Legendary Pokemon are a key component of the franchise. While a lot of the fantastical critters may be cool to catch, the real prize is getting to capture a once-in-a-lifetime beast. Although, the rules of legendary Pokemon seem to change from game to game, and it’s perfectly normal to have multiple of the same beasts that can rend time and space asunder in the same universe.
Regardless, legendary Pokemon aren’t always fan favorites, but there are certainly some that are beloved. Others are disregarded and overshadowed by their legendary siblings, with trainers deciding that even legendary status isn’t enough to justify using them. Either way, the ones left behind deserve more recognition for their legendary status, even if they don’t feel quite so “legendary.”
10 Overrated: Landorus
Landorus is a legendary from Gen 5, one of many different sets of legendaries. Landorus is a member of a trio dubbed the “Forces of Nature” for their connection to the natural elements. They are inspired by Japanese deities, and Landorus is particularly inspired by Inari, the fertility deity.
Landorus, particularly its Therian form, are likely more notorious for their absolute domination of the competitive scene. For multiple generations, this underwhelming land god has been a core component of competitive teams, particularly in Smogon’s ruleset. It’s an overbearing Pokemon, and we were lucky that it didn’t have its green card. That comfort, however, is now gone, and Lando-T cannot be escaped forever.
9 Underrated: Raikou
Many of the underrated legendaries are part of trios with other, more popular Pokemon. The first is Raikou, one of the three legendary beasts. Its siblings, Suicune and Entei, are often more represented in the series. Suicune was the box legendary for Pokemon Crystal, and Entei was a featured legendary in Pokemon 3: The Movie.
Raikou, however, still deserves love. It’s arguably the best of the legendary beasts, with great offensive power and speed. In speedruns of Pokemon Gold and Silver, it’s the Pokemon that is used throughout a majority of the game. There’s a lot of value in Raikou, and it deserves as much love as its siblings.
8 Overrated: Giratina
Giratina is a very cool Pokemon. The box legendary of Pokemon Platinum, Giratina plays a role in the creation trio as the creator of antimatter. It is able to control and overpower the other two in the trio, and its commanding presence and intimidating form can’t be understated.
However, Giratina isn’t really that much more special than either Palkia or Dialga. All three are strong Pokemon, but Giratina tends to be the one people remember the most. It might be because it has two forms, or that it frequently shows up as an overpowered force in other media. Regardless, Giratina is great, but maybe not that great.
7 Underrated: Palkia
Of the Creation Trio, Giratina and Dialga are pretty universally loved. Dialga was featured as the final boss of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Darkness, and its move Roar of Time is iconic for destroying unprepared trainers. So, what about Palkia, the third of the trio?
By comparison, Palkia is relatively tame. It has bizarre typing that doesn’t fit its design, and looks a tad dopier than Dialga. Its special attack, Spacial Rend, doesn’t have the same ring to it as Roar of Time. It’s also an annoying hazard on the Smash Bros. stage, Spear Pillar. Even so, it and its dopey wings are better than they get credit for and deserve respect.
6 Overrated: Latias/Latios
Yes, both of them. Often called the Eon duo, Latias and Latios are roaming legendaries found in Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. The trainer is allowed to catch one, while the other must be obtained through a special event or an eReader card. They played a key role in the film Pokemon Heroes.
Both of these Pokemon have a lot of different uses, and even got Mega Evolutions in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. They have powerful attacks and a lot of fans through their simple, but unique designs. Still, they’re just another psychic-type legendary in a world full of psychic-type legendaries, and being able to fly doesn’t change that.
5 Underrated: Tapu Fini
All of the legendary Guardian deities of Gen 7 have their niche, with some being more versatile than others. They have cool designs across the board, and each provide a useful ability in setting up terrain. However, some are better than others, and the short end of the stick is drawn by Tapu Fini.
Of the designs of the Tapu, Tapu Fini is cool and fits its type and aesthetic. However, it’s the only one that doesn’t set up any terrain for its primary type: water. It also is arguably the weakest in terms of designs of the Tapu. Being another bulky water type doesn’t help it stand out either. And yet, it’s still a cool Pokemon that is useful to any trainer.
4 Overrated: Rayquaza
Rayquaza is very popular, so popular in fact it ended up in the top ten of 2020’s Pokemon of the Year poll. It has a Mega evolution as well, which was one of the most overpowered Pokemon in the metagame before Sword and Shield. It has decent typing and amazing stats across the board, and its rarity as status as the third legendary of the trio gives it more prestige.
Rayquaza isn’t actually that cool, though. It’s just a legendary dragon, and the only true legendary serpent players have. It frequently overshadows both Kyogre and Groudon, which is sad as well. Rayquaza is great, but maybe a little too strong for its own good.
3 Underrated: Uxie
Pokemon Diamond and Pearl introduced a lot of legendaries. So many, in fact, that both sides of the list have at least one representative from the Sinnoh region. Uxie, the knowledge Pokemon, joins Palkia as underrated.
Uxie’s design is not great. It isn’t as cool as Azelf or Mespirit, with an underwhelming yellow color and closed eyes. It pretends it does not see its siblings getting more recognition. It also doesn’t do anything that the other two in the Lake Trio can’t do. There’s not much Uxie can do that regular Pokemon can’t do. But it isn’t that bad, and still deserves its legendary status.
2 Overrated: Mewtwo
Mewtwo is an iconic legendary Pokemon, perhaps the most iconic. It has multiple appearances across the games, spinoffs, and the anime series. Its speech at the end of Pokemon: Mewtwo Strikes Back is commonly cited as an inspirational quote. It also gets two Mega Evolutions, something only Charizard can say it has to its name.
Mewtwo is ridiculously powerful and admittedly pretty cool. However, consider what it went through as an experiment to get such power. Mewtwo is a symbol of hubris within the Pokemon world, a symbol of humans playing God. And that is something more sinister than just being “kinda lame.”
1 Underrated: Regigigas
Almost all legendary Pokemon have their uses in competitive and casual play. They typically have incredible stats and are more often than not held back by their typing or movepool. However, only one legendary is outright just terrible in all play: Regigigas.
Regigigas is a Pokemon so powerful, its own ability nerfs it for five turns. Slow Start halves its attack and speed, and is obviously considered one of the worst abilities in the series. The counter also resets on switching it out, making things even worse. There’s something to love about Regigigas though; its terrible ability almost makes it endearing in a way. It’s not a great Pokemon to use, but it’s still one of the coolest to have.
NEXT: 10 Regular Pokemon That Are Actually Rarer Than Legendaries
