Comparison between Lapras's younger and older appearances
Lapras is a marine reptilianPokémon that resembles a plesiosaur. It has a blue hide with darker blue spots and a cream-colored underside. It has large brown eyes, a short horn on its forehead, and tightly curled ears. It has a long neck and four flippers. The foremost flippers are larger than the hind. On its back is a heavy, gray shell covered in blunt knobs.
Lapras Paddle
Lapras is a gentle, helpful Pokémon that enjoys ferrying people across bodies of water. In the past, its docility made it an easy target for hunters, and it was driven to near extinction. Recent protection efforts have seen Lapras become overabundant instead, which is now affecting the fish Pokémon numbers in some areas. An intelligent Pokémon, it can understand human speech. Lapras has been known to travel in large pods across the seas, spanning both polar and tropical areas. To keep in touch with others of its kind, it sings enchanting melodies. Lapras usually sing when it is in a good mood. In the Pokémon the Series episode Holiday Hi-Jynx it's shown that Lapras can develop psychic abilities such as telepathy. In Alola, Lapras is used as a Ride Pokémon called Lapras Paddle, Alolan natives use Lapras to travel and fish for Pokémon in the water.
As Gigantamax Lapras, it becomes larger in size and more armored. Its shell resembles a cruise ship or ocarina with four gray and red stripes surrounding it, and it has four spikes on top of its shell with one steel spike resembling a funnel, which has three red clouds surrounding it. The sclera in Lapras' eyes change colors to white, yellow, and blue. A light blue ring of fine thin lines resembling a musical sheet created from ice particles circles around its shell.
5,000 people can ride on the shell of Gigantamax Lapras for a very comfortable ride without any issues. Lapras can use its giant ring to break any icebergs that may prevent it from swimming. According to Oleana, Gigantamax Lapras's shell is not part of its body, as the shell has a logarithmic spiral structure.[1]
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness and Explorers of Sky: Lapras is the Pokémon that ferries Pokémon to the Hidden Land. When Wigglytuff explored the Brine Cave and found the strange marking on the wall there, Lapras asked Wigglytuff not to investigate it further to keep the Hidden Land a secret. During the player's exploration of Brine Cave, the partner's Relic Fragment resonates with a painting in the deepest part of the cave, and this summons Lapras. Lapras ferries the player, the partner, and Grovyle to the Hidden Land, along the way telling the story of what happened when Wigglytuff and Chatot came to Brine Cave. Later, after the player defeats Dialga at Temporal Tower, Lapras will be waiting at the beach and can ferry the player and the partner back to the Hidden Land again. There is no limit to how many times Lapras can do this.
Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon: Lapras runs the Lapras Travel Liner, which allows the player to visit other continents in the world. After the completion of the main story arc, Lapras will be recruitable after the player has established 100 connections.
They have gentle hearts. Because they rarely fight, many have been caught. Their number has dwindled. (Pokémon Red, Silver, or Crystal inserted) It ferries people across the sea on its back. It may sing an enchanting cry if it is in a good mood. (Pokémon Blue, Gold, or Yellow inserted)
People have driven Lapras almost to the point of extinction. In the evenings, this Pokémon is said to sing plaintively as it seeks what few others of its kind still remain.
People have driven Lapras almost to the point of extinction. In the evenings, it is said to sing plaintively as it seeks what few others of its kind still remain.
People have driven Lapras almost to the point of extinction. In the evenings, this Pokémon is said to sing plaintively as it seeks what few others of its kind still remain.
Lapras will not appear in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team until a rescue mission involving it has been completed, using a Wonder Mail code such as the following:
F ? J ? 6 9 0 ? 4 Q 6 C
C ! ? ? 8 ? 6 6 8 Q ? ♀
Objective: Rescue Lapras on floor 2 of Tiny Woods.
Lapras is so intelligent that it can understand human speech—and it’s got a beautiful singing voice, too! On days when the sea is calm, you can often see young Lapras swimming with their parents.
In Viva Las Lapras, Ash and his friends located Lapras's school off the coast of Tarroco Island. However, the group wanted nothing to do with Ash's Lapras and they swam away. Later, Ash's group rescued the school from Captain Crook and his crew of Pokémon poachers, and Ash's Lapras subsequently returned to the herd.
