Part of what makes the Pokemon franchise so memorable is its pool of Legendary Pokemon. These earth-shaking behemoths have tons of power and aren’t afraid to show it.
That’s made for some climactic moments in the Pokemon games. As you progress through the RPGs, whether the main story or post-game, you’re bound to run into these extremely powerful Legendaries. Many have been left in awe from witnessing them display their full power. These ten moments are arguably the most memorable, and certainly the most iconic.
10 Red, Blue, And Yellow – Finding Mewtwo
Before all the other deity-like Legendary Pokemon would appear in later generations, there was only one: Mewtwo. The quest to find it is much simpler compared to some other Legendaries in the series, but for its time, seeing Mewtwo’s sprite sitting dormant in Cerulean Cave was enough to send shivers down many spines.
Then there was the prospect of battling the Legendary Psychic-type. It was no myth; its power as a Level 70 Pokemon lived up to any hype it would’ve had. Every new generation will have its set of Legendaries, but Mewtwo set the standard for how to build lore around one, even if the path to get it was somewhat pedestrian.
9 Ruby, Sapphire, And Emerald – Finding The Legendary Titans
Generation 3 was the first to truly build elaborate schemes around obtaining certain Pokemon, and the first three Legendary Titans – Regirock, Regice, and Registeel – truly epitomized that.
Especially in a time when the internet wasn’t as prevalent and shot-for-shot walkthroughs didn’t exist, players mostly discovered the long, complicated path to getting this trio through trial-and-error and spread it through word-of-mouth. You had to catch Pokemon you otherwise wouldn’t have used, make use of most of your HM moves, and learn Braille of all things. Subsequent games have had something similar for other secondary Legendaries, but nothing felt more like an Indiana Jones quest than this one.
8 Emerald – Rayquaza Stops The Fight
One of the first true cutscenes in the Pokemon games is an absolute work of art for its time and its console. The fact that it showcases one of the most popular Legendary Pokemon ever doesn’t hurt either.
It’s a simple premise, really; two really powerful deities are fighting each other, prompting one even more powerful god to put them in their places. But to see that premise unfold is absolutely exciting. The god of the land, Groudon, and god of the sea, Kyogre, are in the middle of Sootopolis City one-upping each other’s disastrous weather before Rayquaza puts it all to a halt with its mere presence. It shows Rayquaza’s immense power, which would be explored further in the Hoenn remakes.
7 Sword And Shield – The Darkest Day
For all the flaws these games may have had when it came to plot, Sword and Shield at least reached a worthy climax. Part of the reason why was that quite literally the most powerful Pokemon to ever grace a video game, according to base stats, took center stage.
After the first Darkest Day occurred in Galar thousands of years ago, Chairman Rose triggered another one during the course of the game’s story, and it, among other things, caused the transformation of Eternatus into its Eternamax form. It’s up to you and your rival, Hop, to call upon the Crowned forms of the box art Legendaries, Zacian and Zamazenta, to put an end to it.
6 Black 2 And White 2 – Black & White Kyurem
This is the first instance in the Pokemon franchise of two Legendaries fusing together into one. It’s fitting that it was masterminded by a villain as mad and insane as Ghetsis was in the Unova sequels.
The subsequent fusion of Kyurem and either Zekrom or Reshiram is about what you expect. It’s an abomination, but it also looks like a completed form of Kyurem. Regardless, Kyurem Black and White are totally broken and prove to be a challenge to beat. Doing so with all your might marks a pivotal point in the game’s plot, serving as somewhat of an undercard to your climactic battle with Ghetsis.
5 Omega Ruby And Alpha Sapphire – Primal Groudon & Kyogre
The Hoenn remakes had the tough task of reimagining its Legendaries without going overboard: something resembling the new phenomenon of Mega Evolution. Fortunately, Game Freak struck the right balance between paying homage to the original and enhancing it with Groudon and Kyogre’s Primal Reversions.
Witnessing either Groudon (Omega Ruby) or Kyogre (Alpha Sapphire) undergo their transformations is an absolute jaw-dropper. Then, you have to battle them, and their new Desolate Land and Primordial Sea abilities respectively could catch you off guard. Seeing it at its strongest makes it all the more rewarding, though, should you decide to catch it and succeed.
4 Platinum – The Distortion World
While the Diamond and Pearl games give you a relatively simple path to capturing Dialga and Palkia respectively, the enhanced Platinum quite literally twists it up. At the Spear Pillar, a portal opens sending you, Cynthia, and Cyrus to the dizzying, reality-bending Distortion World.
Your climactic battles against Cyrus and Giratina are enough to stamp an entry on this list, but the maze-like path to the Renegade Pokemon after entering the Distortion World makes it all the more memorable. It’s a whole anarchy of physics over there; no path follows the same plane as the other. It’s a world fitting for Giratina, a Pokemon powerful enough to twist reality its own way, as it sees fit.
3 Omega Ruby And Alpha Sapphire – The Delta Episode
The new post-game addition to the Hoenn remakes had a lot of implications regarding the existence of Mega Evolution as well as a whole alternate universe where it didn’t exist. Speaking of which, it was also an explosive debut for Mega Rayquaza.
The Delta Episode expanded on Rayquaza’s lore while also managing to be a cinematic spectacle for the player. Having to witness the summoning of Rayquaza, go into outer space, destroy the incoming meteorite, and battle the Mythical Deoxys in such a short span of time is undeniably epic. It’s an unforgettable way to end the ORAS games and justifies putting its hat in the ring of main series remakes.
2 Black And White – Reshiram vs. Zekrom
The plot of the Black and White games set a bar for the main series of Pokemon games that has yet to be surpassed. The cherry on top of that was its climax, where instead of a typical Champion battle, you and N fought each other, with the box art Legendaries: Reshiram and Zekrom, as leads.
There are a lot of layers to peel from a storytelling perspective. Which Legendary wins depends on the game you are playing, and you could interpret the story as you see fit. It is either Reshiram, symbolizing the truth of what was, or Zekrom, symbolizing the ideals of what could be, that prevails. Not to mention, fighting a villain’s Legendary with your own will always be epic.
1 Ultra Sun And Ultra Moon – Ultra Necrozma
The reimagining of the Alola games threw those hungry for a challenge a bone with its featured Legendary in its ultimate form: Ultra Necrozma. You’re given the daunting task of beating this 754 base stat total juggernaut straight up, and if you’re unprepared or underleveled, Necrozma will completely wipe your team. It’s an unexpectedly great boss fight and infamous Nuzlocke-killer.
Seeing it in all its glory is eye-opening enough; reading “Necrozma’s aura flared to life! Its stats rose!” on screen still strikes awe and fear to many a Pokemon player. Ultimately, Necrozma might not be themost powerful Pokemon outright, but the grandiosity of its final form certainly makes it look and feel the part.
NEXT: Ash Ketchum’s 10 Most Disappointing Pokemon
