The original slogan of the Pokémon franchise was "Gotta Catch 'Em All," which was a lot easier said than done. In Pokémon Red & Blue, it was difficult because trainers needed to know other people who owned a copy of the game (as well as a link cable) and were willing to help them finish the Pokédex.
The latest games in the series can connect to the Internet making it easier to collect some of the rarer Pokémon. It's just a shame that there are over eight hundred Pokémon now, which means that it takes a long time to catch them all.
Updated on December 10th, 2021 by Quinn Levandoski: As the Pokémon franchise continues to grow, Game Freak has found increasingly creative ways to make many of its almost 900 monsters hard to catch. The addition of Dynamax Adventure in generation eight has made some legendary Pokémon more accessible, but creatures with alternate forms or move sets remain elusive. Players can no longer simply rely on a bag full of Ultra Balls and some luck; the rarest Pokémon require other applications and access to limited-time vents. While these Pokémon may eventually be released in a way that's easier to take advantage of, other rare monsters will assuredly take their place if they do.
The Level 99 Hydro Pump Magikarp
Some Pokémon look weak but are actually powerful. Magikarp is just incredibly weak. They can be found in almost every body of water in the Pokémon world. The one exception to this is in Pokémon Black & White, as Magikarp are not native to Unova. Trainers can only purchase a Magikarp from a salesman on the Marvelous Bridge.
The rarest Magikarp in Pokémon history was given away at a local event in Japan, which means that it was not available for download. The only way to receive this Magikarp was to visit the Pokémon Center in Nagoya, as it was distributed there, from March 20th to May 6th, back in 2013. It was released to promote the fact that the Pokémon Center was moving to a new building.
So what makes this Magikarp so special? It was a Shiny Pokémon (which is rare enough on its own) that was level 99 and carried a Rare Candy. The reason this Magikarp is so rare is that it knows Hydro Pump, which is a powerful Water-type move that Magikarp cannot normally learn. Trainers could really conquer the Pokémon League with this feisty fish.
Dunsparce
Dunsparce is one of the most useless Pokémon in the series. It is weak, slow, and cannot take many hits before it is knocked out. Dunsparce does not evolve into a more powerful Pokémon and it has yet to receive a Mega Evolution or another alternate form. It exists only to fill up space on the Pokédex.
The first time Dunsparce appeared was in Pokémon Gold & Silver where it would only appear in the Dark Cave. Game Freak was particularly sadistic about Dunsparce, as trainers only had a 1% chance of encountering it in the wild. Trainers also had to go through the annoying process of using Flash to lighten up the cave during the era when Flash was still an HM move. This meant that they had to drop off a member of their team and bring a so-called "HM Slave" Pokémon with them. All of this was way too much work for a Pokémon that was totally useless in battle.
Chimecho
Chimecho is an unusual Pokémon, and it's easy to consider them poor Pokémon that no one should catch. The best use of Chimecho in battle is as a staller, as it can inflict status elements and just heal for the rest of the battle. This isn't the best tactic in the world and it would likely get killed in a competitive match, but it at least has a niche. Chimecho is way more effective in battle than Dunsparce, yet it is almost as difficult to catch.
In Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire, players can only find Chimecho on the summit of Mt. Pyre. They have a 2% chance of encountering a Chimecho within the tall grass on top of the mountain. This was made slightly easier in Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, as this chance was raised to 5%. Trainers shouldn't worry too much about finding Chimecho in more recent games as they can just trade for one over Wi-Fi.
Mareanie
Pokémon Sun & Moon introduced a new concept into the game known as the SOS Battle. This means that a wild Pokémon can call allies into battle which means that trainers will be facing two Pokémon at once. SOS Battles seemed like an interesting idea at first, but in practice, it tended to just artificially increase the length of fights.
One of the new Pokémon introduced in Sun & Moon was Mareanie. It is a Poison/Water-type Pokémon that can possess the awesome Merciless ability, which ensures that all of your attacks against a poisoned opponent are critical hits. A Mareanie was recently caught by James of Team Rocket in the Pokémon anime.
Mareanie is a notoriously difficult Pokémon to catch. Trainers first have to encounter a Corsola in the wild (which is hard enough to do already) and use an Adrenaline Orb on it. This will make it nervous, which might cause it to call for help. There is a chance that Corsola will call a Mareanie into battle, which is the only way to encounter it in the wild.
