Death in the Pokémon world
Anyone may edit this page |
This article is intended to be moved into one of Bulbapedia's main content spaces. Be mindful that it is still part of a personal userspace. Any content changes should be brought up on the talk page for this article. |
This article is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this article to add missing information and complete it. |
Death is a recurring subject in the Pokémon franchise. Throughout the history of the Pokémon world, many people and Pokémon have been known to have perished.
Many Ghost-type Pokémon are said to be the result of the death of a Pokémon or human, although some Ghost-type Pokémon themselves have been known to be able to die.
In the games
Generation I introduced the Pokémon Tower, which houses hundreds of graves of deceased Pokémon in all of its seven floors. Many people visit the building daily to pay their respects to the fallen. Aside from graves, the tower is home to wild Cubone as well as many Ghost-type Pokémon. In Generations I, III, and VII, Team Rocket tried to steal the Cubone to sell their valuable skulls. In the process, a mother Marowak that was protecting her Cubone child was killed.
Prior to the events of Pokémon Black and White, Alder's starter Pokémon died of an illness, and in despair over not being able to save it, he began traveling around aimlessly. Before his partner's death, the two of them madly pursued strength, much like Cheren did. The Pokémon's death changed Alder's outlook on life. The identity of this Pokémon is never mentioned in Black and White, but dialogue in Pokémon Black and White 2 reveals that Alder's late partner was a Volcarona, which evolved from a Larvesta.
Three thousand years prior to the events of Pokémon X and Y, a war broke out between two countries. This long conflict was drawn out and many lives were lost. People treated Pokémon with special powers as mere tools in their conflict, so they gathered lots of Pokémon, including Pokémon with unique powers. In order to emerge victorious, the soldiers believed that they needed even more powerful Pokémon. AZ loved his Floette, which he had received from his late mother, but it was forcefully taken from him by the soldiers and became just another sacrifice in the war. AZ received the body of his beloved Pokémon some time later, and out of unspeakable grief, he built the ultimate weapon to restore it to life. He succeeded, but unable to overcome his despair, he turned the machine into a weapon, with which he destroyed both sides of the conflict, ending the war. His Floette, disgusted with the fact that the machine was powered by the life energy of other Pokémon, left him.
Gastly's Pokédex entry in Pokémon Ultra Moon states that Gastly is comprised of 95% poisonous gas and 5% the souls of those who have died from the poisonous gas. Its Pokédex entry in Pokémon Ultra Sun, on the other hand, poses that gas emanating from a graveyard was possessed by the grievances of the deceased and became Gastly.
In the anime
As shown in Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, some Ghost-type Pokémon, despite their name, can still die. This was first mentioned in Why Not Give Me a Z-Ring Sometime?, where Acerola revealed that her Shiny Mimikyu, Mimikins, is in fact the ghost of a deceased Mimikyu. Later, in A Timeless Encounter!, it is revealed that Professor Kukui had once befriended a Totem Trevenant that he nicknamed Elder. It is later revealed that Elder has since died, its body now a regular tree, though the circumstances of the death weren't revealed. Giratina is another Ghost-type whose life has been in danger, in Giratina and the Sky Warrior. However, despite this, it still appears that many Ghost-type Pokémon, particularly ones who are more similar to traditional ghosts, are indeed immune to the ravages of time and can live on indefinitely; for instance, a Yamask shown in A Night in the Nacrene City Museum! was told to be millennia old.
Pokémon: Indigo League
Two thousand years prior to the events of The Ghost of Maiden's Peak, a war took place and soldiers were shipped overseas from Kanto to the battlefield. A maiden was in love with one of the soldiers who was sent to war, and she swore to wait on the cliff until her love returned, but he never did. According to legend, she died while standing there, and her body became a part of the cliff itself.
Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon
The subject of death was dealt with directly several times in Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, with some Pokémon being seen dying, as well as showing a main character dealing with the death of a parent (as opposed to the usual instance of absent parents almost never being mentioned).
In the movies
In The Uncut Story of Mewtwo's Origin, the clones of the Kanto starter Pokémon and Amber died inside their test tubes, unlike Mewtwo, whose genetic makeup and overall power kept him alive.
At the end of Pokémon Heroes: Latios & Latias, Latios had to sacrifice himself to save Alto Mare, and turned into the new Soul Dew, just like his father in the past.
Prior to the events of Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, Sir Aaron is said to have died fighting in a war between two unknown armies. During the events of the movie, Lucario sacrifices itself to save Ash and the Tree of Beginning to protect the balance between Pokémon and nature.
Prior to the events of I Choose You!, a Luxray owned by Sorrel and his family froze to death after he and Sorrel got lost in a forest during a blizzard.