Gengar and Gangar are possibly a shortening of ''{{wp|doppelgänger}}'', a double of a person, which is fitting for a Pokémon with a habit of pretending to be a person's shadow. The kanji 幻 ''maboroshi'' can also be read as ''gen'' and is used in words meaning ''phantom'' or ''illusion''. There is also a striking pronunciation similarity to the Danish word ''genganger'' (a person who returns as a spirit after death).
Gengar and Gangar are possibly a shortening of ''{{wp|doppelgänger}}'', a double of a person, which is fitting for a Pokémon with a habit of pretending to be a person's shadow. The kanji 幻 ''maboroshi'' can also be read as ''gen'' and is used in words meaning ''phantom'' or ''illusion''. There is also a striking pronunciation similarity to the Danish word ''genganger'' (a person who returns as a spirit after death, literally "re-walker" or "walking again").
Gengar is a dark purple, furred Pokémon with a roundish body. Gengar's hands now connect to the rest of its body. In addition, it now has a pair of legs and a short, pointed tail. Gengar has a spiky fur-covered back. Gengar's eyes are now red, and its mouth is usually curled into a sinister grin.
Gengar have the ability to hide perfectly in the shadow of any object, granting it exceptional stealth. However, Gengar's body acts as a heat sink; its presence cools the temperature of the surrounding area by nearly 10°F, because it took the warmth. In addition, Gengar possesses the ability to fly through the air, as demonstrated by Morty's Gengar. Since Gengar is a fully evolved Pokémon, it can use Hyper Beam and Giga Impact.
Behavior
Gengar are very mischievous, and at times, malicious. They enjoy playing practical jokes, such as pretending to be one's shadow, then behaving erratically. When the quarry notices, the Gengar takes delight in its victim's terror. However, Gengar have been known to be loyal to Trainers that treat them well; the smile is less mischievous and friendlier in this case. Gengar may also cast curses.
Gengar live in shadows of rooms, caves, and dark places where shadows form, especially in urban areas such as cities and back alleys but only during the night. Gengar are also known to live in mountains. It normally shares its range with Gastly and Haunter, but reports of wild Gengar are not unheard of.
Gengar drains the life force from its victims. It may also eat its victim's dreams. Like its pre-evolution, Haunter, it may lick its prey to drain the life force.
In the anime
Gengar in the anime
Major appearances
Gengar first appeared in the opening of the first episode, Pokémon - I Choose You!, where it and a Nidorino battled in a Colosseum on TV.
Ash first saw a Gengar in person in Lavender Town in The Tower of Terror while searching for a Template:Type2 Pokémon to fight Sabrina with. Due to a close call, Ash got to spend some unexpected time with the ghostly trio, Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar. It, along with Haunter, seemed to have a fondness for Japanese stand-up, and attempt to (unsuccessfully) amuse Ash by acting as a pair of performers.
In Pokémon Adventures, Agatha has two Gengar on her team, and many in her Ghost-type army. One of them was used to attack Blue and Koga from the shadows, draining the latter's life force as it possessed his shadow. Eventually, it was taken down when Koga used the tail that the old woman's Arbok bit off his own to distract it long enough for Blue's Porygon to deal the finishing blow.
Another Gengar was seen at the beginning of the FireRed and LeafGreen saga in Volume 23. It was used by a kid from Pallet Town in an attempt to capture a Nidorino, thus replicating the opening sequence of the Generation I video games (and their remakes).
Pokémon Pinball: A Gengar appears in a bonus stage accessible from the Red Table. Once the player has knocked out the three Gastly and the pair of Haunter, a Gengar that appears must be defeated to win.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gengar is the leader of Team Meanies. While often accompanied by Ekans and Medicham, Gengar will often act alone and spends much of the game causing trouble, even convincing the village to exile the hero, blaming him or her for the natural disasters. However, it is later revealed that he is the cursed human.
Pokédex entries
This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation I.
Sometimes, on a dark night, your shadow thrown by a streetlight will suddenly and startlingly overtake you. It is actually a Gengar running past you, pretending to be your shadow.
Deep in the night, your shadow cast by a streetlight may suddenly overtake you. It is actually a Gengar running past you, pretending to be your shadow.
Gengar can be caught in the wild in Generation IV through the dual-slot mode, as can another Pokémon previously obtainable only via trading, Steelix, though Steelix can be battled normally.
Even though Gengar is part Template:Type2, like its pre-evolutions, it cannot learn any Poison-type moves via level up.
Gengar is the same height as Ethan. While many other Pokémon share this distinction, Gengar comes the closest to also weighing the same (Gengar weighs 89.3 lbs (40.5 kg), the Trainer weighs 88.2 lbs (40 kg)).
Origin
It seems to be simply based on general cartoonish ghosts, cats, or Cheshire Cat and possibly on a distorted shadow of a human being like shadow people.
Name origin
Gengar and Gangar are possibly a shortening of doppelgänger, a double of a person, which is fitting for a Pokémon with a habit of pretending to be a person's shadow. The kanji 幻 maboroshi can also be read as gen and is used in words meaning phantom or illusion. There is also a striking pronunciation similarity to the Danish word genganger (a person who returns as a spirit after death, literally "re-walker" or "walking again").
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.