Flying Pikachu
Though Pikachu may be sadder than he initially appears, Pikachu is the star of the Pokémon franchise and has appeared in the promotional material of almost everything Pokémon-related (including Black & White, where players couldn't even catch one in the wild). As such, Pikachu has received several unique variants across the series. These include the Cosplay Pikachu from Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire and the Surfing Pikachu that can be earned in Pokémon Battle Revolution, which can be traded to Diamond & Pearl.
Back in the days of Pokémon Red & Blue, there was an incredibly rare Pikachu that was given away as part of a promotion. CoroCoro Comics gave away a Pikachu that knows the move Fly, as part of a competition. Only twenty of these Flying Pikachu were ever given away, which makes it the hardest to find Pikachu of all. They also gave away twenty Pikachu that knew Surf, but these soon became common as players can trade a Pikachu over to Pokémon Stadium and teach it Surf there.
Sharpedo
Pokémon Sun & Moon finally did away with needing HM moves to proceed through the game. The fandom rejoiced at this, as they had long become weary of having to take up useful move slots with things like Cut and Strength. Game Freak replaced HMs with a new concept called Poké Ride. This allows trainers to ride certain Pokémon on the field and to use their unique talents as a replacement for an HM. They can ride a Tauros, for example, and break through any boulders they find on the path. This acts as a replacement for the Rock Smash HM.
One of the Poke Rides players are given is Sharpedo, which allows them to move quickly across the water and to break through any rocks you find. The problem is, players cannot actually call the Sharpedo into battle. If they want to catch one in the wild, then they have to travel to the Poni Breaker Coast. They have a 1% chance of catching a Sharpedo here. They can increase this to 10% by fishing at a bubbling spot of water. The problem is, the water returns to normal after they have fished there. Players have to leave the area and return in order to make the bubbles come back, which is just as tedious as hoping to encounter one in the wild.
Munchlax & The Four Trees
Baby Pokémon are one of the worst additions to the series. They exist only to fill out the Pokédex as they are totally useless in battle and are a notorious pain to evolve as players need to raise the Friendship stat of the Pokémon instead of its level.
Pokémon Diamond & Pearl introduced a Baby pre-evolution form for Snorlax, which was called Munchlax. It was the first new Pokémon introduced for the upcoming fourth generation of games, which caused many fans to believe that it would be easy to find...
In Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, there are twenty-one trees in the game which can be slathered in honey. This will attract wild Pokémon to the tree, which trainers can then battle. When players start a new save file, the game will randomly assign four of the twenty-one trees as the only ones that will spawn a Munchlax. If they manage to find one of these trees, then they have a 1% chance of encountering a Munchlax. Happy slathering!
Kangaskhan
There are plenty of strong Normal-type Pokémon, but Kangaskhan was not originally one of them. In Pokémon Red & Blue, it could only be found in the Safari Zone, which made it a pain to catch. When trainers finally found one, they discovered that it was useless in battle. Kangaskhan was just a boring Normal-type Pokémon that had no worthwhile traits.
In Pokémon X & Y, Kangaskhan received a Mega Evolution. This made the baby Kangaskhan leap from its mother's pouch and enter the battle. In game terms, this means that Mega Kangaskhan gains the Parental Bond ability, which allows it to attack twice per turn, with the second attack dealing half damage. This made Kangaskhanone of the best Pokémon in the game until the removal of Mega Evolutions later.
Kangaskhan's newly found popularity may be why it was made so difficult to find in Alola. The only place trainers can encounter a wild Kangaskhan in Pokémon Sun & Moon is at the Wela Volcano where they only have a 1% chance of meeting it.
Chansey
The Safari Zone is one of the most annoying parts of the Pokémon series. Every time trainers encounter a wild Pokémon, they are forced to play a guessing game regarding which one of the items they should use against it. In most battles, trainers can just put the Pokémon to sleep or waste a Master Ball on it. The Safari Zone does not allow any shortcuts, which means players will be stuck spending hours trying to find a Tauros who won't run away in the first round.
In Pokémon Red & Blue, trainers can only encounter a Chansey in the Safari Zone. It has either a 1% or 4% chance of spawning depending on the player's location, and they have to use the Safari Zone method of trying to catch it.
