The Rarest Pokémon in the Hoenn Region
The Hoenn region, introduced in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, marked Game Freak’s debut mainline games for the Game Boy Advance. With over 100 original species, it provided trainers with a vast array of creatures to discover, befriend, and train. Among these, several Pokémon became some of the rarest in the GBA era, ranging from new additions to returning Legends and Mythicals.
Even 20 years after Pokémon Emerald debuted on the GBA, longtime fans still revisit Gen III’s Hoenn region. There are plenty of rare Pokémon among its roster of 100+ native species to keep players busy. From Legendary and Mythical creatures to more obscure “regular” ones, this list includes five notably rare Pokémon from Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald.
Metagross Is Gen III’s Rarest Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon
Metagross, a Steel/Psychic-type Pokémon, is one of the most powerful pseudo-legendary creatures in the Hoenn region. It is the third and final stage in Beldum’s evolutionary line, and only one can be obtained per playthrough. Players have to wait until after they become the Hoenn region’s Elite Four Champion, visit Steven Stone’s house, and pick up a Beldum as a gift. This makes it a tougher find than its Dragon-Type counterpart.
Gardevoir Starts as a Rare Early-Game Find
Gardevoir is one of the most powerful Pokémon in Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. It starts as Ralts, which can be found in Route 120, just east of Petalburg City. Ralts’ encounter rate is only 4%, so patience and being well-stocked with Poké Balls are vital to catch one early. Powering through the frail stages as a Ralts and Kirlia will reward players with one of the strongest special attackers in the Hoenn region.
Salamence Is a Powerful Late-Game Pseudo-Legendary
Salamence, a dual Dragon/Flying-type Pokémon, is the third and final stage in its evolutionary line. Bagon, the first stage, is only found as a rare encounter in Meteor Falls. Players have to wait until they get HM Waterfall near the end of the story to get into one of the dungeon’s specific caves.
Wild Wynauts Are Bafflingly Rare
Wynaut is a Psychic-type creature that is the first stage before evolving into Wobbuffet. Players can obtain a Wynaut by catching a pair of Wobbuffet and breeding them, or hatching them from a gifted Egg in Lavaridge Town. However, Mirage Island is the only place to literally catch wild Wynauts. Reaching Mirage Island requires going to Route 130 under absurdly rare circumstances.
Chimecho’s Rarity Is Arguably Not Worth It
Chimecho, a Psychic-type Pokémon, is found in the grasses of Mt. Pyre’s peak at a very low encounter rate. Players only have a 2% chance of finding a wild Chimecho at the summit of Mt. Pyre. It’s an almost inexplicably rare Pokémon considering how weak Chimecho is.
Milotic Was a Frustrating Find in the GBA Games
Milotic, a pure Water-type Pokémon, is the second stage and final evolution of Feebas. Players had to fish in one of six specific fishing spots on Route 119 for a rare Feebas encounter. Then, to evolve it into Milotic, players had to grind its beauty levels tirelessly in the Pokémon Contests.
Latios & Latias Are Elusive Roaming Encounters
Latios and Latias are dual Dragon/Psychic-type Pokémon that roam Hoenn after the player visits their home after the main story. The player and their mother will watch a TV broadcast, and depending on the former’s answer, Latios or Latias will be found. The unselected Legendary can only be found in the now-defunct special event locale, Southern Island.
Groudon, Kyogre & Rayquaza Are Story-Driven Events
Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza are powerful story encounters. Groudon is found in Ruby and Emerald, Kyogre in Sapphire and Emerald, and Rayquaza in all three. These are the most “common” Legendary Pokémon in the Hoenn games, thanks to being guaranteed plot encounters.
Relicanth Is a Rare “Living Fossil” Pokémon
Relicanth, a Water/Rock-type Pokémon, is based on the real-world coelacanth fish. Players can only find Relicanth underwater in two routes: Route 124 and Route 126. Underwater seaweed is functionally the same as grass on land for finding wild Pokémon, but it’s this creature’s low encounter and catch rates that can make getting one tedious.
Typhlosion, Feraligatr & Meganium Require Completing Emerald’s Daunting Task
Typhlosion, Feraligatr, and Meganium are Generation II Johto starters that can be obtained in Pokémon Emerald. However, players must complete the Hoenn Pokédex first. Afterward, Professor Birch will let players choose only one of three. Players must do three separate playthroughs to get all of them.
