Introduction
Having lately bowed to pressure and started paying for a Premium Plan on Pokemon Home, I recently gathered every mythical in the series into one glorious group.
For more than a decade, mythical Pokemon were entirely exclusive to events and could not be obtained in normal gameplay. It wasn't until the release of My Pokemon Ranch that Mew became available on a repeatable, non time-restricted basis. Gradually, others started to be made available without events as well. This has obviously made many mythical Pokemon far easier to obtain than they once were. But some mythicals still remain exclusive to time- or location-locked events, and it's made me curious as to which one is the rarest, or least accessible, of the group.
So I did a little research, and decided to enumerate my findings in case anyone else was curious.
Premise
I decided to look at each mythical and count how many times they have been distributed, and for how long. Primarily, I will be counting the period of days a Pokemon has been made available in total. For equivalent distributions in different countries, they will count as the same distribution unless the dates are different: i.e. if a Pokemon was available from January 1st until March 31st 2022 in PAL regions but from January 15th to March 20th 2022 in Japan, the longer date is counted. Other factors to consider in the case of a tie or an unclear result will be the number of generations relative to the potential maximum it was made available in. For example, if a Pokemon from Gen V was only ever distributed in Gen V and VI, this would make it rarer than one which was distributed in Gen V, VI, VII, and VIII.
No Pokemon game in Gen VIII has the capacity to contain all the mythicals, so I am treating Pokemon Home as the "base" title: the premise assumes that I will be putting any mythical into Home.
Exemptions
So, before we look at periods of availability, we can eliminate any mythical which can be obtained in a main series title via standard gameplay.
Note that for the purpose of this list, "main series" here is taken to mean any title compatible with the main series, including Pokemon Go and spinoffs like Ranch and Colosseum. "Standard gameplay" here is taken to mean:
-for free
-without an event
-without external influence
...therefore, Pokemon which require save data bonuses (such as Jirachi in BDSP or Shaymin in L:A) are not considered part of standard gameplay, because players need a separate game to obtain them and they are not free. To wit, Deoxys in ORAS may be obtained all the time, by every player; Jirachi in BDSP may not. Below are all the mythical Pokemon obtainable who fit this criteria.
With those examples out of the way, let's move on to the Pokemon not freely available.
Looking at the numbers above, we have an obvious winner - Diancie! Not only has it been available for the least amount of time overall, it has only ever been distributed in Gen VI. Oddly, considering that it's available in SwSh.
Cross your fingers for a Diancie-themed Go Fest in 2023...
edit: Oh, look at that, I predicted correctly. So - assuming Diancie becomes freely available within the next 12 months - what's the new winner? That'd be - unsurprisingly - Zarude, or Dada Zarude to be specific. It's the last mythical we've seen in the series to date, and has not been available in any form since 2021. Regular Zarude's last distribution date was November 30th, 2021 (all regions) while Dada Zarude's last distribution date was December 31st, 2021 (again all regions).
Magearna or Manaphy for next year's Go Fest, perhaps? Since I predicted correctly last time... though tbf Niantic is running low on cutesy mythicals. I'd be happy with a Volcanion-centred Go Fest, personally.
another edit: thought it'd be useful to clarify the last date that each Pokemon has been available. For the majority, this is December 2022 - ironically, despite being the most available mythical Pokemon in terms of distributions, Darkrai is the species that has been available least recently as there has been no way to legitimately obtain one since 2021.
TL;DR
There isn't one, this is the whole post. Thanks for reading.
Updated as of June 2024
Having lately bowed to pressure and started paying for a Premium Plan on Pokemon Home, I recently gathered every mythical in the series into one glorious group.
For more than a decade, mythical Pokemon were entirely exclusive to events and could not be obtained in normal gameplay. It wasn't until the release of My Pokemon Ranch that Mew became available on a repeatable, non time-restricted basis. Gradually, others started to be made available without events as well. This has obviously made many mythical Pokemon far easier to obtain than they once were. But some mythicals still remain exclusive to time- or location-locked events, and it's made me curious as to which one is the rarest, or least accessible, of the group.
