6th Gen "Needs less legendaries!"

In a way it's funny, because i recall that back as a kid, legendaries were the coolest pokemon and everyone wanted to have a team full of them...and now, years later, we are actually saying there might be too many of them in the newer Gens. Funny how things change with time :)

Also, what's up with all these new legendaries having different forms? Not only are there more than enough to begin with, but now they they can even change their looks and stats. I think this works very well with Arceus, being a God and having the ability to assume any type. But Giratina, Shaymin, the weather trio, Keldeo and Meloetta all having different forms...doesn't this feel like an overkill??

Forms?

Well, that's just how certain legendaries are. There was good reason of implementing forms on them, which fit well within their retrospective roles.

Anyway, I, myself don't mind the sheer number of legendaries we might get, but, I'm just concerned on when, where, and how we can capture each and everyone of them. Because, if there are a lot of new legendaries, but each of them are very easy to find and catch, then, I'd find that to be a disappointment.

Zorogami said:

In a way it's funny, because i recall that back as a kid, legendaries were the coolest pokemon and everyone wanted to have a team full of them...and now, years later, we are actually saying there might be too many of them in the newer Gens. Funny how things change with time :)

Also, what's up with all these new legendaries having different forms? Not only are there more than enough to begin with, but now they they can even change their looks and stats. I think this works very well with Arceus, being a God and having the ability to assume any type. But Giratina, Shaymin, the weather trio, Keldeo and Meloetta all having different forms...doesn't this feel like an overkill??

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You mean the Kami trio, the Weather trio (Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza) have no other formes other than those we know.

I think the formes are nice. I'm with Miss Doronjo, the number doesn't really matter, it's the way the execute the capture, and their stories that matter. I'm personally hoping to have a mix of the Regi and Beast trios capture methods, we unleash them from their chambers and they flee from them before we get a chance to battle them, than once we get them we can get their master (like Ho-oh in C)

Magmaruby and Aquasapphire said:

You mean the Kami trio, the Weather trio (Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza) have no other formes other than those we know.

I think the formes are nice. I'm with Miss Doronjo, the number doesn't really matter, it's the way the execute the capture, and their stories that matter. I'm personally hoping to have a mix of the Regi and Beast trios capture methods, we unleash them from their chambers and they flee from them before we get a chance to battle them, than once we get them we can get their master (like Ho-oh in C)

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Thanks for correcting me, i did mean the Kami trio.
I like your idea about the Regi and Beast trios mix, seems like it would be a lot of fun

Miss Doronjo said:

Anyway, I, myself don't mind the sheer number of legendaries we might get, but, I'm just concerned on when, where, and how we can capture each and everyone of them. Because, if there are a lot of new legendaries, but each of them are very easy to find and catch, then, I'd find that to be a disappointment.

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Exactly why I'm pushing for less of them. That was my problem with half of the legendaries the past two generations. There wasn't anything really special about catching them other than a brief five minutes backstory (tops) and then an overworld sprite to interact with. They weren't really special, or did I feel like I had to go above and beyond normal to do anything to find or capture them. I just want some actual story information about them (even if it doesn't tie into the main storyline, we need some actual story telling instead of a two minute blurb) and why they're legendary.

Jake♫ said:

Exactly why I'm pushing for less of them. That was my problem with half of the legendaries the past two generations. There wasn't anything really special about catching them other than a brief five minutes backstory (tops) and then an overworld sprite to interact with. They weren't really special, or did I feel like I had to go above and beyond normal to do anything to find or capture them. I just want some actual story information about them (even if it doesn't tie into the main storyline, we need some actual story telling instead of a two minute blurb) and why they're legendary.

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Yeah, it would be nice if the legends are talked about like the Beasts, and the Sun-Moon bird Duo of Johto, and the lake, and Creation Trios of Sinnoh. That made them seem more legendary to me, having their myths spread out thoughout the game, hopefully since this is also an even generation it'll be similar in how the myth is told as the story goes.

