Super-ancient Pokémon
The super-ancient Pokémon (Japanese: 超古代ポケモン super-ancient Pokémon) is a term applied to the three ancient Legendary Pokémon from Hoenn legend—Kyogre, Groudon, and Rayquaza. This trio has historically been called the weather trio by fans.
The three Pokémon represent separate elemental spheres, Kyogre having dominion over the hydrosphere, Groudon over the lithosphere, and Rayquaza over the atmosphere. These roles are reflected in their types. The members all have some physiological similarities, with similar symbols on their bodies as well as yellow eyes. The three Pokémon could be references to creatures from Hebrew myth: Leviathan, a sea monster; Behemoth, a land beast; and Ziz, a giant bird.
In their reprised roles in the remakes of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Groudon and Kyogre gained the ability to undergo Primal Reversion and Rayquaza the ability to Mega Evolve. Primal Reversion is said to be a process whereby the Pokémon return to their original power. Meanwhile, Rayquaza is said to be the first Pokémon to have Mega Evolved.
In their original appearance in Generation III, Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza's weather-changing Abilities belonged exclusively to them. Though several non-Legendary Pokémon have other Abilities that can alter the weather, only Cloud Nine's effect overlaps with the effects of the trio's Abilities (with Rayquaza's Air Lock). Upon undergoing Primal Reversion or Mega Evolution, Groudon, Kyogre, and Rayquaza gain new exclusive Abilities, enhanced versions of their original Abilities.
Though moves such as Sunny Day and Rain Dance have acted just like Groudon's and Kyogre's Abilities since Generation III, causing the weather to change for only five turns, originally, Groudon's and Kyogre's Abilities caused their weather effect for the remainder of the battle or until the weather was changed again in some way. However, Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre's new, enhanced Abilities render it impossible for the weather to be changed by most other means, though the effect lasts only as long as they remain in battle. By contrast, Rayquaza's Ability—which removes the battle effects of any weather on the field, leaving only its visual effect—only lasts as long as Rayquaza remains active, as does Mega Rayquaza's enhanced version of the Ability.
Rayquaza, the trio master, was shown quelling a violent confrontation between the other two Pokémon during the events of Pokémon Emerald.
History
The super-ancient Pokémon's history was first revealed in the Hoenn Generation III games and expanded upon in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. The Draconids tribe kept recorded history of the trio through mural paintings at Sky Pillar.
2,000 years ago, during Hoenn's primal age, the world was overflowing with natural energy. Groudon and Kyogre were born from that natural energy. Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre fought over that energy in long clashes, creating natural disasters in the process. The Hoenn region was created from these clashes. In the face of their great power, people could do nothing. But Rayquaza intervened, and its power overwhelmed that of the two primal Pokémon, ending their conflict and returning peace to the world.
A thousand years later, a meteoroid hit the earth, creating what would become Sootopolis City. This impact caused cracks in the ground that unleashed natural energy, causing Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre to battle each other again, threatening to destroy the world in the process. Humans had a collective memory of how Rayquaza saved their race long ago, and their wish for this to happen again combined with the power of the Meteorite allowed Rayquaza to Mega Evolve for the first time and calm the other two Pokémon. Stripped of their primal forms, Groudon and Kyogre entered a deep slumber in their respective homes while Rayquaza returned to the sky.
Sky Pillar was then created by the Draconids people to honor and preserve the super-ancient Pokémon's history. They also prepared for the day when Rayquaza would be needed again upon the eventual appearance of the Grand Meteor Delta. The Red Orb and Blue Orb were created in case Groudon and Kyogre returned, with the power to calm down the two of them without the aid of Rayquaza.
