The Most Powerful Pokemon Ranked

There are, quite simply put, a lot of Pokemon — 898 in total. Part of the fun of the Pokemon franchise, however, is that not all Pokemon are on a level playing field with one another. In the Pokemon video game series, for example, intricate leveling and stats systems, on top of the natural strengths of different species, ultimately determine a given Pokemon's strength. By comparison, in the Pokemon anime series, a strong partnership with a trainer can make all the difference.

Not only does each Pokemon have its own unique strengths and abilities, but these powers are the basis for the Pokemon battles that make up the fabric of the very Poke-world in which the franchise takes place. Thus, it's only natural to want to rank Pokemon by their power, relative to one another.

Given the various media in which they star, Pokemon can manifest their power in many different ways, from dominance in a particular video game meta to an in-fiction ability to manipulate the laws of nature. All of that being said, using all of the best available Poke-research out there, here is the definitive ranking of the strongest Pokemon.

Nearly every generation of Pokemon video games contains at least one new Pokemon, usually a dragon, considered to be a "pseudo-legendary" monster. This moniker means that its powers rival those of the Legendary and Mythical Pokemon generally thought to have a monopoly over the upper echelons of Poke-power.

Of these, Tyranitaur is the strongest because of both its temperament and variety of usable in-game abilities.

Pokedex entries from throughout its video game appearances, starting in Generation 2, describe Tyranitaur as extremely powerful, to the point of being able to reshape real-world topography, and motivated purely by combat against worthy adversaries. This latter descriptor means that Tyranitaur is not just strong, but is also constantly on the lookout for opportunities to unleash its immense strength.

In-game, Tyranitaur's utility is bolstered by the ability to learn a wide variety of elemental attacks, ranging from water abilities like Surf, to fire attacks like Flamethrower. These and other abilities allow it to adapt to a wide range of combat scenarios.

Tyranitaur doesn't rank higher, despite an ideal propensity for combat, simply because its strength is tied to the earthly realm, failing to reach the metaphysical heights of some of its legendary rivals.

Before it was even a separate category from Legendary (in the U.S., at least – Japan always maintained the distinction) Mew was the first and foremost Mythical Pokemon, once only rumored to be obtainable in-game. "Mythical" refers to a level of rarity transcending that of Legendaries. Whereas virtually all Legendary Pokemon can be obtained within the base Pokemon games, Mythical Pokemon like Mew are only available under special circumstances.

This is reflected in Pokemon's lore, in which Mythical Pokemon are particularly magical in one manner or another. According to Pokedex entries from the games, Mew is the ancestor of all Pokemon. Functionally, that translates into the capability to learn any move in the Poke-verse.

This means that Mew is the ultimate Swiss Army knife. In the video games, Pokemon are limited to only knowing four skills at a time. The anime includes no such limit, however, so the most powerful version of Mew would know literally every move ever known by any Pokemon.

Though no combination of skills can rival Mew's, it doesn't rank higher on the list because of its temperament. Mew isn't particularly bloodthirsty, so its full strength only applies in extenuating circumstances.

As his name suggests, Ash's Greninja is the specific Greninja trained by protagonist Ash in the Pokemon anime. Ash's Greninja is unique because, unlike most Greninja, he's capable of evolving into a more powerful form inaccessible to the majority of its kind, often suitably referred to as Ash-Greninja. Unlike other advanced evolutions like Mega Evolution or Gigantamax, the Ash-Greninja transformation began in the anime, with a facsimile of it later adapted into the video game series.

In order to shift into its Ash-Greninja form, Ash's Greninja must enter into a trance-like connection with Ash. Though the resultant power boost is significant, all damage taken by Ash's Greninja is shared with Ash for its duration. This was replicated in game with an ability called Battle Bond.

While the damage to his trainer entails significant risk, the boost to Greninja's strength is considerable. In the anime series, Ash's Greninja is capable of defeating Mega Evolved Pokemon without attaining that level himself.

Ash's Greninja fully earns his spot on the list due to his bond with one of the more well-known shonen protagonists in anime history. Simply put, anime protagonists tend to come out on top in the end.

