Legendary Pokemon are considered the strongest, most epic deities of the Pokemon world, with extremely high stats, access to the most powerful moves, and local lore that speaks to their prowess and might. Many Legendaries are the subject of tales worshipping them and their strength.
However, in many regards, there are some Mythical Pokemon — which are typically small, cute, and spritelike — that are arguably more impressive. Their abilities aren't always related to sheer strength, but they are immeasurable in terms of power. Here are some of the Mythical Pokemon that are, in some ways, much more impressive than their Legendary counterparts.
10 Jirachi
Jirachi, Mythical Steel/Psychic-type from Generation III, is meant to resemble a shooting star. Fittingly, it's believed that it can grant wishes. However, it isn't just one wish here or there like many people believe shooting stars are capable of — Jirachi can grant any wish that is asked of it for a full week out of every thousand years.
This is obviously an overpowered ability, and it is used as such in some Pokemon media. In the manga and the film Jirachi: Wish Maker, Team Aqua and Team Magma, respectively, use Jirachi to create Kyogre and Groudon monsters to wreak havoc on the world.
9 Victini
A Fire/Psychic-type Mythical Pokemon from Generation V, Victini has the strange and unique status of being the first Pokemon in Unova's regional Pokedex, a spot typically reserved for the Grass-type starter. Victini is a representation of victory, and it's said to bring success to its trainer.
More impressively, though, is the fact that Victini can create unlimited supplies of energy. It is also capable of turning invisible, sharing its endless energy with others via touch, and telepathy. In terms of battling, it's also the only Pokemon capable of learning V-create and Searing Shot, two of the most powerful Fire-type moves in existence.
8 Shaymin
Like many other Mythical Pokemon, Shaymin is spritelike and cute, even when it transforms into its more intimidating Sky Form. Shaymin has the amazing ability to detoxify polluted environments, utilizing this capability to clean ruined land and fill it with blooming flowers.
In every season, Shaymin joins others in fields before migrating. These fields are filled with lush foliage and flowers wherever it lands. If Victini's unlimited energy source and Shaymin's ability to depollute joined forces, they could probably save the real world from climate change.
7 Darkrai
Moving to a less-positive side of Mythical Pokemon brings this list to Darkrai, who, while being a bit nefarious, is still very powerful. Darkrai is one half of the Lunar Duo with Cresselia, and the two are thought to bring dreams to people and Pokemon.
Cresselia, fortunately, brings people pleasant dreams, but Darkrai is not so nice and gives people nightmares. It is also shown in the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series to be capable of distorting space to cover the planet in darkness.
6 Diancie
Born from a Carbink that has mutated, Diancie seems like just a pretty pink rock but is so much more than that. Not only is it the only Mythical Pokemon capable of Mega Evolution, but Diancie also has some intense powers that would make any person salivate with dollar signs in their eyes.
Diancie is able to compress the carbon in the air between its hands and turn it into, as the Pokedex says, "many diamonds."
5 Mew
One could argue that Mew is technically the most powerful Pokemon in general, as it has the power to transform into any other monster. But, we'll just focus on Mew's individual powers for the sake of fairness.
Mew, believed to be the ancestor of all Pokemon, is capable of learning any TM move there is. This makes sense since Mew is said to have the DNA of every Pokemon. It is incredibly elusive and capable of traveling freely through air or water and is so powerful that it inspired Team Rocket to clone it, creating the strongest Legendary Pokemon to date, Mewtwo.
4 Deoxys
It's pretty easy to see how menacing Deoxys is. It's the result of an alien virus that was exposed to a laser beam. What's scarier than that? Well, it turns out it gets worse. Deoxys is capable of shifting its DNA into three different stat-focused forms that make it powerful in any situation.
The only thing that stopped it from falling to earth and unleashing its power was Rayquaza, which had to Mega Evolve to stop it. That's pretty impressive.
3 Celebi
Mew was the first Mythical to be introduced and was extremely impressive, so the next one to be introduced had a big act to follow. Luckily, Celebi was able to do just that. This Grass/Psychic-type introduced in Generation II is capable of one extremely powerful thing: traveling through time.
On top of how powerful that is, Celebi is also known to be a sign of good luck. Wherever it appears, grass and trees flourish, and good fortune comes to all those who see it.
2 Hoopa
There are some terrifying creatures in the Pokemon universe, and Hoopa is one of them. Hoopa has a Confined Form, which exists because it had to be imprisoned to prevent its mischief and great power from terrorizing the world.
Its Unbound Form is said to be Hoopa's true form, and it has the power to bend dimensions and reach through its strange hoops to grab items or people from anywhere in the universe, sort of like a portal. Hoopa is shown in the films to be able to summon Legendary Pokemon.
1 Arceus
It might not have the highest base stat total of all Pokemon, but they do have it to thank for their existence. Arceus is the closest thing the Pokemon world has to a creator god, said to have been born from nothing before creating everything in the universe. With the use of various plates, it can transform into any Pokemon type.
With its thousand arms, Arceus created everything that is said to exist, including Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina, often called the Creation Trio due to their dominions over time, space, and antimatter. The fact that Arceus' signature move is called Judgment is really all you need to know — this thing is god, and nothing stands in its way.