Zorogami said:

In a way it's funny, because i recall that back as a kid, legendaries were the coolest pokemon and everyone wanted to have a team full of them...and now, years later, we are actually saying there might be too many of them in the newer Gens. Funny how things change with time :)

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That's just because they're too common now. I remember spending hours trying to track down Suicune in Crystal, wandering around Hoenn to find Latios, learning Braille to catch the Regis, but now you just basically walk up and catch them.

It's a little like how it would feel if you could just walk around Route 4 and catch the other 2 starters. They wouldn't be that special.

I just consider anything other than the 3 main ones in most games a "pseudo" legendary.

I consider the none main legends, and none mirage Pokemon (I beleive that's what Mew, Jiranchi, Victini, etc. are irc?) to be minor legendaries, the only exceptions are Sinnoh's lake trio, and Johto's Beasts, those I see as more legendary due to their backstory and importance in the story. I hope they develop a new difficult way of getting legends, and that any event legends in these games will have in game locations to capture them like Hoenn and Sinnoh's , hopefully with their own puzzles instead of Unova's gift away.

Magmaruby and Aquasapphire said:

I consider the none main legends, and none mirage Pokemon (I beleive that's what Mew, Jiranchi, Victini, etc. are irc?) to be minor legendaries, the only exceptions are Sinnoh's lake trio, and Johto's Beasts, those I see as more legendary due to their backstory and importance in the story. I hope they develop a new difficult way of getting legends, and that any event legends in these games will have in game locations to capture them like Hoenn and Sinnoh's , hopefully with their own puzzles instead of Unova's gift away.

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I'd like that. To me, event legends feel like an unimportant bonus.

I feel like the Game Boy games had the perfect number of legendary Pokemon. They actually felt legendary. There was meaning to their existence (especially in G/S), and they even looked like they were rare and special. As mentioned before, I don't feel like the legendary golems from Ruby/Sapphire felt all that powerful or special; there wasn't much of a cool mysterious backstory to them that encouraged you to release the golems; even BW2 handled the golems' existence better than R/S.

The lake trio from Diamond/Pearl was just kinda there, and yes, while Mesprit played a very small role in the story, and all three were eventually used to form the Red Chain, I just don't feel like those Pokemon were very powerful, save for Azelf, who is pretty strong; Uxie and Mesprit feel like an afterthought in comparison. Phione and Manaphy didn't feel like very interesting legendaries; I get they were supposed to be the 4th-gen Mew, but honestly, when you have Manaphy, why use Phione? He was just there to be an extra slot in the Pokedex. Also, Shaymin was a better 4th-gen Mew anyway. Also, we have legendaries for good dreams, nightmares, and even one to represent all of creation. There's just not much thought behind their existence. D/P had way too many unneeded legendaries.

Black/White had a problem with trios. The tao trio, the musketeer trio, the kami trio. I think they could have easily saved the kami trio for X/Y. I just don't feel like they fit well into BW(2). I will say, however, that the musketeer trio was a good legendary trio, although I feel like their existence could have had more weight to it; not even BW2 did a great job with this, other than "look, this legendary musketeer appeared right in front of you; it wants you to fight it". Like... are you telling me this legendary Pokemon decided it wanted to jump out in front of me for a fight? That's the worst excuse for a legendary fight I've ever heard; it's literally going out of its way to hand itself to me. Lame.

Also, Meloetta and Victini did not need to exist. Really? Not only do we have more Psychic legendaries, but they're the embodiments of music and victory? I mean, that's as bad as the lake trio. I seriously miss when legendaries were meant to represent something mighty. Like how Entei was the fire that burned the Brass Tower, or how Lugia is the guardian of the sea. I liked how the legendary birds were hidden in old abandoned dungeons where you wouldn't think to look for them. I think that's what made seeing Latias/Latios in the Dreamyard kind of cool (Speaking of, those two didn't have much of a story behind them either, did they?). But then, I guess it also helped that the first few legendary Pokemon were typically the best of their type.

