Only One Legendary Pokémon Was Designed For A Movie, Not the Game

At least one Legendary Pokémon debuted in movies before their premiere games.

Pokémon now releases anime, TCG, games, and merchandise on schedule. In particular, Lugia, a Legendary Pokémon, was not created for games.

As Pokémon Silver's mascot, Lugia's late arrival to generation 2's lineup seems hard to comprehend. Lugia is absent from the 1997 demo, confirming the Gold and Silver beta leaks from a few years ago. 

Takeshi Shudo cast Lugia in Pokémon the Movie 2000, the second Pokémon film. Team Rocket called Lugia Pokémon X in the anime. Concept drawing of early Lugia with X-shaped belly mark.

According to Did You Know Gaming, Lugia was the only Pokémon conceived by an anime writer, with Shudo heavily influencing his creation.

Pokemon "Electric Soldier Porygon." caused a seizure. This was possible since Pokémon media output slowed. Executives emphasized recovery over anime and first film after this incident.

Shudo assumed Lugia would only exist in movies and not games. After Mew's Red and Green success and movie debut, future Pokémon movies must be in games. 

Lugia's chill earned votes. Leaks indicate Lugia was included to Silver a few months before its 1999 release and one month before Pokémon the Movie 2000's Japanese theatrical release.

His translated blog writings show Shudo was very possessive of Lugia later in life. The following articles believe Lugia signified life for all living things, including people. 

He always regretted not giving Lugia a female voice in the film, thinking it a mother Pokémon. Ryujin recommended underwater swimming while flying. Lugia's debut hid them, but history shows.

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