Legendary Pokémon are everywhere now. Honestly, you can’t swing a Meowth without hitting a deity that controls space, time, or the literal ecosystem. But back in 1999, things felt different. When Pokémon Gold and Silver dropped, the introduction of Entei, Raikou, and Suicune changed the fundamental "feel" of a Pokémon journey. They weren't just sitting in a cave waiting for you to lob Ultra Balls at them. They were ghosts in the machine. They were hunters.
Most players remember that specific brand of frustration. You’re biking through Route 37, the music is upbeat, and suddenly the screen flashes. Your Pokédex says they’re right there. Then, before you can even click "Mean Look," they’re gone. It was a mechanic that felt genuinely alive, even if it was just a bit of clever RNG and map-tracking code.
The Burned Tower Incident: Fact vs. Fan Fiction
We have to talk about the Eeveelution theory. If you’ve spent five minutes in a Pokémon forum, you’ve heard it: Entei, Raikou, and Suicune are actually resurrected Flareon, Jolteon, and Vaporeon. It makes perfect sense on paper. The types match up perfectly. The Kimono Girls in Ecruteak City use Eeveelutions. Ho-Oh is the one who brought them back to life after the Brass Tower (now the Burned Tower) went up in flames.
But here’s the thing—Game Freak has never explicitly confirmed this in the core series games.
In the actual lore provided by NPC dialogue in Ecruteak, three "nameless Pokémon" perished when the tower was struck by lightning, engulfed in fire, and eventually doused by rain. Ho-Oh descended and gave them new life as the Legendary Beasts. While the Pokémon Generations shorts lean heavily into the visual silhouette of the trio looking like generic four-legged creatures before their rebirth, the Eevee connection remains a very strong, very logical headcanon that the developers seem happy to tease without ever making official.
Breaking Down the Stat Spreads
If you’re looking to actually use them in a playthrough or a competitive setting, they aren't created equal. Far from it.
Suicune has always been the golden child. It’s bulky. With a base Defense and Special Defense of 115, it was the "CroCune" era king. You’d run Calm Mind, Rest, Sleep Talk, and Scald (or Surf in the older days) and just sit there until your opponent disconnected out of pure annoyance. It’s a tank. It’s elegant. It’s also the only one that got its own box art in Pokémon Crystal.
Raikou is the glass cannon that isn't quite glass. Base 115 Speed and Special Attack make it a terrifying pivot. You’ve got access to Thunderbolt and Aura Sphere (via events), but it always felt like it was missing that one move to make it top-tier. Still, in a vacuum, Raikou is arguably the most consistent offensive threat of the three.
Then there’s Entei. Poor Entei. For generations, Entei was a physical attacker that didn't have any physical Fire-type moves. It was a tragedy. It wasn't until Pokémon X and Y gave it Flare Blitz—and specifically the distribution of Extreme Speed—that Entei actually started feeling like the legendary it was supposed to be. Before that? It was basically a very majestic dog with a movepool problem.
The Roaming Mechanic was Pure Chaos
Let's be real: roaming Pokémon are polarizing.
In the original Johto games, tracking Entei, Raikou, and Suicune was a lesson in patience. Every time you crossed a route boundary, they moved. If you used Fly, they moved to a completely random spot on the map. It created this weird "cat and mouse" gameplay loop that hasn't really been replicated since, mostly because modern players find it tedious.
But that tedium created value.
When you finally trapped Suicune in a patch of grass near Cherrygrove City, your heart actually raced. You didn't just walk into a room; you hunted a legend. The "flee on turn one" mechanic forced players to get creative. You had to lead with a Gengar using Mean Look or a Crobat with Mean Look, hoping you were fast enough to keep them from vanishing into the tall grass.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Trio
A common misconception is that they are "Legendary Dogs."
While Entei looks like a lion-mastiff hybrid and Raikou has the sabertooth tiger aesthetic, Muneori Iwai—the designer of the trio—has clarified that the designs are meant to be more ambiguous. They are "beasts." Raikou is clearly feline-inspired. Entei has leonine traits. Suicune is more of a leopard or a wind-spirit. Calling them "dogs" is a bit of a misnomer that the Western fanbase has clung to since 2000, but it’s technically incorrect if you’re looking at the design intent.
Another thing? Their Hidden Abilities.
For a long time, the "Inner Focus" and "Volt Absorb" and "Water Absorb" distributions were the subject of massive hype. Then Game Freak changed them to Inner Focus (for all three) to prevent flinching, which actually made Entei significantly better in VGC (Video Game Championships) because it became immune to Fake Out. It’s these small, technical shifts that keep these Gen 2 icons relevant twenty-plus years later.
How to Catch Them in 2026 (Modern Methods)
If you aren't dusting off a Game Boy Color, your options for catching Entei, Raikou, and Suicune have changed. In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, they are locked behind the Indigo Disk DLC. You have to finish the main story, talk to Snacksworth, and complete BB Quests to unlock the "snacks" that make them spawn in the Paldea overworld.
The catch? They aren't roaming anymore. They are static encounters.
While this is "better" for your sanity, it loses some of that Johto magic. If you’re hunting for the "authentic" experience, you’re looking at Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl (Ramanas Park) or the Virtual Console versions of the original games on a 3DS—if you were lucky enough to download them before the shop closed.
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Practical Tips for the Hunt
- The "Map Refresh" Trick: In the older games, don't use Fly. Stand on a route border (like the one between Route 36 and 37) and hop back and forth. This forces the game to reroll their location without sending them to the other side of the continent.
- The Master Ball Dilemma: Most people save the Master Ball for Lugia or Ho-Oh. Don't. Those birds are stationary. You can save-scum them. Use the Master Ball on Raikou. It’s the fastest and most likely to ruin your day with a Roar or a turn-one flee.
- False Swipe is Mandatory: You need a scizor or a Breloom. Getting them to 1 HP is the only way to make those 3% catch rate Luxury Balls work.
- The "Roar" Bug: In certain older versions (specifically FireRed and LeafGreen), if a roaming Pokémon uses Roar, they vanish from the game forever. Seriously. If you’re hunting them in Kanto, you must use Taunt or a Pokémon with the Soundproof ability.
The legacy of these three isn't just about their stats. It’s about how they expanded the world. They made Johto feel like it had secrets that didn't care if you found them or not. They were the first time the game told the player, "I'm not going to wait for you."
To successfully integrate the Legendary Beasts into your current roster or collection, start by prioritizing Suicune for defensive utility in competitive play, particularly in formats where its "Inner Focus" ability allows it to ignore "Fake Out" pressure. If you are shiny hunting, remember that they are currently "shiny locked" in most modern static encounters, so you’ll need to head back to the Ultra Sun and Moon Wormholes for a legal chance at those rare color palettes. Focus your efforts on securing an Entei with "Extreme Speed" via specific event transfers if you want the most viable offensive version of the Fire-type beast. Use the "Route Hopping" method specifically in Gen 2 or Gen 4 remakes to minimize the RNG of their movements.