'''Gastly''' ([[List of Japanese Pokémon names|Japanese]]: '''ゴース''' ''Ghos'') is a dual-type {{2t|Ghost|Poison}} Pokémon. It is the first {{t|Ghost}} type pokémon numerically and chronologically.
'''Gastly''' ([[List of Japanese Pokémon names|Japanese]]: '''ゴース''' ''Ghos'') is a dual-type {{2t|Ghost|Poison}} Pokémon.
It [[Evolution|evolves]] into {{p|Haunter}} starting at [[level]] 25, which evolves into {{p|Gengar}} when [[trade]]d.
It [[Evolution|evolves]] into {{p|Haunter}} starting at [[level]] 25, which evolves into {{p|Gengar}} when [[trade]]d.
Gastly appears to be nothing more than a black ball of ghostly matter or gas that is surrounded by a purple glow of smog. Gastly has big, white eyes and a mouth with a pair of fangs in it. Gastly's face is similar to Cloyster's, but the two Pokémon aren't related.
Gender differences
None.
Special abilities
Gastly's "hands"
Due to having a body made of gas, Gastly can slip into any place it wants. However, Gastly's body will dwindle away when exposed to a strong wind but it can probably regenerate itself later. A Gastly is capable of toppling an Indian Elephant within two seconds by enveloping it in poisonous gas.
There have been claims that on rare occasions, a Gastly can gain the ability to speak like a human and transform itself. However, it apparently can communicate with telepathy.
Gastly can learn and use the elemental punches, despite appearing to have no hands. Though it can create hands from its gas.
Behavior
As a Ghost-type Pokémon, Gastly tend to be pranksters that go scaring people just for the fun of it. They are also proficient at sneaking up on unsuspecting prey and putting it to sleep or poisoning it through their skin. As Gastly's body is blown away by wind, groups of them gather under the eaves of houses to prevent being blown away.
As the victims of Gastly's gas enveloping technique have been called prey, it can be presumed that it derives energy from them. It may also lick its prey.
Gastly first appeared in The Ghost of Maiden's Peak. This Gastly had the ability to talk and shape-shift. He kept posing himself as the spirit of the woman which legend said turned to stone after many years of waiting for her love to return to her. As the ghost of the maiden, Gastly kept on toying with the minds of young men.
An Officer Jenny owned a Gastly in Pikachu Re-volts. This Gastly appeared to be the only Pokémon not affected by the psychic wave caused by Butch & Cassidy's Drowzee.
A pair of Gastly were among a group of Ghost Pokémon living in an abandoned mine in Fear Factor Phony. The Ghost Pokémon couldn't stand the partying Psychic Pokémon that lived in the nearby town, so they created a Haunter-like illusion to scare everyone away.
Gastly first appears in Volume 1 of Pokémon Adventures under the ownership of Koga, possessing the corpses of dead Pokémon in Pokémon Tower. Red's Bulbasaur manages to defeat it by sucking up the surrounding air with its bulb, along with Gastly's gaseous form, and expelling it in a SolarBeam. In the process, the two also freed Red's rival Blue, who was under its ghostly possession.
Gastly also forms as part of the Ghost-type army Agatha sends out to attack the Gym Leaders. She also has a Gastly as a member of her main team.
The Masked Man also used a Gastly in his team to capture Celebi, due to its type advantage. It was purposed to possess intruders that entered the Ilex Forest. Later, during the fight at the Indigo Stadium, it impaired Suicune using its Curse technique, locking it and Misty inside Suicune's crystal wall. It was later defeated by Eusine's Haunter.
In Get Rid of The Ghost Pokémon!!, while Red, Clefairy and Pikachu were in Blue's mansion, they stumble across a Gastly that Clefairy ends up battling. However, since Blue didn't officially control it, it is unknown if it belongs to him.
Pokémon Pinball: Three Gastly appear in a bonus stage accessible from the Red Table. Once the player knocks them out, they must then proceed to defeat the subsequent pair of Haunter and the Gengar that appears.
Pokédex entries
This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation I.
Gastly is largely composed of gaseous matter. When exposed to a strong wind, the gaseous body quickly dwindles away. Groups of this Pokémon cluster under the eaves of houses to escape the ravages of wind.
Despite all of them being part Poison type, Gastly together with its evolutionary family are not able to learn Poison-type moves by leveling up.
Gastly's evolution line is the only Ghost-type family that requires the Silph Scope to be seen. Therefore, they must be the only ones that are invisible normally while in the wild; even then, they can only be seen in their native region of Kanto.
Origin
Gastly seems to be based on general cartoonish ghosts and spirits, or maybe a will o' the wisp. It may also have been based on the Japanese youkai sōgen bi, the decapitated head of a monk whose head is doomed to wander the Earth, consumed by fire. Its Poison-type is most likely a reference to poisonous or polluted gases.
Name origin
Gastly may be a combination of gas and ghastly (dreadfully frightening or horrible).
Ghos is a shortened form of ghost and may also incorporate gas into its name.
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.
For other sprites and images, please see Gastly images on Bulbagarden Archives.
