The Pokémon animated world is incredibly diverse, featuring hundreds of creatures with unique abilities. However, throughout the anime’s history, some Pokémon have displayed power far beyond the rest.
Here are the five strongest Pokémon ever seen on screen.
Ash Ketchum’s Pikachu
It would be a huge oversight to leave out the iconic yellow electric mouse, the immortal symbol of the entire franchise. Raised by a wild Kangaskhan before evolving and being captured by Professor Oak, Pikachu’s journey began with distrust toward humans. But after Ash risked his life to save it from a flock of wild bird Pokémon, an unbreakable bond was formed.
Though Pikachu chooses not to evolve, Ash’s Pikachu possesses an inner energy far beyond its peers. No matter if the opponent is a Legendary Pokémon or a supreme god, this little mouse never backs down.
Unown
Though not a Legendary or Mythical Pokémon, Unown (Psychic type) is one of the most mysterious and terrifying creatures. According to the Pokédex, when Unown shaped like ancient characters gather, they generate a psychic power capable of bending reality.
This power is most clearly shown in Pokémon 3: The Movie. To ease the loneliness and longing of a girl named Molly Hale for her father, the Unown transformed her entire mansion into a crystal castle and brought to life a unique Entei from her mind.
This simulated Entei was powerful enough to overwhelm Ash’s Charizard with devastating fire attacks. When the Unown’s energy spiraled out of control, threatening to destroy the land, Entei had to fight back against its creators to protect Molly before vanishing.
Rayquaza
Millions of years ago, when the epic battle between Groudon (embodiment of land) and Kyogre (embodiment of sea) threatened to flood and destroy the Hoenn region, Rayquaza descended from the stratosphere to quell the fury of these two ancient titans and restore world order.
Rayquaza first appeared in the movie Destiny Deoxys and has repeatedly proven its supreme status in later films like Pokémon Horizons: The Series (in its Shiny form). Notably, in the “The Scoop” episode of Pokémon Generations, fans witnessed Mega Rayquaza, the only ancient Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution.
It single-handedly flew into space, destroyed a massive Delta asteroid, and defeated the wild Deoxys hiding inside, proving its unmatched power in the skies.
Mewtwo
Created by altering the DNA of the Mythical Pokémon Mew, Mewtwo is an artificial being with fierce and pure psychic energy. Realizing it was only a test subject for Team Rocket, Mewtwo rebelled, destroyed the lab, and declared war on humanity and the Pokémon that obey humans.
Mewtwo’s revenge sparked bloody conflicts between cloned Pokémon and originals. It also faced Mew in a one-on-one battle that lasted long as it sought answers about its own existence.
Mewtwo’s power is so overwhelming that in the Pokémon Origins manga, it easily wiped out the entire champion Red’s team, only yielding to the advanced strength of Mega Charizard X.
Arceus
At the top of the list is none other than Arceus, the “Creator” of the entire Pokémon universe. According to Sinnoh mythology, Arceus gave birth to all things, created the three guardian deities of the lakes, and the legendary dragon trio that rules time and space.
Arceus’s power is limitless, capable of restructuring or erasing the entire universe in an instant. In the movie Arceus and the Jewel of Life, after being betrayed by humans, Arceus’s wrath caused a catastrophic disaster lasting centuries.
This godlike power is so overwhelming that our heroes had no chance in a direct fight. Their only option to save the world was to rely on Dialga to travel back in time and prevent the misunderstanding. Arceus represents the ultimate boundary no Pokémon can surpass.