Summary
- The mainline Pokemon games hide infamously brutal story bosses that defy the series’ kid-friendly reputation.
- Some of these tough battles are against actual Pokemon, like the Totem Araquanid or Ultra Necrozma.
- The fights against Whitney, Ghetsis and Cynthia are among some of the most challenging encounters against human trainers in the entire series.
The Pokemon games are often criticized for being easy, which makes sense, considering they are meant for a younger audience. However, most seasoned players are aware that this isn’t always true. There are a lot of boss fights throughout the series that are infamous for being challenging.
Sometimes, a mainline Pokemon game will force players to face a strong trainer or wild Pokemon that’s almost impossible to defeat, whether it’s because of their high level, their team composition, or other key factors. The Pokemon franchise has had numerous hard boss fights throughout its extensive history, but the following are the absolute toughest so far. That this list will only include story encounters with set levels and teams, and will exclude randomized post-game battles from facilities like the Battle Frontier or the Battle Tower.
Totem Araquanid
Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon
- Level: 20
- Types: Water/Bug
- Ability: Water Bubble
- Moves: Leech Life, Bubble, Bite and Aurora Beam
Pokemon Sun and Moon are great games, but they were also criticized for being way too easy. That’s why their direct follow-ups, Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, upped the ante in terms of its boss fights’ difficulty. Of course, all the Totem Pokemon in this game are harder than their counterparts from the previous game, but Totem Araquanid is particularly infamous among fans.
This encounter seems to have been designed to frustrate the player. Not only does Araquanid have the Water Bubble ability, which lowers the power of Fire-type moves and prevents it from being burned, but it also knows Leech Life, a powerful Bug-type move that can deal super-effective damage to Grass-type Pokemon and heal its own HP at the same time. To make all of this worse, heavy rain is active throughout the fight, which boosts the power of Araquanid’s Water-type moves.
Whitney
Gold, Silver & Crystal / HeartGold & SoulSilver
- Clefairy (Level 18/17)
- Miltank (Level 20/19)
The mere mention of the names Whitney and Miltank is enough to strike fear in the hearts of seasoned Pokemon fans. The Normal-type Gym Leader of Goldenrod City in Johto is infamous for being one of the toughest early encounters in the history of the franchise. For starters, Normal is only weak to the Fighting Type. In the Johto region, Pokemon of this type are hard to come by, especially before the third gym.
But the standout of Whitney’s team is her ace Pokemon. Miltank knows Stomp (which can make opponents flinch), Attract (which can immobilize male opponents by infatuating them), Milk Drink (which can restore 50% of its HP) and Rollout (a physical attack that gets stronger after each turn). This battle is surprisingly hard in both the original Gold and Silver and their Generation Four remakes, to the point that some experienced players build their early-game teams solely around it.
AI Sada/ AI Turo
Pokemon Scarlet & Violet
Sada’s Team:
- Slither Wing (Level 66)
- Scream Tail (Level 66)
- Brute Bonnet (Level 66)
- Flutter Mane (Level 66)
- Sandy Shocks (Level 66)
- Roaring Moon (Level 67)
- Koraidon (Level 72)
Turo’s Team:
- Iron Moth (Level 66)
- Iron Bundle (Level 66)
- Iron Hands (Level 66)
- Iron Jugulis (Level 66)
- Iron Thorns (Level 66)
- Iron Valiant (Level 67)
- Miraidon (Level 72)
Despite their flaws, there’s no denying that Pokemon Scarlet and Violet have one of the best storylines in any mainline Pokemon game. It is full of memorable moments, including the incredible final fight against the AI reincarnation of each version’s respective Pokemon Professor: AI Sada in Scarlet and AI Turo in Violet.
These are the final bosses of a long open-world RPG, meaning that their Pokemon teams are at a very high level. On top of that, they both use powerful Paradox Pokemon with high stats and diverse move sets that are prepared to take down almost anything the player throws at them. But the most challenging part of this encounter happens at the very end. AI Sada/AI Turo send out a Koraidon/Miraidon that’s holding the Terrain Extender item, which boosts the duration of their respective terrains, making their moves stronger for an extended period of time.
Ultra Necrozma
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon
- Level: 60
- Types: Psychic/Dragon
- Ability: Neuroforce
- Moves: Photon Geyser, Dragon Pulse, Smart Strike and Power Gem
Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon are often considered two of the hardest mainline entries in the franchise, which is exemplified by the climactic battle against their cover art Legendary Pokemon: Ultra Necrozma. This is infamous for being one of the toughest boss fights in the series, which is impressive considering it’s just one Pokemon without any other party members to assist it.
This is a Level 60 Legendary Pokemon with one additional point in every one of its stats, so it’s extremely powerful and durable from the get-go. On top of that, Ultra Necrozma has a solid move set made up of two strong STAB moves, as well as a Steel-type and a Rock-type attack that are meant to take down any Fairy-type Pokemon it is weak to. Additionally, its signature ability, Neuroforce, makes super-effective moves even more lethal. Any Pokemon that is weak to these four moves doesn’t stand a chance against it.
