A pseudo-legendary Pokémon is a fan nickname for a Pokémon that ends a three-stage evolution line, has a base stat total of exactly 600, and is not Legendary or Mythical. There are ten of them, from Dragonite to Baxcalibur, and the games themselves never use the word.
"Pseudo" means false, so the name says what fans think of them: Pokémon as strong as some Legendaries, which you can still catch, breed and raise like any other. The idea is common enough that The Pokémon Company now has its own name for the group. It calls them Powerhouse Pokémon on merchandise and in event news, such as a Pokémon Center collaboration in April 2025 that named Dragonite, Tyranitar, Salamence, Garchomp, Goodra and Baxcalibur.
The fan rule
A Pokémon counts when all of these are true:
- It is the final stage of a line with three stages, like Gible, Gabite, Garchomp.
- Its base stat total, the six base stats added up, is exactly 600.
- It is not Legendary or Mythical.
Bulbapedia adds a fourth point that every member happens to share: all ten use the Slow experience group, which needs 1,250,000 experience points to reach level 100. That is why they take so long to raise. Most also evolve late. Deino doesn't become Zweilous until level 50, and Hydreigon only arrives at level 64.
Mega Evolutions don't count. The rule looks at the Pokémon's normal stats.
All 10 pseudo-legendary Pokémon
This table comes straight from the pokee.si Pokédex data. Every member has a total of exactly 600 and the same Slow growth rate.
| Gen | Pokémon | Type | Base stat total | Growth | Evolution line |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dragonite | Dragon/Flying | 600 | Slow (1,250,000 EXP) | Dratini → Dragonair (Level 30) → Dragonite (Level 55) |
| 2 | Tyranitar | Rock/Dark | 600 | Slow (1,250,000 EXP) | Larvitar → Pupitar (Level 30) → Tyranitar (Level 55) |
| 3 | Salamence | Dragon/Flying | 600 | Slow (1,250,000 EXP) | Bagon → Shelgon (Level 30) → Salamence (Level 50) |
| 3 | Metagross | Steel/Psychic | 600 | Slow (1,250,000 EXP) | Beldum → Metang (Level 20) → Metagross (Level 45) |
| 4 | Garchomp | Dragon/Ground | 600 | Slow (1,250,000 EXP) | Gible → Gabite (Level 24) → Garchomp (Level 48) |
| 5 | Hydreigon | Dark/Dragon | 600 | Slow (1,250,000 EXP) | Deino → Zweilous (Level 50) → Hydreigon (Level 64) |
| 6 | Goodra | Dragon | 600 | Slow (1,250,000 EXP) | Goomy → Sliggoo (Level 40) → Goodra (Level 50, while it rains) |
| 7 | Kommo-o | Dragon/Fighting | 600 | Slow (1,250,000 EXP) | Jangmo-o → Hakamo-o (Level 35) → Kommo-o (Level 45) |
| 8 | Dragapult | Dragon/Ghost | 600 | Slow (1,250,000 EXP) | Dreepy → Drakloak (Level 50) → Dragapult (Level 60) |
| 9 | Baxcalibur | Dragon/Ice | 600 | Slow (1,250,000 EXP) | Frigibax → Arctibax (Level 35) → Baxcalibur (Level 54) |
Generation 3 is the only one with two, Salamence and Metagross. Eight of the ten are part Dragon type. Tyranitar and Metagross are the two exceptions, which makes a good trivia question.
Goodra's level-50 evolution only works while it is raining in the overworld, which catches a lot of players out. Hisuian Goodra, from Legends: Arceus, is a regional form of the same species, so it is not an eleventh member.
The near misses
We ran the rule over every evolution line in the Pokédex to see what else comes close. These are all the final stages of three-stage lines with a base stat total of 570 or more:
| Pokémon | Stages | Total | Why it is out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slaking | 3 | 670 | Its total is too high, not exactly 600 |
| Solgaleo | 3 | 680 | Legendary (it evolves from Cosmog) |
| Lunala | 3 | 680 | Legendary (it also evolves from Cosmog) |
And one Pokémon has a total of 600 without being Legendary or Mythical, but still misses out:
- Archaludon has 600, but its line has only two stages: Duraludon evolves into Archaludon with a Metal Alloy. Western fans leave it out. Japanese competitive fans use a wider term, 600族 (the "600 club"), that counts any non-Legendary 600-total Pokémon, so Archaludon gets in there.
Plenty of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon also sit at exactly 600, Mew, Latios and Heatran among them. The Legendary and Mythical rule keeps them out.
Are pseudo-legendaries actually that strong?
On paper, yes. The average base stat total across all 1,025 Pokémon on pokee.si is 428. At 600, every pseudo-legendary sits well above that, level with many Legendaries. The average Legendary is 594.
In real battles it depends on the game and the format. A few of them, like Garchomp and Dragapult, have been near the top of competitive play for years. Others are better known for being fun to raise than for winning tournaments. Base stats are only one part of the picture, as our guide to base stats explains.
Should we call them pseudo-legendary or Powerhouse?
Both are fine, as long as everyone knows which one is official. On pokee.si the Pokédex filter is labelled "Pseudo-legendary (fan term)", and the tooltip mentions Powerhouse Pokémon. "Pseudo-legendary" is the word players search for and use in conversation. "Powerhouse Pokémon" is what you will see on a Pokémon Center product page.
You can see all ten together, with their stats, using the Pokédex filter for pseudo-legendaries.