As it's a fan-made categorization, what defines a pseudo-legendary Pokémon is often confused among players who haven't come across the term before. For the most part, a pseudo-legendary Pokémon will be a three-stage evolutionary line, be placed at the end of the Pokédex right before the legendaries, and always have a base stat total of 600, making them some of the strongest non-legendary Pokémon in their respective regions.
Often times, fans will mistake a Pokémon's design or placement in the Pokédex to mean that it is a pseudo-legendary, or its popularity among fans of the anime show and films to mean that as well. While some Pokémon come very close to the definition, falling short in one area or another, they don't quite live up to the status of a pseudo-legendary.
Updated June 27th, 2022 by Russ Boswell: With Pokemon Violet & Scarlet on the horizon, some fans are anxiously awaiting the release of the next pseud-Legendary Pokemon. Each generation sees a particular Pokemon that boasts high stats and comes equipped with an array of powerful moves that make it look and feel like it has a Legendary status. These Pokemon are usually not nearly as difficult to catch as Legendary Pokemon and slot well into competitive teams. Over the years there have even been some Pokemon that players mistook for pseudo-Legendary types thanks to their design and impressive battle prowess. To better showcase these Pokemon that look pseudo-Legendary but aren't, the following list has been updated with more entries.
13 Flygon
This strange-looking Dragon-type has been a fan favorite since the generation 3 games, and for good reason. It's a Dragon-type that had a unique secondary typing (until Garchomp and Zygarde also stole it), it can be obtained fairly early in the game, and its stats are pretty decent across the board, leading some to believe that it was the Hoenn region's pseudo-legendary for a while.
Unfortunately, Flygon isn't that lucky, and has been largely forgotten about when Game Freak has decided to give some of its creatures new forms, losing out on both a Mega Evolution and a Gigantamax form.
12 Kangaskhan
Players who began their Pokemon journey at the beginning likely see Kangaskhan as a pseudo-Legendary thanks to its method of capture paired with its intimidating design and high base stats (for the time). Although it was only a Normal-type, players would have to enter the Safari Zone and play a sometimes unforgiving game of chance just to get their hands on the pocket monster. Those that spent the time snagging Kangaskhan would find themselves gifted with a pretty solid Pokemon in the original trio of games.
Its Hidden Ability would keep it from flinching when attacked by certain moves and its well-rounded stats made it an ideal physical attacker in some situations. To pad its other stats, Kangaskhan featured an abysmal Special Attack stat, but was given access to some powerful physical moves and only had a 2x weakness to Fighting-types. It was so beloved by the community it was even given a Mega Evolution later on.
11 Archeops
The original Pokemon games weren't the only ones to feature Fossils. The mechanic of finding ancient Pokemon remains and revitalizing them through recovered DNA has been present throughout the series with each subsequent release. In Generation V, players would have a choice between reforming the Cover or Plume Fossil. Those that opted for the Plume would be greeted by a funky-looking Rock-and-Flying-type Bird-styled Pokemon named Archen.
Those that raised their Archen to level 37 would obtain Archeops, a majestic-looking Prehistoric Pokemon that almost resembled a Dragon in its design. Unfortunately, Archeops came with the Defeatist ability, which would greatly hinder its battle potential. Although it had an impressive Base Stat Total of 567 and a whopping 140 Attack, the ability effectively lowers its stats as soon as its HP drops below half.
10 Absol
When it comes to Pokemon that look pseudo-Legendary, Absol definitely stands out among the pack. There is something ethereal and mysterious about the pure Dark-type. Introduced in Generation III, Absol has no evolutionary line, but it was later rewarded a Mega Evolution by Game Freak thanks partially to its positive reception from fans. It's even found a home in the MOBA-style Pokemon Unite.
Although Absol looks imposing and Legendary in terms of design, it's actually pretty middling when it comes to stats. Its base stat total of 465 is nothing special compared to some other Pokemon, but it does feature an impressive 130 Attack. Players that can manage to outspeed their opponents (which can be tough with Absol's 75 Speed) can make use of the creature's Super Luck ability, which will increase its Critical Hit ratios.
9 Haxorus
Like Flygon, there was a lot of speculation that Haxorus was Black and White's pseudo-legendary Pokémon, with its cool and scary design, a very late evolution level, and its impressive offensive stats that rival even true pseudo-legendaries.
Aside from Hydreigon being a thing in the Unova region, Haxorus lacks the trademark secondary typing that had defined pseudos for a while, at least until the Kalos region introduced the first mono-type with Goodra. It may lack the overall power and placement to be defined as a pseudo legendary, but it has one of the best designs of the region and one of the best shiny forms in all of Pokémon, making it a worthwhile addition regardless.
