We already know that in the world of Pokémon there are many different stages of being. There are the 3 stages of evolution any one Pokémon has the opportunity to go through and at the third stage, they are a much more powerful creature than before started.
But even above that, above the biggest & strongest evolutions, are the Legendary Pokémon.
And just what exactly is a Legendary Pokémon? What exactly qualifies a Pokémon as "Legendary"? Is it being the only one of its kind? Holding immense power or knowledge? The ability to control an element of reality? Honestly, Gamefreak themselves don't really seem to know and Legendary Pokémon throughout the generations have a wide range of characteristic. Although, they do all mostly share the attribute of being one of a kind, except for Shaymin the little grass hedgehog. But, because there have been hundreds & hundreds of Pokémon designs at this point, there are some that are honestly just one or two steps away from being Legendary themselves. Whether this is based on their design, appearance, or even backstory, there are a number of very elite Pokémon that are basically already Legendary. But while on the topic of the very best, we also have to talk about the absolute worst. The Pokémon that aren't even worth a Poké ball, the poorly designed, low power, or outclassed Pokémon that unfortunately aren’t worth a slot on the team. We're here to tell you which 15 Pokémon deserve a spot in the ivory tower of the Legendary and which 15 should be looking up at them from the ground floor.
30 Should Be Legendary: Dragonite The Big Goofy Dragon
Dragonite is probably one of the biggest no-brainers on this list. Anyone who grew up with Pokémon and its animated series remembers the episode where Dragonite was the famed "Lighthouse Creature". A mammoth huge, lumbering, and terrifying dragon.
And while Dragonite in the daytime is a bit less terrifying and a bit jollier, he's still a gigantic dragon!
The first real "dragon" design we see in the entirety of Pokémon really deserves a place as a Legendary. Plus it would explain it turning from Dragonair into Dragonite a bit more.
29 Almost Worthless: Terrakion, Cobalion, And Virizion The Knockoff's
Who even are these Pokémon? I decided to pick a couple Legendary’s to put on the worthless Pokémon list, considering there are a few that are just plain forgettable or don't seem live up to their “Legendary” name.
A great example of that is the “Sword of Justice”, the new Legendary trio of the 5th generation.
Gold and Silver fans will remember Entei, Suicune, and Raikou from those games as fantastical, powerful, and elusive beasts. In comparison, these three are over-designed, too normal, and just plain forgettable. They’re essentially knockoffs.
28 Should Be Legendary: Wailord The Smiling King Of The Sea
Wailord is one of my favorite Pokémon, and that’s for two simple reasons, One being it's just plain humongous, it was based on the blue whale and is by far one of the biggest standard Pokémon. Two, it's got that big old smile on its face.
Now imagine it was even bigger, and was now the Whale Lord of the ocean, wouldn't that be a fun legendary!
I mean it literally has "lord" in its name and has the size to back it up, so why not hand over a tiny ceremonial crowd and make it Legendary?
27 Almost Worthless: Uxie, Mespirit, And Azelf The Lake Lame's
And speaking of marine life, let’s talk about the lake spirits of the 5th generation, Uxie, Mespirit, and Azelf. These three "Legendary’s" aren’t imposing but rather trying to appeal to the fantastical route much like Celebi does. Problem is they all look like a copy pasted design with different hats.
They're way too similar, save maybe Uxie, who is the best of the three, and they're designs aren't anything special.
They seem to be an attempt for a new “Regi” trio similar to Regirock, Regice, and Registeel, but they fall short in every sense of the word.
26 Should Be Legendary: Garchomp The Mach Speed Kids Toy
This one is open and shut. First of all, we're going to see that just about all of the "pseudo" Legendary’s that exist are on this list. Pseudo Legendary’s are Pokémon that have a very close stat distribution to the Legendary Pokémon and tend to have very strong designs.
Garchomp is no exception, he's a Mach speed sand dragon, which is just as nifty as it sounds.
Garchomp has blade arms, jets for elbows, and a star-shaped ship mast nose. He's got just about all of the checklist items for "radical" covered not even including his insanely good stats.