So I did a little research, and decided to enumerate my findings in case anyone else was curious.
Premise
I decided to look at each mythical and count how many times they have been distributed, and for how long. Primarily, I will be counting the period of days a Pokemon has been made available in total. For equivalent distributions in different countries, they will count as the same distribution unless the dates are different: i.e. if a Pokemon was available from January 1st until March 31st 2022 in PAL regions but from January 15th to March 20th 2022 in Japan, the longer date is counted. Other factors to consider in the case of a tie or an unclear result will be the number of generations relative to the potential maximum it was made available in. For example, if a Pokemon from Gen V was only ever distributed in Gen V and VI, this would make it rarer than one which was distributed in Gen V, VI, VII, and VIII.
No Pokemon game in Gen VIII has the capacity to contain all the mythicals, so I am treating Pokemon Home as the "base" title: the premise assumes that I will be putting any mythical into Home.
Exemptions
So, before we look at periods of availability, we can eliminate any mythical which can be obtained in a main series title via standard gameplay.
Note that for the purpose of this list, "main series" here is taken to mean any title compatible with the main series, including Pokemon Go and spinoffs like Ranch and Colosseum. "Standard gameplay" here is taken to mean:
-for free
-without an event
-without external influence
...therefore, Pokemon which require save data bonuses (such as Jirachi in BDSP or Shaymin in L:A) are not considered part of standard gameplay, because players need a separate game to obtain them and they are not free. To wit, Deoxys in ORAS may be obtained all the time, by every player; Jirachi in BDSP may not. Below are all the mythical Pokemon obtainable who fit this criteria.
Mew
Mew is available from My Pokemon Ranch if the player deposits 999 Pokemon. However, this does require at least one copy of Diamond or Pearl (or Platinum in Japan).
It is moot now as Ranch can no longer be legitimately downloaded, and since Mew is available from Pokemon Go via the "A Mythical Discovery" questline.
Mew is currently indefinitely available in Pokemon Go and (partially) My Pokemon Ranch
Celebi
Celebi is available in the Virtual Console release of Crystal (edit: as of 2023, no longer available) and also from Pokemon Go via the "A Ripple In Time" questline.
Celebi is currently indefinitely available in Pokemon Go and (with caveats) Pokemon Crystal's Virtual Console edition
Jirachi
Jirachi is available from Pokemon Go via the "A Thousand-Year Slumber" questline.
Jirachi is currently indefinitely available in Pokemon Go
Deoxys
Deoxys is encountered in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire as part of the storyline.
Deoxys is currently indefinitely available in Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
Phione
Phione is encountered in Legends: Arceus as part of the storyline. It is, of course, also infinitely available in games where breeding is possible if the player already has a Manaphy or a Phione.
Phione is currently indefinitely available in Pokemon Legends: Arceus
Manaphy
Manaphy is encountered in Legends: Arceus as part of the storyline.
Manaphy is currently indefinitely available in Pokemon Legends: Arceus
Shaymin
At the time of writing, Shaymin has only been made available in Pokemon Go via paid events. However, following precedent it is highly likely that it will be released for free later on in the same manner as other mythicals, so I am including it here. edit: as expected, Shaymin is now available from Pokemon Go via the "Grass and Gratitude" questline.
Shaymin is currently indefinitely available in Pokemon Go
Arceus
Arceus is encountered in Legends: Arceus as part of the storyline.
Arceus is currently indefinitely available in Pokemon Legends: Arceus
Victini
Victini is available from Pokemon Go via the "Investigate A Mysterious Energy" questline.
Victini is currently indefinitely available in Pokemon Go
Keldeo
Keldeo is available in the Crown Tundra DLC.
Keldeo is currently indefinitely available in the Crown Tundra DLC
Meloetta
Meloetta is available from Pokemon Go via the "Finding Your Voice" questline.
