Huh?
Ever since Pokémon Red & Green, the games have contained special one-of-a-kind Pokémon. These Pokémon are distinguished by their high stats, their powerful moves, the difficulty of catching them, and their inability to breed. Almost all of them have a special overworld sprite, and many of them are found sitting at the bottom of a "dungeon" or the top of a tower.
These Pokémon are also usually the subject of legends and stories in the Pokémon universe—and frequently feature in movies—which is why they are known as Legendary Pokémon.
But while Red & Blue only had 4 Legendary Pokémon—Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Mewtwo, and the elusive Mew—newer games contain ever-increasing numbers.
So here is a (hopefully) complete list of the Legendary Pokémon obtainable in each game, and how to get them, in reverse-chronological order.
Note: This document is incomplete. Bits that i am unsure of are marked with a "?". Some Pokémon and games are missing entirely.
Legend
- Plot
- This Pokémon must be fought or seen as part of the plot of the game. For these Pokémon, the requirements are usually not listed.
- Event-only
- This Pokémon cannot be encountered during the normal course of gameplay; it must be obtained or activated at a Nintendo-sanctioned giveaway.
- Roaming
- After being activated, this Pokémon will wander from Route to Route. If you are in the same location as it, you have a good chance of encountering it instead of a normal encounter. Roaming Pokémon will always try to flee the battle, unless Shadow Tag or Mean Look is in effect.
