The top 10 strongest Pokémon, ranked

While every Pocket Monster has its own merits and strengths in battle, some of them are utter tanks compared to the rest of the Pokédex. Some of these Pokémon are Legendary beasts that have unbeatable move sets, while others are a cut above the rest in terms of stats and base power.

Here, we ranked the top 10 strongest Pokémon across the franchise, including a variety of Legendary, Mythical, and Powerhouse Pocket Monsters. We’ve classified them based on their natural stats and strengths, along with their Pokédex entries and general lore.

Honorable mentions

It would be impossible to include every powerful Pokémon in one list, so we’ve opted for a top-10 approach based on stats, lore, and move sets. The five Pocket Monsters that almost made the cut for our ranking are:

• Zamazenta, specifically its Crowned Shield form. This Sword and Shield Box Legendary has incredible stats and access to some of the best moves from its generation.
• Palkia. Despite being one of the older Box Legendaries, Palkia still has base stats that put its competition to shame. On top of this, it’s still an iconic critter in the Pokémon Trading Card Game, popping up in the competitive circuit on a regular basis.
• Hoopa, specifically its Unbound form. Hoopa’s Confined form isn’t overly impressive in terms of stats and battle performance, but its Unbound form makes it a force to be reckoned with.
• Dialga. Like its Sinnoh counterpart, Dialga still remains a worthwhile contender when considering the strongest Pokémon in existence to this day. It’s not quite as popular in the TCG, but it’s got a powerful move set and strong base stats.
• Zacian, specifically its Crowned Sword form. The other Sword and Shield Box Legendary can match—if not outperform—its counterpart based on stats and overall power.

These Pokémon may not be at the top of the list, but if you manage to pick them up in any of the Pokémon video games, they’re undoubtedly worth training and adding to your team. Here are our picks for the 10 most powerful Pokémon across the board.

10) Dragonite

Dragonite is one of the earliest Dragon-type Pokémon in the franchise. It might look cute and goofy, but it’s surprisingly powerful, with Powerhouse-level stats.

Being introduced in Generation I, Dragonite was already a top pick for trainers because of its base stat total of 600. On top of this, having access to Flying, Dragon, and Normal-type moves that can deal heavy damage like Sky Attack and Hyper Beam makes it formidable in battle.

According to its Pokédex entries, Dragonite is immensely quick, being able to circle the globe in just 16 hours and save sailors from facing danger in the turbulent sea. It’s also 460 pounds and seven feet tall, making it a physical threat in battle.

Even though it is quite difficult to catch in games, having Dragonite in your team is worth the time and effort. It might look a little silly compared to its previous forms, but it has access to strong stats and moves, along with plenty of lore-based power, too. What’s not to love?

9) Lugia

Lugia is one of the most well-known Legendary Pokémon, arguably rivaling the popularity of creatures like Kyogre, Groudon, and Ho-Oh. Introduced in Generation II, this half of the Tower Duo (alongside Ho-Oh) is known as the Guardian of the Seas.

While it has access to plenty of heavy-hitting Water, Ice, and Dragon-type moves throughout the games, this Pokémon is a Flying/Psychic-type, possessing moves that can destroy their opponents’ minds and bodies.

Lugia stands out as strong in both the anime and the video games, with its Pokédex entries highlighting that its wings “pack devastating power” and that mighty storms appear when this Pokémon shows up.

8) Giratina

As one of Arceus’s main creations, Giratina was made to control antimatter while working alongside the duo of Dialga and Palkia. While Dialga and Palkia are powerful, Giratina is in a league of its own. Many fans think of it as the equivalent of Satan or the devil in the Pokémon world.

It can control who can enter the Distortion World, which is an ominous, mirror-image version of the real world in the Pokémon universe. Giratina was banished there due to its uncontrollable anger and violent tendencies.

Giratina has a base stat total of 680 for both its standard form and its Origin Forme. With access to a wide variety of move types—covering everything from Psychic to Dark and Electric to Flying—and the ability to seemingly warp the world around it, this Pocket Monster packs a serious punch.

7) Terapagos (Stellar Form)

One of the newer additions to the Pokémon world at the time of writing, Terapagos may not look particularly intimidating, but it’s actually a mighty being—especially when it is found in its Stellar Form.

Its base stats are middling, with a total of 450, and its Terastallized form is fine enough, coming in at 600, but the Stellar version of this sparkly turtle puts other Legendary Pokémon to shame. Not only does it have strong stats, but it also has access to plenty of iconic moves.

