You know that feeling when you're biking through the tall grass in Pokémon Gold or Silver, just trying to get to the next town, and the music suddenly shifts into that high-tempo, frantic drum beat? Your heart drops. You haven't saved in twenty minutes. Suddenly, a giant purple sabertooth tiger with a raincloud on its back is staring you down. That was our first introduction to Entei, Raikou, and Suicune. It wasn't scripted like the legendary encounters we see in modern games. It was chaotic. It was annoying. It was perfect.
These three weren't just "Legendary Beasts" or "Legendary Dogs"—though the debate over whether they are cats, dogs, or some weird botanical hybrids will probably rage on until the end of time. They represented a massive shift in how Game Freak handled world-building. Before them, Legendaries just sat in the back of a cave waiting for you to throw a Master Ball. Raikou, Entei, and Suicune actually made you hunt.
The Burned Tower Incident and the Ho-Oh Connection
Honestly, the lore here is darker than most people remember. We aren't just talking about three random monsters wandering around Johto because they felt like it. The story goes back to Ecruteak City, roughly 150 years before the player arrives. There were two towers: the Brass Tower and the Bell Tower. A lightning bolt struck the Brass Tower, a massive fire broke out, and three nameless Pokémon perished in the flames.
Then, according to the legend, Ho-Oh descended and resurrected them.
This is where things get interesting from a design perspective. Each of the beasts represents a stage of that specific disaster. Raikou is the lightning bolt that struck the tower. Entei is the fire that burned it to the ground. Suicune is the sudden downpour of rain that finally extinguished the flames. It’s a tight, cohesive narrative loop that ties the trio to the mascot of the game in a way that feels organic rather than forced.
Some fans, including popular theorists on platforms like Smogon and Serebii, have long speculated that the "nameless" Pokémon were actually Jolteon, Flareon, and Vaporeon. While Nintendo has never officially confirmed this, the stat spreads and typing match up almost too well to be a coincidence. Whether you believe the Eeveelution theory or not, the "resurrection" angle gives these three a sense of tragedy that Zapdos or Regirock just don't have.
Why Tracking Them Was a Total Nightmare (and Why We Loved It)
Let's talk about the Roaming mechanic. It was revolutionary. It was also, quite frankly, a massive pain in the neck.
In the original Game Boy Color titles, as soon as you interacted with them in the basement of the Burned Tower, they vanished. They didn't go to a specific cave. They moved across the map every time you crossed a route boundary. You’d check your Pokédex, see Raikou was on Route 37, walk through the gate, and suddenly he’d be across the map in Mahogany Town.
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- You needed a Pokémon with Mean Look or Spider Web.
- You had to pray they didn't use Roar on the first turn.
- You had to chip away at their HP, knowing that if they fled, their HP stayed low for the next encounter.
It turned the game into a literal safari. It made the Johto region feel alive. The world didn't revolve around you; you were just a kid trying to catch up to forces of nature that had better things to do than fight a Level 30 Quilava.
Competitive Evolution: From Suicune’s Dominance to Raikou’s Niche
If we look at the competitive Pokémon scene, specifically the VGC (Video Game Championships) and Smogon tiers, the "Beasts" have had wildly different careers.
Suicune was the king for years. Because of its massive natural bulk and the move Calm Mind, "CroCune" became a legendary (pun intended) set. You’d run Rest, Sleep Talk, Calm Mind, and Surf. It was nearly impossible to kill. You just sat there, boosted your Special Defense, and eventually swept the entire team. Even in later generations like Sword & Shield, Suicune remained a top-tier "bulky water" type because of its reliability.
Entei took a lot longer to find its footing. For the first few generations, it was a physical attacker that didn't actually have any good physical Fire-type moves. Fans jokingly called it "Flareon 2.0." It wasn't until Generation VI when it finally got access to Sacred Fire—Ho-Oh’s signature move—that Entei became a legitimate threat. With a 50% burn rate, Sacred Fire turned Entei into a physical wallbreaker that could cripple opponents just by breathing on them.
Then there’s Raikou. Raikou has always been the "glass cannon" of the group. Fast, high Special Attack, but if a Garchomp breathes on it with an Earthquake, it’s over. It’s often overshadowed by Zapdos (who has a better defensive typing) or Tapu Koko, but in formats like the UnderUsed (UU) tier, Raikou remains a premier Choice Specs user.
