First, there were the Legendary Pokemon; powerful, one-of-a-kind monsters with exotic types, movesets, and abilities. Then there were Mythical Pokemon, strong fighters often distributed through special events. In Pokemon Sun & Moon, the Ultra Beasts were revealed, a group of alien Pokemon from other dimensions. Now,Pokemon Scarlet & Violethas braved a new frontier and brought us new creatures from across time.
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The Paradox Pokemon* appear late in Pokemon Scarlet & Violet’s story campaigns, so be warned that there will be spoilers. There are seven Paradox Pokemon per game;seven Past Pokemonandseven Future Pokemon. These time-traveling monsters appear in The Great Crater of Paldea, which can be accessed in the “The Way Home” story arc. The Paradox Pokemon look like familiar Pokemon but have new types, moves, and abilities that make them a threat to Paldea should they escape Area Zero.
Updated by Devin Amlen on Jul 09, 2025:Version 1.2.0 introduced trainers to two new Paradox Pokemon, one Past and one Future. These new Pokemon – Walking Wake and Iron Leaves – can be encountered through special five-star Tera Raid battles and are theorized to be the so-called “Imagined Pokemon” detailed in the Scarlet and Violet Books. However, it’s clear to see that Walking Wake and Iron Leaves bear little resemblance to the Imagined Pokemon beyond being Paradox versions of a member of the legendary trios the Imagined Pokemon call back to. Whether or not this implies we’ll see more Paradox Pokemon in future updates is unclear.
While Koraidon and Miraidon are technically Paradox Pokemon, they will not be counted on this list.
16Iron Jugulis
Iron Jugulis is the Future paradox form of Hydreigon, the Brutal Pokemon. Hydreigon is typically characterized by its massive movepool and access to powerful STAB options in Draco Meteor, Dark Pulse, and Nasty Plot. Iron Jugulis is weaker than Hydreigon, having a base stat total of 570 as opposed to Hydreigon’s 600; Iron Jugulis does make up for this by being faster, with a base speed of 108.
However, this speed advantage doesn’t make up for the losses to Iron Jugulis' movepool compared to its present-day counterpart. Iron Jugulis is a Dark and Flying-type Pokemon, causing it to lose access to one of Hydreigon’s favorite tools, Draco Meteor. Iron Jugulis does gain Hurricane, a powerful Flying-type move, but Hurricane can be unreliable outside of Rain. Iron Jugulis even loses access to Nasty Plot, preventing it from boosting its Special Attack outside of using its ability Quark Drive. Overall, Iron Jugulis is just a straight-up downgrade from Hydreigon - quite disappointing for any fans of the Brutal Pokemon.
15Iron Thorns
Iron Thorns is the Future paradox form of Tyranitar, the Armor Pokemon. Tyranitar’s defining feature is its access to Sandstream, an ability that summons a sandstorm whenever Tyranitar enters the battle. Sandstorm has the effect of boosting Rock-type Pokemon’s Special Defense stat by 50% - Tyranitar’s respectable bulk combined with this boost grants Tyranitar unparalleled bulk despite its Rock- and Dark-typing.
Iron Thorns, now a Rock- and Electric-type, loses Sandstream in exchange for Quark Drive, like the other Future Paradox Pokemon. While Quark Drive is by no means a bad ability, Iron Thorns showcase just how screwed Tyranitar is without Sandstream. The double weakness to Ground-type attacks, a very common attacking type, is also a detrimental weakness that causes Iron Thorns to be overshadowed by its present-day Tyranitar. That being said, it does have a very cool-looking shiny form.
14Sandy Shocks
Sandy Shocks is the past Paradox form of Magneton, the Magnet Pokemon. Sandy Shocks isn’t bad - far from it. It has respectable bulk, is reasonably fast, and hits fairly hard on the Special side. Electric and Ground is a good STAB combo, being able to hit both Flying and Electric types for super-effective damage.
That said, Sandy Shocks loses out on the Steel typing, an invaluable defensive type. Because of this, it may not last as long as its bulk would suggest.
