Ghosts in the Pokémon world
Ghosts are souls of dead beings that have not yet gone to the afterlife and appear to the living in the Pokémon world. They have appeared in various Pokémon media.
Ghosts are distinct from Ghost-type Pokémon, who are often said to be reborn from such spirits. This distinction has existed since Generation I, which introduced Ghost-type Pokémon along with the ghosts of Pokémon Tower.
In the core series games
Lavender Town
- Main article: Ghost (Pokémon Tower)
In the Generation I games and their Generation III and VII remakes, before getting a Silph Scope, several unidentified ghosts (in reality, wild Gastly, Haunter, or Cubone) appear in the Pokémon Tower. Another stronger ghost is revealed to be a mother Marowak, which haunts the tower as a result of her death at the hands of Team Rocket. During the course of the game, the player must obtain the Silph Scope and becalm the ghost Marowak by battling itRBYFRLG/reuniting it with its child, Cubone.PE
Additionally, a girl in Lavender Town asks the player if they believe in ghosts, later mentioning a white hand on their shoulder.
Old Chateau
In Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Brilliant Diamond, and Shining Pearl, the Old Chateau is known to be haunted, scaring many citizens of Eterna City. In the chateau, occasionally, the ghosts of a little girl and a butler appear in the rightmost bedroom on the second floor and in the dining hall, respectively. They cannot be interacted with and move by floating.
The little girl appears when the player enters the fourth room from the west, which is next to the bedroom where she randomly "appears". When this happens, she looks to the left, where the player is, then moves towards the exit, never being seen on the other side. This can only occur when the player enters this particular room because the game loads a different map depending on the room entered, and the little girl is only programmed to appear in the map of the fourth room.
The butler appears to be sitting at the other side of the table in the dining room. The player walks forward and he starts moving to the left—leaving the game window—as if going to the kitchen area, but never appearing there.
The little girl who appears in the bedroom
The butler who appears in the dining hall
Sinnoh Route 217
In Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Brilliant Diamond, and Shining Pearl, if the player re-enters the house near the Ice Rock after obtaining the Spell Tag from the woman inside, the woman has disappeared. The nature of the item, in conjunction with Ace Trainer Olivia's comments of hauntings in the area, implies that the woman was a ghost, specifically a Yuki-onna.
Quotes
- "...A person...? ...A rare sight... ...Thank you for visiting... ...A gift..."
Marvelous Bridge and Strange House
In Pokémon Black and White, on certain occasions, the spirit of a young girl will be standing on Marvelous Bridge, and will disappear if the player walks towards her. An old lady in the Bridge Gate to the east of the bridge will explain that the young girl used to play around the area with an Abra before the bridge was built. In Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, the girl will appear in the Strange House, where she will refer to Abra and the bridge before telling the player to return the Lunar Wing there, which will trigger a battle with Cresselia.
Quotes
- First encounter
- "An everlasting dark dream... An endless dream of darkness... Dad, Mom, Abra... Where are you...?"
- Second encounter
- "In the dark dream... I heard my dad’s voice... Forget about the Lunar Wing... Please stay here with me..."
- Third encounter
- "Oh... The Lunar Wing... I can’t take it now... But it'll be OK... Please return the wing to the Pokémon... I was waiting on the bridge so I could return it myself..."
Pokéstar Studios
Several Pokéstar Studios movies in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 feature ghosts, most prominently in the Ghost Eraser Series. One also appears in the Big Monster Series, played by New Actress Callie.
Sprites
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| Kadath | Celaeno | Arkham | Old Statue | Majin | Weird Light "???" |
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| Red Spirit | Green Spirit | Majin | Weird Light "???" | ||
Phoebe's room
In Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, just before the initial battle against Phoebe, a Ghost-type specialist, a ghost girl appears in Phoebe's room.
Ghost girl standing behind May
Ghost girl sitting behind Phoebe while the screen blacks out
Hau'oli City
In the Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon Special Demo Version, there's a girl in Hau'oli City Marina who says she wants to sail to meet her parents again, but she's nervous about boats and asks to be seen off to her journey. She thanks the player for encouragement by giving them a Comet Shard and walks away, just to disappear behind a passing Machamp.
Trainers' School
In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, the player can meet a little girl accompanied by a Drifloon at the Trainers' School, who will ask the player to solve seven mysteries around the school. Once all the mysteries have been solved, the girl will give the player a pair of Wise Glasses just as the school's security guard shows up. The girl disappears, and the guard tells the player they were alone the whole time.
Hammerlocke
In Pokémon Sword and Shield, a girl named Paula in Hammerlocke asks the player to deliver a letter to a boy named Frank in Ballonlea. The boy turns out to be an old man who was friends with a girl named Paula when he was younger, but she fell ill and hid from him how sick she was. This caused an argument and the boy ended up moving away shortly after. If the player returns to where Paula was, they'll find a Reaper Cloth.