Of all of the Pokémon on this list, Chansey is the one that is worth the time it takes to catch. Its cute face and happy demeanor are not indicative of its combat prowess - Chansey is an absolute monster on the battlefield. It has dominated the competitive scene since the days of Red & Blue due to its incredibly high stats and an amazing selection of moves. This is one egg that trainers shouldn't mess with.
Spiky-Eared Pichu
It is possible to trade Pokémon between Red & Blue and Gold & Silver with the aid of the Time Capsule. Trainers cannot trade Pokémon from the first and second generations into the third and beyond due to how the rules of the game were changed at a basic level. The exception to this is the 3DS versions of Red, Blue & Yellow which can trade Pokémon into Sun & Moon. Players can trade all Pokémon from Ruby & Sapphire onwards into the later games with one exception.
There was a Pikachu-colored variant of Pichu that was released as a downloadable Pokémon in HeartGold & SoulSilver. If players take this to the shrine in Ilex Forest they will find a Spiky-eared Pichu that has three points on one of its ears. This Spiky-eared Pichu cannot be traded into any other game, which means that it is stuck inside HeartGold & SoulSilver.
Politoed
Pokémon Red & Blue introduced the concept of trade evolutions. These were elusive third evolutionary forms for Pokémon, which could only happen when the Pokémon was traded to another player. In Red & Blue, this was restricted to Kadabra (into Alakazam), Machoke (into Machamp), Haunter (into Gengar), and Graveler (into Golem). One of the new trade evolutions that were added into Pokémon Gold & Silver involved trading a Poliwhirl that was holding a King's Rock, which will then evolve into Politoed.
In Pokémon Sun & Moon, it is possible to catch a Politoed in the wild. The method for doing this is very obscure, however, and players are not likely to discover it without a guide.
If trainers travel to the Malie Garden there is a 1% chance that a wild Pokémon will use its SOS command and call in a Politoed as an ally. The only time a Pokémon will call a Politoed is at night when it is raining. Players might be waiting a while before they meet one in battle.
Pay Day Fearow & Rapidash
In Pokémon Red & Blue, players can visit a Pokémon Fan Club in Vermilion City. The Chairman of this Club will talk to them about how much he loves Rapidash. In fact, he goes into a creepy amount of detail concerning his affection for Rapidash. Once he finally stops talking, he will give players the ticket that they can trade for a Bicycle. The Chairman doesn't require it as he can use his Fearow to fly from place to place.
One of the earliest Pokémon distribution events involved a stamp collection contest that was held across several different magazines. The winners would receive a Rapidash and a Fearow, both of which could use Pay Day. This is the signature move of Meowth, which cannot normally be learned by either Rapidash or Fearow. These Pokémon were inspired by the Chairman of the Pokémon Fan Club and his love for his two favorite monsters.
Feebas
Feebas was a new Water-type Pokémon that was introduced in Ruby & Sapphire. It is supposed to mirror Magikarp in several different ways. Feebas has terrible stats and is totally useless in battle, much like Magikarp. When Feebas evolves, however, it turns into an elegant and beautiful serpent, whereas Magikarp transforms into a violent beast.
One way in which Feebas mirrors Magikarp is in where it is found. If trainers want to find a Magikarp in the Pokémon world, then they usually only need to look in the nearest puddle. In Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire, Feebas can only be found in the river on Route 119. Only six random water tiles contain a Feebas, which means that players have to have multiple random battles on each individual square of water in order to make sure that they haven't missed one that will spawn a Feebas.
In Pokémon Diamond & Pearl, players can only find Feebas in four random spots in the waters of Mt. Coronet. Luckily for the player, this was the generation when trading over the Internet was first possible, so it was easier to just find someone online who had bred a bunch of Feebas and wanted to trade.
Lance's Dragonite
Dragonites may be some of the coolest dragons in anime, but Lance's is definitely a cheater. His three Dragonites in Pokémon Gold & Silver are all under level 55, despite Dragonair not being able to evolve until it reaches that level. Lance's Aerodactyl can also use Rock Slide, which it could not learn through legitimate means in Gold & Silver.
In Pokémon Red & Blue, Lance's Dragonite knows Barrier, which it cannot normally learn. This can actually be used against him, as was discovered in Twitch Plays Pokémon Red. When Dragonite faced off against Venomoth, it kept using Barrier, because the A.I. is programmed to use a type-effective move at all times. This allowed the Venomoth to overcome the Dragonite in battle, as it was unable to use any move other than Barrier.