Regular Torterra are powerful in their own right. They're the fully-evolved form of Turtwig, one of the options for a player's starting Pokemon in the video game series' fourth generation. Evolving from a starter, however, is not quite enough to land a Pokemon a spot on among the seven most powerful of all time.

In Pokemon: Detective Pikachu, protagonists Tim, Lucy and Detective Pikachu encounter a pack of giant Torterra that have been genetically modified by the villainous Howard Clifford. These Torterra are massive.

Eternatus tops the list of the largest Pokemon at about 65 feet. In its Eternamax form, Eternatus grows to 328 feet. For a real-world point of comparison, an American football field is 360 feet long.

No sort of official measurement exists of the genetically altered Torterra in Detective Pikachu, but based solely on the ever-reliable eye test, they're undoubtedly far larger than a single football field. They're most likely larger than multiple football fields, given that they hold entire mountains on their backs. While their precise attack power is indeterminable, their sheer brute strength would be nearly impossible to contend with for all but the six stronger Pokemon on this list.

The fifth strongest Pokemon in Poke-history is Mewtwo. Simply put, Mewtwo is extremely powerful. Pokedex entries from throughout the franchise's history describe it as possessing "battle abilities [that] were raised to the ultimate level" and having been "created solely for battling."

Many Legendary Pokemon are formidable due to a skill or set of innate abilities that can prove uniquely useful in a variety of situations. In Mewtwo's case, it's strong simply because strength is its defining characteristic. According to Pokemon lore, Mewtwo was genetically engineered in a lab, so its prowess for battle was not the result of whatever sort of natural selection defines most Pokemon abilities, but mathematically calculated.

Plus, Mewtwo is temperamentally similar to Tyranitaur, focused on little more than battle. Pokedex entries describe it as having "the most savage heart among Pokemon," thinking "only of defeating its foes."

The importance of such a mindset cannot be understated in an assessment of its power, given that a singular focus on winning could be the difference-maker in a combat scenario versus an otherwise similarly-powerful opponent.

While Slowbro can extend any battle indefinitely with a setup intended specifically to enable its ability to do so, Wobbuffet is capable of doing the same, not by using trickery, but by merit of being functionally immortal.

In the Pokemon anime, Wobbuffet is a comic relief character, capable of winning fights in silly or otherwise unexpected ways. This is not insignificant in an assessment of power, since unlikely victories are victories nonetheless.

That said, it's in video games that Wobbuffet is revealed to be essentially immortal. Its unique strengths grant it a longevity in battle that is functionally the same as Slowbro's. This was ultimately determined to be a detriment to competitive Pokemon, and Wobbuffet was banned from tournaments because of it.

It was in Super Smash Bros., however, that Wobuffet's immortality was codified. The Smash version of Wobbuffet, mimicking its strength in the Pokemon games, will reflect any attack, no matter how strong, back at its attacker. Therefore, Wobbuffet cannot take damage, and will in turn deal a small amount of damage in return.

Wobbuffet earns its spot in the upper echelons of Poke-power thanks to its Slowbro-like abilities being not the result of patient gameplay but the essence of its being.

While this list may include a few unlikely (but correct) choices for some of the strongest Pokemon in franchise history, Arceus taking the number one spot is anything but. No other Pokemon, Legendary or Mythical, is more deity-like, based simply on the fact that it created the entire Pokemon universe.

Arceus was first introduced in the game's fourth generation as its new Mythical. Its godlike abilities were designed to be greater in power than Dialga's, Palkia's and Giratina's, due to its elevated role in the generation that featured those three metaphysically-powerful Legendaries.

In Hoopa and the Clash of Ages, Arceus assists the film's protagonists in their efforts to defeat Hoopa Unbound. Beyond its powers providing aid in this single moment, Arceus isn't very present in the film, but this moment nevertheless points directly toward Arceus's strength exceeding Hoopa Unbound's considerable power.

Not only does Arceus boast the divine skill required to create an entire universe, it was shown empirically to have been sufficient to help overpower Hoopa Unbound. These feats easily and uncontroversially secure Arceus its deserved spot as the most powerful Pokemon of all of them.