Alpha Pokémon

If you were looking for the other uses of Alpha, see Alpha (disambiguation).

An alpha Pokémon (Japanese: オヤブン boss) is a variety of Pokémon found in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. They are larger-than-normal Pokémon that appear in Hisui with increased combat capabilities. Alpha Pokémon can be identified with the icon in the Pokémon's summary screen and on their health bar in the wild. Additionally, wild alpha Pokémon have glowing red eyes, except for Zubat.

Story

Shortly after the player joins the Survey Corps, an alpha Kricketune intrudes on Deertrack Heights. Mai, the Warden who oversees Wyrdeer, enlists Akari/Rei to help defeat the Kricketune, who in turn asks the player to aid Mai due to their skill in Pokémon battles.

While Ingo is leading the player through Wayward Cave, an alpha Crobat appears along the route. Ingo insists that the player not battle it due to the reduced visibility caused by the absence of the cave's torches, and leads them on a detour to avoid it. The player is unable to battle or catch this particular alpha Pokémon until Ingo reinstalls the torches in the cave.

During the three Trials of the Lake guardians, the player has to face an alpha Pokémon at each lake; Hisuian Goodra at Lake Verity, Overqwil at Lake Valor, and Hisuian Zoroark at Lake Acuity.

During the post-game, when the player goes to meet Volo at Grueling Grove, the two are ambushed by an alpha Vespiquen. After defeating the Pokémon, the player receives a Stone Plate from her.

It is later revealed that the existence of alpha Pokémon was the result of Giratina opening space-time rifts that affect them with lightning strikes.

Gameplay

In the wild, alpha Pokémon will be at a higher level than other species of the same kind that can be found in that area, will have at least three stats with individual values of 31 (expressed in this game as initial effort levels of 3) and will know and have mastered a move that cannot be learned by leveling up. Alpha Pokémon cannot be caught outside of battle if they are significantly higher level than the player's current obedience level. They can, however, be caught regardless of level during a battle with them. Regardless of the species' normal behavior, alpha Pokémon (except for Mantyke and Mantine) are always aggressive towards the player and will never run away, unless a space-time distortion appears around it or it is a species which only appears in the wild at certain times of day. If an alpha Pokémon spots the player, it will roar out a shockwave which, if close enough, will cause the player to be knocked to the ground; they are also forcibly dismounted from their Ride Pokémon if riding Wyrdeer, Ursaluna, or Sneasler.

Upon entering battle, wild alpha Pokémon are filled with Wild Might (Japanese: 野性の力 Wild Strength), as indicated by their glowing red eyes. This increases all of a Pokémon's stats, independently of in-battle stat boosts, and reduces damage from status conditions. Alpha Pokémon can also use agile style and strong style moves in battle.

There are three types of ways alpha Pokémon may spawn:

• Fixed alpha Pokémon spawns will always be generated upon entering a given area of the Hisui region, and will be at a fixed level; for instance, the alpha Rapidash in the Obsidian Fieldlands is always Lv. 40. These Alpha Pokémon will also automatically respawn after two full in-game days.
• Random alpha Pokémon spawns may occur after the player has quelled the area's noble Pokémon. Alpha Pokémon, of the same species as the location's standard spawns, each have a small chance of appearing. Each location has its own rates for how likely each alpha Pokémon may spawn, including space-time distortions. Prior to the Daybreak update, during Mass Outbreaks, at most one alpha Pokémon could appear, however this limit was later lifted to account for the "exclusively alpha" bonus waves of Massive Mass Outbreaks.
• During a Massive Mass Outbreak, clearing all Pokémon in a location may cause a second wave of Pokémon to appear in the same location; if this occurs, the second wave may be composed entirely of alpha Pokémon.

During the battle against Giratina at the Temple of Sinnoh, it will be filled with Terrible Might (Japanese: すさまじい力 Tremendous Strength), which has an identical effect to Wild Might.

Fixed alpha Pokémon

Fixed alpha Pokémon are specimens that always appear in their alpha form in a specific location. Some of these specimens do not spawn until after parts of the main story are completed, usually needing the region's frenzied Noble to be tamed before appearing in the overworld.

Species marked with an * can only be found as that single fixed alpha specimen, in rare or massive mass outbreaks, or a space-time distortion, but not anywhere else in the overworld.