The Paradox Forms: Walking Wake, Gouging Fire, and Bolt Undercut the Legend
Fast forward to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, and Game Freak did something nobody expected. They gave the trio Paradox forms. But instead of making them futuristic robots, they went prehistoric.
- Walking Wake (Suicune): A bipedal, raptor-like Water/Dragon type.
- Gouging Fire (Entei): A triceratops-inspired Fire/Dragon type.
- Raging Bolt (Raikou): A long-necked, brontosaurus-style Electric/Dragon type.
This blew the lore wide open. If these Pokémon existed millions of years ago, how does that fit with the story of Ho-Oh resurrecting them 150 years ago in Ecruteak?
The most likely answer, which many lore experts suggest, is that the Paradox Pokémon aren't actually ancestors. The "Sada/Turo" timeline suggests they might be physical manifestations of human imagination or alternate-reality versions of the creatures we know. Regardless of the "how," these new forms revitalized the trio. Raging Bolt, in particular, became a meta-defining threat in 2024 and 2025 competitive play due to its move Thunderclap, which acts as a priority Electric-type move.
Shiny Hunting and the Event History
If you see someone with a Shiny Entei, Raikou, or Suicune, they likely didn't find it in the wild. Hunting these in the original games is one of the most grueling tasks in the franchise. The odds in Gen 2 were 1 in 8,192. Combine that with the roaming mechanic, and you're looking at a hunt that could take months of real-time effort.
Most players got their shinies through the famous GameStop distributions during the HeartGold and SoulSilver era. These specific shiny beasts were actually required to trigger the Zoroark encounter in Pokémon Black and White. It was a cool bit of cross-generational marketing that rewarded players for keeping their save files active.
How to Effectively Use the Trio in Modern Games
If you’re looking to bring Entei, Raikou, or Suicune into your current roster—whether in Scarlet/Violet or a replay of the classics—you need to play to their specific archetypes.
Entei is your punish-dealer. Don't try to make it a setup sweeper. Use a Choice Band or an Assault Vest. Focus on Sacred Fire and Extreme Speed. The goal is to switch in, threaten a burn on a physical attacker, and use Extreme Speed to pick off weakened targets.
Suicune is your anchor. It’s still best used as a defensive pivot. Scald (if available in your format) or Chilling Water are essential for lowering the opponent's Attack. If you’re playing a format where Suicune can use Tailwind, it becomes one of the best support leads in the game because its natural bulk ensures it almost always gets the move off.
Raikou is your pivot. Volt Switch is Raikou’s best friend. You want to use its high speed to scout the opponent's lead, deal some chip damage, and swap out to a counter. If you can set up a Substitute or use Calm Mind on a forced switch, Raikou can clean up late-game, but it requires much more careful positioning than its two siblings.
Actionable Strategy for Trainers
If you're jumping back into the Johto region or looking to optimize these three in the master rank, keep these specific points in mind:
- Check your Speed Tiers: Raikou sits at a base speed of 115. In many modern formats, this is just barely too slow to outpace the fastest threats like Dragapult or Chien-Pao. You’ll often need a Choice Scarf to stay relevant.
- The Burn Factor: Entei’s value isn't in its raw damage; it’s in the 50% burn chance of Sacred Fire. This move bypasses "Contact" abilities like Rough Skin or Rocky Helmet since it doesn't make physical contact.
- Pressure Ability: All three have the Ability "Pressure." In long, grindy matches, this is actually a viable win condition. By forcing the opponent to use 2 PP for every move, Suicune can literally run an opponent out of their most powerful attacks (like Hydro Pump or Fire Blast) just by sitting there and healing.
The Legendary Beasts aren't just remnants of nostalgia. They represent a peak in Pokémon design where the mechanics of the game (the hunt) perfectly matched the story being told (the tragedy of the Burned Tower). Whether you're chasing them across a pixelated map or using their prehistoric ancestors to climb the ranked ladder, their impact on the series is undeniable.
Next Steps for Your Team:
- Identify your gap: If your team is weak to physical attackers, prioritize finding a Suicune with a Bold nature.
- Move reminder: Ensure your Entei knows Extreme Speed; it’s one of the few physical Fire types with high-tier priority.
- Tera Typing: In Scarlet and Violet, try Tera Grass on Suicune to flip its weaknesses to Electric and Grass, allowing it to survive a hit and setup a crucial Calm Mind.