Mythical Pokémon: Full List and Event History
Mythical Pokémon occupy a distinct category within the franchise — rarer than Legendaries in the most practical sense, because they can only be obtained through special distribution events rather than in-game encounters. This page covers every confirmed Mythical Pokémon across all generations, how event distributions work, and how Mythicals differ from Legendaries in both gameplay rules and lore design.
Definition and Scope
The official designation "Mythical Pokémon" is used by The Pokémon Company to classify a specific subset of rare Pokémon that are distributed exclusively through limited-time events — Nintendo Wi-Fi distributions, serial code giveaways at retail partners, or Mystery Gift codes tied to specific promotions. As of Generation IX (Scarlet and Violet), the Mythical roster stands at 22 species.
That number tells a story. There are more Legendary Pokémon than Mythicals — Legendaries like the legendary trios and duos are generally catchable in the main game files. Mythicals almost never are. Deoxys was a notable exception during certain remakes, and Manaphy hatches from an egg transferred via Pokémon Ranger, but the baseline rule holds: Mythicals arrive from outside the normal game ecosystem. They don't appear in the wild. They don't hide in caves. They show up when The Pokémon Company says they show up.
The broader Pokémon generations overview puts this in context — the Mythical category didn't receive its own official branding until Generation V, though earlier Pokémon like Mew, Celebi, and Jirachi were retroactively classified under it.
How It Works
Event distributions have taken several forms across the franchise's history:
- Wireless distribution at retail — In-store Nintendo events (GameStop in the US was the primary partner for the DS era) allowed players to receive Mythicals over local wireless by simply walking into the store with their game cartridge.
- Serial code cards — Physical cards distributed at retailers like GameStop, Target, or McDonald's contain one-time-use codes redeemable through the Mystery Gift menu.
- Online Mystery Gift via internet — Starting with Generation VI, players could receive Mythicals directly over an internet connection through the Mystery Gift system built into the game.
- Mobile app linkage — Pokémon GO and the Pokémon HOME app have served as distribution channels for select Mythicals, most notably Meltan and Melmetal, which are obtained by linking GO to a main series game.
- In-game methods (exceptions) — Shaymin in Platinum, Darkrai in Platinum, and Arceus (sometimes classified as Mythical, though its status is debated — see the legendary Pokémon guide) required an event item to unlock an in-game encounter.
The Mystery Gift system connects directly to Nintendo's online infrastructure. Since the closure of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service in May 2014, original DS-era distributions are no longer officially accessible through legitimate channels.
Common Scenarios
The Mythical lineup across generations includes:
- Generation I: Mew — arguably the original source of the entire Mythical concept; distributed at Nintendo events as early as 1996 in Japan
- Generation II: Celebi — frequently the target of region-specific distributions tied to the Pokémon Crystal and HeartGold/SoulSilver releases
- Generation III: Jirachi, Deoxys — Jirachi was distributed via a Pokémon Colosseum bonus disc in North America
- Generation IV: Manaphy, Darkrai, Shaymin, Arceus — the GBA/DS transition era when US retail events peaked
- Generation V: Victini, Keldeo, Meloetta, Genesect — Generation V saw heavy serial code distribution in the US
- Generation VI: Diancie, Hoopa, Volcanion — each tied to specific year-long event campaigns
- Generation VII: Magearna, Marshadow, Zeraora, Meltan, Melmetal — Magearna introduced QR code scanning as a distribution method
- Generation VIII: Zarude, Calyrex (Calyrex is Legendary, not Mythical) — Zarude arrived via newsletter email code in 2020
- Generation IX: Pecharunt — distributed via a paid downloadable content expansion for The Teal Mask
Players tracking completion across generations will find that Pokémon HOME serves as the central repository, allowing Mythicals obtained in older games to be transferred forward, though compatibility restrictions apply for pre-Bank titles.
Decision Boundaries
The line between Mythical and Legendary isn't always intuitive from a stat or power standpoint. Both categories include Pokémon with base stat totals of 600 or higher — Mew sits at exactly 600 across all stats, while Legendary stalwarts like Zapdos hit 580. The differentiation is structural and distributional, not a measure of in-universe power.
Mythical vs. Legendary — key distinctions:
| Factor | Mythical | Legendary |
|---|---|---|
| Obtainable in wild | No (with narrow exceptions) | Yes, in most cases |
| Distribution method | Events, codes, apps | In-game encounters |
| Transferable in trades | Usually banned in standard competitive formats | Usually banned in standard competitive formats |
| Eligibility in Battle Stadium | Restricted to select formats | Restricted to select formats |
The competitive question matters practically. The VGC competitive ruleset governs which restricted Pokémon are allowed in official tournament play, and Mythicals face the same blanket restrictions as box Legendaries in most formats — they're classified as "restricted Pokémon" under official Play! Pokémon rules.
For collectors managing multiple game saves, the Pokémon main series games reference provides version-by-version breakdowns of which events were active per title, which matters when identifying which Mythicals can still be legitimately transferred from older cartridges.
The full National Pokédex provider places each Mythical within its generational sequence, which remains the most reliable way to cross-reference a Pokémon's official classification against The Pokémon Company's own published materials.