8 Lucario
Generation four did some weird things with its Pokédex. For one, Garchomp, Sinnoh's regional pseudo, was placed in the middle of the Pokédex rather than towards the end, which led many to suspect that it wasn't, in fact, the pseudo-legendary. The Sinnoh games also placed Lucario and its pre-evolution, Riolu, towards the end of the game, with players not being able to obtain one until the seventh badge.
This placement so late in the game, as well as its vast popularity in the anime series and movies, led people to think that this was the first pseudo-legendary with only one evolution.
7 Volcarona
When players discovered that there was an overworld encounter with this fiery moth, many believed that, like the Hoenn region, Unova would be getting two pseudo-legendary Pokémon. Its insane evolution level at 59, only trumped by Hydreigon's at 64, as well as its then unique Bug/Fire-typing, led many to believe that Volcarona was either a pseudo or full-blown legendary which, sadly, it is neither.
Luckily for this bug, it doesn't need the title to make it a massive powerhouse, with it being such a powerful Pokémon that it was able to stand out even in the generation that introduced the world's most overused Pokémon, Landorus.
6 Noivern
When Pokémon X and Y came along, many players couldn't believe that Goodra was generation six's pseudo-legendary. Aside from its mono-typing, its design was far too friendly-looking compared to past pseudos, which hadn't been used since Dragonite, and stat distribution was very defensive.
Noivern, on the other hand, looked like a return to the standard Dragon/Flying-type pseudo that had been used a few times before, as well as its design looking much more like a pseudo than Goodra's. Unfortunately, despite its niche use and great speed, Noivern hasn't been able to live up to the hype that other mistaken pseudos have, as its typing is better used with other Pokémon, mainly ones that are actually pseudo-legendary.
5 Turtonator
When this monster first appeared in the anime, there were a few fans who thought that, finally, a Fire/Dragon-type pseudo had been introduced. It had the Dragon-typing, was a powerhouse fighter, and had the menacing design most commonly found in pseudos, but Turtonator wouldn't see itself hold the title of Alola's pseudo legendary.
While Dragon/Fire-type would have been a unique typing for a pseudo, players instead got Kommo-O, a Dragon/Fighting-type with a completely unique typing that hadn't been seen before. Too bad for Kommo-O that it was introduced in the same generation as the Tapu's, who are all Fairy-type and widely used, resulting in it being one of the worst pseudo-legendary Pokémon. Although, Turtonator didn't fare much better.
4 Slaking
Arguably the hardest gym battle in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire was with Norman, the Normal-type user, and his Slaking. It's ability to OHKO your Pokémon and blast through your entire team, despite its ability, Truant, making it move only every second turn, led some to think that Norman's ace was Hoenn's pseudo-legendary. Unlike the other Pokémon on this list, Slaking's base stat total is actually too high to make it eligible for the position, with its stats rivaling the likes of Groudon and Kyogre, the cover legendaries for generation three.
Truant is what really holds Slaking back from being used as often as pseudos are, although, with Galarian Weezing's Neutralizing Gas ability now out, it may see a lot more play if it's released in the future.
3 Aggron
It was easy for players to mistake Aggron as the newest pseudo in Ruby and Sapphire, as its design bears a striking resemblance to Tyranitar, the pseudo of the previous generation of games. With its dinosaur aesthetic and angry face, it's easy to see how it could have been mistaken for a pseudo-legendary Pokémon.
While it's no slouch in battle, Aggron lacks the stats to back up its ferocious looks in any serious fight, even with the addition of its Mega Evolution in generation six, and falls quite short of the 600 base stat total required to meet the definition. It also doesn't help that one of the actual pseudo-legendaries is also a Steel-type, making it wildly obsolete compared to the real deal.
2 Snorlax
Back when Snorlax was introduced, the concept of a pseudo-legendary had barely been created by the players, and led many to misinterpret what the phrase actually meant.
Being at the back end of the Pokédex, coming just before the legendary bird trio of Kanto, has led to some confusion over its designation as a pseudo. While it is plenty powerful, as well as having a similar fat and jolly aesthetic that Dragonite has, its stats and typing keep it from claiming the prestigious title.
1 Rotom
As previously stated about Lucario, Garchomp's placement in the Sinnoh Pokédex led to quite a bit of confusion as to who generation four's pseudo-legendary actually was. Many suspected that Rotom was it, and that Pokémon was steering away from the scary-looking Dragon-type expected that fans had expected up until then.
While it can be obtained fairly early in its native region, its placement in the Pokédex is somewhat confusing, as it is the last regular Pokémon before the slew of legendaries appear. It might have been nice to have another non-Dragon-type pseudo-legendary after Metagross, but it seems like Pokémon is sticking to that typing for the foreseeable future.