There are many different Legendary and Mythical Pokemon spread throughout the various Regions of the Pokemon franchise. However, many Trainers around the world have found themselves surprised to discover that certain Pokemon they thought belonged to this rare category are indeed much more ordinary than anticipated.
Of these deceptively important ‘Mons, we’ve compiled a list of 10 Pokemon in particular who are often mistaken as Legendary or Mythical.
Rotom
Rotom is quite a mysterious little fella, as it has many different attributes that would usually be reserved for only Legendary and Mythical Pokemon.
Firstly, Rotom has a unique gimmick in which it can take on different forms by possessing inanimate objects, now most commonly seen in the Rotom Phone and Rotom Dex items that aid Trainers on their adventures.
On top of this, Rotom is perhaps one of the only non-legendary Pokemon to receive a Legendary battle theme, sharing the same music as Cresselia, Heatran, Darkrai, Giratina, and Regigigas in Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. While Rotom is not considered a Legendary Pokemon, this does leave the question of if it was ever intended to be during some stage of its development. Trust this little trickster to be as mysterious as ever!
Spiritomb
Another mysterious Pokemon whose non-Legendary status may come as a shock, Spiritomb has made a name for itself as a huge pain to catch, and for good reason.
The cosmic-looking critter is an extremely rare Pokemon, available to capture only once per each title it is included within. On top of this, almost every single Spiritomb encounter in Pokemon games (not including Legends: Arceus, and Scarlet/Violet) is a static encounter, which is an occurrence usually saved for Legendary, Mythical, and event Pokemon.
It’s no wonder, then, that people have often misunderstood this mysterious little ghost to be of Legendary status. After all, Spiritomb often has certain side quests or criteria that need to be met to even present the chance of getting your hands on one. During the early days of its existence, this made it even harder to capture than some Legendary Pokemon!
Volcarona
In Pokemon Black & White, Volcarona was a static encounter found inside Relic Castle, an important ancient location within the story of the game. Because of Volcarona’s uncanny appearance here, it was often mistaken by Trianers who were encountering it for the first time to be a legendary Pokemon.
It’s quite easy to see how this assumption could be made, as the encounter draws a loose resemblance to the likes of the Legendary Beasts Suicune, Entei, and Raikou, who first appear in a similar location; that being the Johto Region’s Burned Tower.
However, while Volcarona doesn’t share the same Legendary status as these Pokemon, it does have some very high stats, which don’t help at all in separating it from genuine Legendary ‘Mons. I mean, we can all just pretend that Larvesta doesn’t exist, right? There’s no reason Volcarona can’t be Legendary in our hearts.
Zoroark
Zoroark has always been a mysterious ‘Mon, especially with its involvement in the Pokemon Black & White story and links to the odd Trainer known as N.
Because of the heavy mystery surrounding Zoroark, many people believed it to be a Legendary Pokemon when it was first appeared. It didn’t help that Pokemon released a movie focused on Zoroark too, as most independent Pokemon movies are centered around the lore of Legendary Pokemon — minus one or two outliers, such as Pokemon – Zoroark: Master of Illusions.
Zoroark was also quite difficult to obtain outside of events back in the Black & White days, so there’s plenty of understanding as to why many presumed it to fit in among Legendary or Mythical ‘Mons. I’ve gotta admit, Zoroark does have a perfect Legendary-worthy design, but I’m glad that it’s at least now much easier to obtain in recent titles. It’s just too badass of a Pokemon to not have in my ‘Dex.
Porygon-Z
The Porygon evolution line is rather intriguing in terms of Pokemon specimens, as they are a lifeform made out of computer data rather than an animal or monster-like species a la most Pokemon.
Even way back in the Gameboy era of Pokemon games, Porygon was considered to be a rare Pokemon, being deliberately created. I can still remember trying to rack up enough coins from Celadon Game Corner to nab myself one in Pokemon Blue.
However, as Porygon evolves, its evolutions become less blocky and computer-data-like, with the forms taking a more monster-like appearance. Porygon-Z in particular looks like an odd little Legendary Pokemon, fitting in alongside the aesthetics of ‘Mons such as Hoopa, the Tapus, and the Regis.
