What are some Pokémon that aren't legendary, but you think should be legendary?

Legendary Pokémon are known for generally being more powerful than regular Pokémon and/or for their lore. With that being said, what non-legendary Pokémon do you believe should be considered legendary?

Please share your thoughts with me!

Arcanine. Take most non box legendary pokemon, make them much easier to find, (and catch, depending on Gen) and then you've got Arcanine.
Good in Gens 3 through 7, BROKEN in Gens 8 and 9. All you need to gain access to its ENTIRE move pool in Gen 8/9 is a Fire Stone.
Its move pool and stats are STACKED BTW.

I think arcanine and the dratini line are considered legendaries in gen 1 by devs, even if i don't personally agree. Very one noted i am, if its once per game and cant be refound if killed then it a legendary. And i get baffled by every person who says they thought lucario, absol, and zoroark were legends

Arcanine. Literally classifies it as the "Legendary Pokemon". Works as a dog counterpart to Mewtwo also.

Hydreigon. Combined a good typing (in its debut) with strong stats and Levitate.

Metagross. Similar to Hydreigon. 8 resistances, 1 immunity, and 2 weaknesses with that stat spread? Gross.

Volcarona. Seemed more special than most. Also had Pokedex entries like:

When volcanic ash darkened the atmosphere, it is said that Volcarona's fire provided a replacement for the sun.

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As it flies, it scatters its flaming scales. It was feared by ancient people, who referred to it as "the rage of the sun.

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According to legends, it was hatched from a flaming cocoon to save people and Pokémon that were suffering from the cold.

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Porygon. Might be rarity talking here. Sounds expensive to produce. Designed it to (maybe) explore space. Apparently copy-protected it to prevent duplication. (Somehow gets around that with Ditto.) Bears similar origins as Mewtwo by being made by humans.

Volcarona is the first that comes to mind. Would have plenty more candidates if the question was the other way around.

It's insanely powerful for a "regular" Pokémon, with access to Quiver Dance (one of the best moves, which is fine on mons like Butterfree or Masquerain, but holy Muk this thing has 550 BST by default). It also has a pretty scary signature move.

And the Larvesta stage seems kind of pointless. It evolves at level 59, so they could have simply made Volcarona a legendary that spawned somewhere around level 55-60.

Well... none, really. If anything, there are a LOT of Legendary Pokémon I believe shouldn't be considered Legendary - the other way around.

The Kanto birds, for one, have been used by multiple facility leaders - and in LGPE, you can even catch multiples in the wild. The Treasures of Ruin don't particularly look Legendary to me either, just really rare Pokémon. I even believe Chien-Pao would have made a much better pseudo-Legendary than Baxcalibur (and that would have likely given us a cute baby form for it, can you imagine? 🥺). Lastly, the Ultra Beasts and Paradox Pokémon (Koraidon and Miraidon included) are only Legendary by our world's standards, because they are common in the world they come from.

Metagross is a good shout. It's acquired through a special method in gen 3 and is not common. It's also quite interesting and powerful.

Volcarona for obvious reasons as well, and tbh I think Lucarion with its aura powers could qualify too. It seems weird that it is such a common pokémon in the anime and such when it's such a special and peculiar creature.

Well, I kinda disagree with many of the mentioned above, because I think that what really marks a legendary pokemon is its design. Arcanine, Metagross, Garchomp, Tyrantar, Lucario, ecc. all look strong but not legendary imo.
Only two come to my mind: I agree with Volcarona, because it looks important and legendary + where it can be caught in gen 5 and the lore behind it.
Secondly, Rotom. Sounds stupid, but they just ruined the pokemon with the passing of time. In gen 4 it even had the legendary music theme and I find its ability to change form quite interesting and kinda strong. The design doesn't really make you think it's a legendary, but it indeed hints that it's a very particular pokemon, which kinda works imo.