Montenevera
According to a magazine entitled "The Musician's Register" in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, when Ryme was in her teens, her dear Puppy Pokémon passed away, and she poured her grief into a song. When she sang it, her partner came back to her as a ghost Pokémon. This moment is suggested to be what inspired her rap career.
Pokédex entries
Some Pokédex entries refer to ghosts, spirits, and the souls of the departed.
In addition to these entries, Vulpix's Pokédex entry in Pokémon Moon suggests that it can spew flames that seem to resemble the spirits of the deceased, which are sometimes mistaken for real ghosts. Similarly, Mimikyu's Pokédex entry in Pokémon Violet states "Mimikyu was only recently identified as a Pokémon. Previously, people thought it was just a ghost wearing a cloth."
| Pokémon | Pokédex |
|---|---|
 Typhlosion |
Hisuian Typhlosion is said to purify lost, forsaken souls with its flames and guide them to the afterlife. |
 Drifloon |
Drifloon was formed by the wandering spirits of people and Pokémon. |
 Spiritomb |
Spiritomb was formed by a mysterious spell that punished 108 souls and bound it to a stone. Apparently there are some ill-natured spirits in the mix. |
 Froslass |
Legends suggest that Froslass was formed when the spirit and lingering regrets of a lost woman who died in the snowy mountains possessed an icicle. |
  Yamask |
Yamask arose from the spirits of people interred in graves in past ages. It carries a mask that used to be its face when it was a human.
Galarian Yamask is said to have formed when an ancient clay tablet was drawn to a vengeful spirit. |
 Zorua |
Hisuian Zorua is a once-departed soul returned to life. |
 Lampent |
Lampent lurks and wanders through cities, pretending to be a lamp, searching for spirits of the fallen. Once it finds someone whose death is near, it will trail quietly after them, appearing the moment before they die to steal their spirit from their body. The spirits it absorbs fuel its baleful fire. |
 Phantump |
Phantump was formed when the spirit of a child that perished in a forest possessed a rotten tree stump. |
 Pumpkaboo |
Pumpkaboo's body is inhabited by a spirit trapped in this world. It is said to carry wandering spirits in its body to the place where they belong so they can move on to the afterlife.
The size of Pumpkaboo is said to be the product of the number of lost souls that lingered in the area where it was formed. When taking spirits to the afterlife, small Pumpkaboo prefer the spirits of children to those of adults. Supersized Pumpkaboo are very partial to the spirits of people who were of similarly superior proportions. |
 Oricorio Sensu Style |
Sensu Style Oricorio uses ethereal dance steps to call forth the spirits of the dead.
This is also supported by the official Pokémon Sun and Moon website, which states, "it gathers the spirits drifting about in an area and borrows their power to fight."[1] |
 Dhelmise |
The soul of seaweed adrift in the waves became reborn as Dhelmise. |
 Sinistea |
Sinistea was born when the spirit of someone who died alone possessed a cold, leftover cup of tea. |
 Basculegion |
Basculegion got possessed by the souls of other Basculin from its school that could not withstand the harsh journey upstream. |
 Bramblin |
A soul unable to move on to the afterlife was blown around by the wind until it got tangled up with dried grass and became Bramblin. |
Unconfirmed or false sightings
Some ghost sightings have either been left unconfirmed or have turned out to be false.
Route 5 Day Care
In Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, interacting with the door of the former Day Care on Route 5 yields the text, "What's this? House for Sale... Nobody lives here." However, there are two women in the house, an old lady, who will rush to the player to give them a Cleanse Tag, and her granddaughter, who says her grandmother believes in evil spirits. This text doesn't appear in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver.
Three Island
An old man in Three Island warns the player against going to the Berry Forest saying there are ghosts there. The danger actually turns out to be a wild Hypno.
Lumiose City
On the second floor of the Lumiose City's Fighting Dojo building, a Hex Maniac will appear and say "No, you're not the one," before floating away.[2]
In the spin-off games
Pokémon: Magikarp Jump
In Pokémon: Magikarp Jump, a ghost appears in one of the random encounters titled "Be Gone!". When the player turns the television on and off repeatedly, the television will show static, and when the player continues doing so, the television will be repaired. After the next training session, the ghost will appear and ask the player and his Magikarp to go away.
Pokémon Masters EX
In Pokémon Masters EX, true ghosts are uncommon on Pasio, as it is an artificial island with little history. However, ghosts have appeared on a few occasions.
In Helena's sync pair story, the player takes a tour of the "fake supernatural" - things which were rumored to be supernatural, but later proven to have perfectly natural explanations. Helena is leading the tour, but in the middle of the tour, a second Helena arrives and apologizes for oversleeping. The first Helena subsequently vanishes, implying that it was actually a ghost posing as Helena.
