Strongest Pokemon In The Lore, Ranked

The Pokemon franchise is filled to the brim with examples of what’s usually known as “ludonarrative dissonance,” a term used for what are basically contradictions between a video game’s story and its gameplay. According to this series’ rich lore, many of its titular monsters are supposed to be incredibly powerful, but their strength is not always reflected in their in-game battle prowess.

Needless to say, Pokemon boasts a deeply fascinating and creative world-building where many Pokemon (mainly Legendaries and Mythicals) can be so destructive and so powerful that they have even reshaped the world they inhabit, even if they never really made an impact on the competitive scene. To no one’s surprise, numerous iconic Pokemon fall into this weird, albeit fascinating, category, and the following eight are the most noteworthy examples so far.

8

Regigigas

A Continent-Moving Behemoth

• Introduced in: Generation Four (Sinnoh)
• Pokedex number: #0486
• Type: Normal
• Base stat total: 670

In theory, Regigigas is supposed to be one of the most physically strong and durable Pokemon in this fictional world, as not only is it the creator and leader of the Legendary Giants trio, but, according to legend, it’s also responsible for shaping the world by moving around continents all by itself.

Based on its lore, design, and stats, it’s evident that Regigigas is a highly destructive Pokemon, but, unfortunately, Game Freak decided to nerf it for some odd reason by giving it the exclusive ability Slow Start, which halves its Attack and Speed stats for the first five turns of a battle. If it didn’t have this ability, Regigigas would undoubtedly be dominating the competitive scene right now (but at least it gained more use when the Neutralizing Gas ability was introduced in Generation Eight).

7

Xerneas And Yveltal

The Physical Manifestations Of Life And Death

• Introduced in: Generation Six (Kalos)
• Pokedex numbers: #0716 and #0717
• Types: Fairy and Dark/Flying
• Base stat total: 680

While every single Box Art Legendary in the series is incredibly powerful, Generation Six’s Xerneas and Yveltal stand out because of their role in the lore, as they are the embodiments of life and death itself. As a result of their role, Yveltal can absorb the life energy of every single being around it, whereas Xerneas can do the opposite and share eternal life with others.

Needless to say, these two rivals represent a perfect balance between life and death, and one can’t exist without the other. Xerneas and Yveltal are so strong that they both powered up Lysandre’s Ultimate Weapon (depending on the version of the game), a highly potent device that altered the Kalos region forever and could have easily destroyed the entire Pokemon world if it hadn’t stopped.

6

Dialga, Palkia And Giratina

The Creation Trio Represents Time, Space, And Antimatter

• Introduced in: Generation Four (Sinnoh)
• Pokedex numbers: #0483, #0484, and #487
• Types: Steel/Dragon, Water/Dragon, and Ghost/Dragon
• Base stat total: 680

Another group of Legendary Pokemon that is widely important to the lore of the series is the iconic Creation Trio from the Sinnoh region, made up of Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. Their legend says that they were created by Arceus itself and that they represent time, space, and antimatter, respectively, meaning that they have control over the elements that make up the architecture of the Pokemon universe.

The members of the Creation Trio are not only very strong, but they also have the ability to corrupt and basically destroy the universe if their power goes unchecked, with Dialga being able to alter the flow of time, Palkia being able to break through space, and Giratina reigning over its own twisted dimension, the Distortion World. Curiously enough, Giratina used to be the most powerful member of this trio thanks to its once-unique Origin Forme, but Pokemon Legends: Arceus recently evened the battlefield by giving the other two their own Origin Formes as well.

5

Primal Kyogre And Primal Groudon

Two Ancient Pokemon That Shaped The Geography Of The World

• Introduced in: Generation Three (Hoenn)
• Pokedex number: #0382 and #383
• Types: Water, Ground/Fire
• Base stat total: 770

Truth be told, the original versions of Kyogre and Groudon don’t really belong on this list because, even though they are exceedingly strong, they are not on the same level as other world-ending Legendary Pokemon. However, Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire changed everything by introducing their Primal Reversion forms: Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon.

When they activate these transformations, these Super-Ancient Pokemon can return to their original forms, from back when their constant clashes shaped the continents and the oceans of the Pokemon world. As a result of their newfound power, Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon can manipulate the weather to an extreme degree and can single-handedly create new landmasses and/or bodies of water if they’re not stopped by an external force like Rayquaza. Fortunately, their sheer strength is reflected by their battle prowess, seeing as these two dominated the competitive scene during the sixth generation.

4

Mega Rayquaza

The Mega Evolution In Charge Of Stopping Both Kyogre And Groudon

• Introduced in: Generation Three (Hoenn)
• Pokedex number: #0384
• Types: Dragon/Flying
• Base stat total: 780

Needless to say, two Pokemon as destructive and nearly unstoppable as Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon can only be kept in check by a creature that’s even more powerful than they are, which is where Mega Rayquaza comes into play. The original Rayquaza was already stronger than its ancient counterparts because it boasted much better typing, higher stats, and an exclusive ability that can cancel the other two’s respective weather conditions.

