Besides the games, the most consumed branch of the Pokémon franchise is its long-running anime. First airing in 1997 in Japan and 1998 in America, the beloved animated series showed audiences what the Pokémon world would look like through the eyes of Ash Ketchum, an energetic ten-year-old on a quest to become a Pokémon Master with his partner, Pikachu. Ash's story came to an end after twenty-five years, but the anime continues with Pokémon Horizons: The Series, which follows new protagonists.
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The anime has famously chosen to follow a lore separate from the games, which can be seen in how it treats certain Pokémon. Since the anime attempts to more closely mirror a real word, many Pokémon are harder to find than their game counterparts, and some can't even be found in the games at all. Sometimes, it's so the anime can promote upcoming games, while others, it's because the writers wanted to get creative with their world-building. These are the rarest Pokémon in the anime, proving that some species might really be just the stuff of legends.
Pokémon
TV-PG
Action
Adventure
Animation
Where to Watch
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
*Availability in US
- Release Date
- March 7, 1992
- Creator
- Cast
- Rica Matsumoto , Mayumi Iizuka , Yūji Ueda , Tomokazu Seki , Kaori Suzuki , Fushigi Yamada , Megumi Toyoguchi
- Seasons
- 25
10 Dusk Form Lycanroc
Pokédex Number 745, "The Wolf Pokémon"
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The adorable dog-like Rockruff can evolve into different kinds of Lycanroc based on the time of day. Those who evolve in the morning become Midday Lycanroc, focused on speed and agility, while those who evolve at night become Midnight Lycanroc, focused on endurance and retaliation. A select few Rockruff can evolve during the time of the setting sun, becoming Dusk Form Lycanroc, which combines the offensive and defensive qualities of the other forms.
So far, the only Dusk Form Lycanroc in the anime belongs to Ash Ketchum, who acquired one to promote Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. His unique form and impressive power made him one of Ash's primary battlers, though he had a habit of flying into a rage whenever his mane got tarnished. While the species can be acquired in the game provided the Rockruff has its hidden ability, Own Tempo, it's unknown if that is required for evolution in the anime or not.
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9 Alternately Colored Pokémon
Multiple Species Across the Anime
Beginning with Pokémon Gold and Silver, the series included rare Pokémon known as shinies, which had different colors from other members of their species. However, the idea of Pokémon coming in different colors originated in the anime. Even when shiny Pokémon began appearing, these off-color Pokémon continued to make appearances, sometimes with explanations such as climate or the Pokémon's diet, and sometimes with no explanation at all.
The most famous example of an oddly colored Pokémon is the pink female Butterfree that mated with Ash in one of Pokémon's most heartbreaking episodes. This was likely done to show that this Butterfree was female, as it wasn't until Generation IV that gender dimorphism was added to certain species. The Orange Islands arc introduced the most examples of Pokémon with alternate colors to show how Pokémon evolved differently on each island, which was later mirrored in the games with regional variants beginning in Pokémon Sun and Moon.
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8 Giant Pokémon
Multiple Species Across the Anime
Fans of Pokémon Legends: Arceus enjoy scouring the Hisui region for Alpha Pokémon, mighty creatures who grow much larger than other members of their species. The concept of giant Pokémon goes back to one of the first episodes of the anime, "Mystery at the Lighthouse," where a gigantic Dragonite was lured to a lighthouse by a man named Bill. Numerous other episodes in the early seasons featured giant Pokémon, and while the idea was toned down in later seasons, it never fully went away.
Giant Pokémon have ranged in size from being several times larger than others of their species, such as Gary Oak's Krabby, to being large enough to destroy cities, such as with the Tentacruel that destroyed Hutber Port. How and why they emerge is never explained and remains one of the biggest mysteries in the anime. The phenomenon seems to go back to ancient times, as several giant Pokémon were sealed inside ruins in Kanto and Hoenn.
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7 Porygon
Pokédex Number 137, "The Virtual Pokémon"
The artificial Pokémon, Porygon, is one of the most singular creatures in the Pokémon world. Since its body is made entirely out of code, it doesn't need to breathe, eat, or sleep and can even digitize itself to travel through cyberspace. When upgraded with additional programming, it evolves into the more robust Porygon2, then Porygon-Z when exposed to a virus.
Despite being one of the original 151, Porygon and its subsequent evolution have only appeared in the anime in brief cameos. Its absence is a direct result of the infamous Pokémon Shock that followed the airing of the episode "Electric Soldier Porygon," in which flashing lights caused by Pikachu's Thunderbolt sent children to the hospital. As for an in-universe explanation, it could be that the process of creating Porygon is complicated, meaning that the species is hard to acquire outside the scientific community.
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6 Crystal Onix
Pokédex Number 95, "The Rock Snake Pokémon"
Onix is a mighty Rock and Ground-type Pokémon that can dig massive tunnels through earth and stone but has a natural fear of water. However, one Onix doesn't share this weakness, thanks to its body being made of shining crystals instead of rocks. The tradeoff to this immunity to water is that its crystal body is damaged by intense heat.