25 Almost Worthless: Dunsparce The Mythical
This one pains me a bit to include. I really do love Dunsparce, but I only love it because it's such a useless pokemon. Dunsparce is found in very few areas in the second generation, doesn't evolve, and doesn't have great stats. It's one of what I call the "decoration" group of pokemon.
Pokemon that are single evolution that Gamefreak added as decoration for the aesthetic of the region.
Dunsparce is based on Japan's Tsuchinoko, an urban legend poisonous lizard which is essentially they're own version of Bigfoot, and adds to the Japanese aesthetic of the Second Generation.
24 Should Be Legendary: Metagross The Intimidating Supercomputer
Metagross is another "pseudo" Legendary but you probably already knew that just looking at it. Metagross has to be one of the most grandiose designs in pokemon, backing it up with both its backstory and insanely good stats.
Funnily enough, its two pre-evolutions are adorable so Metagross starts out way less regal.
But I could easily see Metagross as a Legendary creature governing some sort of aspect of magnetism, space, or some other extraterrestrial aspect. All in all Metagross seems to be based on a supercomputer, or some sort of moon lander, and could easily fit the description of "Legendary".
23 Almost Worthless: Pikachu Knockoffs: Pachirisu, Emolga, Dedenne, & Togedemaru The Outclassed
The employee's at Gamefreak have a mandatory hour each day where they all kneel, clasp their hands together, hold their breath, and pray to Pikachu.
Obviously, I'm joking but what's not a joke is how much money Pikachu alone has made Gamefreak. Pikachu honestly might be an icon as recognizable as Mickey Mouse or Mario. So every new Generation Gamefreak creates a "Pikachu clone" Pokemon. Unfortunately, these Pokemon are always worse off to Pikachu both statistically and design wise. The only exception is Mimikyu who might be the best inside joke in gaming.
22 Should Be Legendary: Kommo-o The Jingling Dragon
Dragon types make for the easiest Legendary's in my opinion, and Kommo-o is no exception.
When an entire type of Pokemon is based off the stereotypical “dragon” design sensibilities, it's difficult to make said designs NOT look magnificent.
Kommo-o is the Pseudo-Legendary of the Alola region, and one of my own personal favorites of the generation. Contrary to how it looks, Kommo-o isn't actually all that big, but definitely packs the power to make up for it. I could easily see Kommo-o as the Legendary Dragon of the Alola region. Though the jingling is a bit much.
21 Almost Worthless: Plusle And Minun The Advertisements
I bet you're wondering why Plusle and Minun get their own slot on this list when I already covered Pikachu clones huh? Well, that's because they're SO bad that I have to elaborate more. First of all let me say, they are cute, that can't be denied.
But they're the least creative Pikachu clones and the worst statistically.
Plusle and Minun were created to show off the Double Battle mechanics Gamefreak introduced in that generation. 2 v 2 battles where you can use moves that affect your partner. But sadly double battles aren’t well designed and neither are these two
20 Should Be Legendary: Goodra The Goopy Legend
Goodra is real goofy, goopy, and grandiose. I don't even have to look it up to know that its English name Goodra is a combination of Goopy and Dragon.
Again, it's another dragon type pseudo legendary but design wise Goodra is much more similar to Dragonite than to Garchomp.
Plus, Goodra is known for having an absurdly strong Special Defense, so it's not an offensive type either. So as far as both Pseudos’ and Dragons go, it’s pretty unique. Combine that with its adorable pre-evolutions and you have a top class Pokemon line.
19 Almost Worthless: Forgettable Fish: Bruxish, Alomomola, Basculin The Plentiful
Gamefreak is constantly under pressure when making any new generation to create tens of good, memorable, and unique designs. It’s got to be an immense amount of pressure on them to make sure every single new design is up to par.
Quite frankly it's impossible, and we can see the designs that fell through from the 5-10 completely forgettable "fish" Pokémon that have been added in throughout the years.
These are literal fish that have some flair of color added to make them more fantastical, they're completely forgotten by the end of their own generation and eare just filler Pokémon.
18 Should Be Legendary: Tyranitar The Sandstorm King
I know I know, another dragon type Pseudo-Legendary. It's getting a bit old but we still have 3 more to go in this list. I'm sorry okay! I actually dislike the dragon type Pokémon personally but these Pseudo Legendary's designs and stats are literally too good to ignore. Plus Tyranitar is actually an interesting design, it's probably the best example of making a complex design but not overdesigning it. Unless you look at its Mega evolution which gets way too busy. As long as we ignore that Tyranitar is an easy add to the “should be a Legendary” list.
