The “strongest Pokémon” depends on what you mean by strong —stats, lore, or what players can actually use in battle—but a few clear contenders always rise to the top.

Short direct answer

If you want one simple pick:
Arceus is usually considered the strongest overall Pokémon because of its god-like lore, huge stats, and ability to change type to counter almost anything.

But if you include special or temporary forms, fans often argue for Eternamax Eternatus , Ultra Necrozma , or Mega Rayquaza as “strongest” in raw power.

Different ways to define “strongest”

1. Strongest in lore (story power)

In the story and worldbuilding:

  • Arceus – Described as the creator of the Pokémon universe and “God of all Pokémon,” with a base stat total of 720 and Multitype to change its type with Plates or Z-Crystals.
  • Ultra Necrozma – In the official games, Ultra Necrozma is described and portrayed as stronger than the other “Light Trio” legends (Solgaleo and Lunala), and many sources state there is no Pokémon stronger than Ultra Necrozma within the main games’ context.
  • Eternamax Eternatus – In its Eternamax boss form, Eternatus has an absurd stat total of 1125, the single highest in the franchise, and is framed as a catastrophic, world-threatening entity (though this form is not player-usable).

From a pure lore spectacle angle, the fight against Ultra Necrozma in Ultra Sun/Moon and Eternamax Eternatus in Sword/Shield are treated as near-apocalyptic boss battles, which is why many fans call them the “strongest” in-story.

2. Strongest by raw stats

If you just look at base stat totals:

  • Eternamax Eternatus – Base stat total 1125 (highest in the series, but only appears as a boss; players cannot legally use it in normal play).
  • Mega Rayquaza – Base stat total 780, the highest of any form that’s actually been usable by players in standard game contexts at some point.
  • Primal Kyogre / Primal Groudon – Base stat totals of 770, with extremely powerful abilities and moves that warp the battlefield.
  • Arceus / Zacian (Crowned Sword) – Arceus and Zacian in its Crowned form both sit at 720, placing them at the top of non-Mega, non-Primal, non-boss forms.

Reddit and forum discussions often highlight that “pure stats” crown Eternamax Eternatus as #1, but among Pokémon players can actually use, Ultra Necrozma and Mega Rayquaza are frequently cited as the most overwhelming.

3. Strongest in competitive-style battles

In actual gameplay and competitive-inspired rankings (depending on format bans):

  • Mega Rayquaza – Considered so strong that it was famously placed in its own ban tier in fan-made competitive rulesets; it has 180 Attack and 180 Special Attack with 115 Speed and the ability Delta Stream, which reduces weaknesses to its Flying type.
  • Mega Mewtwo X/Y – Both Mega forms have enormous stats (especially Special Attack and Speed for Y) and access to devastating moves like Psystrike.
  • Xerneas, Kyogre, Zacian, and others – In fan discussions, Xerneas with Geomancy, Kyogre with rain-boosted Water attacks, and Zacian-Crowned with its boosted Attack and speed are regularly mentioned as “broken” or near-broken in many formats.

A Reddit thread summarizing player opinions mentions Ultra Necrozma as possibly the strongest player-usable Pokémon by in-game encounter difficulty and stats, with Mega Rayquaza widely viewed as the “best” in practical battle among Megas.

4. Fan opinions and forum debates

Community debates usually split into a few camps:

  • Lore-first camp – Picks Arceus as strongest, since it’s canonically the universe’s creator and “god” of Pokémon.
  • Stats-first camp – Picks Eternamax Eternatus (pure numbers) or Mega Rayquaza / Ultra Necrozma (usable forms with absurd stats).
  • Competitive-minded camp – Talks about what’s “broken” in actual battle formats: Mega Rayquaza, Mega Mewtwo, Xerneas, Kyogre, Zacian, etc.

You’ll also see joke answers like Bidoof pop up in these threads, but when people get serious, the same small handful of Pokémon keeps showing up in polls and top lists.

Quick HTML table: main contenders

Below is a simple HTML table you can drop into a page, since you requested tables as HTML:

html

<table>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th>Pokémon / Form</th>
      <th>Why it’s considered strongest</th>
      <th>Usable by players?</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <td>Arceus</td>
      <td>Creator “god” of the Pokémon universe, 720 base stats, can change type with Multitype.</td>
      <td>Yes</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Eternamax Eternatus</td>
      <td>Boss form with 1125 base stat total, highest in the franchise, catastrophic lore presence.</td>
      <td>No (boss-only)</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Ultra Necrozma</td>
      <td>Canonical “no Pokémon stronger” in Ultra Sun/Moon context, extremely hard boss with top-tier stats.</td>
      <td>Yes (temporary in battle)</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Mega Rayquaza</td>
      <td>780 base stats, overwhelmingly strong, effectively banned from normal competitive tiers.</td>
      <td>Yes (in games with Megas)</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Primal Kyogre / Primal Groudon</td>
      <td>770 base stats, weather abilities that completely reshape battles.</td>
      <td>Yes (in OR/AS)</td>
    </tr>
    <tr>
      <td>Zacian (Crowned)</td>
      <td>720 base stats, terrifyingly strong physical attacker with boosted Steel move.</td>
      <td>Yes (Sword/Shield)</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

All of these are solid answers to “what is the strongest Pokémon,” depending on whether you care most about lore, stats, or actual battle performance.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.