Red
Gold, Silver & Crystal / HeartGold & SoulSilver
- Pikachu (Level 81/88)
- Snorlax (Level 75/82)
- Venusaur (Level 77/84)
- Charizard (Level 77/84)
- Blastoise (Level 77/84)
- Espeon (Level 73) Only in Generation Two
- Lapras (Level 80) Only in Generation Four
All the games that take place in Johto – Gold, Silver and Crystal and their remakes, HeartGold and SoulSilver – are beloved among Pokemon fans. They’re basically two games in one: players start their journey in the Johto region and, after defeating the Pokemon League, they get access to Kanto and can fight that region’s Gym Leaders. After defeating sixteen different Gym Leaders, they can go up Mt. Silver and face Red, the protagonist of the first two Pokemon titles.
This optional boss fight is these games’ ultimate challenge that will put everything the players know to the test, which is why Red’s Pokemon are some of the highest-leveled in the franchise. The all know a variety of strong moves and, to make things even worse, Red has access to Full Restores (two in the original games, four in the remakes). This means that he can heal during the battle and nullify any progress the player had made in just a few seconds.
Ghetsis
Black & White
- Cofagrigus (Level 52)
- Bouffalant (Level 52)
- Seismitoad (Level 52)
- Bisharp (Level 52)
- Eelektross (Level 52)
- Hydreigon (Level 54)
Pokemon Black and White are often praised for being the first mainline Pokemon games with a mature and complex narrative. This is why this story doesn’t conclude with the typical fight against the Pokemon Champion of the Unova region, but with the intense climactic final clash against the game’s main antagonist, Ghetsis, the evil leader of Team Plasma.
Since he doesn’t specialize in any specific type, Ghetsis’ team is diverse, with multiple heavy-hitters that possess excellent type coverage. However, players need to be especially wary of two of his team members. Eelektross doesn’t have any real weaknesses thanks to its Levitate ability. And Hydreigon is not only is an extremely powerful pseudo-legendary Pokemon, but it’s also not supposed to exist. Zweilous evolves into Hydreigon at Level 64, and yet Ghetsis has one at Level 54, which goes to show how overpowered this villain is.
Volo
Pokemon Legends: Arceus
- Spiritomb (Level 68)
- Roserade (Level 68)
- Togekiss (Level 68)
- Hisuian Arcanine (Level 68)
- Lucario (Level 68)
- Garchomp (Level 68)
- Giratina (Level 70)
Pokemon Legends: Arceus revolutionized the Pokemon formula by focusing more on real-time battles against Noble Pokemon and not featuring many one-on-one encounters against human trainers. But that’s precisely why the final fight against Volo, the game’s shocking twist villain, took many players by surprise. He lives up to his lineage’s reputation, because he’s almost as strong and skilled in battle as his implied descendant, Cynthia, the Sinnoh Pokemon Champion.
He has a diverse team made up of many strong Pokemon, like Spiritomb, Lucario, and Garchomp, the region’s iconic pseudo-legendary Pokemon. But the most terrifying part of Volo’s fight takes place at the very end, when he sends out the Legendary Pokemon Giratina to battle. Not only is this creature extremely powerful and hard to take down, but once its HP drops to zero, it turns into its Origin Forme and regains all of its health. This moment has been shocking and frustrating Legends: Arceus players since the game’s release back in 2022.
Cynthia
Diamond, Pearl, & Platinum / Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl
- Spiritomb (Level 61/58)
- Roserade (Level 60/58)
- Lucario (Level 63/60)
- Milotic (Level 63/58)
- Garchomp (Level 66/62)
- Gastrodon (Level 60) Only in Diamond, Pearl and their remakes
- Togekiss (Level 60) Only in Platinum
Most Pokemon fans consider Cynthia to be the best Pokemon Champion in the franchise, and for good reason. Not only does she look cool and have a friendly personality, but she’s also an extremely talented trainer that has been the star of some of the most challenging battles in the series, both in the original Gen 4 games and their remakes. For starters, Cynthia has one of the best team compositions in any Pokemon game, with a variety of strong Pokemon with different moves and type combinations that perfectly complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
Spiritomb doesn’t have any real weaknesses, Milotic can heal itself and return special attacks with Mirror Coat, and Lucario is a speedy special attacker. Her ace Pokemon, Garchomp, is a powerful pseudo-legendary with high Speed and Attack that can take down almost anything that crosses its path, including the Ice-type and Fairy-type Pokemon it would typically be weak to. Both of Cynthia’s original Champion matches in the Gen 4 games and their Gen 8 remakes are infamous for being tough, but her post-game rematch in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl is unbelievably hard, to the point that all her Pokemon’s levels go up to 70 and 80. This is a challenge meant for the most dedicated, skilled, and knowledgeable Pokemon players.