Is There Only One of Each Legendary Pokémon in the Anime? 

For years Pokémon trainers have believed that there is only one pair of Legendaries in the series. However, to their shock, sometimes fans of the anime who have watched the movies and the series encounter the same Legendary Pokémon. Does this mean the movies are not canon to the series, or are these Legendries a different Pokémon from the one Ash and the gang encounter?

What proof in the anime series and movies that there are multiple legendaries?

Legendaries are usually introduced in the ‘Pokémon’ anime universe through their movies, but they also make an appearance or two in the series. Some legendary Pokémon appear in more than one movie. Based on how they interact with Ash and the gang, it seems like this new set of Legendaries has no recollection of the previous movies or the events of the anime.

One of the earliest examples is Lugia. Lugia was first introduced in the Orange Islands in the movie ‘Pokémon: The Movie 2000’. A different Lugia, who happens to be a parent, made multiple appearances in Pokémon Johto. Not only was the parent Lugia shown, but Silver, the baby Lugia named by Oliver, was also featured in the anime.

Lugia also makes a reappearance in movies ‘Hoopa and the Clash of Ages’ and ‘The Power of Us’. Meanwhile, it is shown that there are multiple Celebi, Shaymin, and Mew in their respective movies and occasionally when they are featured in the anime. For example, multiple Celebi was shown at the end of ‘Celebi: The Voice of the Forest.’

Shaymin in the movie also wanted to catch up with the other herd of Shaymin in Gracedia so they could all transform into their Sky Forme together. It also seems that some trainers already possess a Legendary Pokémon, as Mallow has a Shaymin of her own.

The Three Legendary Birds also appear multiple times, and it seems they are different every time. The first time they appear is during the movie ‘Pokémon: The Movie 2000’. In the movie, fans are informed that each Legendary Bird resides in their respective islands and does not usually leave the islands.

However, an Articuno was seen under the possession of a trainer named Noland. Meanwhile, different Zapdos and Moltres were seen in the Kalos region despite not being known to be spotted in that region.

In ‘Pokémon Journeys,’ Goh managed to catch a Suicune who is noted to be different from any of the other Suicune encountered by Ash throughout the anime series and movies. If it was the same Suicune that Ash had encountered in his past adventures, the Pokémon might have been more cooperative than its attitude prior to Goh catching it.

What’s the difference between a mythical Pokémon and a legendary Pokémon in the anime?

The term Mythical Pokémon was scrapped entirely in the anime, especially in the English Dubbed version of ‘Pokémon’. Instead, Mythical Pokémon in the anime are also considered Legendary Pokémon because there isn’t much difference between the two types of Pokémon.

It’s important to know the difference in the game because how they are treated is different. In the games, both types of Pokémon are considered extremely rare, Legendaries can be encountered in the wild or as part of the story in the games, and there is usually only one of each Legendary Pokémon. Meanwhile, Mythical Pokémon can only be acquired during special events in the game.

However, since how they are acquired, or specific stats do not really matter in the anime, all Mythical and Sub Legendary Pokémon are referred to as Legendary Pokémon. At some point, there was an odd theory that there is only one of each Legendary Pokémon and several Mythical Pokémon. However, that was disproven since several Legendaries were spotted while Ash and the gang were traveling in Kanto alone.

Is there only one Arceus?

In the Pokémon World the anime is set in, only one Arceus exists. However, since other dimensions are mentioned and shown in the anime, Arceus’ counterparts are also shown in an episode of ‘Pokémon Journeys.’ It is presumed that the Arceus featured in the movies are the same one. It is still unclear if Dialga and Palika featured are also the same in every appearance.

If we follow the lore in the game, Dialga, Palika, and Giratina can be created by Arceus. So it’s possible there exists more than one of the three mentioned Pokémon in a single dimension. However, it has yet to be proven in anime.

Can Legendary Pokémon evolve?

Traditionally, Legendary Pokémon shouldn’t be capable of evolution. However, it was shown in the anime that two Legendaries in the anime are able to evolve. Cosmog, whom Ash and the gang raised, managed to evolve into Cosmoem and later into Solgaleo. There’s also probably more than one Cosmog because this Pokémon is also the pre-evolved form of Lunala.

Type Null, a Pokémon created by scientists in the anime, also evolved into the Pokémon Silvally. The interesting thing about this Pokémon in the anime is that it was initially revealed to be a Silvally, but a helmet was placed on its head, causing the Pokémon to de-evolve to Null. Some Legendaries can also Mega Evolve, such as Latias and Latios.

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