Misdreavus is a dark bluish-green ghost-like Pokémon. It has a red "necklace" which is used to absorb fear as nourishment and flowing hair which it can manipulate. Misdreavus's eyes are yellow with red irises.
A group of wild Misdreavus were causing a ruckus in at the Silver Conference Hotel in Johto Photo Finish. Ash and his friends found that one of them was trapped under a fallen tree.
Misdreavus appeared in Volume 10 as one of Morty's Pokémon, and one of his strongest battlers, able to both exploit its own abilities and those of its opponents using non-damaging attacks like Spite. Having used it in the Gym Leaders' Tournament match (which ended in a draw due to it using Destiny Bond), he still keeps it in his team to this day.
Misdreavus frightens people with a creepy, sobbing cry. The Pokémon apparently uses its red spheres to absorb the fearful feelings of foes and turn them into nutrition.
Despite it being the Screech Pokémon, it can only learn Screech as an egg move.
In terms of Pokédex info, both Shuppet and Misdreavus are similar in that they feed off human feelings, respectively envy and fear.
Misdreavus has the same base HP, Attack and Defense as Mismagius. It's Speed, Special Attack and Special Defense grow by 20 when it evolves.
Origin
Misdreavus' nocturnal habits of wailing to frighten people and its similarity in appearance to a disembodied head are shared by various mythological creatures; one canidate for the basis or part of the basis for Misdreavus's design is the Nukekubi, which shares the similarities of nocturnal habits, flying about as a decapacitated head, and wailing to increase its victims' fright. It is likely that it was also based on a banshee, a female spirit from Gaelic folklore who was known for its unearthly wailing and screaming. It is also possible that it was based on a langsuir, a type of vampire in Malaysian mythology known to appear as a flying decapitated female head.
Name origin
Misdreavus' name is a misspelling of mischievous. It is also possible that reave, or rob, was incorporated into the name, while another possibility is the addition of dread was incorporated into the name, or the word "dreary". Its name can relate to "miscreant", due to the way it always scares people, or perhaps "mistress", for its female profile. Its Japanese name, Muma, is probably a corruption of 夢魔 muma, nightmare, or a demon in a dream.
In other languages
German: Traunfugil - From Traun (old word for "dream") and Latin fugere (to flee).
This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon species, as well as Pokémon groups and forms.