{{Availability/Entry1|v=The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero|color={{paldea color}}|link=The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero|area=[[North Paldean Sea]] after receiving the [[Lugia Treat]] from [[Snacksworth]] ([[List of in-game event Pokémon (Scarlet and Violet)#Lugia|Only one]])}}
Lugia is a large Pokémon that resembles a dragon, a plesiosaur, and a bird. It is primarily silver-white, but it has blue undersides with slightly varying tones. It has a ridged mouth similar to a beak, although it has pointed teeth on its lower jaw. Its head has a point to the back, and Lugia's eyes have pointed blue or black spikes on them. Lugia has a long, slender neck and a smooth, streamlined body. Dark blue or black plate-like protrusions run down the length of its back, and there are two smaller, more pointed ones on the end of its tail. It can fold back these plates to increase its speed. Lugia is covered in many scales that protect it from attacks. It has large wings that resemble hands. Though it is gender unknown, a young Lugia has been observed, suggesting there is a breeding population. Lugia has been shown to be fiercely protective of its young.
Lugia leads the legendary birds. When they fight over territory, Lugia is the only Pokémon that can quell their ceaseless fighting, as observed in the second Pokémon movie. Much like the birds, it possesses the ability to control the weather; most notably, it can calm and give rise to storms. It is said that a light flutter of its wings is capable of causing winds powerful enough to tear a regular house down. If it were to flap its wings, it could hypothetically spawn storms lasting as long as 40 days. It is highly intelligent, and because of the devastating power it could accidentally inflict, it isolates itself deep underwater and tends to sleep in solitude. It is extremely rare and is hardly ever seen. Lugia has been referred to as the guardian of the seas. There are rumors Lugia would appear during the night of a storm.
In The Power of Us, a Lugia had a significant role in Fula City's history, as the one who gives Fula City a wind as told in the history. In the movie, Lugia remains in an unknown place until Risa and her Eevee summons it. Lugia later appear and gives the city a wind just like they did during the previous festival.
Minor appearances
In An Egg Scramble!, Team Rocket's fantasy featured a Lugia as one of the Pokémon they hoped the Egg that they stole from Dawn would hatch into.
In the opening sequence of Jirachi: Wish Maker, a Lugia rose out of the ocean during a full moon.
The Masked Man apparently caught Lugia twice, given that its plucked feather item Silver Wing was shown under his possession several years ago, only to be stolen by Green. However, both times, it went back to the wild along with Ho-Oh.
In The Might of... Metapod?!, the Kanto Elite Four tried to exterminate humans using Lugia, which appeared as a spirit. It was encountered as a being of shimmering light, when Lance summoned it to aid his schemes. After they were defeated, it flew to the west. In Sandslash Surprise, it was properly identified as Lugia. In Lively Lugia (Part 1), II, and III, the Johto Pokédex holders battled it before it was caught by the Masked Man just before Crystal could do so.
Besides the two, it was also controlled for some time by Will and Karen while they were under the Masked Man's jurisdiction.
When released from a Poké Ball, Lugia will fly up out of the stage and return in the background, where it unleashes a powerful Aeroblast on a section of the stage.
Melee trophy information
The waters of the Whirl Islands are home to this legendary Pokémon, whom very few have seen. Lugia live quietly in the deepest ocean trenches for one very good reason: its combined aerial and psychic powers are so strong as to be extremely dangerous. The special moves of this gargantuan creature include the destructive wind assault known as Aeroblast.
Brawl trophy information
"A Diving Pokémon. A legendary Pokémon often referred to as 'guardian of the seas,' it has the impressive ability to control the wind. Lugia typically spends its time quietly at the bottom of the ocean. Highly powerful in all areas, Lugia's Aeroblast move is especially powerful. It uses strong flapping of its wings to target damage on a foe's weak spot."
3DS/Wii U trophy information
Lugia trophy in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS
Lugia appears as a trophy in both versions of the game.
NA: Despite being a Psychic/Flying-type Pokémon, Lugia sleeps on the ocean floor. Legend says the flapping of Lugia's wings can create storms that last up to 40 days. It's impossible to know for sure, but in Smash Bros., Lugia definitely brings a storm with its Aeroblast attack.