Meloetta is currently indefinitely available in Pokemon Go
Diancie
Diancie is available from Pokemon Go via the "Glitz and Glam" questline.
Diancie is currently indefinitely available in Pokemon Go
Hoopa
Hoopa is a disputable case. It was available from Pokemon Go via the "Misunderstood Mischief" questline, which was timelocked and is currently no longer available. However, it was stated that Hoopa would be made available again at some point in the future, so I am including it here as it was, at one point, available for free. edit: at the time of writing, Hoopa has since returned to Pokemon Go but only via Elite Raids.
Hoopa was last available on December 10th, 2022 from Elite Raids in Pokemon Go
Magearna
Magearna is available in Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon via scanning a QR code. This makes it the first, and so far only, mythical to be available via an in-game event before any external event distributions.
The Original Colour Magearna is also technically freely available via Pokemon Home. Six Pokemon are available to the player as Mystery Gifts in Pokemon Home without needing to connect to any other software, meaning that players can technically repeatedly trade to fill the Pokedex without relying on other games. However, in practice this would be extremely difficult and time-consuming. This makes Original Colour Magearna significantly harder to obtain than any of the other "free" mythicals.
Magearna is currently indefinitely available in Pokemon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, Ultra Moon, and Pokemon Home
Marshadow
Marshadow became available via ticketed research in Pokemon Go in May 2024, and following precedent it is highly likely it will be made freely available in the same manner as previous mythical releases within the following year.
Meltan and Melmetal
Meltan and Melmetal are available from Pokemon Go via the "Let's GO, Meltan!" questline and infinitely using the Mystery Box. Pokemon Home gives the player a Melmetal as a Mystery Gift after transferring any species from Pokemon Go.
Meltan and Melmetal are currently indefinitely available
Zarude
Similarly to Hoopa, Zarude was available from Pokemon Go via the "Search for Zarude!" questline, which was timelocked and is currently no longer available. Unlike with Hoopa, it was not clarified in what form Zarude would be available if and when it ever returns to the game, so I am including it here as a partial example.
Original form Zarude was last available on November 30, 2021 from an event distribution, while Dada Zarude was last available on December 31, 2021 from an event distribution
Mew is available from My Pokemon Ranch if the player deposits 999 Pokemon. However, this does require at least one copy of Diamond or Pearl (or Platinum in Japan).
It is moot now as Ranch can no longer be legitimately downloaded, and since Mew is available from Pokemon Go via the "A Mythical Discovery" questline.
Mew is currently indefinitely available in Pokemon Go and (partially) My Pokemon Ranch
Celebi
Celebi is available in the Virtual Console release of Crystal (edit: as of 2023, no longer available) and also from Pokemon Go via the "A Ripple In Time" questline.
Celebi is currently indefinitely available in Pokemon Go and (with caveats) Pokemon Crystal's Virtual Console edition
Jirachi
Jirachi is available from Pokemon Go via the "A Thousand-Year Slumber" questline.
Jirachi is currently indefinitely available in Pokemon Go
Deoxys
Deoxys is encountered in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire as part of the storyline.
Deoxys is currently indefinitely available in Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
Phione
Phione is encountered in Legends: Arceus as part of the storyline. It is, of course, also infinitely available in games where breeding is possible if the player already has a Manaphy or a Phione.
Phione is currently indefinitely available in Pokemon Legends: Arceus
Manaphy
Manaphy is encountered in Legends: Arceus as part of the storyline.
Manaphy is currently indefinitely available in Pokemon Legends: Arceus
Shaymin
At the time of writing, Shaymin has only been made available in Pokemon Go via paid events. However, following precedent it is highly likely that it will be released for free later on in the same manner as other mythicals, so I am including it here. edit: as expected, Shaymin is now available from Pokemon Go via the "Grass and Gratitude" questline.
Shaymin is currently indefinitely available in Pokemon Go
Arceus
Arceus is encountered in Legends: Arceus as part of the storyline.
