Since gen 1, some of the most powerful Pokémon in the Kanto region, and now the Poké-world are the pseudo-legendary dragon-types. Called pseudo legendaries because of their rarity (and their generally gated acquisition until near the end of the game). In the Pokémon world, only 15 of the 898 known pocket monsters are pure dragon-type, so these Pokémon are fairly unique.
Ranking a group of Pokémon is difficult, as there are many factors that contribute to a Pokémon’s overall quality, namely; strength, speed, abilities, and let’s not forget design. In the end, many dragon-type Pokémon are powerful, but of the pure dragon-types, the most powerful is a coveted spot.
9 Jangmo-o
Oh, little Jangmo-o. This cutie trying its best to be a tough guy is unfortunately the weakest of the pure dragon-type Pokémon. As the only baby Pokémon from a three-stage dragon-type evolution that sits alone, it really doesn’t have a leg to stand on. Introduced in Gen 7, Jangmo-o is a late-stage Pokémon that players will immediately evolve if they have any interest in its use.
This grey dragon will eventually gain some razzle-dazzle in the form of long jangly gilded scales when it evolves in Kommo-o, but until that day, it will have to hand in the towel.
8 Dratini and Dragonair
The gen 1 dragons, Dratini and Dragonair eventually evolve into the powerful and ever-relevant Dragonite. These long slithering serpents literally have no legs to stand on. Luckily they do have access to a pretty powerful ability in the form of Marvel Scale. In a game so full of paralysis, burn, and poison, gaining defensive capabilities gives these dragons the power to survive a little longer than some of the competition. Dragonair is helped by its power as an evolved Pokémon. These dragons were some of the rarest, and in gen 1, they were easy to miss if players didn’t fish in the right place.
7 Bagon and Shelgon
The headbutt king of Hoenn, Bagon, and its evolved form Shelgon are the only pure dragon-type Pokémon from gen 3. With a relatively high attack stat and Shelgon’s solid defense, these two bring basic pseudo-legendaries to the next level. Not to mention, Shelgon’s big ball is one of the best designed dragon-type evolutions in the series. Bagon retracting its head like a turtle and slowly transforming within its shell-like chrysalis only to emerge a massive flying dragon/jet is quite the design.
6 Druddigon
The single-form dragon-type from gen 5 is a solid pick among pure dragons. Druddigon is available somewhat early in the Unova region and can be a real powerhouse on the right team. With all-around decent stats as a single-form Pokémon and powerful abilities to choose from in Rough Skin, Sheer Force and Mold Breaker, this Pokémon is a prime example of why dragon-types are so powerful. While Druddigon is on the slow side with only 48 speed, its 120 attack stat more than makes up for this.
5 Goomy, Sliggoo, and Goodra
The Kalos region goo crew are a solid selection of pure dragon-types and some of the best in the Kalos region. Luckily, players can catch Goomy fairly early into the game, found at the beginning of gen 6’s midsection. While Goomy and Sliggoo suffer from many of the same failings as other partially evolved pure dragon types, Goodra is a fully formed dragon and the power to prove it. With a monstrous special defense stat to counter pesky ice and fairy types, and abilities that let it specialize in rain, against grass-types, or as a physical counter, Goodra has a lot to offer. All of this aside, just looking at its base 100 attack and 110 special attack are enough to warrant Goodra a high rank on this list.
4 Silvally (Dragon-Type)
The Alola region introduced the Pokémon world’s 3 and 4th man-made Pokémon in Type: Null and Silvally. While Type: Null is stuck as a normal-type, Silvally has the RKS system ability, allowing it to change into any type of Pokémon based on the disk it downloads as its held item. As a dragon-type, Silvally is pretty good, with incredibly well-rounded stats with 95 all around, it holds up in just about every criteria.
What really sticks out about Silvally is its design. As a quadrupedal hodge-podge of other Pokémon, it looks like a Frankenstein’s monster brought to digital life. However, what’s more interesting is its relation to and inspiration from the legendary Pokémon Arceus. The RKS system seems a little too close for this to just be a coincidence, right?
3 Regidrago
One of the new legendary giants introduced in Pokémon: Sword and Shield’s Crown Tundra DLC is the all dragon-type, Regidrago. With, possibly the coolest design of any dragon-type, and an incredible ability for any dragon-type in Dragon’s Maw, which powers up all dragon-type moves, Regidrago really stands out amongst the alternatives. Incredible HP, attack, and special attack stats make Regidrago a monster to be feared, but its greatest strength is its signature move, Dragon Energy. This attack is a special dragon-type attack with 150 base power and 100 accuracy. Pair this outrageous attack with Regidrago’s Dragon’s Maw ability and you have an attack that can one-shot just about anything.
2 Axew, Fraxure, and Haxorus
The pure dragon-type evolutionary line of Axew, Fraxure, and Haxorus make up some of the most powerful pseudo-legendaries in any Pokémon game. Haxorus is an absolute unit of a Pokémon with 147 attack, a respectable 97 speed, and generally okay stats in its defenses. With access to the Mold Breaker ability without the need for a hidden ability Axew, Haxorus is made to destroy its enemies. With giant ax blades protruding from its mouth like terrifying tusks, this dragon will haunt players in their dreams, and also in real life as it decimates entire teams of Pokémon after just two Dragon Dances.
1 Arceus (Dragon-Type)
What Pokémon could compete with Arceus? When a Pokémon is called God (not just a god, but THE capital “G” God) it is going to be powerful. Arceus, as the precursor to Silvally, has the ability to change type depending on its held item. With a truly insane stat distribution of 120 in all fields, Arceus is the Pokémon to end all Pokémon. While its signature move, Judgement, has less base power than Silvally’s Multi-Attack, it gains a serious boon over its reproduction, the move tutor attack Draco Meteor. Arceus is the most powerful Pokémon of any type, but for pure dragon-types, its ability to learn and use Draco Meteor with STAB makes it an absolute monster.