PAL: Despite being a Psychic- and Flying-type, Lugia sleeps on the ocean floor. It's said that if it were to flap its wings on waking up, it could cause a storm lasting 40 days. No one can say whether that's true or not, but Lugia's attacks certainly make it seem so. It flies behind the stage and creates a mighty gust of wind with its Aeroblast attack.
Lugia's wings pack devastating power - a light fluttering of its wings can blow apart regular houses. As a result, this Pokémon chooses to live out of sight deep under the sea.
Lugia's wings pack devastating power — a light fluttering of its wings can blow apart regular houses. As a result, this Pokémon chooses to live out of sight deep under the sea.
Lugia is said to be the guardian of the seas. Its power is so overwhelming that it usually stays in its home at the bottom of the sea, where it quietly sleeps.
Takeshi Shudo, script writer for the second movie, created the character of Pokémon X for the movie as a new Pokémon that symbolizes ocean currents.[1] This role was ultimately filled by Lugia, whose name and design were created by someone else.[2] Shudo was surprised when Lugia later showed up in the Pokémon games, having expected it to be exclusive to the movie.[3][4]
A concept art made by Ken Sugimori for the second movie depicts Lugia with an X-shaped motif on its stomach and only six plates on its back.
In the anime, Dr. Namba also refers to Lugia as "Pokémon X".
Perhaps coincidentally, it also is known by its codename, XD001, in Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness—also long before its true identity is revealed.
Shigeki Morimoto said in an interview for the Nintendo DREAM November 2009 issue that Lugia was made a Psychic type instead of a Water type because they wanted to give it a stronger impression.
Despite not being a Water type, Lugia has occasionally been depicted as a Water-type in the Trading Card Game.
In Gold and Silver, Lugia, like Ho-Oh, has the same encounter music as normal wild Pokémon. The same was true for the Legendary beasts before they received unique encounter music in Crystal. However, Lugia and Ho-Oh got their own unique battle themes in HeartGold and SoulSilver.
Lugia's Generation IV, V, and VI Pokédex entries that mention it being able to cause a 40-day storm may be a biblical reference to Noah's Ark.
When Lugia's Shiny form is shown in Pokémon Stadium 2, it is green rather than pink.
Lugia appears in Pokémon Battle Chess. Alongside Ho-Oh, the player must lose a specific number of pieces (four in Lugia's case) to use it, and it takes four spaces on the board.
The Tin Tower event file from March 1999 mark the earliest of Lugia's appearances in Pokémon Gold and Silver.
Silver Tempest set symbol
Ho-Oh and Lugia are the only Legendary Pokémon that are game mascots that are not version-exclusives in their representative games.
Despite being strongly associated with the sea, Lugia does not appear in the sea at Pal Park.
The symbol for the Silver Tempest expansion resembles Lugia's silhouette.
Origin
Lugia's aquatic tendencies could relate it to plesiosaurs and aquatic birds. It is also possible that it may be based on Ryūjin, a dragon who lived on the ocean floor and was the Shinto god of the sea. The two have similarities in mythology, and Lugia's Shiny colors (red and white) are the same colors as the coral Ryūjin's palace was made of. In addition, it is worth noting that dragon (yang, male) and Chinese phoenix (yin, female) duality is prevalent in Eastern mythology, and Ho-Oh is the Japanese name of the Fenghuang (Chinese phoenix). In keeping with this, Lugia resembles a wyvern, a variety of dragons with a single set of forelimbs that serve as wings. Its avian body, coloration, and face-markings suggest that it may be somewhat based on the grey heron. The beluga whale, a white whale with similar body shape and coloration to Lugia, may also be a basis for its design and name. It might also be based on Bahamut (giant fish), and Bahamut is often being portrayed as a dragon-like creature in modern fantasy, hence its fish-like and dragon-like appearance.
Name origin
Lugia may be derived from ἄργυρος árguros (Ancient Greek for silver). It may also involve beluga, deluge, and Lutīyā (early name for the Bahamut).
In other languages
Language
Title
Meaning
Japanese
ルギア Lugia
From ἄργυρος árguros and possibly beluga, deluge, and Lutīyā
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.
Leftovers (100%)
Gold Bottle Cap (100%)
For other sprites and images, please see Lugia images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