Arceus is currently indefinitely available in Pokemon Legends: Arceus
Victini
Victini is available from Pokemon Go via the "Investigate A Mysterious Energy" questline.
Victini is currently indefinitely available in Pokemon Go
Keldeo
Keldeo is available in the Crown Tundra DLC.
Keldeo is currently indefinitely available in the Crown Tundra DLC
Meloetta
Meloetta is available from Pokemon Go via the "Finding Your Voice" questline.
Meloetta is currently indefinitely available in Pokemon Go
Diancie
Diancie is available from Pokemon Go via the "Glitz and Glam" questline.
Diancie is currently indefinitely available in Pokemon Go
Hoopa
Hoopa is a disputable case. It was available from Pokemon Go via the "Misunderstood Mischief" questline, which was timelocked and is currently no longer available. However, it was stated that Hoopa would be made available again at some point in the future, so I am including it here as it was, at one point, available for free. edit: at the time of writing, Hoopa has since returned to Pokemon Go but only via Elite Raids.
Hoopa was last available on December 10th, 2022 from Elite Raids in Pokemon Go
Magearna
Magearna is available in Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon via scanning a QR code. This makes it the first, and so far only, mythical to be available via an in-game event before any external event distributions.
The Original Colour Magearna is also technically freely available via Pokemon Home. Six Pokemon are available to the player as Mystery Gifts in Pokemon Home without needing to connect to any other software, meaning that players can technically repeatedly trade to fill the Pokedex without relying on other games. However, in practice this would be extremely difficult and time-consuming. This makes Original Colour Magearna significantly harder to obtain than any of the other "free" mythicals.
Magearna is currently indefinitely available in Pokemon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, Ultra Moon, and Pokemon Home
Marshadow
Marshadow became available via ticketed research in Pokemon Go in May 2024, and following precedent it is highly likely it will be made freely available in the same manner as previous mythical releases within the following year.
Meltan and Melmetal
Meltan and Melmetal are available from Pokemon Go via the "Let's GO, Meltan!" questline and infinitely using the Mystery Box. Pokemon Home gives the player a Melmetal as a Mystery Gift after transferring any species from Pokemon Go.
Meltan and Melmetal are currently indefinitely available
Zarude
Similarly to Hoopa, Zarude was available from Pokemon Go via the "Search for Zarude!" questline, which was timelocked and is currently no longer available. Unlike with Hoopa, it was not clarified in what form Zarude would be available if and when it ever returns to the game, so I am including it here as a partial example.
Original form Zarude was last available on November 30, 2021 from an event distribution, while Dada Zarude was last available on December 31, 2021 from an event distribution
With those examples out of the way, let's move on to the Pokemon not freely available.
Darkrai
As the oldest remaining event-exclusive mythical, Darkrai has had 14 distinct distributions in Gens IV, V, VI, and VII. Unsurprisingly, it is the most available of the event-exclusive mythical species, and has been available for 909 days in total.
Darkrai was last available on November 5th, 2021 from raids and Go Battle League rewards in Pokemon Go. It is also available indefinitely in Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Black, and White via an unofficial server exploit.
Genesect
Genesect has had six distinct distributions in Gens V, VI, and VII, and has been available for 849 days in total.
At the time of writing Genesect is currently available from raids in Pokemon Go, and will remain so until September 23rd, 2023. Prior to this it was last available on December 31st from an event distribution. It is also available indefinitely in Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 via an unofficial server exploit.
Diancie
Diancie has had nine distinct distributions in Gen VI, and has been available for 333 days in total; see also its inclusion in the previous section.
Diancie was last available on August 27th, 2023 from ticketed Special Research in Pokemon Go
Volcanion
Volcanion has had four distinct distributions in Gens VI and VIII, and has been available for 666 days in total.
Volcanion was last available on December 31, 2021 from an event distribution
Zeraora
Zeraora has had two distinct distributions in Gens VII and VIII, and has been available for 420 days in total.
