On the field of battle, each and every action taken is of utmost significance. Each moment, each turn, needs to be used efficiently. Otherwise, the enemy may get the upper hand and take the battle. In the Pokemon universe, only one move can be made per turn per battler. One chance each round to attack, defend, or buff in many different manners.
With just over 800 moves to choose from across about 900 pokemon species, the combinations are astronomical. However, not all of these moves are widely learned, for some of the mightiest are the signature moves of specific species. Some are legendary or rare, though, there are a couple of worth that proliferate among the Pokemon world's diversity.
10 Extreme Speed
This Normal-type move's damage may not be remarkable on its own, but combined with increased priority means that it can hit hard and strike first. A base power of 80 grants its user a decent amount of potential damage to work with. Originally, it was the signature move introduced in Generation II for Arcanine, the Generation I Fire-type pokemon.
After Generation II, however, some changes were made. It became available to quite a few more pokemon, most notably Rayquaza, Deoxys, as well as the only pokemon (besides Zigzagoon and Linoone) to get a Same Type Attack Bonus (STAB) from it, Arceus. In Generation V, Extreme Speed also went up one priority slot to +2, meaning that it can outspeed even more moves, including those at +1 priority.
9 Bolt Strike
As (one of) the signature moves possessed by the legendary dual Dragon and Electric-type, Zekrom, it understandably boasts great power. Their other signature move, Fusion Bolt, is usable with 100 base power despite only truly shining in double battles where it can be paired with an ally's Fusion Flare for double the power.
Bolt Strike is devastating on its own without needing any setup. 130 base power more than makes up for its low chance to miss with 85% accuracy. Additionally, it has a 20% chance to paralyze the target...if they are still conscious after being zapped. Besides Zekrom, only Victini can learn this move, albeit only during a Gen V event.
8 Blue Flare
This is Bolt Strike's flaming counterpart, the signature move of the legendary Dragon and Fire-type Reshiram. Also with 130 base power and 85% accuracy, it is equally dangerous. Its 20% chance to inflict a burn on foes will make all survivors of its massive damage regret not fainting.
Similarly, the only other pokemon that can learn this is Victini, again by a Gen V event. Blue Flare essentially acts as a better version of the devastating Fire Blast, with its slightly lower 110 base power. Thematically, this is appropriate as well, for blue fire burns hotter than the red or orange variety.
7 Spacial Rend
Aesthetically and thematically, the Dragon-type Spacial Rend comes off as impressive. Literally tearing the fabric of reality apart in order to assault a foe not only sends a message but obliteration as well. 95% accuracy means that this will hit much more often than naught with its 100 base power.
Although that damage figure may not initially seem significant when compared to other high-damage signature moves, Spacial Rend has an increased chance to hit for critical damage, rendering its destructive capacity much higher than expected. Darkrai and Arceus can learn this in a Gen IV event, though this move undeniably belongs to Palkia, the Water and Dragon-type legendary pokemon.
6 Roar Of Time
This is another Dragon-type move belonging to a Gen IV legendary, this time the dual-type Dialga. Roar of Time in terms of its 150 base power, 90% accuracy, and secondary effect is just a different version of Hyper Beam. It differs greatly in appearance, however, looking more like a stream of void-energy that is usually screamed out by a metallic dragon.
It leaves its user drained and unable to move on the next turn, so trainers should be cautious with this one. Like Spacial Rend, it can be learned by Darkrai and Arceus during a Gen IV event.
5 Techno Blast
Out of all the signature moves that rely on a gimmick item, Techno Blast is the most versatile and powerful. It works a bit like Arceus' Judgement, where the type depends on the item held by the user. Furthermore, only Genesect can learn this move and use Drives, making it completely exclusive to them.
And rightly so, because this move being distributed across more species would send the competitive pokemon scene reeling. Depending on the kind of Drive Genesect holds, Techno Blast can manifest in the form of a 100% accuracy, 120 base power special move of either Fire, Ice, Water, or Electric-type as well as Normal-type if no Drive is held.
4 Prismatic Laser
These multiple beams of light comprise one of the best Psychic-type moves in the series. Prismatic Laser is one of the legendary Psychic pokemon Necrozma's signature moves, along with the less powerful 100 base power Photo Geyser.
With 160 base power and 100% accuracy, this attack, combined with a sizable STAB, usually results in a knock out against anything except types immune or resistant to Psychic. It can be considered a more powerful version of the Normal-type Hyper Beam, as Prismatic Laser also leaves the user unable to move the following turn due to fatigue.
3 Super Fang
This physical Normal-type attack originates as the signature move of the humble Raticate. This move often goes overlooked because its primary user isn't much of a threat in combat in most cases. That is, unless their trainer is wise enough to give them this bifurcating move.
Super Fang is guaranteed to always cut a target's HP in half. While it is outshined in terms of knockout potential, it can annihilate any defensive wall that isn't Ghost-type. After Gen I, this move got a much wider distribution, which lets more viable meta-game species take advantage of it. The most notable being the faster pokemon that can use this to crack a tough nut's shell once or twice before following up with a STAB. Great candidates for this strategy are Crobat, Noivern, and Cinderace.
2 V-Create
In terms of all-out damage (that doesn't knock out one's own pokemon like Self-Destruct or Explosion), V-Create stands at the top of the list with a monstrous 180 base power. It essentially has the might of a Dynamax or Gigantimax move, though requires no transformation.
Thankfully, this attack can only be learned by Victini, the legendary Fire-type pokemon, and Rayquaza during a Gen V event. The only downside to this move is that it lowers the user's Speed, Defense, and Special Defense by one stage each. For most trainers interested in hyper-offensive strategies, this is absolutely worth the price of an almost guaranteed knockout.
1 Spectral Thief
Spectral Thief, signature move to the legendary Fighting and Ghost-type Marshadow, is without a doubt the most broken attack out of all the signature moves. With 100% accuracy and 90 base power, this physical Ghost-type move at first seems just like a better version of Shadow Claw, though only until one notices its effects.
As its name hints, this move steals from the opposing pokemon. Although, not items or HP, but buffs! If the foe has boosted any of their stats, Spectral Thief will remove them from the adversary and bestow them to Marshadow. In addition, the stat changes are applied before the damage is calculated, meaning that if the foe had buffs to their Attack stat, the same Spectral Thief move that stole those buffs will be boosted by it. Even more ridiculously, this move bypasses Substitutes. Thankfully, Marshadow is the only pokemon that can learn this sneaky and sinister strike.