As the name implies, Legendary Pokemon are some of the rarest and most elusive creatures in the Pokemon franchise. Not only is it very tricky to track them down, but they also give trainers who are trying to capture them a hard time. After all, these are some of the most powerful entities in Pokemon mythology.

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Some of these iconic Legendary Pokemon have been featured in multiple games throughout the 9 different generations, and yet they are still very difficult to catch. But which are the hardest ones? It’s important to clarify that this list will only cover Legendary Pokemon, and not Mythical Pokemon, as those belong to an entirely different category. And this will also only cover Legendaries that are catchable, so unobtainable ones won't be accounted for.

8 Articuno, Zapdos, & Moltres

A Reminder Of How Hard These Games Used To Be

Fans often claim that older Pokemon games were way harder than the more modern releases, and this can be seen with their legendary Pokemon. Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltresmake up what is known as the Legendary Birds trio, and they were definitely not easy to catch back in the first generation, especially since they were more powerful than most other Pokemon in the game.

But they got even trickier in subsequent titles, when they became Roaming Pokemon in Generations Four and Six, which meant they were roaming around the entire region, and they could randomly flee in the middle of a battle. To this day, the Legendary Birds are a true reminder of how hard Pokemon games used to be.

7 Mewtwo

The Original Big Bad Legendary

In a way, Mewtwo was the super hard secret boss of Pokemon Red, Blue & Yellow. Players who wanted to complete their Pokedex had to catch this Level 70 Legendary Pokemon that can use powerful moves, and it’s a pure Psychic Type, a Pokemon Type that was completely broken back in the first generation.

Mewtwo appears once again in Pokemon X&Y and in the two Kanto remakes from Generations Three and Seven as a special encounter. But the evolution of the franchise’s mechanics did not make him any weaker or easier to catch. In fact, Mewtwo got a powerful new move called Psystrike, which made the battles against it even more challenging.

6 Raikou, Entei, & Suicune

The Most Infamous Roaming Pokemon

A new Legendary Trio was introduced in Generation Two of Pokemon: Raikou, Entei, and Suicune, also known as the Legendary Beasts. But there was a catch: They could not be found in a specific location like the Legendary Birds from Generation One, as they were roaming around the Johto region instead. That’s right; these were the first Roaming Pokemon of the franchise.

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The Legendary Beasts are not only tricky to find and very strong, but they all have the move Roar, which can help them escape the battle immediately, forcing the player to begin looking for them once again. And if that wasn’t frustrating enough already, they returned as Roaming Pokemon in Generations Three and Four.

5 Lugia & Ho-oh

The Original Box Art Legendaries

Generation Two introduced the concept that is known among fans as “Box Art Legendaries”: Powerful Legendary Pokemon that are so relevant to their game’s storyline that they’re featured in the cover art on the box. As a result, not only Lugia and Ho-ohend up being very important, but they are also really difficult to catch.

With their high levels, diverse move pools, and solid stats, these two Cover Legendaries always give players a bad time, whether it is in the original Gold, Silver & Crystal, in their Generation Four remakes, or in any other of their subsequent appearances. Furthermore, Lugia is an optional encounter in Gold/Heart Gold, while Ho-oh is an optional encounter in Silver/Soul Silver, meaning that there are even harder versions of their battles in the opposite version.

4 Latios & Latias

Roaming Pokemon Were More Common Back In The Day

It seems like the concept of Roaming Pokemon was a huge success within Game Freak, because they repeated it in the very next generation with the introduction of Latios and Latias. Also known as the Eon Duo, these two legendary Pokemon would begin roaming the Hoenn region after the player enters the Hall of Fame.

To make things even harder, Latias is exclusive to Pokemon Ruby while Latios is exclusive to Pokemon Sapphire, meaning that anybody who wants to get both is forced to trade with someone who owns the opposite version. The Eon Duo returned as Roaming Pokemon in Emerald and Heart Gold & Soul Silver, so they quickly became the second most infamous Roaming Pokemon after the Legendary Beasts. However, this type of Legendary Pokemon has not been used as much in more recent installments, which is good news for most fans.

3 Groudon & Kyogre

A Duo Of Box Art Legendaries Who Got Even Stronger

Just like Lugia and Ho-oh, Groudon and Kyogre are the Box Art Legendaries of Generation Three, but they are even stronger and harder to catch. This is mostly due to their high levels, powerful moves, and most important of all, their signature abilities: Drought and Drizzle, which automatically summon harsh sunlight and rain respectively.

Groudon and Kyogre were the banes of players who didn’t want to use a Master Ball back in Ruby & Sapphire, and they kept this status when they reappeared in Heartgold & Soulsilver. But they both managed to become even harder to catch in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, when their brand-new Primal Forms were introduced, which boosts their stats and their abilities. Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre definitely have some of the most challenging mandatory battles in the Pokemon franchise.

2 Regirock, Regice, Registeel, & Regigigas

Solving Complicated Puzzles For A Legendary

Some Legendary Pokemon are hard to catch because they’re strong in battle, while many others are hidden behind some really convoluted series of puzzles. The most infamous example of this is the Legendary Giants: Regirock, Regice, and Registeel. In order to find them in Generation Three, players were forced to solve complex puzzles that involved Braille and the need to catch other rare Pokemon: Relicanth and Wailord.

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Similar convoluted methods were utilized for the Legendary Giants when they returned in Generations Four and Five. But Sword & Shield made things even trickier by introducing Regieleki and Regidrago. While these two new Legendaries are not particularly hard to catch, each player can only get one of them. On top of that, all 5 legendary giants are needed in order to encounter their leader, Regigigas. This means that anybody who wants to catch the Colossal Pokemon not only has to own all the other members of this group, but they also need to either trade with another player or play through another copy of the game in order to get the remaining giant from Generation Eight.

1 Tornadus, Thundurus, Landorus, & Enamorus

Modern Pokemon Games Can Still Be Quite Hard

To the surprise of most fans, newer Pokemon games can occasionally be challenging, especially when it comes to catching a brand-new Legendary Pokemon. And this is exactly what happened with the Forces of Nature in the critically acclaimed Pokemon Legends: Arceus.

Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus can be found in several important locations throughout the Hisui region, and they’re all quite tricky to catch. Since the combat of this game is in real-time, trainers have to avoid their attacks, use items, and time their Pokeball throws perfectly in order to initiate an encounter. And even if they can pull it off, these Legendary Pokemon are very strong in battle, mostly thanks to their new signature moves that were added in this game.

But Tornadus, Thundurus, and Landorus are from Generation Five, and they were not introduced in Pokemon Legends: Arceus. However, if players want to catch the brand-new member of the Forces of Nature, they need to catch the trio and register them on their Pokedex. Once this is done, they can encounter Enamorus, which is even harder to slow down in order to initiate a battle.

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