Similar movesets
The following are the super-ancient Pokémon's level-up movesets from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
| Lv. |   Kyogre Water |
  Groudon Ground / Ground Fire |
  Rayquaza Dragon Flying |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Origin Pulse | Precipice Blades | Dragon Ascent |
| Ancient Power | |||
| Water Pulse | Mud Shot | Twister | |
| Body Slam | Lava Plume | Air Slash | |
| Scary Face | |||
| 9 | Aqua Tail | Earth Power | Crunch |
| 18 | Calm Mind | Bulk Up | Dragon Dance |
| 27 | Muddy Water | Earthquake | Extreme Speed |
| 36 | Ice Beam | Hammer Arm | Dragon Pulse |
| 45 | Sheer Cold | Fissure | Hyper Voice |
| 54 | Aqua Ring | Rest | |
| 63 | Fly | ||
| 72 | Hydro Pump | Fire Blast | Hurricane |
| 81 | Double-Edge | Solar Beam | Outrage |
| 90 | Water Spout | Eruption | Hyper Beam |
| Moves in bold are STAB. Moves in italics do no damage. Moves in bold italics are only STAB for Primal Groudon, which is not present in Scarlet and Violet. | |||
Base stat comparison
| Pokémon | Kyogre |
Groudon |
Rayquaza | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP |
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| Defense |
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| Sp. Atk |
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| Sp. Def |
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| Speed |
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| Total | 670 | 670 | 680 |
Primal/Mega Evolved forms
| Pokémon | Kyogre |
Groudon |
Rayquaza | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP |
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| Attack |
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| Defense |
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| Sp. Atk |
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| Sp. Def |
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| Speed |
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| Total | 770 | 770 | 780 |
In the games
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire
In these games, both Kyogre and Groudon appear in the Cave of Origin in their respective games, and after entering the Hall of Fame, the player can encounter Rayquaza at rest on the topmost floor of the Sky Pillar.
Pokémon Emerald
In the enhanced version of Ruby and Sapphire, Kyogre and Groudon both appear in alternating caves after entering the Hall of Fame: Marine Cave (on Route 105, Route 125, Route 127, or Route 129) for Kyogre and Terra Cave (on Route 114, Route 115, Route 116, or Route 118) for Groudon. Rayquaza appears atop the Sky Pillar after calming Kyogre and Groudon in Sootopolis City, and is obtainable before entering the Hall of Fame.
Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
All three super-ancient Pokémon can be obtained in the Embedded Tower after Red is defeated and player has the National Pokédex, Kanto starter Pokémon, and respective Orbs. Kyogre is obtainable in HeartGold, and Groudon is obtainable in SoulSilver. Once both a Kyogre from HeartGold and a Groudon from SoulSilver are in one game, the player gets an opportunity to catch Rayquaza.
Kyogre
Groudon
Rayquaza
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
In the remakes, both Kyogre and Groudon appear in the Cave of Origin just like in the originals. However, when the player faces them, they are in their Primal Forms. Rayquaza is obtained during the Delta Episode atop Sky Pillar, which occurs after the player become the Champion and is granted access to Sky Pillar by Wallace. Rayquaza must be caught when encountered; if the player runs away from it or defeats it, they will have to battle it again until it is caught.
Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, all three members of the super-ancient Pokémon can be encountered in the Ultra Space Wilds through Ultra Warp Ride. GroudonUS can be encountered in the Cave World through a yellow warp hole. KyogreUM can be encountered in the Water World through a blue warp hole. Rayquaza can be encountered in the Cliff World through a red warp hole, as long as both Groudon and Kyogre are in the player's party.
Pokémon Sword and Shield
In The Crown Tundra DLC, the super-ancient Pokémon be found at Max Lair during Dynamax Adventures. Groudon can be found in Sword, while Kyogre can be found in Shield; however, the player can get the other Legendary by participating in other players' Dynamax Adventures.
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
In Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, the super-ancient Pokémon can all be encountered at Ramanas Park after capturing the Legendary giants, Legendary beastsBD/Legendary birdsSP and Eon duo. The trio is located at Oceanic Room, Tectonic Room, and Stratospheric Room respectively. Each room needs either Oceanic Slate, Tectonic Slate, or Stratospheric Slate to unlock the encounter.
In the anime
All three super-ancient Pokémon have appeared in the anime. Kyogre and Groudon both debuted in Gaining Groudon. Kyogre had been captured by Team Magma, who was also in possession of the Blue Orb. Groudon was in Team Aqua's possession along with the Red Orb. The two teams were planning on swapping Groudon and Kyogre, but Kyogre was released by Team Aqua commander Shelly, who had infiltrated Team Magma. Archie then proceeded to take control of Kyogre using the Red Orb. In the following episode, Archie threatened to use Kyogre's power to flood the island both teams had met at. At this time the now awakened Groudon came and began to battle with Kyogre. During this time, Ash, his friends, and Lance managed to snap Archie out of the Red Orb's possession. Now free from the Orbs' possession Kyogre and Groudon retreated into the ocean and a volcano, respectively. Rayquaza debuted separately from the other members of its trio. It first appeared in Destiny Deoxys, where it defended its territory from a Deoxys.