Obsidian Fieldlands

#	Pokémon		Level	Sub-Location	Time of Day	Weather
042		Golbat	35	Near Oreburrow Tunnel	Nighttime	All
047		Parasect	30	Nature's Pantry	All	All
065		Alakazam*	60	Sandgem Flats	All	All
075		Graveler	30	Near Obsidian Falls	All	All
078		Rapidash*	40	Horseshoe Plains	All	Sunny
123		Scyther	42	Near Grandtree Arena	All	All
129		Magikarp	60	Obsidian Falls	All	All
130		Gyarados	60	Lake Verity	All	All
143		Snorlax	45	Near Sandgem Flats	All	All
214		Heracross	45	Grueling Grove	All	All
234		Stantler	42	Deertrack Heights	All	All
242		Blissey	62	Near Obsidian Falls	All	All
392		Infernape*	65	Ramanas Island	All	All
397		Staravia	32	Windswept Run	All	All
400		Bibarel	16	Tidewater Dam	All	All
402		Kricketune	30	Near Nature's Pantry	All	All
404		Luxio	40	Floaro Gardens	All	All
419		Floatzel	31	Near Worn Bridge	All	All
428		Lopunny	40	Near The Heartwood	All	All

Crimson Mirelands

#	Pokémon		Level	Sub-Location	Time of Day	Weather
026		Raichu*	52	Near Golden Lowlands	All	All
095		Onix	50	Near Bolderoll Slope	All	All
111		Rhyhorn	45	Diamond Heath	All	All
217		Ursaring	55	Near Gapejaw Bog	All	All
217		Ursaring	41	Ursa's Ring	All	All
389		Torterra*	65	Holm of Trials	All	All
407		Roserade*	50	Cloudpool Ridge	Daytime	All
416		Vespiquen	61	Near Cottonsedge Prairie	All	All
417		Pachirisu	40	Near Gapejaw Bog	All	All
430		Honchkrow	55	Cloudpool Ridge	Nighttime	All
435		Skuntank	45	Scarlet Bog	All	All
450		Hippowdon	46	Sludge Mound	All	All
454		Toxicroak	47	Holm of Trials	All	All
455		Carnivine	43	Near Cottonsedge Prairie	All	All
463		Lickilicky	52	Shrouded Ruins	All	All
465		Tangrowth*	45	Gapejaw Bog	All	All
469		Yanmega	58	Droning Meadow	All	All
705		Sliggoo	50	Holm of Trials	All	All

Cobalt Coastlands

#	Pokémon		Level	Sub-Location	Time of Day	Weather
038		Ninetales*	61	Firespit Island	All	All
055		Golduck	50	Bathers' Lagoon	All	All
067		Machoke	40	Near Ginkgo Landing	All	All
073		Tentacruel	50	Near Lunker's Lair	All	All
113		Chansey	51	Tombolo Walk	All	All
130		Gyarados	58	Near Lunker's Lair	All	All
224		Octillery	46	Castaway Shore	All	All
226		Mantine	50	Tranquility Cove	All	All
365		Walrein	50	Ginkgo Landing	All	All
395		Empoleon*	69	Islespy Shore	All	All
414		Mothim	56	Spring Path	All	All
423		Gastrodon	61	Seagrass Haven	All	All
424		Ambipom	50	Near Hideaway Bay	All	All
432		Purugly	45	Veilstone Cape	All	All
452		Drapion*	45	Near Ginkgo Landing	All	All
457		Lumineon	60	Seagrass Haven	All	All
477		Dusknoir*	65	Deadwood Haunt	Nighttime	All

Coronet Highlands

#	Pokémon		Level	Sub-Location	Time of Day	Weather
036		Clefable*	62	Fabled Spring	Nighttime	All
076		Golem*	60	Bolderoll Ravine	All	All
169		Crobat	60	Wayward Cave	All	All
207		Gligar	52	Clamberclaw Cliffs	All	All
208		Steelix*	60	Celestica Trail	All	All
405		Luxray	55	Sacred Plaza	All	All
414		Mothim	55	Wayward Wood	All	All
429		Mismagius*	61	Stonetooth Rows	Nighttime	All
437		Bronzong	55	Near Clamberclaw Cliffs	All	All
444		Gabite	56	Near Celestica Ruins	All	All
455		Carnivine	52	Near Lonely Spring	All	All
464		Rhyperior*	74	Sacred Plaza	All	All
466		Electivire*	69	Cloudcap Pass	All	All
472		Gliscor*	77	Near Primeval Grotto	All	All
476		Probopass*	73	Near Primeval Grotto	All	All
706		Goodra*	70	Ancient Quarry	All	All