I think they're just going way too fast with these legendaries. Just go ahead and make the main X-Y-Z trio, create one sub-trio(/duo) relevant to the region, and if you have to, make one secret Pokemon (which is even easier to do now that 3DS games can do DLC/patches). And not every game needs a Mewtwo expy; Gold and Silver proved that. In fact, they made Ho-Oh and Lugia the ultimate Pokemon of the game rather than making a separate Pokemon, and their spin-off was based on one of the sub-trio. But yeah, ever since RSE, there's always been a story-based ultimate and a secret ultimate; RSE had Rayquaza/Deoxys, DPPt had Giratina/Arceus, and BW had Kyurem/Genesect. I think the series is starting to get saturated with ultimates. Just do what G/S did and make Xerneas/Yveltal the "final boss" of the game. But most importantly, ditch the secret ultimate Pokemon.

When it comes to legendaries, less is more; I say focus less on the legendaries and more on making the rest of the new Pokemon more interesting and playable.

Thingula said:

That's just because they're too common now. I remember spending hours trying to track down Suicune in Crystal, wandering around Hoenn to find Latios, learning Braille to catch the Regis, but now you just basically walk up and catch them.

It's a little like how it would feel if you could just walk around Route 4 and catch the other 2 starters. They wouldn't be that special.

I just consider anything other than the 3 main ones in most games a "pseudo" legendary.

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I loved it when I accidentally found that cave with the Braille in it. As usual, I explored everywhere and, with the currents next to Pacifidlog, I had to fly back there I don't know how many times to make sure I had cleared the whole route. When I got to the cave and saw the Braille writing it was one of those 'oh crap, I found some secret, crazy s***' and immediately looked into learning a little Braille to solve it. It was fun to go out of my way to solve the puzzles and catch them(they were tough even then and I had to make sure I saved the game/brought plenty of Ultraballs to catch them).

I think that brought out the whole legendary feeling. Yeah, I like the way they are more involved into the story, but they still kind of jump out at you a little too easily now, if you know what I mean. It would be nice to hear the myth side of things more too, like someone else mentioned. That could give the lesser ones more focus yet still allow you to tuck them away in the far away depths of some random routes.

What the heck does "Legendary" mean anymore anyway? Are they not meant to be rare / unique?

I think Red/Green/Yellow/Blue did it right the first time: 5/6 is fine. And for those saying that in real life, there are a ton of different mythologies, etc. and Pokemon ought to hav'em too, what GameFreak has been doing lately is taking Zeus, Hera and Hercules and tossing in small-fries like Hermes for the fun of it. The storyline isn't even well-done around them, but they're there, simply to be there.

To-date, I have no idea what the purpose of Virizion or Cobalton was; the same can be said of the Regi-Trio. Lack of purpose, completely.

Admittedly, I say that Sinnoh introduced too many Legendary Pokémon during its time, but as far as each one of them go, they all seem to have some sort of point or back story behind them.

While I'd like to see ten or less legendaries introduced this generation, I do strongly agree with those saying a back story should be a vital piece of what makes them considered so special in this region. Otherwise, why are they really there and what actually makes them so legendary outside of their high stats and because GameFreak says so.

All that being said, I just hope none of them are too easy to find; something I mentioned before. Where's the fun in that?

There aren't too many Legendaries.

Only about 7% of all of the current Pokemon are Legendary, and in most cases, only about 5 or 6 are available in each game. (Reshiram isn't in White, and Zekrom isn't in Black) Plus, only 1 of these is in each game. You can catch unlimited Rattata or Pidgey, but there's only 1 Mewtwo.

Also, Gen 4 introduced only around 100 Pokemon, which is why it seems like they might have had too many. But you can't forget that Gen 4 also included a lot of Gen 1-3 Pokemon from the beginning. Gen 5 was better because we got a lot more new Pokemon than in Gen 4, so the numbers didn't seem so bad.