If Wishiwashi's School Form were to be a separate Pokemon, either completely unrelated or instead an evolution to Wishiwashi Solo form, it would qualify imo. It's plenty strong.
Slaking without Truant. It's would basically be a legendary without it's crippling ability imo, at least in terms of strength.

Aside from those the only ones to come to mind are already mentioned: Volcarona & Rotom. Though both associations for me are mainly due to how they were encountered in the first games I played that had them.

I'm sure it's been mentioned before, but Rotom. I always thought it was a legendary as a kid because of that one you get in the Old Chateau.

I am shocked to learn Rotom is not a legendary. It deserves to be one.

As for Pokémon that should be legendary but aren't, Palafin fits that criteria. Not only does its Hero Form have a base stat total of 650, but Palafin is also very powerful and is known to save lives. It is literally a superhero Pokémon that changes into its superhero alter ego in secret, much like Superman. If this isn't legendary, then I don't know what is. Another Pokémon that fits the criteria is Gholdengo, a Pokémon that can only be obtained by evolving Gimmighoul, which can only be done by gathering 999 Gimmighoul coins. It is also extremely powerful as well. Its rarity and the way it is obtained make it feel legendary to me. Volcarona also feels legendary, considering how powerful it is and the way it is obtained in the Gen V games.

A weird one I think should be at least a mythical is Carbink. Diancie is a Carbink that has undergone a mutation, and if Phione qualifies as a mythical despite its weaker stats and generally forgettable existence, I don't see why Carbink shouldn't either really. I suppose it's weaker, not at the end of the Pokedex, and you can't breed a Diancie to get a Carbink, but the way Diancie is made generally implies that it leans more towards being an artificial life form so it wouldn't reproduce in the same way Manaphy does, so that's not a justification for its exclusion. It has a clear connection to another mythical, so it should be a mythical itself.

I would have agreed with Volcarona being worthy of Legendary status before Slither Wing became a thing. I know Koraidon and Miraidon are considered Legendaries, but they feel as much like Legendaries as Ultra Beasts and other Paradox Pokemon do. They're just...slightly elevated box mascots, to me. One step above the Gen I box mascots, but a step below everything else. Now that it has a Paradox equivalent, my perspective of Volcarona has altered slightly.

Lucario. He would've made for an awesome box cover legendary at some point, or even a mythical. Lapras could have made an interesting legendary back in Kanto if it had a slightly more detailed design - but even as it stands now I think it can fit.

Kommo-o too. It had potential! Look at that cool design!

One pokemon just came to mind: Sigilyph
Just look at its design and tell me this shouldn't be a legendary. It is striking and ancient looking with those unown-looking eyes. Not to mention, its pokedex entry states it was a guardian of an ancient city. Also, Sigilyph has the useful abilities of wonder skin and magic guard.

Rock_Salazar said:

One pokemon just came to mind: Sigilyph
Just look at its design and tell me this shouldn't be a legendary. It is striking and ancient looking with those unown-looking eyes. Not to mention, its pokedex entry states it was a guardian of an ancient city. Also, Sigilyph has the useful abilities of wonder skin and magic guard.

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When I first saw Sigilyph, my thought was, "What the heck is that?" It weirded me out big time. Its design doesn't look like that of a Pokémon. Instead, it looks like one of those weird cards that Pegasus would use in Yu-Gi-Oh! As for it being legendary, I can definitely see where you're coming from!

Another pokemon I wish was a legendary has to be Absol, and my reason comes from the 1st Mystery Dungeon game. Absol shows up during an important story event and aids you in your quest to solve the natural disasters threatening the pokemon world. A pokemon that foretells disasters is helping you stop said disasters. That is cool. For the longest time I thought Absol was a legendary that just joins you, and I was disappointed to find out that Absol was not a legendary. The 1st Mystery Dungeon was my 1st pokemon game and I liked how Absol shows up with both the player and partner thinking it was a mystic pokemon. Not to mention, Absol joins you right away and is a permanent mainstay in the party without adding much to the story.