Whether it’s the Pokémon anime or the games, the strongest Pokémon around are almost always the legendary Pokémon. True to their name, legendary Pokémon exist on a higher level than regular Pokémon, with many being either treated as or explicitly being gods, and simply surviving an encounter with one of them is the hallmark of a great trainer.

Legendary Pokémon are always some of the best Pokémon around, and that’s especially true for the anime. The Pokémon anime, by virtue of not having the same restrictions as the games, often makes a far bigger show of things than the games, and in doing so, the Pokémon anime often does the best job of showing off that legendary Pokémon are some of the strongest Pokémon in the world. A few legendary Pokémon especially stand out for that, and they’re all worth highlighting for being true forces of nature in every appearance they make.

10 Pagogo (Terapagos)

First Appearance: Pokémon Horizons Episode 2

Pagogo is a Terapagos once owned by Rystal, the great-great-grandmother of Pokémon Horizons’ protagonist, Liko. Pagogo sealed itself inside a pendant after expending its energy to seal the Laquium away from Gibeon, and a century later, it was awakened from its slumber by Liko and eventually ed her team.

Unlike the Terapagos in Pokémon Scarlet & Violet, Pagogo doesn’t appear to be a uniquely rare and powerful Pokémon, and there even appear to be multiple Terapagos in the anime, as well. That doesn’t make Pagogo any less powerful, however, as not only are its Terastal and Stellar Forms as deadly as they are in the games, but Pagogo’s unique ability to purify Laquium made it vital to Pokémon Horizons’ finale, so it’s mostly a difference between being a powerful legendary Pokémon and a godly legendary Pokemon.

9 Tapu Koko

First Appearance: Pokémon Sun & Moon Episode 1

Tapu Koko is one of the guardian deities of Alola and a recurring figure in Pokémon Sun & Moon. Much like the game, Tapu Koko takes a special interest in Ash upon his arrival in Alola and guides him throughout his journey, even giving him his Z-Ring, and it ultimately culminates in Tapu Koko fighting as Kukui’s sixth Pokémon in his exhibition match against Ash.

Just like in the games, Tapu Koko’s status as the leader of the guardian deities makes it a powerful legendary Pokémon, and in addition to the great showings it had against Necrozma and various Ultra Beasts, Tapu Koko gave Ash and Pikachu one of their toughest battles of all time before ultimately being defeated. Pokémon Sun & Moon is almost criminally underrated, and Tapu Koko’s performance is a big part of why it was so good.

8 Mewtwo

First Appearance: Pokémon: The First Movie

Mewtwo is a clone of the legendary Mew, created by Team Rocket to be the world’s strongest Pokémon and help them take over the world. Mewtwo broke free from Team Rocket’s grasp, however, and after Ash helped teach Mewtwo the value of life, it devoted its life to creating a safe haven for Pokémon that have suffered abuse from humans.

While Mewtwo is far from being the strongest Pokémon anymore, both in the anime and in the games, it’s still a force to be reckoned with in every appearance it makes, and most recently, Mewtwo defeated Ash and Goh at the same time in Pokémon Journeys without so much as breaking a sweat. Mewtwo remains one of the most iconic characters in all of Pokémon, and whenever it makes an appearance in the anime, the series never fails to showcase why.

7 Ho-Oh

First Appearance: Pokémon Episode 1

Ho-Oh is one of the most iconic legendary Pokémon in the anime, despite making very few appearances over the years. Ho-Oh first appeared at the beginning of Ash’s journey, which he took as a good omen for his journey, and it would continue to appear at various milestones in Ash’s career up until his retirement as the protagonist.

Ho-Oh’s status as a legendary Pokémon speaks for itself, but it’s not until Pokémon: I Choose You! that it gets to truly show off its power, as the film fully focuses on it being a godlike being to the point that Ash and Pikachu, after spending so much time looking for Ho-Oh, were easily defeated by it in battle. Ho-Oh is easily one of the anime’s most enigmatic legendary Pokémon, but it’s a force to be reckoned with, nonetheless.

6 Necrozma

First Appearance: Pokémon Sun & Moon Episode 87

Necrozma is a powerful Ultra Beast who once served as the guardian of the homeworld of Ash’s Naganadel. After being injured while protecting Naganadel’s world from a meteor, Necrozma went berserk and attacked Nebby and Lunala to steal their light, but Ash and his friends managed to find a more peaceful solution to restoring its power, and it happily returned to being a guardian.

