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, sometimes known as legendaries or , are characters in the Pokémon franchise. While the various video games, anime, and manga are not entirely consistent on which Pokémon are considered legendary Pokémon, all of them are rare, to the point where some are unique, and all of them have unusual or extraordinary powers, even by Pokémon standards.
In the various Pokémon video games, "legendary Pokémon" is a term of art; a legendary Pokémon is not simply an individual Pokémon about which legends are written, but a special sort of Pokémon, differing from regular Pokémon in key ways. Legendary Pokémon are also generally (but not always) exceptionally powerful; among Pokémon from the first three generations, six of the seven with the highest base stats (Slaking being the exception) are legendary Pokémon.
Such Pokémon are unique individuals, appearing only once per game. Generally, they are simply special Pokémon who reside in optional dungeons, but certain Pokémon, most notably Mew, cannot be obtained without having the Pokémon transferred to the game or unlocked at one of the various Nintendo-sponsored Pokémon fan events. A more recent development in the Pokémon series is to give certain legendary Pokémon a larger role in the plot; for example, ''Pokémon Sapphire'' focuses on Team Aqua's effort to use Kyogre to expand the oceans and Team Magma's (and the player's) effort to stop them.
Such Pokémon also cannot breed, as is possible with other Pokémon. Manaphy is the only known legendary that can breed. Breeding Manaphy results in another Pokémon, Phione, which cannot evolve into Manaphy or use some of its abilities.
Since the ''Gold'', ''Silver'', and ''Crystal'' versions, the games have featured "roaming" legendaries, which after a certain point in the game will randomly move around the world map, appearing in random battles. Once the player has their entry in the Pokédex, their location can be tracked as usual - except in ''Diamond'' and ''Pearl'', where they are tracked with the Pokétch instead. These Pokémon typically run away from battle, making them even harder to catch, but they retain their HP level from battle to battle. This allows players to lower their health over several encounters. (Alternatively, some players choose to save their Master Ball for use on a roaming legendary.)
Although Arcanine is classified by the Pokédex as "Legendary Pokémon," it can easily be obtained by evolving a common Growlithe with a Fire Stone.
In Pokémon Red, Blue and Yellow, the original games, the legendary Pokémon were a group of five unique Pokémon. They were found in optional areas (except Mew, which can only be obtained through Nintendo events), and none had any effect on the storyline.
In the next series of games, Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, the relationships between each of the legendary Pokémon were expanded upon. Lugia became leader of the legendary birds of the previous games, and Ho-Oh was the leader of the legendary beasts of the new games. Greater emphasis was put on the differences between the versions: as reflected in their box covers, Ho-Oh is the focus of Gold version and Lugia the focus of Silver version. Instead of having an all-powerful Pokémon figure such as Mewtwo, two Pokémon were given that task to match him, making Mewtwo into a sort of lone-wolf legendary Pokémon. In all, six new legendary Pokémon were introduced in this generation.
Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald introduced ten new legendary Pokémon, conflicts between legendary Pokémon, and definitive domains given to some, giving them much more power: Kyogre was given power over the entire sea, Groudon was given power over the entire landmass, and Rayquaza was given power over the entire sky.
''Pokémon Diamond'' and ''Pearl'' introduced fourteen new legendary Pokémon. There appears to be a trend of giving legendary Pokémon more and more power, with Dialga having power over time, Palkia over space, and Arceus being the creator of the universe. Diamond and Pearl also introduce the first legendary capable of breeding, Manaphy.
In the ''Pokémon'' anime, "legendary Pokémon" is closer to its component definitions; here legendary Pokémon are Pokémon which have been the subject of ancient legends. Such Pokémon are still often (but not always) unique and frequently very powerful. They are sometimes major characters in their own right, often antagonists or out-of-control forces of nature. Mewtwo, in particular, is a recurring character, with a major role in Pokémon: The First Movie and its sequel, Mewtwo Returns. Legendary Pokémon in the anime are very different from those in the games; they are able to breed, meaning they do have genders (although some legendary Pokémon in the games also have genders, the majority do not and only one can breed). Unlike in the games, where catching a legendary Pokémon may be done by the protagonist to save the world, the exact opposite is true for the anime. In the anime (particularly in Pokémon 2000), the capture of a legendary Pokémon would have deadly repercussions and is only ever attempted by human antagonists. To date, only Regice, Registeel and Regirock have been confirmed to have been captured by a trainer (Pyramid King Brandon). An Articuno did help Factory Head Noland battle Ash, but it had not actually been captured, just befriended.
To date, every Pokémon movie has centered around an encounter with one or more legendary Pokémon, often the first appearance of those Pokémon on screen. Subsequent anime episodes featuring those Pokémon are not uncommon. Excluding the fourth generation Pokémon, Raikou is the only legendary Pokemon who Ash has not seen or had some kind of connection with (although it did have minor cameo appearances in the anime, including its own Pokémon Chronicles special).