13Slither Wing
Slither Wing is the past Paradox form of Volcarona, the Sun Pokemon. Volcarona is known to be a Special sweeper, setting up with Quiver Dance and firing off boosted Fire Blasts. Slither Wing, meanwhile, is a physically oriented Bug- and Fighting-type - not a terrible combo, as pokemon like Heracross and Buzzwole have shown.
Slither Wing loses Quiver Dance (though it wouldn’t really need it anyway), and gains a bunch of new toys to play with; First Impression, Close Combat, Leech Life, and more. In particular, Flare Blitz can be quite powerful when boosted by Sun, which also activates Slither Wing’s Protosynthesis. Slither Wing may not shine as brilliantly as Volcarona, but put in some work, and you may be surprised.
12Brute Bonnet
Brute Bonnet is the past Paradox form of Amoonguss, the Mushroom Pokemon. Fans of Pokemon VGC will know that Amoonguss is quite the star player in doubles battles, so expectations are high for Brute Bonnet. Brute Bonnet trades Amoonguss’s Poison-typing for the Dark-type; this makes it immune to Prankster moves but also gives it a crippling weakness to Bug-type attacks.
Brute Bonnet also loses Regenerator, one of Amoonguss’s abilities, though Brute Bonnet is much bulkier than Amoonguss and can hit back harder with moves like Sucker Punch - perhaps Brute Bonnet can spread out into more roles than its present-day counterpart.
11Scream Tail
Scream Tail is the past Paradox form of Jigglypuff, the Balloon Pokemon. Though it may look cute, Scream Tail is a ferocious Pokemon of the past and is much stronger than its present-day counterpart. Scream Tail’s greatest stats lie in its defenses and speed.
Scream Tail has a respectable defensive-type combo in Fairy- and Psychic. Scream Tail will excel as a supportive asset to your team, as its poor offenses make it hard to deal reasonable damage.
10Iron Leaves
Introduced in Version 1.2.0 by way of aTera Raid battle, Iron Leaves is the future Paradox form of Virizion, the legendary Grassland Pokemon. Iron Leaves ditches its Fighting-type for the Psychic-type, sharing its dual-typing with Pokemon like Exeggutor and Calyrex. However, this does leave Iron Leaves with a crippling weakness to Bug-type attacks, and moves like U-Turn and First Impression are more popular than ever…
Despite its weaknesses, Iron Leaves does have several impressive strengths. Iron Leaves' signature move, Psyblade, is empowered by Electric Terrain alongside its ability Quark Drive, allowing Iron Leaves to deal massive damage against anything that doesn’t resist Psychic-type damage.
9Iron Treads
Iron Treads is the future Paradox form of Donphan, the Armor Pokemon. Iron Treads can actually be encountered earlier in the game during the Path of Legends as theQuaking Earth Titanin Pokemon Violet; returning to Asado Desert after beating the Titan will give you the chance to capture it prior to entering Area Zero.
Iron Treads is deceptively fast and has access to moves like Knock Off and Rapid Spin, which is invaluable for dealing with entry hazards.
8Iron Hands
Iron Hands is the future Paradox form of Hariyama, the Arm Thrust Pokemon. Iron Hands stands out for its monstrous HP and Attack stats, complimented by great moves like Close Combat, Belly Drum, and Wild Charge.
In particular, Iron Hands is a great Pokemon to bring to Raids; Belly Drum will maximize your attack in exchange for half of your health, which can be easily regained with Drain Punch. Iron Hands' defenses are nothing to sneeze at either, so it’ll be able to live hits even at half HP.
7Iron Valiant
Iron Valiant is the Future Paradox form of Gardevoir and Gallade, the Embrace, and Blade Pokemon, respectively. Iron Valiant stands out among its fellow Paradox Pokemon for being a fusion between Gardevoir and Gallade, as well as having a stylish double-bladed sword that it deploys from its arms.
Iron Valiant has a mixed-attacker stat spread, being respectably fast and being able to hit hard in both physical and special categories. Complimented by an enormous move-pool, Iron Valiant has the potential to be your knight in shining armor.
