Pokémon Red & Blue: The Earliest Legendary That Can Be Caught

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Pokémon Red and Blueintroduced the first group of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon to the series, but which one could be acquired first? Legendary and Mythical Pokémon are among the most powerful in the series, which means they usually can only be encountered near the end of the story, as the player would steamroll every trainer they met if they were running around Route 2 with an Arceus. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl are notable exceptions to this, as players can acquire Mew and Jirachi through save bonuses, though players shouldn't use them for their Pokémon journey, as they greatly upset the balance of the game.

The Legendary Pokémon in Pokémon Red and Blue are said to be rare, but they actually aren't in the grand scheme of things. The player is guaranteed at least one shot against the Legendary Birds and Mewtwo, but the people who want to complete the Pokédex have to trade with friends in order to acquire the other two starter Pokémon, the other two Eeveelutions, and the version exclusive Pokémon that they don't have access to. There are also the Safari Zone Pokémon with low catch rates, like Chansey and Tauros, which could be infuriating to catch.

Related: The Absolute Worst Moves In Pokémon Red & Blue

The player only receives a single Master Ball in Pokémon Red and Blue, which means they only have one guaranteed shot at catching a Legendary or Mythical Pokémon. Most players saved it for Mewtwo, which meant they had to endure the agony of trying to catch the Legendary Birds using Ultra Balls and status effects. These encounters normally happened at a late point in the game, but a brave (or foolish) player can attempt to catch a Legendary Pokémon within the first few hours of the game.

Mew spawned