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[[File:Composite Unreleased Unown.png|thumb|The Unown featured in ''[[M03|Spell of the Unown: Entei]]'']]
[[File:Composite Unreleased Unown.png|thumb|The Unown featured in ''[[M03|Spell of the Unown: Entei]]'']]
* Unown was designed by [[Ken Sugimori]], who had wanted to make a Pokémon with a more surreal design.<ref name=Shmuplations>(2001). ゲーム・マエストロ〈VOL.4〉デザイナー/イラストレーター編 ([https://shmuplations.com/pokemon/ English translation by Shmuplations])</ref>
* In ''[[M03|Spell of the Unown: Entei]]'', {{an|Professor Oak}} had some pictures of Unown on his computer which have never appeared in any other media. Some resemble {{wp|Greek alphabet}} letters, particularly σ (lowercase {{wp|sigma}}), Σ (capital sigma), Π (capital {{wp|pi (letter)|pi}}), and Ω (capital {{wp|omega}}). The top left large image also resembles the Greek ligature, Ȣ ({{wp|ou (ligature)|ou}}). Others resemble the {{wp|Cyrillic script|Cyrillic}} letters ю ({{wp|yu (Cyrillic)|yu}}) and б (lowercase {{wp|be (Cyrillic)|be}}). The Unown in the top-middle large image resembles the Cyrillic я ({{wp|ya (Cyrillic)|ya}}).
* In ''[[M03|Spell of the Unown: Entei]]'', {{an|Professor Oak}} had some pictures of Unown on his computer which have never appeared in any other media. Some resemble {{wp|Greek alphabet}} letters, particularly σ (lowercase {{wp|sigma}}), Σ (capital sigma), Π (capital {{wp|pi (letter)|pi}}), and Ω (capital {{wp|omega}}). The top left large image also resembles the Greek ligature, Ȣ ({{wp|ou (ligature)|ou}}). Others resemble the {{wp|Cyrillic script|Cyrillic}} letters ю ({{wp|yu (Cyrillic)|yu}}) and б (lowercase {{wp|be (Cyrillic)|be}}). The Unown in the top-middle large image resembles the Cyrillic я ({{wp|ya (Cyrillic)|ya}}).
* If a player does not have Unown's Pokédex data on a [[Generation II]] game when in Oak's lab in {{g|Stadium 2}}, Unown's Pokédex number is listed as 252 instead of 201. This happens regardless of which Pokédex display mode is selected.{{fact}}
* If a player does not have Unown's Pokédex data on a [[Generation II]] game when in Oak's lab in {{g|Stadium 2}}, Unown's Pokédex number is listed as 252 instead of 201. This happens regardless of which Pokédex display mode is selected.{{fact}}
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* While most Pokémon have a right-facing menu sprite that is a mirror image of their left-facing sprite, most forms of Unown are bilaterally asymmetrical and have a unique sprite for both. The ones that do not are Unown A, H, I, M, O, T, U, W, X, Y, and !.
* While most Pokémon have a right-facing menu sprite that is a mirror image of their left-facing sprite, most forms of Unown are bilaterally asymmetrical and have a unique sprite for both. The ones that do not are Unown A, H, I, M, O, T, U, W, X, Y, and !.
* In {{g|Legends: Arceus}}, Unown are the only Pokémon that can be found in the wild with no preferred foods.
* In {{g|Legends: Arceus}}, Unown are the only Pokémon that can be found in the wild with no preferred foods.
* Unown was designed by [[Ken Sugimori]], who had wanted to make a Pokémon with a more surreal design.<ref name=Shmuplations>(2001). ゲーム・マエストロ〈VOL.4〉デザイナー/イラストレーター編 ([https://shmuplations.com/pokemon/ English translation by Shmuplations])</ref>
While it is not known to evolve into or from any other Pokémon, Unown has 28 different forms. All of them are known as One form (Japanese: あるすがたa form), as seen in the Pokédex.
In Generation II, there were 26 Unown forms based on Latin alphabet characters. In Generation III, two new forms were introduced as well: ? (question mark) and ! (exclamation mark). The Unown forms are chronicled in the Unown Mode and the Unown Report.
In Generation II, its shape is determined by its individual values; in Generation III, it is determined by its personality value; from Generation IV onwards, it is determined by a separate form identifier.