Zarude
Zarude has had six distinct distributions in Gen VIII, and has been available for 345 days in total. Though I listed Zarude above, I am including it here too because as the most recent mythical Pokemon, I had initially intended to omit it from the listing as it seemed likely that its numbers would have been far lower than the rest, making it an outlier. However, after seeing that Zarude's number is higher than Diancie's, I decided to include it.
EDIT: The Dada form of Zarude has so far been available for 338 days in total. As BlizzardHero notes below, the circumstances of the pandemic made obtaining it more difficult than previous legendary and mythical distributions, meaning that its wide availability does not indicate the full story.
Original form Zarude was last available on November 30, 2021 from an event distribution, while Dada Zarude was last available on December 31, 2021 from an event distribution
As the oldest remaining event-exclusive mythical, Darkrai has had 14 distinct distributions in Gens IV, V, VI, and VII. Unsurprisingly, it is the most available of the event-exclusive mythical species, and has been available for 909 days in total.
Darkrai was last available on November 5th, 2021 from raids and Go Battle League rewards in Pokemon Go. It is also available indefinitely in Pokemon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Black, and White via an unofficial server exploit.
Genesect
Genesect has had six distinct distributions in Gens V, VI, and VII, and has been available for 849 days in total.
At the time of writing Genesect is currently available from raids in Pokemon Go, and will remain so until September 23rd, 2023. Prior to this it was last available on December 31st from an event distribution. It is also available indefinitely in Pokemon Black 2 and White 2 via an unofficial server exploit.
Diancie
Diancie has had nine distinct distributions in Gen VI, and has been available for 333 days in total; see also its inclusion in the previous section.
Diancie was last available on August 27th, 2023 from ticketed Special Research in Pokemon Go
Volcanion
Volcanion has had four distinct distributions in Gens VI and VIII, and has been available for 666 days in total.
Volcanion was last available on December 31, 2021 from an event distribution
Zeraora
Zeraora has had two distinct distributions in Gens VII and VIII, and has been available for 420 days in total.
Zarude
Zarude has had six distinct distributions in Gen VIII, and has been available for 345 days in total. Though I listed Zarude above, I am including it here too because as the most recent mythical Pokemon, I had initially intended to omit it from the listing as it seemed likely that its numbers would have been far lower than the rest, making it an outlier. However, after seeing that Zarude's number is higher than Diancie's, I decided to include it.
EDIT: The Dada form of Zarude has so far been available for 338 days in total. As BlizzardHero notes below, the circumstances of the pandemic made obtaining it more difficult than previous legendary and mythical distributions, meaning that its wide availability does not indicate the full story.
Original form Zarude was last available on November 30, 2021 from an event distribution, while Dada Zarude was last available on December 31, 2021 from an event distribution
Looking at the numbers above, we have an obvious winner - Diancie! Not only has it been available for the least amount of time overall, it has only ever been distributed in Gen VI. Oddly, considering that it's available in SwSh.
Cross your fingers for a Diancie-themed Go Fest in 2023...
edit: Oh, look at that, I predicted correctly. So - assuming Diancie becomes freely available within the next 12 months - what's the new winner? That'd be - unsurprisingly - Zarude, or Dada Zarude to be specific. It's the last mythical we've seen in the series to date, and has not been available in any form since 2021. Regular Zarude's last distribution date was November 30th, 2021 (all regions) while Dada Zarude's last distribution date was December 31st, 2021 (again all regions).
Magearna or Manaphy for next year's Go Fest, perhaps? Since I predicted correctly last time... though tbf Niantic is running low on cutesy mythicals. I'd be happy with a Volcanion-centred Go Fest, personally.
another edit: thought it'd be useful to clarify the last date that each Pokemon has been available. For the majority, this is December 2022 - ironically, despite being the most available mythical Pokemon in terms of distributions, Darkrai is the species that has been available least recently as there has been no way to legitimately obtain one since 2021.
TL;DR
There isn't one, this is the whole post. Thanks for reading.
Updated as of June 2024
Last edited:
