At face value, Legendary Pokemon are assumed to be the rarest Pokemon around. This is definitely true for the most part, but given that many of them are handed out to the player as game mascots or through events, there are actually a few Pokemon that are harder to get your hands on in some cases.

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These Pokemon aren't necessarily rarer in an in-universe canon sense, but they are often much harder than some Legendaries, or require completing various in-game tasks to acquire. Here are some regular, ordinary Pokemon that are harder to find than Legendaries.

Updated December 22, 2022, by Jacob Whaling: The Pokemon game's newest entries, Scarlet and Violet,are here, and with them several rare new Pokemon. We've updated this list with some of the new Scarlet and Violet entries that are harder to get than Legendaries.

16 Meltan And Melmetal

Meltan and Melmetal are part of a Steel-type Pokemon evolutionary line that was once solely exclusive to the mobile game Pokemon GO. In recent years its availability has changed, and it can be acquired in three distinct ways.

The first is to catch it in Pokemon GO and transfer it to Pokemon Home, so it can then be moved to a newer Pokemon title. Those who purchased either of the Let's GO games on Nintendo Switch need only to link it to the mobile title, and they'll receive a Meltan as a reward. Lastly, the newest method needs you to transfer any Pokemon to Pokemon Home, and from that Pokemon Sword/Shield will give you a Gigantamax Melmetal for your efforts.

15 Spiritomb

Spiritomb is a strange Pokemon, said to be the bound spirit of 108 evil souls. It's extremely destructive and mischievous, and, it turns out, hard to get a hold of. In most games where it appears, Spiritomb is a huge task to catch.

Its original appearance in the Gen 4 games requires you to utilize the Odd Keystone and then interact with 32 other players via the Underground online system. In Legends Arceus, Spiritomb is even more difficult to get. Instead, you'll have to find and interact with 107 of its souls (or wisps) that are spread across the game's five locations.

14 Porygon

For as long as it has existed, Porygon has been a somewhat difficult Pokemon to obtain. Until Diamond and Pearl, you could only get Porygon by grinding coins at the gambling center, and it was typically the most expensive item to buy there.

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Although the Pokemon series has moved away from gambling mini-games, Porygon is still just as hard to get. In Sword and Shield, the only way to get one is to defeat Mustard and then ask Hyde for the Porygon in the Dojo, meaning you can basically only get one.

13 Event Pokemon In Pokemon GO

Pokemon GO is a strange alternate reality where Legendaries are actually not that rare. Since many of them are available in rotating raids or given to the player through quests and monthly reward boxes, many people actually have dozens of each Legendary.

What is rare, though, is the Pokemon that are literally unobtainable outside of certain events. Delibird is only available during the holiday season, Yamask is only found during Halloween, and anything wearing an outfit is locked to specific events.

12 Feebas

Oh, Feebas. This ugly fish might be one of the most notoriously difficult Pokemon to obtain. In its original appearance in the Generation 3 games, Feebas could only spawn on certain tiles on one route, and it wasn't even guaranteed on those tiles.

It has kept its rarity over the years, requiring similar methods in later generations. Luckily, in Gen VIII, it can just be caught in the same fishing spot no matter what. However, it only has a 1% chance to appear.

11 Two Of The Same Spinda

Spinda, a Normal-type from Generation 3, is a strange Pokemon that has different forms. It puts Pokemon like Alcremie (with its 60+ forms) to shame, though, as no two Spinda are likely to be the same.

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Spinda's forms are all different, with the patterns appearing differently for each one. There is a chance of one in several billion of two Spinda ever having the same pattern. Throw in shinies and that number doubles.

10 Distributions

There have been special event distributions since the first Pokemon games. However, it's rare that the same distributions are repeated, meaning there are definitely some Pokemon out there that are incredibly rare and currently not legally obtainable.

Spiky-Eared Pichu, Fancy- and Poke Ball-Pattern Vivillon, and some distributed Pokemon with special movesets or held items are good examples of this. Even regular Mythical Pokemon that are distributed via event can be extremely difficult to find without the right resources.

9 Starters

Some people believe it's entirely acceptable to say that Starter Pokemon are rarer than some Legendaries. This is definitely true in the case of some of the core series games, where the non-chosen Starters are impossible to obtain without trading a real-life friend, but both the game mascots can be caught in one game, like Lugia and Ho-oh in the Gen 2 games.

Even in the in-game universe, Starters are considered rare by many characters, speaking perfectly to just how hard it is to find them and how they don't spawn in the wild (with some exceptions).

8 SOS Salamence

In Sun & Moon, a new feature was introduced where wild Pokemon could call for help, referred to as "SOS" encounters. Each wild Pokemon has certain other Pokemon that may show up when it calls for help.

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Interestingly, a Bagon on Route 3 in Alola has the possibility to call a level-10 Salamence for help. However, the chances are incredibly low, and the chance of finding a Bagon in the first place is only one percent, making the "SOS Salamence" extremely rare.

7 Munchlax

Just the thought of trying to catch a Munchlax in the Gen 4 games is enough to make some players throw their heads back and scream in agony. This is one of the most difficult, if not the most difficult, regular wild spawn to make happen.

In order to find a Munchlax in the Sinnoh region, you'll need to slather some honey on one of the eligible trees and wait six hours for a spawn. However, only four of the 21 trees can spawn one, and it's at a measly one percent spawn rate. Also, which four trees exactly is based on your trainer ID, meaning it won't be the same as your friend's (probably). It can take weeks to finally find a Munchlax, if you even do at all. Just breed a Snorlax that's holding a Full Incense - it's much easier.