Swords of Justice
The Swords of Justice (Japanese: 聖剣士 Sacred Swordsmen)[1] is a collective term to refer to the group consisting of three Legendary Pokémon — Cobalion, Terrakion, Virizion — and later including the Mythical Pokémon Keldeo. The group resides in the Unova region.
The Swords of Justice share a secondary type, Fighting; and the Ability Justified. A number of their moves refer to combat and swordplay, such as Swords Dance and Sacred Sword; the latter was the signature move of the Swords of Justice in Generation V.
Origin
The Swords of Justice are often referred to by fans as the Legendary musketeers, as they are loosely based on the titular group of main characters from the French novel The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas.[2] Cobalion represents Athos, the oldest and de facto leader of the group; Terrakion represents Porthos, the strongest, heaviest and largest member of the group; Virizion represents Aramis, the vainest, most romantic member of the group;[2] and Keldeo may represent d'Artagnan, the latest and, by far, youngest addition to the group.
History
The Swords of Justice have challenged humans according to the legend in order to protect other Pokémon from losing their homes to human expansion. According to legend, the three Swords of Justice distrust humans because of a war that endangered the Pokémon living in Unova.
The war between two human factions resulted in a forest fire in the Moor of Icirrus. The lives of many wild Pokémon that lived there were endangered because of it. Ensnared by the smoke, they could not escape and their demise seemed certain until three figures appeared.
Terrakion shaped the earth and created a passage by which to escape, Virizion used its speed to shield the Pokémon from sparks and embers, while their leader, Cobalion, ushered the Pokémon to safety. Despite their efforts, the forest eventually burned to the ground. However, amongst the ashes, the three came across a lone Pokémon known as Keldeo, who was separated from its parents. The trio adopted Keldeo into their group and taught it the knowledge and moves necessary in order to survive. Over time, Keldeo began to surpass its teachers before leaving the forest, though it is unknown why it left.
The trio proceeded to fight back the armies, overwhelming them with their combined might. Legends of them continue to be told today, and it has been said that if human conflict ever again threatened the safety of Pokémon, they would return to quell the fighting and preserve a climate of peace.
In Pokémon Violet, a sketch artist from the Area Zero expedition was inspired by the Paradox Pokémon within the Great Crater of Paldea and drew an imaginary Pokémon resembling the Swords of Justice (sans Keldeo), as well as, incidentlally, Iron Leaves, Iron Boulder, and Iron Crown. The Scarlet Book instead depicts a creature resembling the legendary beasts.
Virizion, Terrakion, and Cobalion are said to be related to the Paradox Pokémon, Iron Leaves, Iron Boulder, and Iron Crown, respectively. Conflicting accounts claim they're the Swords' descendants from the distant future or versions of them from parallel timelines.
Similar movesets
| Lv. |  Cobalion Steel Fighting |
 Terrakion Rock Fighting |
 Virizion Grass Fighting |
 Keldeo Water Fighting |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | - | Secret Sword | ||
| Quick Attack | Aqua Jet | |||
| Leer | ||||
| Helping Hand | ||||
| Work Up | ||||
| 7 | Metal Claw | Smack Down | Magical Leaf | Bubble Beam |
| 14 | Quick Guard | |||
| 21 | Double Kick | |||
| 28 | Retaliate | |||
| 35 | Metal Burst | Rock Slide | Giga Drain | Aqua Tail |
| 42 | Take Down | |||
| 49 | Sacred Sword | |||
| 56 | Swords Dance | |||
| 63 | Iron Head | Stone Edge | Leaf Blade | Hydro Pump |
| 70 | Close Combat | |||
| Moves in bold are STAB. Moves in italics do no damage. | ||||
Base stat comparison
| Pokémon | Cobalion |
Terrakion |
Virizion |
 Keldeo | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HP |
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| Attack |
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| Defense |
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| Sp. Attack |
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| Sp. Defense |
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| Speed |
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| Total | 580 | 580 | 580 | 580 |
In the core series games
Pokémon Black and White
The player can encounter Cobalion in Mistralton Cave's Guidance Chamber, which requires the use of Surf. Encountering Cobalion will enable the player to encounter Terrakion in Victory Road's Trial Chamber and Virizion in Pinwheel Forest's Rumination Field. When gathered at the Moor of Icirrus, Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion will teach Keldeo its signature move, Secret Sword.