It’s also a behemoth in the Pokémon Trading Card Game, popping up in some powerful deck lists and shining when paired with the right Stadiums and supporting Pokémon.

Acting as the mascot of Scarlet and Violet‘s Indigo Disk DLC, this Pokémon has developed a cult following. The Stellar Form Pokédex entries describe it as having “abnormally amplified” Terastal energy, pointing to this creature’s potential power in a VGC battle.

6) Kyurem

While the standard version of Kyurem is fairly normal when compared to other Legendary Pokémon, its fusion forms are magnificent to behold in battle. The introduction of the fusion mechanic took this Dragon and Ice-type Pokémon from good to great.

If you’ve not explored the Black and White/Black 2 and White 2 games, the Box Legendaries for this generation are Reshiram and Zekrom. Kyurem can fuse with these Pokémon, creating White Kyurem and Black Kyurem respectively.

Kyurem’s base types are Dragon and Ice, giving it a decent move set, but when it fuses, it gets access to a wide variety of new moves and attack types. White Kyurem and Black Kyurem have deadly base stats, with 700 total apiece.

5) Eternatus

Eternatus is one of the biggest Pokémon in the franchise in a literal sense, weighing over a ton and standing at 65 and ½ feet (around 20 meters) tall.

This Generation VIII Poison/Dragon-type is already strong in its base form, with a base stat total of 690. When Eternatus reaches its full potential by entering its Eternamax form, however, it becomes a dominant force in battles.

Eternatus can enter its Eternamax form towards the end of Pokémon Sword and Shield and when it uses its signature move, Eternabeam. This form allows Eternatus’ base stat total to reach as high as 1,125, which is an obscene level of power.

4) Rayquaza

In the world of Pokémon, Rayquaza is viewed as the peacemaker who can put a stop to Groudon and Kyogre’s legendary bickering. It’s a beloved Legendary Pokémon and has developed a cult following its introduction in Generation III.

Of course, that wouldn’t be possible without this Pokémon’s powerful skills and abilities that make it one of a kind, especially its signature move, Dragon Ascent.

Aside from Rayquaza’s threatening base form, which has a total base stat of 680, it can Mega Evolve just by using Dragon Ascent, taking its base stat total to 780. Mega Rayquaza also looks fiercer and more dangerous with its added lightning-like flare on its jaw and horns.

3) Mew

Don’t be fooled by its cute, cat-like appearance and mischievous behavior: Mew is one of the strongest Pokémon in existence.

For this entry, we’re referring less to its base stats—which come up to just 600 in total—and more to its power in terms of lore and world-building.

Not only is this Pokémon believed to be the ancestor of every other Pocket Monster in existence, but it’s also a powerful hero in movies like Mewtwo Strikes Back, helping Ash and Pikachu save the world from the hands of its more powerful yet artificial clone, Mewtwo.

2) Mewtwo

The second most powerful Pokémon in our tier list is Mewtwo, an infamously destructive clone of the ancient ancestor Pokémon, Mew. Mew is already powerful on its own, but gearing it up and adding more abilities through the birth of its revamped clone? This just makes this first-gen beast a masterpiece.

Mewtwo can talk, use powerful attacks like Psystrike and Future Sight, has a base stat total of 680, and has two Mega evolutions that have a base stat total of 780 each. It’s arguably the Pokémon that is the most deserving of the Legendary classification.

It’s also exceptionally powerful in the Pokémon Trading Card Game, with the ability to stack up damage quickly and one-shot the opposing Pokémon.

1) Arceus

Would it really be a ranking of the strongest Pokémon in existence without featuring God itself at the very top? Arceus is the creator deity of the Pokémon world, bringing the Creation Trio of Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina into existence, followed by the Lake Guardians Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf.

As you might expect from it being a literal deity, Arceus is arguably the strongest Pokémon across the board, showcasing unbelievable strength across the video games, Trading Card Game, and anime.

Arceus has an astonishing base stat total of 720 and the ability to shift into any type using Plates, giving it access to an immense variety of moves and abilities. On top of this, Arceus can communicate with both humans and other Pokémon, which it does frequently across the Pokémon movies and anime.

Any Pokémon can be strong if you train it well and consider its battle potential when picking moves, but the 10 that we’ve listed above are the most powerful in terms of lore, damage output, and base stats. If you manage to catch one in a game, make sure to train it up and take it to your next battle.