17 Almost Worthless: Stunfisk The Wasted Potential
Stunfisk is the Dunsparce of Gen 5. Honestly, that's about all there is to it. It's a Pokémon that's small, simplistic, and doesn't evolve. It’s certainly a unique design, but I’m not sure if it’s unique in a good or bad way.
But what's odd about Stunfisk is that it's the only Ground/Electric-type Pokémon in existence.
And don’t get confused, Ground/Electric is a fantastic type combination, and is a completely waste on a Pokémon like Stunfisk Overall Stunfisk isn’t terrible, but isn’t deserving of the illusive Ground/Electric typing in the least.
16 Should Be Legendary: Volcarona the Already Basically Legendary
Out of everything on this list, Volcarona is the most worthy to be Legendary.
I say this because when I was doing research for this article, I actually was surprised to find out that Volcarona isn't actually ALREADY a Legendary.
I had thought all my life that this mysterious, ominous, and fiery volcano bug had already ascended. It learns its own signature move at Level 1o0, Fiery Dance. Someone at Gamefreak must have agreed with me because only legendaries learn moves at level 100. If this isn’t a sign of how Volcarona deserves that ribbon, I don’t know what is.
15 Almost Worthless: Delibird The Christmas Decoration
I can't think of a clearer example of a “decoration” Pokémon than my pal Delibird here. Delibird is, well, very obviously Christmas themed, and while that makes it a jolly and jovial Pokémon, it's in no way desirable.
Delibird is another single evolution Pokémon whose stat distribution is just poor.
It also has its very own signature move, Present, where he opens a gift from its bag and either hurts...or heals the opponent. A move that has a random chance to heal your opponent is something no one wants. Besides its busy and has gifts to deliver!
14 Should Be Legendary: Genesect The Anime Robot
Genesect is the most Anime Pokémon out there. What do I mean by this hyper-nerdy statement? I mean that Genesect is basically a Gundam, otherwise known as a military mechanical robot.
Genesect's design is based off giant insects from Prehistoric times, with sci-fi tech built on top.
It was an experiment built by Team Plasma in Gen 6 and honestly is basically a Legendary already. Plus when holding its different downloadable drives in-game, the giant cannon on Its back changes its element. In a word, it's straight up stunning.
13 Almost Worthless: Aromatisse The Hundredth Pink Puffball
Aromatisse is a Pokémon I all but forgot existed before writing this article. Its design isn't bad, it’s barely even sub-par.
Where the problem comes in is that Aromatisse is a sickly sweet, round, and pink Pokémon.
And there are about 20 different Pokémon that already fit that description, all of which are more memorable. It also seems like they were going for a bit of the "Plague Doctor" motif with its design, but it just doesn’t work. It’s a prime example of a Pokémon whose designs and stats are outclassed by numerous others.
12 Should Be Legendary: Magmortar & Electivire The Two Kings
Generation 4 did something fairly unique for the Pokémon games, it added new evolutions for older Pokémon.
Magmar and Electabuzz have been around since Generation one, and now, thwo generations later they get these new designs.
Along with these two, other Gen 1 Pokémon like Lickitung, Rydon, and Tangela got new evolutions as well.? I can easily see these two as Legendary's in a similar way to Wailord, the two of them being the strongest of the strong among the Electabuzz and Magmar. So strong that they managed to evolve into a higher state of being and now rule their kind.
11 Almost Worthless: Thundurus, Landorus, And Tornadus The Complicated
This goes back to the “Swords of Justice” from Gen 6, but these three legendaries are all too overdesigned.
Also, like the “Lake Spirits” earlier, it's as if Gamefreak designed a base version and then added/changed details of it to make these three, it feels very copy-pasted.
With the legendary dogs of Generation 2, there was a canine-shaped base to all of them, but other than their body shape they shared almost no details. That's not the case with these cloud spirits, or the Gen 6 creatures. Plus, these Pokémon look almost human and that’s a bit weird.