In Mega Evolution Special II, Rayquaza appeared after Alain and Steven used their Mega Ring and Mega Stickpin, respectively, to open one of Hoenn's ancient ruins and reveal the legendary Giant Rock. The energy emitted by the rock not only brought Rayquaza to the ruins, but it also awoke Groudon and Kyogre from their slumbers. Rayquaza, in a fit of rage, began attacking the people responsible for unlocking the Giant Rock. Seeing that, Alain and Steven sent out Charizard and Metagross to stop the Sky High Pokémon, but to no avail. Rayquaza destroyed the ruins by using Draco Meteor, disintegrating the Giant Rock in the process before returning to the ozone layer.
In Mega Evolution Special III, Alain and Steven were monitoring the area around Rustboro City when they noticed that Groudon had awakened and was seemingly moving towards the coastline. Steven wondered if Kyogre could also appear, and just at that moment, they received footage of the Sea Basin Pokémon. Lysandre then commented on the possibility of the Pokémon world being destroyed, scaring Mairin. After that, Steven explained to her that there is a legend in the Hoenn region that has been told since ancient times. According to Steven, the legend says that in the prehistoric era, Primal Groudon expanded the continents and Primal Kyogre expanded the seas. The two Legendary Pokémon were locked in a fierce struggle to obtain a source of enormous energy. That struggle shook the land and the skies, nearly destroying the world in the process. He also added that some people believe the energy source they were searching for was the Giant Rock.
Steven and Lysandre soon discovered that both Groudon and Kyogre were following an energy similar to that of the Giant Rock. Suspecting the rock would materialize in the place Groudon and Kyogre were headed, Lysandre ordered Alain to protect it from the super-ancient Pokémon. After that, Alain and Steven flew over the area on a plane and, when the two Primal Pokémon started fighting for the source of energy, they sent out their Charizard and Metagross to prevent them from consuming the rock's energy. However, Charizard and Metagross had trouble fighting against the Legendary Pokémon, but their combined efforts protected the Giant Rock long enough for Rayquaza to step in and put an end to the conflict between Groudon and Kyogre, causing them to return to their regular forms. After that, Lysandre's employees appeared to take away the Giant Rock, blocking its energy and placing it in a submarine. With the rock away, all three super-ancient Pokémon retreated.
Primal Kyogre, Primal Groudon, and a Shiny Mega Rayquaza all made a major appearance in Hoopa and The Clash of Ages. Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon were summoned by a dark entity of Hoopa's Unbound form, along with the Pokémon of Myth and Kyurem, and were controlled by the evil shadow in order to terrorize Dahara City. It was revealed that long ago, Kyogre and Groudon engaged in a battle with Hoopa in its Unbound form to entertain the citizens of Dahara City, but this ended when Hoopa's power was sealed by Ghris. Mega Rayquaza was summoned by Hoopa along with Latias and Latios in order to stop the entity of Hoopa's Unbound form from terrorizing Dahara City.
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
- Main article: Super-ancient Pokémon (Adventures)
All three super-ancient Pokémon have appeared in Pokémon Adventures. Archie and Maxie took control of Kyogre and Groudon respectively, and Norman awakened Rayquaza in order to calm the two.
Artwork
Super Ancient Pokémon artwork for Pokémon Masters EX Villain Arc Hoenn (Part 1) artwork
Super Ancient Pokémon along with Sygna Suit Steven and Deoxys for Pokémon Masters EX Villain Arc Hoenn (Part 2) artwork
Trivia
- The term "super-ancient Pokémon" has previously been attributed to Fossil Pokémon in the Japanese anime.
- The colors of the three super-ancient Pokémon are the additive primary colors of light.
- The super-ancient Pokémon are the only Legendary trio in which all of its members are in different habitats — Kyogre is in the Sea habitat, Groudon is in the Rough-Terrain habitat, and Rayquaza is in the Rare Habitat.
In other languages
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