Moltres is a large, avian Pokémon with orange or golden plumage. It has a long, flowing head crest and a billowing tail, both made of flames. Additionally, its wings are also shrouded in fiery plumage. Its straight, pointed beak is brown, as are its anisodactyl feet. It has short talons.
Moltres sheds embers with every flap of its wings, creating a brilliant flash of flames. By dipping itself into the magma of an active volcano, this Pokémon can heal itself. It migrates to the south with the coming of spring, and is said to bring an early springtime to cold lands. Moltres is rarely seen by Trainers.
Additionally it was mentioned in The Fortune Hunters where James mistakenly believed that it was his "Inner Pokémon" and dressed up in a Moltres costume.
Sabrina is shown to have obtained Moltres for Team Rocket during the Kanto saga, but it is not seen in battle. It is later combined with Articuno and Zapdos to form a singular legendary bird, but they separate once Sabrina is defeated and go back to the wild.
Green later catches Moltres on Mt. Ember during her training journey to overcome her fear of birds. She used it and its fellow legendary birds in the fight against Karen and Will, who were commanding the Masked Man's Ho-Oh and Lugia. She has not used any of them since, meaning they have probably been deposited in the box or released.
When released from a Poké Ball, Moltres will remain where it is released, flapping its wings. It will then use Sky Attack in Melee or Fly in Brawl to leave the arena. Any opponent that touches it will receive a sizable amount of damage. Moltres is the only legendary bird to return in Brawl.
Trophy Information
Melee
As tradition has it, the onset of spring heralds the return of this legendary Pokémon from its southern home. Its bright orange color and fiery aspect lends to its overwhelming appearance. Sky Attack, the strongest of flying moves, is a perfect fit for this burning phenom, but it obviously also excels at powerful Fire-type moves.
Brawl
"A Flame Pokémon. It's one of the legendary bird Pokémon. When Moltres appears in a town, it is said that spring will come earlier there than in other towns. If Moltres is injured, it apparently returns to a volcano to heal its wings with magma. Moltres spreads its wide, flame-covered wings and attacks opponents with the exciting and highly damaging Sky Attack."
Game data
Pokédex entries
This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation I.
Moltres is a legendary bird Pokémon that has the ability to control fire. If this Pokémon is injured, it is said to dip its body in the molten magma of a volcano to burn and heal itself.
Moltres is a legendary bird Pokémon that can control fire. If injured, it is said to dip its body in the molten magma of a volcano to burn and heal itself.
Moltres is the only one of the three legendary birds to not appear in the original opening of the English dub.
Moltres is the only member of its trio that can't have super effective STAB against a Pokémon of its own type. Both Zapdos's Electric moves and Articuno's Ice moves are super effective against the Flying Pokémon.
Origin
Like Ho-Oh, Moltres is based on the legend of the phoenix. It is most likely based on either the Arabian phoenix or the Slavic Firebird. Others claim that the bird is based on the Japanese mythical bird known as 朱雀 Suzaku, guardian of the South, and is not a true phoenix. Regardless, the Pokémon has a very similar appearance to both the phoenix and the Suzaku. It may also be based on a heron or Bennu, because of their similarities in shape. It also embodies traits from a number of other firebirds, such as the three-legged bird.
Name origin
Moltres is a combination of molten and tres (Spanish for three, indicating that it is the third in the series of Kantolegendary birds). It may also derive from molt.
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.