But Mega Rayquaza is even stronger, with 100 more points in all of its stats, an excellent exclusive move in Dragon Ascent, and a new ability called Delta Stream, which eliminates the weather and all the weaknesses of the Flying type. This Mega Evolution has repeatedly protected the Hoenn region, as not only did it stop Kyogre and Groudon on more than one occasion, but it also faced off against the alien invader Deoxys in the middle of space. On top of all that, Mega Rayquaza stands out because it’s both extremely powerful in the lore and in the actual gameplay, seeing as it is widely considered one of the most overpowered Pokemon ever made (especially because it doesn’t need to hold a Mega Stone to Mega Evolve).

3

Ultra Necrozma

A Pokemon So Powerful It Can Only Be Caught In One Game

• Introduced in: Generation Seven (Alola)
• Pokedex number: #0800
• Types: Psychic/Dragon
• Base stat total: 754

As the decades went by, Game Freak began giving the third members of Legendary trios more and more in-universe importance, as they are usually responsible for the creation of their respective generation’s gameplay gimmick, and Generation Seven’s Necrozma is obviously no exception. Also known as the Prism Pokemon, not only are Z-Crystals (the items that help trainers activate Z-Moves) said to be fragments of its body, but it’s also capable of defeating both Solgaleo and Lunala in combat.

Necrozma can take on various forms, all of which are very strong, but there’s no denying that the most powerful one is Ultra Necrozma, which it can obtain by absorbing overwhelming amounts of light and basically leaving an entire dimension shrouded in darkness. This massive dragon-like Pokemon can defeat almost any opponent it confronts, since it can travel seamlessly through dimensions, automatically boost its own stats, and learn multiple destructive moves, including its own exclusive Z-Move, Light That Burns the Sky. Unfortunately for any players who may be interested in facing and/or catching Ultra Necrozma, to this day, this form is only available in the game it debuted in, Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon.

2

Zygarde (Complete Forme And Mega)

The Form-Changing Legendary Tasked With Keeping The Order

• Introduced in: Generation Six (Kalos)
• Pokedex number: #0718
• Types: Dragon/Ground
• Base stat total: 708 (Complete), 778 (Mega)

Since Xerneas and Yveltal possess control over life and death, respectively, it only makes sense that the third member of their trio, known as the Aura Trio by fans, would be responsible for maintaining the balance between those two sides. Zygarde did not seem particularly menacing in Pokemon X and Y, but Generation Seven eventually introduced its Complete Forme, which is way stronger and more imposing.

By gathering all of its cells, Zygarde can reach its 100% form and become so incredibly powerful that it can easily overpower both Xerneas and Yveltal with ease, especially since it can learn one of its many signature moves: Core Enforcer. To no one’s surprise, Complete Zygarde was already one of the strongest Pokemon in the lore of the series, but it somehow got even stronger in the recently released Pokemon Legends: Z-A, thanks to the introduction of its own Mega Evolution. Mega Zygarde wields a massive energy cannon that it used to put an end to Ange — a successor of the Ultimate Weapon that almost destroyed Lumiose City — not to mention that its Core Enforcer got upgraded into Nihil Light, one of the most overpowered moves in the entire franchise. It’s safe to say Zygarde takes its task of keeping the order extremely seriously.

1

Arceus

The Mighty Creator Of The Pokemon World

• Introduced in: Generation Four (Sinnoh)
• Pokedex number: #0493
• Types: Normal (Can change types)
• Base stat total: 720

Every Pokemon fan knows that Arceus is the strongest Pokemon in this world, as has been repeatedly stated by the lore of the series. After all, it’s known as the “Original One” and the “Alpha Pokemon,” this is the mighty being that created this world in the first place and, by extension, everything in it: light, darkness, weather, plants, and even other Pokemon, including the vast array of Legendaries that control crucial elements like time, space, land, sea, air, etc.

Several Pokedex entries reveal that Arceus shaped the universe itself with its 1000 arms, not to mention that it can change into any other Pokemon type thanks to its exclusive ability, Multitype, and the various Plates it can hold. For the longest time, Arceus didn’t come off as particularly strong in-game, until Pokemon Legends: Arceus revealed that trainers can’t actually catch and train it; it just allows them to control an avatar that only represents a fragment of its godly power. On top of that, the brand-new Legend Plate makes its Judgement attack super effective against any opponent it confronts, thus making it a true beast in battle. All in all, Legends: Arceus finally did Arceus justice by portraying it as the unstoppable deity it was always supposed to be.