The Crystal Onix appeared in the episode of the same name, where Ash, Misty, and Tracy helped a glass sculptor named Mateo track it down. Though Mateo had the chance to capture the one-of-a-kind Pokémon, he decided to let it go, as just seeing the Crystal Onix inspired him to improve his craft. The only other Pokémon that has since matched the Crystal Onix was a Golden Sudowoodo from the episode "All That Glitters Is Not Golden!" but that was a result of scientific experiments and was reversed by the end of the episode.
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5 Ash-Greninja
Pokédex Number 658, "The Ninja Pokémon"
Greninja is the most iconic Pokémon from the Kalos region, and a big reason for that is its appearance in the X and Y arc of the anime. There, Ash and his Greninja connected on so deep a level that they unlocked a new form called the Bond Phenomenon. This allowed Greninja to take on a new and unique form, dubbed Ash-Greninja, that made him strong enough to contend with Pokémon transformed by Mega Evolution.
Along with improving Greninja's strength, speed, and resilience, it also linked his mind with Ash's, allowing the trainer and Pokémon to see through each other's eyes and feel each other's pain. This allowed the two to execute their battle strategies with flawless precision, but it took Ash a few tries to get used to the exhaustion this put on his body. Because of Greninja's unique power, he was asked by the legendary Pokémon Zygarde to help it heal the Kalos region following the defeat of Team Flare.
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Pokédex Number 809: "The Hex Nut Pokémon"
When an underwater crate was opened, a swarm of Steel-type Meltan made their way to Melemele Island in the Alola Region. One Meltan befriended Ash and joined his team, where it struck up a partnership with his Rowlet. During the Alola League, this Meltan summoned the rest of its swarm, and together, they merged into a single being called Melmetal.
According to Pokémon GO and Pokémon Sword and Shield, there is only ever one Melmetal, which will eventually grow old and rust away. This produces new Meltans, which go through an arduous journey of consuming metal and growing in size until one becomes the strongest and commands the others to re-merge. If this is true in the anime, it's hilarious to imagine that this literal one-of-a-kind Pokémon is just chilling with Professor Kukui and Burnet.
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3 Mew
Pokédex Number 151: "The New Species Pokémon"
One of the most elusive and enigmatic species in the Pokémon world is Mew, the first of the hard-to-acquire Mythical Pokémon. Within its blood is the DNA of every species of Pokémon, which grants Mew many unique abilities, such as impressive psychic powers, the ability to transform into any species it wants, and master almost any move. Fortunately, Mew is a playful soul and would rather use its abilities to stay hidden and pull harmless pranks than hurt anyone.
Mew is one of the most iconic Pokémon from the original 151, thanks to its cute design and mystical nature. The anime fanned this flame by having Mew appear sparsely, usually as a fly-by cameo, until Pokémon Journeys: The Series. There, Mew became the main goal of Ash's companion, Goh, who vowed to capture Mew once he'd caught one of every other species.
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2 Mewtwo
Pokédex Number 150: "The Genetic Pokémon"
When scientists in Kanto acquired the DNA of Mew, they used it to create a clone that they named Mewtwo. They intended for Mewtwo to be the most powerful Pokémon, so they subjected it to numerous experiments to draw out its full potential. They succeeded, but Mewtwo's heart became closed off to humans, so it broke free and fled into the Cerulean Cave, attacking anyone who approached.
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Mewtwo reigns as perhaps the most badass Pokémon thanks to its design and compelling themes about the danger of man trying to play God. Mewtwo also stands out thanks to how truly unique it is, and its journey to find its purpose was the plot of Pokémon: The First Movie - Mewtwo Strikes Back. After Ash showed Mewtwo that not all humans are bad, it made a few more appearances in Johto and Galar, now dedicated to protecting the Pokémon under its care from wicked humans.
1 Arceus
Pokédex Number 493, "The Alpha Pokémon"
There are numerous legendary Pokémon that wield tremendous powers, including Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina, three dragons from Sinnoh legends who control time, space, and antimatter. Yet even these three titans are not the apex of Pokémon divinity. That title goes to the Original One, Arceus, who created not just the Pokémon world but its entire multiverse.
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Thanks to the existence of a multiverse, numerous versions of even legendary Pokémon exist within it, which may account for certain legendaries that appear in the Pokémon movies. However, there is only one Arceus who dwells in a separate realm of its own. It appeared several times in Pokémon Journeys: The Series, where it helped Ash and his friends stop a rampaging Heatran and bring an end to Dialga and Palkia's feud, which threatened to destabilize the multiverse. Still, Arceus is unique and remains the most elusive creature in the Pokémon world.
NEXT: The 10 Most Iconic Sinnoh Pokémon, Ranked