Pokémon Black 2 and White 2
The player can now encounter Cobalion at Route 13, Terrakion at Route 22 and Virizion at Route 11. When gathered, Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion will teach Keldeo its signature move, Secret Sword at Pledge Grove instead.
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
The player can encounter Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion at the Pathless Plain while soaring in the sky as long as there are three Pokémon with 510 EVs in the player's party. Cobalion appears on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday; Terrakion appears on Tuesday and Saturday; and Virizion appears on Monday and Thursday.
Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
The player can encounter Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion in the Ultra Space Wilds' Rocky World dimension by traveling through green warp holes in Ultra Warp Ride.
Pokémon Sword and Shield
The player can encounter Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion in the Crown Tundra after collecting 50 footprints of each Pokémon. Sonia will then pinpoint the location of the Pokémon, making Cobalion, Terrakion and Virizion appear in Frigid Sea, Lakeside Cave and Giant's Bed, respectively.
After capturing Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion, the player can also encounter Keldeo. After interacting with a pair of footprints near a pot on an island in Ballimere Lake and making a curry with Cobalion, Terrakion and Virizion in the party, Keldeo will appear on the island.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
The members of Swords of Justice are obtainable after completing the main story of The Indigo Disk. They can be encountered in Paldea after obtaining special snacks from Snacksworth. Additionally, the games introduce supposed descendants of Virizion, Terrakion, and Cobalion: the Paradox Pokémon Iron Leaves, Iron Boulder, and Iron Crown respectively. The player need to obtain Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion Treats from Snacksworth to encounter them. The trio can be found in Violet. The player of the opposite version can get the trio by participating in Blueberry Quests through the Union Circle online.
In the spin-off games
Pokémon Rumble Blast
Cobalion is a major character in Pokémon Rumble Blast. He goes around, forcibly gathering all the Glowdrops, which is initially interpreted as villainous, until it's revealed he requires their power to stop the Rust that's corrupting Toy Pokémon.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series
- Main article: Virizion (Gates to Infinity)
Virizion is a key character in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity. She is a famed explorer who's loved by everyone in Post Town, but refuses to make friends with anyone, having lost her belief in friendship after her friend Keldeo seemingly abandoned her. She starts gradually regaining her belief in friends, joining the player's team and eventually reuniting with Keldeo.
Pokémon Masters EX
The following Trainers form sync pairs with members of the Swords of Justice in Pokémon Masters EX:
| Dex | Trainer | NDex | Pokémon | Type | Weakness | Role | EX role | Base potential | Availability | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #001 | 
|
Scottie & Bettie | #0638 | 
|
Cobalion  |
Fighting
|
Fire
|
|
★★★★★ | Battle Points | |
| #120 | 
|
Special Costume Diantha |
#0647 | 
|
Keldeo Resolute Form |
Fighting
|
Grass
|
|
★★★★★☆EX | Costume Sync Pair Scout | |
| #110 | 
|
Champion Bianca |
#0640 | 
|
Virizion  |
Fighting
|
Flying
|
|
|
★★★★★☆EX | Master Fair Sync Pair Scout |
| #211 | 
|
Morgan | #0640 |
|
Virizion |
Grass
|
Flying
|
|
★★★★★☆EX | Battle Points | |
In the anime
Main series
Pokémon movies
- Main article: Swords of Justice (M15)
The Swords of Justice all made their anime debuts in Kyurem VS. The Sword of Justice. Cobalion, Terrakion and Virizion train their youngest member, Keldeo, but before the Colt Pokémon finishes its training, it decides to test its strength against Kyurem. The Boundary Pokémon proves to be too much for Keldeo, who flees from the battle, but is actively pursued by Kyurem, who wants to finish their match. Keldeo is then found by Ash and his friends, who help it to end the battle with Kyurem.
Pokémon Journeys: The Series
In The Mew from Here!, Horace was revealed to have caught a Virizion during a Project Mew Trial Mission. He brought it along with him when the research team looked for Mew on Faraway Island.
