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You thought Legendary Pokémon were rare? Mythical Pokémon, also known as mirage Pokémon, are so rarely seen that people are unsure if they really exist.
Unless your name is Ash Ketchum, who may have seen every Legendary and Mythical in the Pokémon world.
Unlike Legendary Pokémon, Mythicals are seldom tied to the main story, and are often only available through events. This means some Mythicals are even more elusive—and it’s nothing short of magical when they grace you with your presence for the first time.
But which are the best?
Spoilers abound for gameplay. Some plot spoilers.
If you haven’t read my Top 10 Legendary Pokémon blog, click here. Otherwise, let’s check out which Mythical Pokémon truly capture the magic of the universe we all wished was real when we blew out the candles on our 8th birthdays.
No? Just me?
#6: Genesect
Just look at this badass bug. As the only Mythical or Legendary Bug-type Pokémon currently in existence, Genesect is unique.
Revived from a Fossil and technologically enhanced by Team Plasma to create the most powerful Pokémon, you could call Genesect the cybernetic version of Mewtwo. This evil team installed a cannon on its back, which can hold Drives, giving Genesect four alternate forms. If it has the Shock, Burn, Chill, or Douse Drive installed, its signature move, Techno Blast, changes type. It can also fold up its limbs and connect its head to the canon on its back to assume a flying saucer configuration. Now this incredible insect can take to the skies.
Its intimidating appearance, gloomy backstory, exclusive Bug/Steel typing, and unique concept makes Genesect one of the most interesting Mythicals out there.
#5: Darkrai
If you think of Mythical Pokémon as cute little creatures who help humans and Pokémon alike, you’re about to be proven dead wrong. Emphasis on the dead.
Darkrai. The Pitch-Black Pokémon. Representative of the New Moon. Symbol of fear, nightmares, and hopelessness. It’s known to inhabit dreams, causing the target to have horrible nightmares—you’d better make sure to get a Lunar Feather from its counterpart, Cresselia, or you’ll be stuck living your worst fears forever. This, coupled with its reaper-esque appearance, the billow of fog-like plumage covering one of its bright blue eyes, its claw-like hands, and its creepy extendable appendages, strikes hard-earned fear into the heart of any brave trainer.
However, Darkrai is tragically misunderstood. Its “unleashing of nightmares” is actually a defence mechanism rather than deliberately malevolent. It becomes a shadow not to instil fear, but to escape danger or contact with humans.
If you were lucky enough to receive the member-card to the mysterious inn in Canalave City in Sinnoh, you could spend the night there. Darkrai would appear on New Moon Island, and if you caught it, when you woke up, Darkrai would be in your PC. Creepy, and very, very cool.
#4: Deoxys
As the series endures, we keep learning about new regions in the Pokémon world—new places to explore, new Pokémon to catch, and new Legendaries to corner and force into eternal captivity. But what about space?
Deoxys was formed when a virus from space mutated. It can regenerate any part of its body, and it has four forms that are each focussed on a different stat.
I love how the Pokémon Company integrated this alien creature into the world. In the seventh film, Deoxys can be seen falling to Earth from inside a meteorite. This enrages Rayqaza, who believes that Deoxys is invading its territory. A catastrophic battle over a glacier ensues, but Rayquaza ultimately defeats Deoxys with a Hyper Beam attack at close range.
This introduction really makes you feel like Deoxys is an alien invader—a true threat that goes beyond usual Legendaries and Mythicals; a powerhouse that could really destroy the world and feel no remorse. It almost feels even more mysterious than the Paradox Pokémon: a rare feat.
It’s also the first Mythical to be distributed outside of an event, if you play Alpha Sapphire or Omega Ruby. So, if you want this interplanetary beast, it’s easier to catch than most.
#3: Celebi
Ah, Celebi. The cute little garlic clove that’s the dictionary definition of “looks can be deceiving”. This flittering fairy bulb has the power to undo the whole of the Pokémon world, if it chose to.
If it weren’t so sweet and good-natured, that is.
Known as the “Voice of the Forest”, Celebi can both travel through and exist simultaneously through time. However, this little Mythical only appears in areas of and at times of peace, reflecting its kind-hearted nature. Plant life flourishes wherever it goes, and it can heal wounds. As long as Celebi are seen throughout the world, it is said, a bright future is possible for the Pokémon world.
Wait—time travel? Surely that’s fodder for some fantastical story beats?