As the Porygon line is created through unnatural means, it wouldn’t be too farfetched to imagine Porygon-Z as a Legendary; perhaps being some sort of corrupted data or experiment that gained too much power. However, it seems we’ll just have to settle for our strange, non-legendary but dearly beloved little data duck instead.
Unown
The Unowns are somewhat an anomaly of the Pokemon world, and they’re one of the stranger examples of creatures that aren’t Legendary or Mythical.
I can even remember that I, as a kid, was among those who were tricked into thinking these silly little alphabet ‘Mons were Legendary species, and going crazy trying to catch every letter in Pokemon Crystal’s Ruins of Alph. Honestly, I blame the iconic little opening sequence for the game, with these creatures spelling cryptic messages and showing up around Suicune. Of course we were going to mistake them for Legendary beings!
Imagine the disappointment of eight-year-old me when I realized I had a box of not Legendary Pokemon, but just mysterious little normies only capable of learning Hidden Power. What a waste!
Honestly, it is still somewhat surprising to me that the Unown aren’t Mythical or Legendary ‘Mons considering they have their little mysteries and lore going on. There’s so much potential here that is being overlooked! Is anyone in favor of a powerful Mega-esque Unown form? I sure am!
Ceruledge & Armarouge
When these two were released, everything about them just screamed ‘version-exclusive Legendary Pokemon’. I mean, just look at them — they look like Gen 9’s Kyogre and Groudon, Dialga, and Palkia, or Xerneas and Yveltal.
And then, Charcadet came along…
Seriously, there was some missed potential to make Armarouge and Ceruledge two main kickass version-exclusive Legendaries alongside Miraidon and Koraidon. Instead, these two serve as special evolutions for the Pokemon Charcadet. While I love the little guy, I can’t help but feel that the fiery little guy is quite underwhelming compared to these two majestic beasts, which makes me wonder if there was a need for Charcadet at all.
Lucario
Falling into a similar boat to Zoroark, Lucario is another Pokemon that has often been mistaken as a Legendary or Mythical being due to how it was introduced into the franchise.
Appearing as far back as Pokemon Advanced Battle’s Unbeatable opening, Lucario was pictured hanging out in a tree next to Mew, which misdirected fans into believing it was an upcoming Legendary ‘Mon. On top of this, Lucario was another Pokemon to receive a film, with Pokemon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, a special premiere that only Legendary Pokemon usually received.
Plus, Lucario has always been much rarer than most Pokemon in the games. When you combine all of this information, it’s easy to understand how it may have been mistaken by many of us to hang out with the Legendary crew.
Absol
Based on Absol’s Pokedex entry, it has been noted to be quite a special creature, able to foretell upcoming natural disasters and shifts of power within the world. Does this not sound like the power of a Legendary Pokemon to you? Absol’s powers were also put on display in the Jirachi: Wish Maker movie, where it was able to detect the reawakening of the Mythical being.
In addition to these facts, Absol looks majestic in design; and, dare I say, even better than some of the genuine Legendary Pokemon.
With no evolutions to hold Absol back, they really should’ve just thrown it into the Gen 3 mix, especially with all of the various looming natural threats at hand thanks to Kyogre, Groudon, Deoxys, and Rayquaza. It would have fit right in with the lore, and fans would have attempted to catch it even more aggressively than they already do.
Arcanine
If there was ever going to be a Pokemon that isn’t Legendary, but totally should have been, it’s Arcanine. After all, it’s registered in the Pokedex as ‘the Legendary Pokemon’ – it doesn’t get more obvious than that, right?
It seems that at some point, Arcanine was supposed to be a Legendary. It’s possible it served as a concept that later became the Legendary Beasts, or even the Pokemon from which the Legendary Beasts are reincarnated from.
To further this theory, in one of the early episodes of the Pokemon anime, Ash encountered a plaque on the wall of the Pokemon Center showing the three Legendary Birds — Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres respectively — and Arcanine, as if this big fiery doggo is also dated back in ancient history to have been a Legendary ‘Mon.
While this was probably just a fun little joke or easter egg, it does also cause a bit of intrigue. Or, as many fans have proudly proclaimed — perhaps Arcanine was just such a good boi that they had to consider him Legendary, even if he’s not ‘Legendary’ per se.
