These are the rare Pokemon we’re all looking for in New Pokemon Snap. The Legendary and Mythical Pokemon are extremely well-hidden, requiring fast reflections and some very specific interactions to make them appear. You’ll have to use your many items and abilities to coax these creatures out of hiding — and even then, they don’t stick around for long. If you’re looking for ways to snap pictures of all the Pokemon and you’re still missing plenty of creatures in your Photodex, this is how to find the rarest of the rare.
Many of these Pokemon will only appear after you’ve completed the game at least once. Some can appear earlier, but actually finding them is pretty difficult. They only appear under very specific circumstances — and later, you might get a few clues in the form of Requests, but even those don’t totally help. You’ll have to play music when no Pokemon are around, cause Pokemon to move around the map and interact in multiple different ways, or unlock hidden alternate passages that require a whole lot of extra work.
More New Pokemon Snap guides:
How To Get 1, 2, 3 & 4 Star Photos | Beginner’s Guide | How To Unlock All Locations | Completion Guide | Florio Nature Park (Day) | All Requests | Florio Nature Park (Night) | All Requests | How To Unlock The Lental Seafloor Illumina Spot | How To Unlock All Optional Routes | How To Enter All Areas Of Elsewhere Forest | All Illumina Orb Locations
Legendary & Mythical Pokemon Locations
Legendary and mythical Pokemon are extremely rare, hard-to-find snaps. To complete your Pokedex and snap ’em all, you’ll need to find these hidden Pokemon.
Shaymin
- Location: Florio Nature Park (Day) & Florio Nature Park (Night)
Can only be found on Research Level 3. Reach the flower field near the end of the route. Hidden in the flower field, interact with Pichu / Grookey / Scorbunny during the route so they gather around the crystabloom — you need to throw a fluffruit to reveal the hidden Pichu in the flower field.
Shaymin will also appear in the Florio Nature Park Illumina Spot. On the cliff’s edge, you’ll see Meganium interacting with Shaymin briefly. If you get a snap of them together, Shaymin will stick around longer for a special interaction.
Mew
- Location: Founja Jungle (Night) & Founja Jungle (Day)
Play music right at the start of Founja Jungle (Night) and a pink orb will appear directly behind you. Throw a fluffruit at the orb that appears to make Mew spawn. If you make Mew spawn at the beginning, it will also appear outside the Ancient Ruins and right at the end of the jungle.
Mew also spawns in Founja Jungle (Day) on Research Level 3.
Lugia
- Location: Lental Seafloor
To reach Lugia, you need to unlock a hidden optional path to Lugia’s lair. Unlock Research Level 3, then continue into the deep underwater hole. On the way down, look for a Lanturn — use an Illumina Orb on it. As it moves down, it will get nabbed by two Frillish. Use another Illumina Orb on the Lanturn to save it. It’ll go into a dark cavern.
Use your scan to reveal a hidden optional path. Take this path to reach Lugia.
Ho-Oh
- Location: Fireflow Volcano
After completing the game, replay Fireflow Volcano and Ho-Oh will spawn at the very start of the level high in the sky. To get a better picture of Ho-Oh, take a snap of Ho-Oh at the start, then throw Illumina Orbs at the three Ho-Oh feathers. If you hit all three, Ho-Oh will spawn at the end.
Ho-Oh (and the feathers) will only spawn in the alternate blue crystal path through this level. You need to play on Research Level 2 or higher.
Celebi
- Location: Elsewhere Forest
After completing the game, return to Elsewhere Forest. Near the end of the first sequence, you’ll see it flying about. It will teleport away after hitting it with an Illumina Orb. Later, your scan will mark a couple fruit at the base of a tree — throw a fluffruit here to attract Celebi. After it eats and disappears, Celebi will appear one final time at the Ruins. Throw an Illumina Orb at the crystabloom here to summon a trio of Celebi.
Suicune
- Location: Shiver Snowfields (Night)
To find Suicune, you need to first unlock an optional path in Shiver Snowfields (Day) — in the day, on Research Level 2, you’ll spot an Alolan Sandslash near the start of the route. Snap the Sandslash, and it will dig under the snow only to reappear later. Snap it again, and it will dig through a wall of snow, revealing a hidden optional path.
Play the same route at night and enter this now-unlocked optional path. This leads to a second secret path — you can unlock it by throwing Illumina Orbs at a Crabominable, so it dunks snow on an Abomasnow. Snap the Froslass that appears, and you’ll be able to scan for a second hidden path. Go down this path and use an Illumina Orb at the Jynx / Avalugg combo to finally summon Suicune.
Diancie
- Location: Outaway Cave
Unlock Research Level 3 and follow this path until you find a Carbink and a Mawile together. Throw an Illumina Orb at both of them to summon Diancie. Throw an Illumina Orb at Diancie for a unique interaction with a variety of different special poses.
Jirachi
- Location: Ruins of Remembrance
Complete the game, then return to the Ruins of Remembrance. You’ll see a Jirachi spawn directly above the Ancient Ruins. Snap a picture, and Jirachi will reappear in the underground. Activate all six crystablooms and Jirachi will appear at the golden altar. Use an Illumina Orb on Jirachi for a special pose.
Xerneas
- Location: Ruins of Remembrance Illumina Spot
The final Pokemon of the game. Taking a picture of Xerneas in Illumina Form will complete New Pokemon Snap and unlock the ending credits. You’ll reach the Illumina Spot by solving the Illumina Orb puzzle in the Ruins of Remembrance — just light up all six gold crystablooms in th
Manaphy
- Location: Maricopia Reef (Evening)
Maricopia Reef (Evening) unlocks after completing the game. Near the first crystabloom, you’ll spot an Inkay — use fluffruit to lure the Inkay over, then throw an Illumina Orb to activate the crystabloom while Inkay is close. Activate the second crystabloom ahead to chase away Wailord and cause a unique pose event with Inkay and Manaphy.
Continue on to the optional path. It leads to a scene with four Lapras — hit all four of them with Illumina Orbs, and then play music. Finally, Manaphy will appear.
