Of all the creatures in the Pokémon franchise, few are more iconic or powerful than Legendary Pokémon, in large part because of how difficult they are to obtain in the series' lore. For the most part, Legendary Pokémon play a role in the history or mythology of the Pokémon universe. Notable examples like Dialga and Palkia or Groudon and Kyogre were even theorized to play a role in the creation of the game's world. Although there are no specific criteria regarding what does and doesn't count as a Legendary Pokémon, Pokémon fans can generally agree that they're both rare in of encounters and notably impressive in battle.
In fact, many Legendary Pokémon are cited as being nearly impossible to find, let alone catch. Pokémon's Legendaries must be caught in specific ways in the Crown Tundra DLC, for example. Furthermore, numerous NPCs in the Pokémon universe don't believe in certain Legendary Pokémon at all. In the case of others, it seems unlikely that more than one would even exist when they possess powers such as influencing time or creating oceans. When individual Pokémon are so unique that their very existence is debated in-game, it makes it all the more jarring when players are able to trade with others for multiple copies of each. It can make the games feel disted from the lore of the Pokémon series, which in turn can be confusing even for long-time fans.
The Pokémon Series Can't Decide If Legendary Pokémon Are Rare Or Not
It should be noted that not all Legendary Pokémon are one-of-a-kind, and their rarity does at times vary from generation to generation or between the Pokémon games and the anime. Pokémon lore's biggest retcons prove that the series is no stranger to switching up answers. That said, there are a few cases in which it's clear that there are multiple of a Pokémon species. Latias and Entei are two such examples. The Legendary bird Pokémon such as Articuno are rare spawns in many games as well, with multiples of them appearing in the same save file. Legendary Pokémon oftentimes appear in battle facilities even when being utilized by the player, too.
This raises the question, however, of what exactly marks Legendary Pokémon as Legendary if not their status as uniquely individual creatures. Oftentimes their stats aren't even distinctly impressive, as is the case with Pokémon's most disappointing Legendaries. The answer is unclear, though oftentimes the mascot Pokémon of a game is classified as Legendary. In other cases, Pokémon are only identified as falling under the title when an official press release or marketing material says as much. Not having any clear answers in-game makes their inclusion feel at times like a gimmick more than a remarkable event.
In all cases, whether a Pokémon is truly the only one of its kind or simply relatively difficult to encounter, the supposed uniqueness of Legendary Pokémon just doesn't make sense. History's oldest non-Legendary Pokémon demonstrates that factors like their age doesn't make them stand out either. More than that, their lack of genuine rarity in the games is a problem, and the Pokémon series could perhaps benefit from taking the time to more thoroughly explore each Legendary Pokémon species and what makes them so special. Given the research-oriented nature of the protagonist's role in most Pokémon games, the possibility doesn't seem out of the question. The world of the series would feel much more cohesive and fleshed out if it was properly addressed.