In the story event The Haunted Museum, Phoebe feels like someone is calling out to her from the museum that Lear is preparing to open. Roxanne and Lenora have been asked to investigate a mysterious sobbing sound that was heard in the museum at night, so Phoebe joins them. The sobbing turns out to be caused by a Preschooler who is friends with a Cofagrigus and Runerigus; the Pokémon want to form sync pairs, but the little girl can't do that. So, Phoebe and Roxanne volunteer to form sync pairs with the two Pokémon instead. Later, when Roxanne tries to ask the little girl more about Runerigus, she mysteriously disappears. While Roxanne and Lenora look for her, Phoebe turns around and tells her that she can rest, as her friends are OK now. She then flies up and fades away.
In the anime
Main series
The first real ghosts appeared in The Ghost of Maiden's Peak. The titular character was a spirit of a woman who was waiting on a cliff for her husband to come back, but he never had.
In The Tower of Terror, a Haunter took Ash and Pikachu's souls out of their bodies after they had been struck by a chandelier. Here it was shown that ghosts can fly around and remain in the form they took while living; however, living beings cannot see them.
A ghost girl appeared in Ghoul Daze! where she wanted to kidnap people and Pokémon into the spirit world. A wild Dusknoir, despite its reputation, wanted to protect innocent beings from this ghost.
Ash and his friends met a ghost named Lon in Scary Hospitality!. He once lived at the Scary House over 200 years ago, and now haunted it as a ghost. Although his true identity as a ghost wasn't revealed until close to the end of the episode, it was hinted at by his lack of a shadow. Unlike the ghosts described above, Lon was a very friendly man.
Acerola owns a Shiny Mimikyu named Mimikins, which first appeared in Why Not Give Me a Z-Ring Sometime?. Mimikins is the ghost of a deceased Mimikyu, allowing it to float and pass through solid objects.
In Run, Heroes, Run!, the spirit of Sofu, the grandfather of Hapu and former island kahuna of Poni Island, was summoned by Tapu Fini to oversee Kiawe's trial. After the trial, he observed Kiawe and Ash alongside the ghost of Kiawe's grandfather, before the both of them faded away.
In Distant Blue Sky!, Ash met the ghost of a boy named Sunny who had died of an illness before getting to set off on his journey as a Pokémon Trainer. Sunny had always wanted to touch a Pokémon but never had the chance and now couldn't due to being a ghost. However, Ash was able to use aura to connect with Sunny and allow him to touch Pikachu, making the boy very happy. Sunny then vanished, appearing one last time to observe his parents.
Pokédex entries
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Pokémon Origins
A ghost appeared in File 2: Cubone. It played the same role like in the games, being dormant in the Pokémon Tower and warning intruders to stay away from Team Rocket, who had taken it over. One resident of Lavender Town noted that she saw the ghost after sneaking past Team Rocket Grunts at night, and fled in terror. Blue also ran away upon seeing it. Red attempted to fight it, but his Pokémon's attacks were ineffective against it. When Blue returned to give Red the Silph Scope, Red was able to identify the ghost as the spirit of Marowak. After Marowak's child, Cubone, came rushing in and embraced its deceased mother, Marowak's spirit departed for the afterlife.
Also, when a woman at the Lavender Town Pokémon Center told Red that he had a white hand on his shoulder and Red turned to look, the woman and the man she was with disappeared, implying that they were ghosts as well.
Pokémon Generations
In Pokémon Generations, two ghosts appeared in The Old Chateau. The first ghost was the one of a Butler, who invited Cheryl to stay for the night at the Old Chateau. After treating her to a "meal", he escorted her to her room before sinking into the floor. Next, the ghost of a little girl appeared, floating in the air behind Cheryl after she picked up and read a note. The little girl then changed to a terrifying appearance and attacked Cheryl.
The ghosts possess the ability to create illusions, as the Old Chateau appeared to be inhabited while actually being in a dilapidated state. They also made Cheryl believe she was eating a feast and had an illusion of a Haunter chase her.
In the manga
Magical Pokémon Journey
- Main article: Sandy (MPJ)
The spirit of a young girl named Sandy owned a Raichu in her former life. They were separated when her parents left it in a box by the sea. Sandy and Raichu promised to meet, but before they did, they were both killed by a tidal wave.
References
- ↑ Oricorio (Sensu Stle) — Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon. Official Pokémon Sun and Moon website.
- ↑ Real Stories - Pokémon Horror Spot | Are they really Scary? | Pokémon Daisuki Club
See also
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This game character article is part of Project CharacterDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each character found in the Pokémon games. |
