Porygon-Z is a modification of Porygon2. Porygon-Z appears similar to Porygon2. Most notably, its head is detached from the body and upside down, much like Porygon's legs, with no visible neck and yellow eyes with a dartboard pattern. Its bill is more round, and doesn't curve down as it did in its Porygon2 stage. Its legs are now wing-like, and its posture resembles that of a hummingbird. The tail is a little plumper, with the blue pattern on its chest no longer being isolated and now connecting to its legs/wings.
Gender differences
Porygon-Z is a genderless species.
Special abilities
Porygon-Z, and its pre-evolved forms, Porygon, and Porygon2, are the only known Pokémon that can learn Conversion and Conversion 2. Its great variety of moves and high special attack make it very powerful. Porygon-Z has significantly higher Special Attack power than Porygon2 and is slightly faster. However, Porygon-Z also has weaker defenses.
Behavior
Being a cybernetic Pokémon, it exhibits the behavior that was programmed into it as a Porygon. However, it may also display emotions and some erratic behavior that were not a part of its programming. Porygon-Z can sometimes be seen shaking rapidly for a short time. Whether this is intentional or a glitch is unknown.
Habitat
Porygon-Z normally live in cyberspace, but they can live practically anywhere due to the lack of the need to breathe.
Since it is a virtual Pokémon, it has no need to eat. However, it will eat if fed.
In the anime
An official anime artwork of Porygon-Z
Porygon-Z's only appearance in the anime has been a cameo in the "World of Pokémon" opening of Kyurem VS. The Sword of Justice, in which every Pokémon from the first five generations (apart from Genesect) appeared. As was the case with Porygon2, it is currently believed that Porygon-Z will not properly appear and will not be mentioned in the anime as a result of the EP038 incident, although the release of official anime artwork for Porygon-Z suggests that it was considered to appear.
Since no leveling up is required to evolve Porygon or Porygon2, Porygon-Z is one of two fully evolved three-stage Pokémon capable of legitimately being level 1 (Roserade being the other), and the only one that can't skip its fully unevolved form.
Porygon-Z is the only Pokémon that evolves from a Pokémon that evolves via trading while holding an item. It is also the only Pokémon who evolves from a Pokémon who already evolved from methods other than leveling up (not including evolutionary lines where baby Pokémon are the first stage).
Despite being a cybernetic Pokémon, Porygon-Z is capable of eating and breeding in the games.
Although it has never made an anime appearance, Porygon-Z was given an anime artwork and a voice in PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure.
Porygon-Z exist in Oblivia's past, despite Porygon-Z being a recent invention. Whether this was an oversight or not is unknown. A similar situation occurs with Voltorb and Electrode.
Origin
Like Porygon and Porygon2, it is based on an origami crane made with 3D computer graphics. Its appearance with respect to Porygon2, as well as its unprogrammed behaviors, suggest that it may be based on the concept of a computer virus having infected Porygon2, or maybe a reference to copyrighted software usually being patched by users to use all the features, but often causing bugs in the program.
Name origin
Porygon-Z is a combination of polygon, origami, and Z. It may also reflect the stereotype that Japanese people pronounce their 'L' sounds as 'R' sounds, Porygon being a mispronunciation of polygon. Z may refer to the Z axis in 3D coordination systems or that Porygon-Z is the last of its evolutionary line (since the letter Z is last in the Latin alphabet). Alternatively, Z may be a corruption of 2 (as in Porygon2), or it may derive from Mazinger Z (one of the most famous giant robots and ubiquitous in Japanese popular culture, whose name in Japanese is written マジンガーZ, not unlike that of Porygon-Z); Go Nagai, Mazinger Z's creator, is supposed to have said he chose Z as it is the most powerful letter of the Roman alphabet, which fits well with Porygon-Z being the last and third in its evolutionary line.
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.