Gengar is a dark purple, bipedal Pokémon with a roundish body. It has red eyes, a wide mouth that is usually curled into a sinister grin, and pointed ears. On its back are numerous spikes and it has smaller spikes on top of its head similar to tufty fur. Its arms and legs are short with three digits on both its hands and feet. It also has a stubby tail.
Gengar has 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 (5°C), because it absorbs the warmth. The anime has shown that Gengar can fly and possess people and other Pokémon. In the past, Night Shade was its signature move.
Gengar is very mischievous, and at times, malicious. It enjoys playing practical jokes and casting curses, 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 has been known to be loyal to a Trainer who treats it well. Being the result of an evolution via trading, Gengar is rarely found in the wild, though they can be found in caves and dark places where shadows form. It is especially fond of urban areas such as cities and back alleys, but only during the night.
As Mega Gengar, a portion of its body sinks into the ground and its arms and tail lengthen. The lower portions turn a more reddish purple, and a third eye appears on its forehead. This new unblinking eye is oval, yellow, and allows it to see into other dimensions.[1] The spikes on Mega Gengar's back are more numerous and pointed, and additional spikes appear on its hands and tail. Its ears are now considerably longer and tilt backward.
Mega Gengar has the ability to access other dimensions and has a vicious nature. Mega Gengar has no interest in opponents unless perceived as prey. Its relationships are warped due to Mega Evolution. It now desires to take and curse the life of anyone or anything in its path; it may even curse its own Trainer. Mega Gengar sinks into an another dimension to wait for a chance to attack.
As Gigantamax Gengar, it becomes larger, with portions of its body sinking into ground, and only the head, tail, and arms remain. Its body changes from dark-purple to light-purple, and its eyes become white with yellow sclera. The inside of its mouth changes to resemble a tunnel with a long purple tongue sticking out. Three red clouds surround the top of Gengar's head.
Gigantamax Gengar's mouth is rumored to not lead into its body. Due to the cursed energy, it is believed to instead lead into the afterlife. By laying a trap, it attempts to steal the lives of those it captures. Should someone stand near its mouth, they can hear the voices of their loved ones calling out to them. Gigantamax Gengar is the only known Pokémon capable of using the exclusive G-Max MoveG-Max Terror.
In the anime
In the main series
Gengar in the animeMega Gengar in the animeShiny Gengar in the animeShiny Mega Gengar in the anime
A Gengar appeared in The Tower of Terror. Ash encountered it in Lavender Town while searching for a Ghost-type 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 unsuccessfully attempted to amuse Ash by acting as a pair of performers. It reappeared in a flashback in the following episode.
Multiple Gengar appeared in Illusion Confusion!, along with a group of Haunter. They were causing trouble for Ash and his friends while they were wandering through a deep forest, by creating a number of illusions that impeded their progress.
A Gengar appeared in PK15. It was one of the residents of a spooky house.
A Gengar appeared in Scary Hospitality!, under the ownership of Lon. It was used alongside Lon's Gastly and Haunter to scare visitors of the "Scary House". This included Ash, his friends, and later Team Rocket.
A Shiny Gengar that can Mega Evolve appeared in Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel, under the ownership of Alva. It was his main battling Pokémon. However, it eventually abandoned Alva immediately after the destruction of the Mega Wave crystal that controlled it.
A Gengar appeared in I Choose You!, under the ownership of Corey. It battled Neesha's Blastoise, dodging most of its attacks before ultimately being frozen by its Ice Beam.
Gengar debuted in the opening scene of the first episode, Pokémon - I Choose You!, where it and a Nidorino battled in a colosseum on TV as a reference to the original Pokémon Red and Green games. Thus, Gengar and Nidorino were the very first Pokémon to be seen in the anime, not counting the intro.
Gengar first appeared in Holy Moltres, under the ownership of a Team Rocket Grunt. It was used to battle Blaine's Arcanine and Rapidash, and almost attacked Red.
Agatha has two Gengar on her team, and many in her Ghost-type army. Her first one and her Ghost army first appeared in Lapras Lazily. 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, distracting it long enough for Blue's Porygon to deal the finishing blow.
Gengar is a playable character in the arcade fighting game. Moves it can use include Shadow Ball, Hypnosis, Shadow Punch, and Curse. Upon entering Burst form, it Mega Evolves and can use the Burst Attack Shadow Drop.
Multiple Gengar appeared in Detective Pikachu. One of them was seen in an illegal fight club battle against a Blastoise, where it won.
Game data
NPC appearances
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 then appears and must be defeated to win.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team: 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. After Rayquaza destroys the star heading for the world, Gengar will post a request, asking to visit Ninetales in the hopes of bringing back Gardevoir. While she is rescued, she has no recollection of her times with her trainer, but Gengar is still satisfied to see her safe and leaves.
Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon: Gengar appears as a recruitable character and asks the player to deliver a letter to Banette. As he is connected to Team Charm's Gardevoir, it is implied that he is the same aforementioned Gengar from Red and Blue Rescue Team, and that Team Charm's Gardevoir is the same one
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.
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.
It lays traps, hoping to steal the lives of those it catches. If you stand in front of its mouth, you'll hear your loved ones' voices calling out to you.
When viewing Mega Gengar's Pokédex entry, the camera's view can only be moved sideways.
Gengar could be seen as a counterpart to Alakazam. They are both the last stage of a three-part evolutionary family, require trading to reach their final stage of evolution, and are capable of Mega Evolution. They are the same height, and both get shorter upon Mega Evolution. They share a base friendship of 70 and, since Generation VI, a base stat total of 500. Both are weak to the other's STAB, and they share weaknesses to the Ghost and Dark types. In the anime episode The Ancient Puzzle of Pokémopolis, a Gengar and an Alakazam are put against each other.
In the core series games, Mega Gengar has small feet that can be seen by recalling it and sending it out. In Pokkén Tournament, however, Mega Gengar does not have feet. Instead, a portal appears beneath it whenever it is airborne. Its tail will disappear as well.
When Gengar Gigantamaxes, it doesn't grow on screen. Instead, it pops out of the ground.
Gengar is the only Pokémon capable of Gigantamax and Mega Evolution that is not a starter in the Kantoregion.
Origin
Gengar seems to be based on general cartoonish ghosts, cats, or the Cheshire Cat; and possibly on a distorted shadow of a human being as well, 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 term for ghosts found in Scandinavian folklore.
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.
Gengarite (100%)
For other sprites and images, please see Gengar images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