Unown is a flat, thin Pokémon shaped like an eye with appendages that make it resemble a letter or a punctuation mark. It is entirely black, except for its white sclerae. All 26 alphabetic forms of Unown have fully open eyes, while the two punctuation forms have half-closed eyes. Though each of its forms has a counterpart in the Latin alphabet, Unown is said to resemble ancient writing and hieroglyphs. It is a mystery whether Unown predates or postdates written language, and therefore which one is based on the other. Unown can move its appendages independently like tentacles or fingers.
The Pokédex and Professor Oak's research disagree on whether Unown communicates using electromagnetic waves or telepathy. Either way, it can be detected by the Pokégear radio, which interprets it as the melody of the Azure Flute. Unown has an unknown connection to Arceus. It is said that an "odd power" emerges when more than one Unown come together. In Generation VIII, Hidden Power is Unown's signature move. Certain Unown loose in the Hisui region were capable of repelling Poké Balls that contained Pokémon, preventing them from being battled. Professor Laventon's research observed that Unown resemble human writing from other lands, though no one took him seriously. In the anime, it is shown to be capable of reading the thoughts of other life forms. Great numbers of Unown are capable of distorting reality to suit the dreams and wishes of whoever is in control of the Unown. However, they can only do this when more Unown are present, so it could be a shared effort rather than an ability unique to each Unown.
Unown is an extremely rare Pokémon that lives in its own dimension and rarely ventures outside. When it moves to the Pokémon world, Unown tends to stick to walls like engravings of ancient texts, or orbit other Unown, usually in ruins.
Forms
Unown has 28 separate forms, all referred to as "One form".
Notes about Unown can be seen on Professor Oak's computer at the beginning of the movie. The information (as presented in the Japanese version) has been cleaned up and transcribed here:
Because of their very timid and careful character, Unown do not want to go out to the external world.
Unown have the power to perceive the feelings of other creatures (including human beings).
Unown communicate with each other over electromagnetic waves but cannot use telepathy.
Given all this, Unown are still classified as a species of Pokémon, as opposed to any other sort of creature.
Other
In Address Unown!, an Unown G fell out of the Unown Dimension. After it was healed by the group, it helped defend them against Team Rocket, and its mind merged with that of Ash's Larvitar so that the group could help it address its inner pain.
Markings of Unown were observed on a tablet in Top-Down Training!. The tablet reads:
Unown
Romaji
FRIEND
FRIEND
SUBETENOINOCHIHA
SUBETE NO INOCHI HA
BETSUNOINOCHITODEAI
BETSU NO INOCHI TO DEAI
NANIKAWOUMIDASU
NANIKA WO UMIDASU
In the English dub, Dawn reads it as "When every life meets another life, something will be born".
In PK21, an Unown F fell out of the Unown Dimension following an unspecified incident, and Pikachu and his friends had to help it return to the Unown Dimension so it could reunite with the other Unown.
In Star Night, Star Flight!, five Unown covered a town in Johto with an endless night in order to help Tiara accept parting ways with her Cleffa. Once she finally realized it was time to say goodbye, the Unown returned day to the town and departed.
Unown, the Symbol Pokémon. Unown are said to have existed since ancient times. They are many in form and shape, but little is known about this mysterious Pokémon.
Bugsy later returned to study the ruins further in Hurray for Heracross, where he caught an Unown G and gave it to one of his colleagues. Later, as he searched for Suicune, he found two chambers with Unown markings. Using his device to translate them, they read the following.
Unown
Romaji
ANANUKE
ANANUKE
HOUOU
HOUOU
Three Unown appeared in a flashback in Raising Raichu, being the N, G, and U forms.
The English Pokédex data for Unown cards in the Neo Destiny expansion say that it is believed that the variety of types of Unown is a result of evolutionary adaptation, but this is not present in the original Japanese text.
When one Unown is released from a Poké Ball, it will fly off the screen. It then returns with a large swarm, similar to what Beedrill did in the original Super Smash Bros. The only difference is that Beedrill only attacks from left or right while Unown can come from any direction. Any opponent caught in this barrage is damaged and juggled.
There are also a number of Unown Poké Floats featured in the Poké Floats stage. In the second half of the stage's cycle, numerous Unown fly across the screen. Towards the end of the cycle, staying on the stage relies on hopping between the Unown.