In its debut film, Celebi travels 40 years into the future to escape from a Pokémon poacher, accidentally taking a boy called Sam with him. It’s eventually learned that—spoiler!—Sam is in fact Samuel Oak, renowned Pokémon Professor and notorious bicycle-hater. Without Celebi, Sam wouldn’t have known to give Ash his Pikachu, cementing the timeline in a gut-punch paradox.
What an introduction. And, in an original Heart Gold and Soul Silver event, Celebi is used to tell us more about Team Rocket and its infamous leader, Giovanni. Once you’ve caught it and interact with the Ilex Forest shrine, you are thrown back in time. You learn that Silver, your red-headed rival, is actually Giovanni’s son. You can then visit where Giovanni has been hiding from his disbanded Rocket followers—Tohjo Falls—and defeat him in battle. It’s a cool bit of backstory that’s not integral to the story, but gives us Johto die-hard fans something extra to chew on.
Celebi is mystical, cute, and, best of all, a benevolent creature. What’s not to love?
#2: Arceus
All bow down to the mighty Alpha Pokémon, “The Original One”, Almighty Sinnoh, and the Creator God of the Pokémon world itself, Arceus.
According to legend, Arceus originated from an egg, giving us a fantastical twist on the “chicken or the egg” argument. It shaped the universe using its 1,000 arms and, soon after, it created Sinnoh along with the legendary lake guardians and the Pokémon of Myth Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. It can bring back things once destroyed, halt time, and overturn the laws of nature themselves. In Legends: Arceus, we learn that its blessing can give Pokémon special powers, causing them to become Noble or Ride Pokémon. What an incredible creature.
Its typing and abilities are fitting for The Original One. It’s a Normal Type, but can change this depending on the scenario, gaining 18 new colourful forms to match. It can learn any TM and is the only Pokémon that can learn the move Judgment, which rains devastating meteors onto its opponent.
Of course, Arceus plays a key role in Legends: Arceus, and it’s my favourite iteration of the larger-than-life Mythical. As the protagonist, you are transported back in time to ancient Sinnoh, which is a fantastic premise in itself. Once Arceus is forced to appear at the end of the game to quell the Pokémon of Myth—and once you’ve caught every other non-Legendary Pokémon in the game—you may see Arceus once again…
Basically, how could the god of all Pokémon not take a top spot on this list?
#1: Mew
“A new Pokémon was discovered deep in the jungle. We christened the newly discovered Pokémon, Mew.”
The first Mythical Pokémon. Back in the day, there was nothing more enigmatic than learning about Mew, the one Pokémon (at the time!) who was so elusive that even the most learned Pokémon professors couldn’t be sure it existed. The mysterious 151st out of 150.
In the earliest games, Mew was an enigma. The haunting Pokémon Mansion houses diary entries from scientists who were trying to create the most powerful Pokémon. They succeeded after finding Mew…but at a devastating cost. These entries, found in one of Kanto’s creepiest locations, finally cause the mist around Mew to disperse, just a bit—and give you a hunger to find out more.
In the earliest generations, it couldn’t be caught through normal means—even its dark clone, Mewtwo, was easier to find, if you knew where to look. But if you were careful enough to exploit the infamous Trainer-Fly glitch, you could manipulate the game code to cause Mew to appear.
No wonder its elusivity encouraged a variety of fan-made Mew urban legends to appear, the most infamous of which being the “Mew Under The Truck” tale. Near the SS Anne in Vermillion City, there’s a secret ledge that has a pick-up truck parked just off the coast. Under normal circumstances, the ship would have left port before you can get Surf, leaving this area just out of sight and unable to be visited. If you traded in a Pokémon with Surf before the ship leaves, however, and made your way to the ledge, it was rumoured that Mew could be found underneath the truck.
Whilst this wasn’t true, later iterations of the Gen One games did house a rare item underneath as a reference to the original rumour.
And don’t get me started on Mew in the first movie. It’s cute, well-intentioned, but clearly powerful, able to hold off Mewtwo in a fight. And, as Meowth from Team Rocket translates, it has real conviction, playing a large part in helping Mewtwo see the light: it says, “You don't prove anything by showing off a lot of special powers, [and that] a Pokémon's real strength comes from the heart."
Sometimes, the first is the gold standard for all that comes after it. Mew is that standard.
Wrap Up
What a trip down memory lane. These Pokémon were truly the ones that made me want to dive deep into the lore of a franchise that has had a chokehold on my imagination since I was young.
We all want to keep the magic alive—whether it’s festive fun in December, celebrating loved ones’ birthdays, or diving into the delicious nostalgia that was our childhood franchises. These Mythicals do it for me, every time.
What’s your favourite Mythical Pokémon? Let us know via our Zatu socials!