I’ve always liked Water Pokémon. Back when I was a kid, fishing in the old games felt like a gamble.
You never knew what would bite. Sometimes it was a Magikarp. Other times, if you were lucky, it was something rare. That thrill stuck with me.
Over time, I noticed some Water-types were much harder to find than others. It wasn’t just about patience. You had to be in the right place, playing the right version, or even waiting for a special event.
That made a few of them feel almost legendary. In this blog, I’m ranking the rarest Water Pokémon by game and generation.
I’ll explain what makes them rare, compare them to stronger picks, and share fan stories along the way.
What Is the How I’m Defining “Rare”?
Not every Water Pokémon is rare just because you don’t see it often. For this blog, I wanted to be clear about what makes a Pokémon count as rare. To me, rarity comes from a few different things.
Some have a very low encounter rate, showing up only after hours of fishing or wandering in the right spot.
Some appear in only one game version, forcing trades if you chose the other. Some were event- or trade-only, so missing the timing meant missing the Pokémon.
Then there are mythicals and legendaries, which often take real effort to track down. I drew from game data, fan discussions, and my own memories, yes, Safari Zone hours still count.
What Is the Rarest Water Type Pokémon?
Across different games and generations, some Water-types are easy to catch while others are hidden behind events, trades, or single encounters. Let’s go through the rarest Water-types by generation.
1. Generation I (Red, Blue, Yellow)
The first generation had many Water-types, but only a few stood out for how rare they were. These Pokémon were harder to find or appeared only once.
- Dratini: Found only in the Safari Zone with the right fishing rod. I spent hours waiting for one to appear.
- Lapras: A one-time gift in Silph Co. If you missed it, you couldn’t get another.
- Articuno: Not a pure Water-type, but hidden in the Seafoam Islands and treated like part of the Water group.
2. Generation II (Gold, Silver, Crystal)
Gen II made Water-types harder to get, with roaming encounters and trade requirements adding new challenges.
- Suicune: Stationary in Crystal but roaming in Gold and Silver, making it tough to pin down.
- Remoraid: Easy later, but in Gen II, it was often ignored unless evolved into Octillery.
- Kingdra: Required trading Seadra with a Dragon Scale, which meant finding someone willing to help.
3. Later Generations (III to IX)
From Gen III onward, Water-type rarity became less about random encounters and more about events, tricky evolutions, and unusual mechanics.
- Milotic (Gen III): Evolved from Feebas, which was notoriously hard to find. Catching one felt almost mythical, and evolving it wasn’t much easier.
- Manaphy (Gen IV): Only available from a special event egg, making it one of the most exclusive Water-types.
- Phione (Gen IV): Could only be bred from Manaphy, which meant most players never had a chance to get one.
- Volcanion (Gen VI): An event-only Pokémon that many missed out on entirely.
- Dracovish (Gen VIII): Required combining fossils at random, so getting it was frustrating for a lot of players.
- Dondozo (Gen IX): Common enough in-game, but often overlooked as a bulky late-game catch.
Generation-Specific Highlights
Not every Water-type that stood out was technically rare, but some left lasting impressions for other reasons.
In Gen IV’s Platinum, tracking down Mesprit reminded me how much patience rarity can demand, even if Mesprit wasn’t a Water-type.
On the other hand, Pokémon like Floatzel and Gastrodon were everywhere in Sinnoh, yet many players ignored them. Looking back, they felt like hidden gems, with solid designs and reliable battle roles.
Empoleon wasn’t rare, but it proved to be a strong and reliable Water-type.
These examples made it clear that rarity and strength don’t always line up, sometimes the Pokémon you see most often end up being the most valuable.
Rarity vs Strength in Water-Type Pokémon
One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that rarity doesn’t always equal strength. Some rare Water-types turned out to be reliable in battle, while others felt underwhelming compared to how hard they were to get.
On the other hand, some of the strongest Water-types were among the easiest to find.
| Pokémon | Why It’s Rare | Strength in Battle |
|---|---|---|
| Lapras | One-time gift in Gen I | Useful, bulky, and practical |
| Feebas | Extremely low encounter in Gen III | Evolves into Milotic, a top competitive pick |
| Phione | Only bred from Manaphy, event-limited | Weaker than most mythicals |
| Gyarados | Common evolution of Magikarp | Powerful and iconic, but not rare |
Looking at these examples, it’s clear that rarity doesn’t always make a Pokémon worth the trouble.
Sometimes the hardest ones to catch become favorites, but just as often, the real powerhouses are the ones nearly every player can get.
What Players Say?
When I dug through Reddit and PokéBase, I noticed the same stories popping up.
- Players are complaining about wasting hours fishing for Feebas.
- People are saying they only got Blastoise by trading with friends.
- Others recommend Floatzel for its speed, even though it didn’t stand out much in the wild.
I’ve had those moments too. I remember restarting a game once because I forgot to pick up Lapras on the Silph Co. floor. Painful lesson learned.
Conclusion
Looking at each generation, it’s clear that the meaning of rarity has changed over time. In the early games, rarity came from low encounters, tough spots, or one-time gift Pokémon.
Later gens added roaming legendaries, trade evolutions, and event-only Pokémon.
Some Pokémon were prized for the effort it took to catch them, while others went unnoticed unless you knew where to look.
Many strong Water-types were common, proving strength and rarity don’t always match. Each generation shows which Pokémon were hardest to get and how rarity shaped them.
Many strong Water-types were common, proving strength and rarity don’t always match.
But when players discuss legends, the focus shifts to which Pokémon could be seen as the God of Water in Pokémon myths and stories.
