#legendary classification

[the-legendary-professor-cherry]

How exactly are Pokemon classified as legendary, or even mythical? Pokemon like Palkia or Kyogre seem fairly obvious. Others like Entei or Zapdos don’t seem stronger or rarer than Pokemon like Garchomp. Locario populates Sinnoh history and myth even more than say, Manaphy. Even Rotom, Phione, and Zorua have seemed unclear at some points. And this isn’t even bringing up the complications of man-made Pokemon and genderless-ditto breeding. So in short, how are Pokemon classified as legends?

This is a wonderful question! There’s truly a large number of factors that go into determining the classification of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon, so I’ll do my best to cover the basics.

First and foremost (and the most obvious in my opinion) is the mythology of the species. Most Legendary Pokémon have an incredible amount of history surrounding them, dating back to ancient times. As you said, not all Legendary Pokémon are as widely-renowned as the likes of Rayquaza and Arceus, but in most cases there’s a deep history of their sightings dating centuries back. Yes—Lucario has been seen in myths more often than Pokémon like Manaphy, but that’s simply because Lucario’s history is deeply intertwined with mankind. Similar to Arcanine and other loyalty driven Pokémon. Believe it or not, Manaphy fossils date back further than some Relicanth fossils!

I know what you’re thinking—What about Pokémon like Genesect and Silvally, though? They aren’t ancient by any means and have only been brought into existence in recent years. This is also true! We categorize them as Legendary/Mythical because... they don’t quite fit into any other category! They’re so new to the scene we don’t know for sure what they’re capable of and what effects they have on their respective environments. Until we have concrete proof and enough study to make a fairer judgement, they’ll be staying on the list.

Lastly, most Legendary Pokémon cannot breed through regular means or evolve. Manaphy can produce eggs, but the eggs will always hatch into Phione—never a new Manaphy. The only true exception to this is Cosmog/Cosmoem and Lunala/Solgaleo. An argument can be made in the case of Type:Null, but it’s relatively agreed upon that Type:Null seems to undergo a permanent form change (simply a voluntary removal of the control mask) rather than an evolution when becoming Silvally.

Pokémon like Garchomp and Metagross barely miss making the list. Their high stat totals put them in the runnings for powerful Pokémon capable of giving some Legendaries a run for their money, but ultimately they fall short due to their breeding and evolution process and relatively shorter history.

This was quite a bit of information, and I hope I explained clearly! Thank you for your question, and if you have any further questions feel free to send a follow up!

—Professor Cherry

[the-legendary-professor-cherry]

What are the legend and mythical tiers and what do they mean im curious

I have made a post on this previously! It can be found here: https://the-legendary-professor-cherry.tumblr.com/post/183223127972/are-there-any-mythicallegendary-pokemon-that

The essentials are covered in the post above. All legendary and mythical Pokémon are categorized into three tiers—Category 1 contains regional legendaries and the like, Category 2 are Pokémon that require a permit to possess, and Category 3 are Pokémon able to be obtained without permits or licenses needed.

Hopefully this answers your question!

—Professor Cherry

[the-legendary-professor-cherry]

What makes a Pseudo-legendary different than a Legendary? For example: What makes a Dragonite different from a Lugia (aside from the size and typing, obviously), considering that they can be found in similar habitats (at least as Dratini and Dragonair) and the fact that both can, in their own way, manipulate weather (At least Dragonair can. Dragonite, I'm not sure)?

Answered here.

—Professor Cherry

[the-legendary-professor-cherry]

Where does one obtain a permit

Also which category are the island guardians?

And category of the ultra beasts

Answered this question a while ago.

Tapus are Category 1 Pokémon. They are island peacekeepers, and removing them from their natural habitat could be devastating to these lands. Ultra Beasts, on the other hand, are just Ultra Beasts. They don’t fit into our worldly categories because they aren’t from our world. They aren’t really considered Legendaries.

—Professor Cherry

[the-legendary-professor-cherry]

Is it legal to own a legendary that doesn't play a mandatory role in the world balance? Examples: Latios/Latias, Heatran, Shaymin, Zekrom/Reshiram... Possibly Shaymin is the easiest to take care of these...

Answered here.

—Professor Cherry

[the-legendary-professor-cherry]

Hi, I’ve read on old ask on your blog that asks the legality of keeping legendary/mythical pokemon and in your answer, you said that some pokemon like the legendary dogs, the latis, and Silvally can be owned as long as the trainer has a permit. What kind of permit would that be?

To make sure you’re well equipped to handle capturing a legendary Pokémon like these, you must have a letter of permission signed by your region Professor sent to the Champion (or equivalent). Your property and gym badges will be taken into consideration to see if you’re eligible, and your income level must be above a certain level—it’s not cheap to care for these, after all! After you’ve gone through all of that and you’re deemed responsible enough for one, you’ll be granted a permit and you’re free to catch the Pokémon you applied for. You’ll have to repeat the cycle over to add another to your team, but the income requirement will be higher each time.

I should say that Silvally is an exception to this, since while it falls under the same category, it’s still a critically endangered species and the rules are a bit more strict.

I hope this helps!

—Professor Cherry