Although they are often grouped with legendaries, mythical Pokémon are an entirely separate sub-group that is usually much harder to find or a major part of their region’s lore and backstory. Some of these Pokémon, such as Mew or Celebi, have been some of the hardest Pokémon to obtain in any game, as their distribution has been limited to special events.
There are also some mythical Pokémon that don’t deserve the title at all and should only be classed as a standard legendary, either due to their design, stats, or relationship with other Pokémon in their region. That being said, they are probably not going to be demoted any time soon.
10 Phione
Manaphy is a fine mythical Pokémon, as it is basically just a reskin of Mew or Celebi as a Water-type Pokémon and even had its own movie, which is a staple for most mythical Pokémon. However, what Manaphy didn’t need was a pre-evolution in Phione, which is just a weaker version of Manaphy and doesn’t add anything to the evolutionary line or to Manaphy itself. Its stats are subpar at best at 80 across the board, 20 points weaker in every stat than Manaphy, Mew, and Celebi. Phione, like other legendary and mythical pre-evolutions, is entirely unnecessary.
9 Darkrai
Darkrai shouldn’t be a mythical Pokémon for a couple of reasons, but the biggest one is its relationship with Cresselia, which is a legendary instead of a mythical and is one half of the Lunar Duo. Had Cresselia also been a mythical Pokémon, then Darkrai’s designation as one may have made some sense, but neither of these Pokémon look particularly like a mythical Pokémon in the first place. Most mythical Pokémon are variations on Mew’s design as cute and cuddly but powerful in a pinch, or are literal gods like Arceus, but Darkai doesn’t really fall into either of these categories and it, along with Cresselia, look like they should be cover legendaries more than anything else.
8 Deoxys
There are some strange Pokémon in Hoenn, particularly when it comes to legendaries like Latios and Latias, as well as regular Pokémon like Metagross. One of the strangest is the mythical Pokémon Deoxys, which wasn’t available as a main part of the Ruby & Sapphire games until the release of Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire in the Delta Episode epilogue.
Like Darkai, it doesn’t fit the design of the majority of other mythical Pokémon, including the Hoenn version of Mew in Jirachi. Deoxys’ origins from space also puts some doubt on whether or not it should be classed as a mythical Pokémon, since it isn’t rooted in Hoenn’s history and only serves as a vague threat towards the end of the generation three remakes.
7 Keldeo
Keldeo, much like Darkrai, is a part of a group of legendaries from its generation that isn’t actually a legendary Pokémon. Along with Terrakion, Virizion, and Cobalion, Keldeo is one of the Swords of Justice and is designed after the Three Musketeers, with Keldeo playing the part of D’Artagnan. Aside from not having the same naming conventions as the other three in its group, its distinction as not only the sole mythical Pokémon of the group, but also its ease of access compared to most other mythical Pokémon means that it probably shouldn’t have been classed as such.
6 Diancie
Diancie’s design, as well as the fact that it, for some reason, has a Mega Evolution, is a sore point for many Pokémon fans. It’s design, as well as its established lore, mean that it is basically just a different version of Carbink, a Rock/Fairy-type that was already established in Pokémon X & Y. At most, Diancie should have been Carbink’s evolution or its Mega Evolution, instead, it is hard to obtain mythical Pokémon with no solid link to the Kalos region aside from its design.
5 Genesect
There are several man-made Pokémon across the series, but few of them are classed as legendary or mythical. Mewtwo may be the first that comes to mind, but as the generation five games were something of a reboot to the entire series, Genesect also falls into this category. Unlike Mewtwo, which is legendary, Genesect is, for some reason, a mythical Pokémon instead, which is most likely due to its origins as an ancient, unknown Pokémon. Until the identity of Genesect’s origins are revealed, it doesn’t deserve the mythical title it has been given.
4 Hoopa
Hoopa’s overall design, as well as its unique powers to create portals that can summon any Pokémon from anywhere, gives it a decent reason to be a mythical Pokémon, but all that goes out the window when its secondary form is introduced to the mix.
There are few Pokémon in the series with secondary forms, even fewer of those being legendary or mythical, but when it comes to Hoopa’s Unbound form, it loses the appeal of its original design and becomes something significantly more monstrous, taking inspiration from the Gegenees in the ancient Greek tale Argonautica.
3 Zeraora
Although Zeraora’s design is undoubtedly cool, it has an unusual typing for a mythical Pokémon, which are predominantly Psychic-type, and is the only Electric-type mythical in the series. This, coupled with its lack of association with the Alola region it is supposed to be native to, as it has little to do with either the Island Guardians or the Ultra Beasts, means that, at best, Zeraora should have been a legendary Pokémon rather than a hard to obtain mythical Pokémon.
2 Meltan
Although Manaphy set a precedent for mythical Pokémon to evolve, the fact that it took four more generations for another mythical Pokémon to also evolve means that it should have probably been left as something only Phione and Manaphy could do. Aside from its convoluted evolution method, Meltan is also one of Ash’s main Pokémon in the Sun and Moon anime and shows that, at best, it should be a rare Pokémon rather than a legendary or mythical. Its performance in battle was mediocre to say the least, even after it evolved into Melmetal, as it was quickly defeated by Silvally in Ash’s battle with Gladion and proves that it doesn’t have the strength to back up its title.
1 Zarude
Although there have been Dark-type mythical Pokémon in the past, namely Darkrai and Hoopa, its type combination of Grass/Dark-type is something that would be expected on a legendary Pokémon rather than a mythical Pokémon. Aside from its type combination, it has a distinct lack of association with its native region, as the bulk of Galar’s past involves Eternatus and the Darkest Day alongside Zacian and Zamazenta. Unless the story of the Darkest Day is retconned in the future, Zarude doesn’t really fit into the established story all that well.
