You remember the first time you saw a Pikachu grow to the size of a skyscraper, right? Honestly, it was ridiculous. It was also kind of brilliant. When Game Freak introduced the Galar region in Pokémon Sword and Shield, they didn't just give us bigger monsters; they gave us a temporary, massive power-up that felt more like a kaiju movie than a traditional turn-based RPG.
Gigantamaxing is weird. It’s not just Dynamaxing. While any Pokémon can get huge, only specific Pokemon that can gigantamax actually change their physical forms and gain access to those devastating G-Max Moves.
Think about it. Most of the time, your Charizard just gets bigger and redder. But a Gigantamax Charizard? It grows wings of pure fire and starts looking like something that belongs on a heavy metal album cover. That distinction matters because it shifted the entire competitive meta for years.
The Specifics of the Gigantamax Roster
Not every species gets the invite to the giant party.
Basically, there are only 33 species that have this capability. If you caught a random Butterfree on Route 1, it probably couldn’t Gigantamax. You needed that special "X" mark next to its name. Early on, this made raiding a nightmare. You'd spend hours in the Wild Area, staring at purple beams of light, praying for a G-Max Machamp or a G-Max Gengar to show up in a five-star den.
It’s actually a pretty diverse list when you look at it. You have the Kanto icons like Blastoise, Venusaur, and Eevee. Then you have the Galar locals like Corviknight, Drednaw, and Alcremie. Even the starters—Cinderace, Rillaboom, and Inteleon—eventually got their forms, though we had to wait for the Isle of Armor DLC for that to happen.
Why does this matter? Because of the G-Max Moves.
A regular Dynamax Water-type move sets up rain. That’s cool. But Gigantamax Blastoise uses G-Max Cannonade. It doesn't just hit hard; it deals damage for four straight turns to any non-Water-type. In a competitive doubles match, that’s basically a death sentence for your opponent’s focus sashes.
How the Isle of Armor Fixed the Biggest Grind
Before the DLC, getting your favorite Pokémon to Gigantamax was a chore. You either had to catch one in a Max Raid Battle or you were out of luck.
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Then came Max Soup.
Honestly, this was the best quality-of-life update Game Freak ever gave us in Gen 8. By gathering Max Mushrooms on the Isle of Armor, you could cook a soup that granted the Gigantamax Factor to any Pokémon capable of having it. Suddenly, that Cinderace you’d bonded with since the start of the game could actually reach its full potential. You weren't forced to trade it away for a "better" version found in a cave.
It’s worth noting that Melmetal is the weirdest case here. For a long time, you couldn’t actually get Gigantamax Melmetal in the games through normal play. You had to transfer a Pokémon from Pokémon GO to Pokémon HOME to receive it as a Mystery Gift. It’s still one of the rarest forms to see in action.
Competitive Impact and the "Broken" Meta
Let’s talk about Lapras.
In the competitive circuit, Gigantamax Lapras was everywhere. Why? G-Max Resonance.
This move doesn't just deal damage; it sets up Aurora Veil regardless of the weather. Usually, you need hail for that. Lapras just did it because it felt like it. Reducing all incoming damage by half for five turns? That's just mean.
Then you had Coalossal.
Pairing a Gigantamax Coalossal with a Surf user (like Dragapult or Primarina) triggered its Steam Engine ability and a Weakness Policy simultaneously. In one turn, you had a mountain-sized rock monster with +6 Speed and +2 Attack/Special Attack. If you didn't have a plan for that, the game ended on turn two.
It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows, though. Some Pokémon were objectively worse in their Gigantamax forms. Take Copperajah. Its G-Max Steelsurge sets up sharp spikes (like Stealth Rock but Steel-type). While that sounds good, it often wasn't as useful as the standard Max Steelspike, which raises your team’s Defense. Sometimes, staying "normal big" was the smarter play.
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The Visual Storytelling of Giant Forms
There is a lot of lore buried in these designs that people miss.
Gigantamax Garbodor isn't just a big pile of trash. Look closely at its body. You’ll see discarded toys, like a doll that looks suspiciously like a substitute doll, and even pieces of old ships. It’s a literal manifestation of human waste.
Or look at Orbeetle. Its Gigantamax form turns its wings into a literal UFO. It taps into the "alien" theories surrounding Psychic-type Pokémon.
Meowth is probably the funniest one. It becomes "Long Cat." This was a direct nod to an ancient internet meme, proving that the designers at Creatures Inc. have a sense of humor. It also gains G-Max Gold Rush, which is the only way to farm millions of PokéDollars quickly. You just spam the move in the Wyndon Stadium tournaments, and the game practically breaks its own economy for you.
Getting Your Own Gigantamax Team Today
If you’re booting up Pokémon Sword or Shield in 2026, the process is way easier than it used to be. The Wild Area events aren't as frequent, but the core mechanics remain.
- Head to the Isle of Armor. You need the expansion pass. Don't bother grinding raids for hours hoping for a specific G-Max mark.
- Farm Max Mushrooms. They spawn after you complete Max Raid Battles. Run around the Forest of Focus or the caves.
- Check the Compatibility. Remember, not everything can eat the soup. If you try to feed it to a Dragonite, nothing happens. It has to be a species on the official list.
- Feed the Soup. Talk to the cook in the Master Dojo.
The real challenge is Urshifu. Depending on which scroll you showed it, it will have a different Gigantamax form. One is Single Strike (Dark/Fighting) and the other is Rapid Strike (Water/Fighting). To get Urshifu to eat the soup, you actually need a special ingredient: Max Honey. You get this by beating a Vespiquen in a special raid on Honeycalm Island.
Why We Won't See This Again Soon
Pokémon tends to cycle its "gimmicks." We had Mega Evolution, then Z-Moves, then Gigantamaxing, and most recently, Terastallization in Paldea.
Gigantamaxing was tied specifically to Power Spots in Galar. Lore-wise, it requires Eternatus’s energy (Eternabeams) to function. Unless the next game takes us back to the UK-inspired region or gives us some weird dimensional rift, these forms are currently locked in Gen 8.
That’s a bit of a shame. There’s something uniquely satisfying about seeing a Snorlax with a literal park growing on its belly. It felt grander than the crystal hats of Terastallization.
Even if the mechanic is shelved, the impact on design was massive. It pushed the boundaries of what a Pokémon "form" could look like. It wasn't just a stat boost; it was a transformation that changed the scale of the world.
If you're looking to complete your Galar Dex or build a team for the Battle Tower, focusing on those 33 specific species is your best bet. They offer utility that regular Dynamaxing just can't touch. Just make sure you pick the right one for your strategy—don't trade away a defensive boost for a gimmicky G-Max move unless you have a real plan for it.
The best way to truly experience these giants is to head into the Max Lair in the Crown Tundra. It’s a gauntlet of battles that ends with a legendary, but the path is littered with Pokémon that can Gigantamax. It’s the ultimate test of whether you actually understand the typing and move-sets of these massive threats. Grab a few friends, or go with the NPCs if you're feeling brave, and see how long you can last against a giant that can change the weather and the terrain with a single hit.