In The Power of One, Lawrence III wanted to capture Lugia and add it his Pokémon collection. In order to accomplish this goal, he set out to enrage and capture the three legendary birds, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. It was prophesied that, once the three Birds were enraged, Lugia, the Legendary Silver Bird Pokémon, would appear to calm them down. Once Lugia appeared, Lawrence III tried to subdue and capture it.
Although he ended up only injuring Lugia, Lawrence III was never successful in capturing it. With the help of Ash, Lugia was able to stop Lawrence III and calm the enraged birds before the violent unbalance caused the world's destruction.
Lugia was briefly mentioned in The Mystery is History by Ash and James when they encounter Silver for the first time.
In The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon, Lugia was seen in Pikachu's memories.
Lugia is a very serious Pokémon with immense power. Even with all three legendary birds attacking it at once, Lugia was able to employ very skilled moves in defending itself against them. Lugia is intelligent and clear-minded, keenly aware of its role in the legend surrounding the islands and also of its inability to quell the legendary birds by itself.
This Lugia is set apart from other Lugia in that it has a special connection to the song played by Melody on her instrument. Lugia makes song-like noises similar to this tune and when played, the song has the power to restore Lugia's depleted strength. In addition, Lugia is able to communicate via telepathy, much like other Pokémon featured in the Pokémon movies.