some great psychic and flying-type moves and can also cover water and ice-type attacks if push really comes to shove.
Where Lugia really shines, however, is through its excellent defensive stats, with a significant proportion of the Pokemon's 680 base stat total being dedicated to physical and special defense. This pairs well with Lugia's hidden ability, Multiscale, which reduces the damage it takes by 50% when the Pokemon is attacked while at full health.
10 Giratina (680)
Whether in its Origin or Altered form, Giratina boasts an impressive base stat total of 680. It's actually one of 16 Legendary Pokemon that does so, although it is arguably one of the more useful of the bunch thanks to its impressive versatility in battle.
While in its base form, the Pokemon specializes in defense and has a 120 stat for both the physical and special defense categories. When given a Griseous Orb to hold or while in the Distortion World, however, its attack and defensive stats are switched; with the latter dropping down to 100 in exchange for some additional firepower.
9 Ho-Oh (680)
Like many of the series' earlier Legendary Pokemon, Ho-Oh rocks a base stat total of 680. It excels in the special defense department, although also has decent numbers in the attack and special attack categories as well. It shares its design with a real-world mythical creature too, which is a pretty cool – albeit, somewhat irrelevant – touch.
Ho-Oh holds the distinction of being the very first Legendary Pokemon to appear in the anime and is said to be the guardian of the skies and the master of the three Legendary Beasts. Many consider it to be the polar opposite of Lugia; which also boasts a base stat total of 680 but is instead the guardian of the seas and the master of the three Legendary Birds.
8 Mewtwo (680)
Together with Rayquaza, Mewtwo is considered to be the most powerful Pokemon obtainable in the series, at least when it comes to Mega Evolutions, anyway. By default, they each have base stat totals of 680, but in their powered-up forms, this rises to an impressive 780.
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Although many other Pokemon have the ability to Mega Evolve and also benefit from the same 100 stat point bonus after doing so, Mewtwo and Rayquaza are tied when it comes to the strongest Pokemon that have access to Mega Evolution. The former is also one of only two Pokemon with two distinct Mega Evolution forms; the other one being Charizard.
7 Rayquaza (680)
Rayquaza might not be the fastest Pokemon out there, but its 150 physical and special attack stats are right up there with the very best. They account for almost half of the Pokemon's 680 base stat total; which rises to an eye-watering 780 when the Pokemon Mega Evolves.
Rayquaza is somewhat special in this regard as it is the only Pokemon to date that is able to Mega Evolve without the use of an item. Instead, the Pokemon need only use the move Dragon Ascent to transform into its Mega form. This is because Rayquaza is said to have eaten numerous meteorites and it is from these that it is able to draw the power needed for the transformation.
6 Eternatus (690)
First introduced in Pokemon Sword & Shield, Eternatus is an incredibly powerful Pokemon with a base stat total of 690. It may not be the strongest in this regard, but it's perhaps worth noting that there is only one other Pokemon that can reach a higher total without the use of an item or a fusion technique. Besides, this is only the tip of the iceberg.
At the games' climax, players square off against Eternamax Eternatus, which is by far the strongest Pokemon to have ever appeared in the series. Its base stat total of 1,125 makes it almost twice as powerful as the nearest contender, although, sadly, there is no legitimate way for players to gain access to this form. At least not yet, anyway.
5 Kyurem (700)
The innovative fusion mechanic introduced in the fifth generation of Pokemon games is one that has not been utilized nearly as much as it should have been in subsequent games. It did, however, lead to the introduction of Black Kyurem and White Kyurem.
In its base form, Kyurem is slightly weaker than some of the series' other Legendary Pokemon owing to its base stat total of 660. When fused together with either Zekrom or Reshiram though, this total rises to 700, making Black and White Kyurem the strongest Pokemon ever at the time of their inception. Being able to choose between a physical and special attacker is also a nice touch and something that players would see again in future generations.
4 Zygarde (708)
Upon its introduction in Pokemon X & Y, Zygarde was really wasn't anything to write home about. With Sun & Moon came the addition of the Pokemon's Complete form, however, and it was catapulted up the pecking order of the series' most powerful Pokemon of all time.
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Only three Pokemon can better its 708 base stat total, although its high numbers are perhaps a little misleading. Complete Forme Zygarde is actually slower than the 50% Forme and has only a plus ten increase to its special attack stat to show for it. Well, that and a huge increase to its HP, which accounts for the entirety of its stat boost across forms.
3 Zacian (720)
In its Hero of Many Battles form, Zacian is actually a little weaker than quite a few of its Legendary peers. While holding a Rusted Sword though, its base stat total is boosted by 50 points, bringing it up to an impressive 720. In this form, it finds itself locked in a three-way tie for the title of the series' most powerful Pokemon.
The bulk of this boost goes into its physical attack stat, which jumps from an already impressive 130 to a monstrous 170. Its speed also rises to 148, making it one of the fastest Pokemon around as well as one of the most powerful. Its defensive stats aren't too bad either, although its HP remains a little on the low side at just 92.
2 Zamazenta (720)
Much like Zacian, Zamazenta starts life with a base stat total of 670 which can be increased to 720 with the aid of a held item. Rather than a Rusted Sword, however, Zamazenta instead needs to be given a Rusted Shield which will lead to the Pokemon transforming into its Crowned Shield form.
Unlike its fellow Sword & Shield mascot, the stat bonuses gained from the transformation are a bit more balanced. Both its physical and special defense stats each increase by 30, although this does come at a cost. Rather than increasing by ten, its speed stat instead decreases; dropping from 138 to 128 while it's holding the Rusted Shield.
1 Arceus (720)
Not only is Arceus stronger than the overwhelming majority of other Pokemon, but the genderless God Pokemon also has the beating of all but six of their Mega Evolution forms. Assuming the Pokemon gets a Mega Evolution of its own in the Diamond & Pearl remakes later this year, it will become the outright strongest obtainable Pokemon by a considerable margin.
Arceus is a somewhat unique Pokemon in that it is able to change its elemental type through the use of special plates and this makes it incredibly versatile in battle. Its 720 base stat total is also perfectly distributed between the six stat categories, so the Pokemon has no major weaknesses either. This does mean that it can sometimes lack the firepower needed to break down tankier foes though. Nonetheless, when it comes to raw stats, no Pokemon boasts more than Arceus.
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