Necrozma in the anime is nowhere near the destructive force it was in the games, as there’s nothing to suggest it was even capable of destroying entire worlds across Ultra Space. Nevertheless, Necrozma, even in its injured state, still had an easy time fighting Ash and his friends at every turn, and if there wasn’t a peaceful solution for dealing with Necrozma, there’s no telling what it could have done to Alola.

5 Eternatus

First Appearance: Pokémon Journeys Episode 12

Eternatus is a legendary Pokémon from an alien world that, thousands of years ago, nearly destroyed Galar by causing countless Pokémon to Dynamax and go berserk in what would be known as the Darkest Day. In the present, Chairman Rose of Macro Cosmos attempted to have Eternatus recreate the Darkest Day to prevent an energy crisis, but Eternatus was defeated by Ash and Goh and given to Leon for safekeeping.

Just like in the games, Eternatus is a Pokémon so powerful that it can destroy an entire region simply by existing, and when it went into its Eternamax form, it took the combined might of Ash, Goh, and Zacian and Zamazenta to finally defeat Eternatus. Eternatus is one of the strongest legendary Pokémon in modern Pokémon, and the anime did a perfect job of depicting that.

4 Giratina

First Appearance: Pokémon: Giratina And The Sky Warrior

Giratina is the ruler of the Reverse World and the god of antimatter in the Pokémon world. In Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior, Giratina hunted Shaymin to use it to escape a time loop Dialga had trapped it in, and while it remained antagonistic even after doing so, Arceus and the Jewel of Life saw it team up with Dialga and Palkia to stop a rampaging Arceus from destroying the world.

As one of the few explicit gods of the Pokémon world, Giratina is undoubtedly one of the strongest legendary Pokémon in existence, and sure enough, every battle involving Giratina across its two film appearances has it being nigh unstoppable at every turn. The Diamond & Pearl movies did the best job of showing off the godly power of Sinnoh’s legendary Pokémon, and Giratina was one of the best examples of such.

3 Palkia (Movie)

First Appearance: Pokémon: The Rise Of Darkrai

Palkia is the god of space in the Pokémon world, with two unique depictions in the anime. While Palkia appeared in the TV show as part of Team Galactic’s plot to destroy and rebuild the world, the more notable depiction of Palkia comes from the movies, where it dragged Ash and his friends into another dimension in The Rise of Darkrai while fighting Dialga and eventually helped fight Arceus.

Another explicit god of the Pokémon world, Palkia’s power to manipulate space, as depicted in the movies, exists on a nearly incomprehensible scale, and it was to the point that Dialga and Palkia barely even noticed Ash and his friends as they destroyed everything around them in their fight. Few Pokémon even come close to Palkia’s power, and that’s still true, even after over a decade.

2 Dialga (Movie)

First Appearance: Pokémon: The Rise Of Darkrai

Dialga is the god of time in Pokémon who, like Palkia, has two distinct depictions in the anime. While Dialga appeared in the climax of the TV show’s arc with Team Galactic, Dialga’s more noteworthy appearances came from the movies, where it was first introduced in The Rise of Darkrai, destroying Alamos Town in its fight with Palkia, and it would eventually send Ash back in time to stop Arceus from destroying the world.

The Pokémon anime does an amazing job of highlighting how powerful Dialga is supposed to be, and when it comes time for them to fight Arceus, it becomes clear that the fight with Arceus was only as hard as it was because Dialga was too exhausted from sending Ash back in time to properly help. Dialga was truly a force to be reckoned with in the films, and few Pokémon have ever had a better showing.

1 Arceus

First Appearance: Pokémon: Arceus And The Jewel Of Life

Arceus is the creator god of the Pokémon world and the main antagonist of Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life. Thousands of years ago, Arceus was betrayed by a human friend of his and robbed of the Jewel of Life, the crystallization of a fraction of his power, and after returning to exact his revenge on humanity, Ash was sent back in time to learn the truth and stop Arceus’ rampage.

While Arceus is a powerful Pokémon in the games, it’s only the anime that fully leans into his status as a creator god, as Arceus, even in his weakened state, is more than capable of overpowering Ash’s friends and Sinnoh’s legendaries at every turn. Arceus and the Jewel of Life’s depiction of Arceus is nothing short of incredible, and he easily stands as the strongest legendary Pokémon in the Pokémon anime.