As far as story goes, Gen 1 and 2 had nothing to do with the Legendary Pokemon. They were just there, until Crystal focused a little more on Suicune. Even in HG/SS, the story still wasn't about Lugia and Ho-oh. All of the other Legendary Pokemon in the games not related to the actual story are there for collection purposes. They're rarer and stronger, which means they are worth more. They don't HAVE to be tied to the central story, that's what the mascots are for.

Personally, I'd like a smaller legendary count. Specifically, maybe a legendary count more akin to that of GSC. Maybe around 6-10 legends.

voicerocker said:

There aren't too many Legendaries.

Only about 7% of all of the current Pokemon are Legendary, and in most cases, only about 5 or 6 are available in each game. (Reshiram isn't in White, and Zekrom isn't in Black) Plus, only 1 of these is in each game. You can catch unlimited Rattata or Pidgey, but there's only 1 Mewtwo.

Also, Gen 4 introduced only around 100 Pokemon, which is why it seems like they might have had too many. But you can't forget that Gen 4 also included a lot of Gen 1-3 Pokemon from the beginning. Gen 5 was better because we got a lot more new Pokemon than in Gen 4, so the numbers didn't seem so bad.

As far as story goes, Gen 1 and 2 had nothing to do with the Legendary Pokemon. They were just there, until Crystal focused a little more on Suicune. Even in HG/SS, the story still wasn't about Lugia and Ho-oh. All of the other Legendary Pokemon in the games not related to the actual story are there for collection purposes. They're rarer and stronger, which means they are worth more. They don't HAVE to be tied to the central story, that's what the mascots are for.

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So I assume you'd want... more legendaries? I'd be okay with lots of legendaries I think if they did have a big tie-in to the story. If it was more than just capturing them but understanding them I would like it!

Yes, 7% of all Pokemon are legendary now, but in Gen I, only 3% were legendary. They're beginning to miss the point of LEGENDARIES. They're supposed to be SUPER rare, and now with Sinnoh introducing almost 15% legendaries, they're losing that status.

Don't get me wrong, though, Sinnoh had some of the best legendaries in my opinion. Heatran was a boss, Manaphy was adorable... Cresselia sucked but hey, you win some, you lose some.

All in all, I think that introducing less legendaries in this generation would make them more, well... legendary...

Yes, 7% of all Pokemon are legendary now, but in Gen I, only 3% were legendary. They're beginning to miss the point of LEGENDARIES. They're supposed to be SUPER rare, and now with Sinnoh introducing almost 15% legendaries, they're losing that status.

Don't get me wrong, though, Sinnoh had some of the best legendaries in my opinion. Heatran was a boss, Manaphy was adorable... Cresselia sucked but hey, you win some, you lose some.

All in all, I think that introducing less legendaries in this generation would make them more, well... legendary...

The number is irrelevant to me, but there needs to be a way to catch all of them in-game, or at least a story that occurs after the wifi event, rather than just getting the pokemon for free.

The way it was done in B/W was really pathetic. Wifi events have really taken the fun out of legendaries.

Twilight Sky said:

I feel that a lot of us are really starting to forget that, really, in the long run, the word "legendaries" are going to lose meaning anyway. For example, think about how many legendaries we'll have in the generations beyond this one. It's not just a problem lying within however many legendaries Gamefreak decides to introduce in this generation, it's a problem with the main series games themselves. I can figure that it'll be around Gen VIII where everyone would be just tired and annoyed of hearing the word "legendary" when the word doesn't even hold true anymore, and instead some other word might replace it.

Something like "Extraordinary Pokemon". That's a lame example, I know, but if GF continues to use legendary Pokemon, then I won't blame them for it, really, but I feel it'll get redundant in the long-run, when a much more fitting term can be used.

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Gamefreak itself has different classifications usually. The 600+Base Legends are usually called Phantom or Mythic Pokemon. Most of those have stories and backgrounds to go with their legendary status.