Alabaster Icelands

#	Pokémon		Level	Sub-Location	Time of Day	Weather
068		Machamp*	70	Arena's Approach	All	All
125		Electabuzz	65	Icebound Falls	All	All
215		Sneasel	61	Near Avalugg's Legacy	All	All
220		Swinub	62	Near Bonechill Wastes	All	All
221		Piloswine	65	Arena's Approach	All	All
282		Gardevoir*	70	Heart's Crag	Daytime	All
358		Chimecho	65	Near Lake Acuity	All	All
362		Glalie	62	Bonechill Wastes	All	All
445		Garchomp*	85	Avalanche Slopes	All	All
448		Lucario	70	Icebound Falls	All	All
460		Abomasnow	68	Bonechill Wastes	All	All
473		Mamoswine*	68	Avalugg's Legacy	All	All
475		Gallade*	70	Snowpoint Temple	All	All
478		Froslass	72	Ice Column Chamber	All	All

Unique alpha Pokémon

These unique alpha Pokémon can only be found once during the storyline. With the exception of Vespiquen, they do not have the usual guarantee of any stats with individual values of 31 (starting effort levels of 3).

• The alpha Pokémon found in Acuity, Verity, and Valor Caverns are prevented from being Shiny.

#	Pokémon		Level	Sub-Location	Mission/Request	Tutor move
362		Glalie	64	Alabaster Icelands	Request 86 "Gone Astray...in the Icelands"	Iron Head
402		Kricketune	12	Deertrack Heights	Mission 5 "A Request from Mai"	False Swipe
416		Vespiquen	60	Grueling Grove	Mission 21 "The Researcher of Myths"	Sludge Bomb
571		Zoroark	58	Acuity Cavern	Mission 17 "The Trial of Lake Acuity"	None
706		Goodra	58	Verity Cavern	Mission 15 "The Trial of Lake Verity"	Iron Tail
904		Overqwil*	58	Valor Cavern	Mission 16 "The Trial of Lake Valor"	Ice Ball

In the anime

Pokémon: Hisuian Snow

In Two Hues, an Alpha Garchomp attacked Alec and the Galaxy Team, but it was driven away by a Hisuian Zoroark that Alec had befriended in his youth as a Zorua.

Trivia

• Since most fixed alpha spawns are evolved Pokémon, alpha forms of many pre-evolved species are considered to be more rare and valuable, if left unevolved.
• There is a third variant of the Wild Might effect in game data, called Terrific Might (Japanese: 偉大な力), which is a version of Wild Might without the stat boosts. Its usage within the game is unknown.
• When Alpha Combee and Gastrodon appear in the wild, only two of their eyes glow red.
• Alpha Pokémon count as heavy specimens and large specimens for research tasks.
• Arceus itself is also known as the Alpha Pokémon.
• Alpha Pokémon are guaranteed to have 31 in at least 3 of their IV stats, a trait that Legendary and Mythical Pokémon have also had since Generation VI.

Origin

Alpha Pokémon might be based on the concept of dominance hierarchy in biology. Amongst animal groups, an alpha is a member of the species that has a higher rank in the group's hierarchy, contrary to the beta members who are the more submissive ones. Alpha animals often employ aggression tactics to assert dominance and leadership over their specific groups. This concept may be seen in gameplay, where alpha Pokémon display an aggressive disposition even when members of said species typically would not. They also serve as leaders of the pack, as alpha Pokémon are regularly found in places where unevolved members of their species gather, and even show signs of territorialism, as some alpha Pokémon tend to come to the aid of the lesser members when alerted. Their Japanese name "boss" seems to reinforce this idea of hierarchical leadership.

Related articles

• Creation trio
• Legendary Pokémon
• Giant Pokémon

In other languages

Alpha Pokémon Language Title Chinese Cantonese 頭目 Tàuhmuhk Mandarin 頭目 / 头目 Tóumù French Pokémon Barons German Elite-Pokémon Italian Pokémon alfa Korean 우두머리 Udumeori Spanish Espécimenes alfa
Wild Might Language Title Chinese Cantonese 野性之力 Yéhsing-jī Lihk Mandarin 野性之力 Yěxìng-zhī Lì French Force sauvage German Kraft der Wildnis Italian Potenza selvatica Korean 야성의힘이 Yaseong-ui Himi Spanish Poder salvaje	Terrible Might Language Title Chinese Cantonese 驚駭之力 Gīngháaih-jī Lihk Mandarin 驚駭之力 / 惊骇之力 Jīnghài-zhī Lì French Force effroyable German Unheilvolle Kraft Italian Potenza spaventosa Korean 무시무시한힘 Musimusihan Himi Spanish Poder tremebundo

This game-related article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games.