In Lapras of Luxury, Ash and his friends met Naomi, a marine biologist and Lapras expert, near New Bark Town. They also re-encountered Ash's Lapras and its herd as they continued their annual migration from the Orange Islands to the Johtoregion. Ash's Lapras became the leader of the herd after it defeated Team Rocket, who were attempting to snatch the group. The Lapras herd later left to continue their migration.
Lapras made its physical TV debut in Holiday Hi-Jynx under ownership of Santa Claus, where it helped Ash and his friends reunite a Jynx with Santa Claus. This Lapras was able to talk via telepathy.
In Snorlax Snowman, two Lapras saved Pikachu and his friends after their ice boat fell apart.
Three Lapras appeared in Bonnie for the Defense!, including a young Lapras who was being taken care of by Heidi, Kye, and Jay. With the help of Ash and his friends, they returned this Lapras back to the sea. It reappeared in a flashback in Till We Compete Again!.
Lapras. This intellectually advanced Pokémon is able to understand human speech. With its mild temperament, Lapras prefers to carry humans on its back, rather than engage in Pokémon battles.
Lapras, the Transport Pokémon. A Water and Ice type. A gentle soul with high intelligence, Lapras is able to understand human speech. When it's in a good mood, it swims through the seas, singing with its beautiful voice.
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
The most notable role of Lapras in Pokémon Adventures was being one of the Pokémon of Pryce. In his youth, Pryce lost two of his favorite Lapras, La Pris and La Prus, in an avalanche just as the Egg borne by them hatched. Unable to get over his loss, Pryce swore to save his Lapras and thus began researching into time travel, setting the events of the Johto saga in motion. Eventually, Pryce was able to capture Celebi and enter time, only to lose Celebi as the GS Ball containing it was shattered, causing him to be unable to override time any further. However, the baby Lapras, La Glace, was able to enter the time in which Pryce's Lapras were separated, and the family enjoyed a happy reunion while Pryce was eventually lost in time. The child Lapras first appeared in Irked Igglybuff and Curmudgeonly Cleffa and the parents appeared in The Last Battle XIV.
In Generation II games, when any Pokémon except Pikachu uses Surf to travel over bodies of water, the player appears to be controlling a Lapras. This surfing Lapras shares the same color palette as the player, therefore it is red if the player is male () or blue if the player is female ().
In Pokémon X and Y, Lapras has a unique 3D model when surfing, whereas all other surfing Pokémon are depicted as dark blobs. This may be an homage to the Generation II surfing sprites, or Lapras's role as a means of transport.
A Shiny Lapras uses the same 3D model as a regular one while surfing.
In photos taken at Azure Bay, the player is seen riding a Lapras even if no Lapras is in the party.
Lapras's appearance has had minor alterations during the early years of the franchise. In the documents for the Capsule Monsters pitch, Lapras was drawn without its curly ears. Furthermore, it was depicted with teeth in its Generation I official artwork and in Pokémon Adventures.
Lapras may be based on the fabled Loch Ness Monster in Scotland. The creature and this Pokémon resemble an extinct order of marine reptiles known as Plesiosauria, who lived between the Triassic and Cretaceous periods. Lapras's shell and horn may be inspired by placodonts (close relatives of plesiosaurs that lived during the Triassic period). Its intelligence, singing, and rarity can be comparable to some cetaceans, especially blue whales and humpback whales. Its long neck and robust body may also be inspired by the mastheads and hulls of Viking ships. In addition, its shell, combined with its aquatic nature and history of being hunted to near extinction may be based on sea turtles.
As suggested in Pocket Monsters Encyclopedia, Lapras could be the turtle ridden by the folklore hero Taro Urashima. This is also implied by its category the transport Pokémon along with it often being presented in various pieces of media as a form of transportation across bodies of water.
Laplace may be a reference to Pierre-Simon Laplace, a mathematician who wrote several books on the mathematical properties of the sea and tides. Alternatively, Laplace may be derived from la place (French for seat), referring to how passengers sit on its back like a seat to be ferried across bodies of water.
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.
Bitter Berry (100%)
Mystic Water (100%)
For other sprites and images, please see Lapras images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
) or blue if the player is female (
).
Icon of Surf Shipping
Icon of Lapras Shipwrights
Early sketch
Generation I art