Trophy information
These Psychic-type symbol Pokémon resemble ancient hieroglyphics found on rocks, a resemblance that's said to be more than superficial. Quite a few different shapes of Unown have been confirmed, and it's believed that each type has unique abilities. These enigmatic Pokémon can be found in the Ruins of Alph.
This Pokémon is shaped like ancient writing. It is a mystery as to which came first, the ancient writings or the various Unown. Research into this topic is ongoing but nothing is known.
This Pokémon is shaped like ancient text characters. Although research is ongoing, it is a mystery as to which came first, the ancient writings or the various Unown.
This Pokémon is shaped like ancient writing. It is a mystery as to which came first, the ancient writings or the various Unown. Research into this topic is ongoing but nothing is known.
It is hard to believe these strangely shaped Pokémon are truly living creatures. I've pointed out that the species' many forms resemble writing from other lands; no one will take me seriously.
Unown has 28 non-interchangeable forms, each corresponding to a typographic character. All Unown forms are known as "One form" (Japanese: あるすがた a form), as seen in the Pokédex.
Unown was the first Pokémon to have multiple forms in the games. In its debut in Generation II, there were 26 forms of Unown, corresponding to each of the 26 letters of the Latin alphabet. In the Generation III games, Unown gained two additional forms, corresponding to the question mark and exclamation mark.
In the Generation II games, Unown's form is determined by its IVs, which results in some strange phenomena; for example, in Generation II, only Unown I and V can be Shiny due to Shininess also being determined by IVs in these games. In the Generation III games, Unown's form is determined by its personality value. From the Generation IV games onward, Unown's letter is determined by a separate form identifier, unrelated to the personality value.
While Unown's form has no bearing on base stats, punctuation Unown have different performance stats than alphabetical Unown.
Unown was designed by Ken Sugimori, who had wanted to make a Pokémon with a more surreal design.[1]
In Spell of the Unown: Entei, Professor Oak had some pictures of Unown on his computer which have never appeared in any other media. Some resemble Greek alphabet letters, particularly σ (lowercase sigma), Σ (capital sigma), Π (capital pi), and Ω (capital omega). The top left large image also resembles the Greek ligature, Ȣ (ou). Others resemble the Cyrillic letters ю (yu) and б (lowercase be). The Unown in the top-middle large image resembles the Cyrillic я (ya).
If a player does not have Unown's Pokédex data on a Generation II game when in Oak's lab in Pokémon Stadium 2, Unown's Pokédex number is listed as 252 instead of 201. This happens regardless of which Pokédex display mode is selected.[citation needed]
Unown is the only Pokémon with a base stat total of 336.
Unown currently is represented in the Trading Card Game by the most cards of any Pokémon after Pikachu, with 92 unique cards.
It is also the only Generation II Pokémon obtainable in Generation VII that cannot have the black clover as its origin mark.
Due to Unown's letter and Shininess both being determined by IVs in Generation II, Shiny Unown will always be either an I or V in these games. This in turn matches the acronym for IVs; however, this is only a coincidence, as "Individual Values" (IVs) is a fan-originated term.
The two main official artworks for Unown represent a G-shaped Unown (for Pokémon Gold and Silver Versions) and an F-shaped one (for Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Versions onward), which may allude to the acronym for Game Freak.
Unown is the only Pokémon that cannot learn any status moves.
Starting in Generation IV, where moves were split into categories based on themselves and not their types, Unown can only use its Attack (not Special Attack) stat for confusion damage and Struggle.
Generation I, II, III, or IV evolution family that was never obtainable via the Generation V Pokémon Global Link.
While most Pokémon have a right-facing menu sprite that is a mirror image of their left-facing sprite, most forms of Unown are bilaterally asymmetrical and have a unique sprite for both. The ones that do not are Unown A, H, I, M, O, T, U, W, X, Y, and !.
In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Unown are the only Pokémon that can be found in the wild with no preferred foods.
Origin
Unown's appearances are eyes and corruptions of the 26 letters of the modern Latin alphabet, as well as the exclamation and question marks. Unown's G form specifically may be based on a double-story lowercase G. The shapes of the Unown are used like graphic symbols in the Pokémon world, although in Hoenn and the Sevii Islands, their place is taken by Braille. Unown being weak alone and strong together may be inspired by the idea that a single letter cannot convey much information, but many letters forming a sentence can communicate a hypothetically infinite number of interpretations and ideas.
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.