A Legendary Pokémon is a group of rare Pokémon that are unique and hold a cosmic power. They belong to the Undiscovered Egg Group. Collectively, they have listed 62 Legendary Pokémon in the 1st to 8th Generation, including Galarian Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. They are the most sought Pokémon in the game, which makes them only limited. The fact they can’t breed and are so hard to get is why they are rare. Imagine if you can breed a hundred of them, then it would be pointless to get to an event if you can hatch them in a nursery or get an egg from your friend.
But, there is an exemption for Manaphy, which you can breed with a Ditto. You will get a Phione in breeding Manaphy with a Ditto. So technically, you can’t reproduce another Manaphy by breeding it with a Ditto. You can’t get them by just simply catching them, nor through hatching from eggs. But, there are a few ways on how to get them like:
1. Defeat them in a Raid Battle. After beating a Raid Boss in a raid battle, there is a chance in the bonus round to get a Legendary Pokémon.
2. Research Task Reward. After beating Giovanni, a Team Go Rocket boss, you can claim a Legendary as a prize.
3. Special Trade. You can trade Legendary Pokémon to trainers nearby.
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Legendary Pokémon that You Can Breed
You can’t usually breed a Legendary Pokémon. But in Pokémon Canon, breeding Legendaries are possible like Palkia, Dialga, Giratina, and Lugia. More specifically, a marine Pokémon Manaphy can breed with Ditto to make Phione. But, Phione can’t evolve into a Manaphy. Like Manaphy, Phione is a water-type Pokémon, obtained through breeding Manaphy and Ditto or another Phione to Ditto. Although Manaphy can breed to make Phione, it can only breed once.
Are There Ways to Breed Legendary Pokémon ?
Pokémon breeding is a way to get a new Pokémon by producing and hatching an egg. It is crucial in a way that a trainer could create a stronger Pokémon. It is a way to transfer egg moves to get more skills as you choose specific traits to pass down to new Pokémon. Moreover, you can get the right number of Individual Values from the progenitors. Also, it is another way to shiny hunt and get rare Pokémon. However, not all Pokémon can breed such as:
- Legendary Pokémon
- Unown
- Nidoqueen and Nidorina (can evolve from Pokemon but can’t breed by themselves)
- Baby Pokémon
More specifically, you can’t breed Legendary Pokémon because they belong to the Undiscovered Egg Group. They would like to maintain it that way to preserve the rareness of the Legendary Pokémon.
Can Legendary Pokémon Mate with Ditto?
Pokémon Generation I launched Ditto. It appears to be a very simple, plain, pinkish to purplish, amorphous blob. It transforms into anything it sees by changing its DNA code to match what it saw. They are Normal-type and unique Pokémon that can breed with any Pokémon in a Nursery regardless of gender. Ditto is a crucial component of successful Pokemon breeding both in Sword and Shield. Ditto is the only Pokemon that can breed with a legendary Pokémon, specifically a Manaphy.
Although Ditto can breed with most Pokémon, it is limited to undiscovered Pokémon and other Dittos. In conclusion, you can only breed Ditto with:
- Genderless Pokemon like Magnemite or Golett
- Any Pokemon produced by Ditto breeding, which is always considered as non-Ditto
- Manaphy, as the only legendary that can mate with Ditto
What Pokemon Can You Get When Breeding Legendaries?
Manaphy is the only legendary Pokemon that can breed with Ditto. The mating of the two will produce a Phione (フィオネ Fione). It is a Water-type Pokémon known for its ability to drift and was called the Sea Drifter Pokémon. The flotation sac on its head inflates, allowing it to drift just beneath the surface of the water. Although Phione came from Ditto and Manaphy, it cannot evolve into a Manaphy but can always breed with a Ditto to produce another Phione.
Can You Breed Legendary Pokemon in Shield?
Pokémon Shield, along with Pokémon Sword, is a 2019 role-playing video game developed by Game Freak. The Pokémon Company and Nintendo have published the game. In Shield, opposing gender is needed to mate a Pokemon to any species or with a Ditto. Unfortunately, all Legendary Pokemon, except Manaphy, cannot be bred in Pokemon Shield. Essentially, you can only breed Egg groups, except for Manaphy in Shield.
Although we all know that breeding is crucial when passing down natures, egg moves, and individual values, legendaries cannot be bred. Game Freak would like to keep it that way to maintain their rareness and limit making more of their kinds. If Legendaries could breed, then they could not be rare anymore and would become just ordinary Pokemon. Their inability to breed made them Legendaries and most sought after in the long-running game.