Though I disagree with the "tiring of the term". There are Hundreds of thousands of myths in our world. Do they have little to no meaning because there are so many? No not really. Majority of the Legendary Pokemon are known that way for aesthetic reasons.

Mew, Celebi, Shaymin, Manaphy, Victini, Jiranchi, Meloetta....these Pokemon are just so few in existence or haven't been seen that often except in huge gapes of time.

Ho-oh and Lugia have major legend factor in Johto as they were worshiped.

The beasts are legendary for their astounding speed and ability to hide from capture, not to mention that they were supposedly revived by Ho-oh after dying in a fire.

The Golems and Regigigas, these have a history that spans across 2 regions. Sinnoh and Hoenn. Represenations of the ages and holders of untold power.

Cresselia and Darkrai are fairly well known legends in Sinnoh. Darkrai who causes people and Pokemon to fall into nightmares that they cannot wake from and Cresselia who can cure these nightmares.

Kyogre, Groudon, and Rayquaza have a huge history in Hoenn. Not to mention their power itself is things from legends.

Arceus, well there isn't really much need to touch him. His legend is written all across Sinnoh and Johto (HG/SS add on). By extension Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina's powers are easily vouched for. Despite not using them in actual battle, they all tear rifts in the dimension and using two you could practically destroy the world.

Again through extension, Azelf, Uxie, and Mesprit's legend and powers fend for themselves. They have the power to suppress the three larger legends.

Zekrom and Reshiram's legend shaped an entire nation/region. Kyurem's legend bred fear and a new lifestyle. His legend is later expanded upon which kinda just created holes in the original legend.

The Musketdeers are renown fighters and defenders of Pokemon. Not to mention highly elusive.

The Kami Trio cause storms and create fertile fields. While they aren't huge legends, they still have a good impact. Arguably more than others.


This pretty much just leaves Heatran, the Birds, the Eon twins, Genesect, Deoxys, and Mewtwo I believe.

I can't really say much about Heatran, Birds, and twins. They are Legendary because of how elusive and hard to find they are. Like with the "mirage" legends, they are seen periodically through time in large gaps.

Mewtwo and Deoxys however are most known for their power. Mewtwo a clone of Mew and much stronger than the original is currently viewed as the strongest fighter in existence. Usually referred to as the Ultimate Battling Machine. Deoxys' power rivaled that of Rayquaza, able to go toe to toe and hold his own fairly well against the dragon. He can change form for better fighting capabilities and is just an enigma. Genesect...well his is less impressive. He was a super ancient Pokemon, possibly older than most fossil Pokemon, that was found and remodeled by team plasma. Like Mewtwo he was created to be an ultimate fighting machine.


Legends vary in weight even in the real world. Lesser legends typically become Fairy-tales while major ones stay myths or legends. Number really doesn't kill the meaning of the word so long as there is prominent backstory to go with them. Biggest issue with # of legends is that most have varying battle capability which is pretty much all fans base how good a Pokemon is on now. Type, Stats, Ability, Move Pool. That's what everyone looks at and Legends while slightly better in most of these fields, the combination is never really that amazing. Which is where a lot of disgruntled feelings towards legends comes in.

Elgyem said:

Personally, I'd like a smaller legendary count. Specifically, maybe a legendary count more akin to that of GSC. Maybe around 6-10 legends.

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Yeah, I always thought 4th and 5th Gen went a little carried away when thinking of how many new Legendary Pokemon to introduce. 14 Legendaries each in 4th and 5th Gen was a little too much.

jellotime91 said:

The number is irrelevant to me, but there needs to be a way to catch all of them in-game, or at least a story that occurs after the wifi event, rather than just getting the pokemon for free.

The way it was done in B/W was really pathetic. Wifi events have really taken the fun out of legendaries.

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Yeah, the recent wi-fi events sort of meant I basically could not catch a Legendary all because my DS is incompatible with the WPA encrypted wi-fi I have at home. I am all for Legendaries not needing wi-fi events to be obtained.