3. Giratina

Okay, my Sinnoh sicko is coming out here. I love Giratina because we love Pokémon’s biblical fallen angel allegories. Thus we have no choice but to stan the instigator of Pokémon Legends: Arceus’ war for god-like supremacy in the Pokémon universe. As the symbol of antimatter, Giratina is both a malicious and a tragic figure in Pokémon lore, and it was banished into the Distortion World by Arceus for being destructive. And shit, that destructive nature was put on display when it nearly unraveled the entire Pokémon world to attack and dethrone god.

I have a lot of love for Giratina, even if a lot of it is bolstered by my love of the characters and conflicts that surround it. Thwarting its plans alongside Palkia in Legends: Arceus is an all-time Pokémon moment, and watching its malice nearly unravel an entire universe has etched it into the upper echelon of legendary Pokémon, as well bringing it near the top of all ghost-type Pokémon. But even with all that mythology behind it, there are two other fan-favorites who I think surpass it as the best examples of what ghosts can be in the Pokémon world.