Lance was finally made somewhat legitimate in 2016, as players who took part in the Kanto Classic tournament would each receive a code for a special download. They would each receive a Dragonite that knew Barrier, which finally made Lance's team in Pokémon Red & Blue legit.
Shiny Vespiquen
The craziest kind of Pokémon trainer is the Shiny Hunter. These are trainers who purposely seek out Shiny Pokémon, which are a different color from the regular kind that players encounter. The chances of meeting a Shiny Pokémon are incredibly slim. As of Pokémon Sun & Moon, trainers have a 1/1024 chance of a Pokémon being a Shiny. There are a few ways to increase the odds such as finding the Shiny Charm (which is given to players when they complete the Pokédex), but it will still take a long time to meet one.
There is one Pokémon that keeps Shiny Hunters awake at night. Its name is Vespiquen, and it was first introduced in Diamond & Pearl. The only way to catch a Vespiquen is to evolve it from Combee at level 21. This wouldn't be a problem, except for the fact that only female Combee can evolve into Vespiquen, and there is only a 12% chance of any Combee being female. In order to find a Shiny Combee, players must take the regular chance of finding a Shiny Pokémon and increase it by several magnitudes as they are far more likely to find or breed a male Combee.
Zarude
Pokémon Sword and Shield angered many fans by cutting a large number of its famous monsters from the available Pokédex for the first time in a mainline game. This problem was slightly alleviated later with the return of many fan-favorites in the Crown Tundra and Isle of Armor expansions.
Game Freak also added a few new Galarian Forms and a brand new monster to the Pokédex along with these returning classics. Zarude, a mythical monster that resembles a jungle monkey, was given to Japanese players that purchased a ticket to the movie Secrets of the Jungle. Players elsewhere had to opt-in to marketing emails from the Pokémon Trainer Club by October 7th, 2021. There is currently no way to obtain this creature outside of trades.
Gigantamax Melmetal
There are several Pokémon that require multiple games to get via a trading requirement, but Gigantamax Melmetal is currently the only Pokémon that requires games from two different lines on two different gaming platforms. To obtain one of the best designed Gigantamax Pokémon, players need to have access to Pokémon Go on a mobile device and the Pokemon Home app.
They'll then need to send any Pokémon from Pokemon Go to Pokémon Home. This will unlock a Mystery Gift Gigantamax Melmental in Pokémon Home. From here, players can move the Pokémon from Home to either Pokemon Sword or Shield.
Original Color Magearna
Magearna is a Steel and Fairy-type mythical Pokémon first introduced in the seventh-generation games. This pocket monster's original form was already hard to find; players had to scan a QR code on the Pokémon website after becoming the Alolan champion.
While Magearna is usually silver-colored, a special Original Color version was also released that saw Magearna's ball-shaped lower half get colored like a Pokéball. To receive this version, players have to register every single Pokémon in the Pokémon Home application. They don't all have to be there simultaneously anymore, which makes the task slightly less daunting, but it's still a challenging task that few trainers ever accomplish.
Mew
Mew has inspired several urban legends about how it can be caught in various games, but the only way to legitimately capture it in Pokémon Red and Blue involves quite a bit of work. Players must not have fought either the Gambler on Route 8 or the Youngster on Route 25, and they must also have a Pokémon with the move Fly.
Players need to press start as the Gambler approaches them to fight and fly to a different town. Players then need to battle the Youngster. Players then need to press start once and enter Route 8. Upon entering the route, a battle will automatically start with a level 7 Mew.
The Legendary Dog Trio
Johto has several powerful legendary and mythical Pokémon, but the three legendary dogs are the hardest to catch. As soon as players find them, Raikou, Entei, and Suicune, they scatter to undisclosed locations around the Johto region's map. They randomly move around the map until players come upon them in battle by chance, but there are tricks to help players find them faster. First, they always start on Route 37, 38, and 42.
They move when players go through a door or up a ladder, so they need to use dig to leave the area that the dogs are released from automatically. If this doesn't work, players should try the area west of Mahogany Town. Once found, the dogs run away immediately, so it's best to have a Pokémon with a sleep-inducing move in the first combat slot.