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
- Main article: Swords of Justice (Adventures)
- Main article: Kelden
Black & White arc
Virizion debuted in A Direct Attack and a Daunting Defense, where it attacks Black and White as they cross the Skyarrow Bridge, cutting up their clothing. After learning about the date of the Pokémon League's date being pushed up, Black decides to capture the Swords of Justice in a desperate attempt to convince Drayden to give him entry into the League without an eighth Gym Badge. His travels take him to Mistralton Cave, where he meets Shoko, a young girl who's friend, Trish, had gone into the cave to capture the Swords of Justice herself.
When they hear a cry of pain, Black and Shoko enter the cave to find that Trish had been defeated and captured by Terrakion and Virizion. Black manages to get Trish out of Terrakion and Virizion's grasp with the help of Bo. When Trish wakes up, she decides to battle and capture the two Pokémon again, but is interrupted by the third Pokémon, Cobalion. Cobalion's appearance startles Trish into dropping her torches, causing a fire to start inside of the cave. Using teamwork, Cobalion, Virizion and Terrakion put out the flames as well as capture Shoko and Trish's Pokémon so that they can be freed from their Trainers. Black tracks them using Musha's dream eating abilities, and he manages to free the girls' Pokémon after telling the three legends that Trish and Shoko truly love their Pokémon. Cobalion, Virizion and Terrakion then disappear into the distance, much to Black's disappointment since he never captured them.
Later, the Swords of Justice are seen communicating with each other through telepathy as they travel towards Pledge Grove to meet their apprentice, Keldeo. During their journey, the Shadow Triad catch sight of them and recognize them before planning to catch them, but Cobalion uses Metal Burst on the Shadow Triad before leading Terrakion and Virizion to safety. They meet Keldeo as promised, and teach it the move Sacred Sword, allowing it to leave a cut on the stone and complete its training. After Keldeo accomplishes this, Cobalion decides that all four of them would apprehend the Shadow Triad, as it knew that the Shadow Triad are up to no good and cannot be ignored.
They travel to the P2 Laboratory, where the Shadow Triad and the Striaton Gym Leaders, Cilan, Cress, and Chili, are locked in combat. From the expressions on each sides' Pokémon, Keldeo determines the Striaton Gym Leaders to be the good side. Keldeo rushes in to defeat the Shadow Triad's Pokémon, but gets captured in the process. Fortunately, Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion come to the rescue by swinging their swords at both trios, defeating both sides before deciding to leave. Although defeated, the Shadow Triad refuse to back down and activate the P2 Lab's doors and have their secret weapon fire a laser at Keldeo. Keldeo is protected by its three mentors, who are frozen by the laser and proceed to sink into the waters below.
Black 2 & White 2 arc
Two years later, Keldeo was encountered by Blake and Whitley during a run to fill the Pokédex with data. After having been lured out by Whitley's Foongy's Sweet Scent, Keldeo lashed out at the two and attacked them with its sword. Blake managed to dodge, but accidentally stepped too far and fell down a cliff. A while later, Keldeo agreed to join Blake's team, and is nicknamed Kelden. After getting aboard the Plasma Frigate, Blake, Whitley, and Kelden are all caught, frozen, and thrown into the sea, but manage to break free thanks to Kelden's Aspear Berry. They wind up in the Abyssal Ruins, where they discover Kelden's mentors and free them from the ice. After escaping from the ruins, Blake and Kelden head out to deal with Colress, while Cobalion, Terrakion, and Virizion confront the Shadow Triad once more. When Kelden breaks the Reveal Glass, the Swords of Justice are able to defeat the forces of nature controlled by the Shadow Triad and knock the trio unconscious.
Pokémon RéBURST
The Swords of Justice, excluding Keldeo, are captured by the organization Great Gavel and turned into Burst Hearts. Their Burst Hearts are then given to the three generals: Amu, Ganku, and Rovy.
Trivia
- The Paradox equivalents of the Swords of Justice are all Psychic type, which can be considered the counterpart of the Fighting type.
- In Generation V, the Swords of Justice have their own battle transition, like the Tao trio and the forces of nature (the latter of which share their theme). The screen will pause, fade to black, and then a sword will slash through the screen as the glass breaks into pieces and the battle begins.
- The Swords of Justice are the first quadruped Fighting-type Pokémon to be introduced in the series.
- Each of the three Swords of Justice appear as the focus of a spin-off game that was published during Generation V.
- Cobalion is the focus of Chapter 3 of Pokémon Rumble Blast.
- Terrakion appears as a Perfect Link for Keiji in Pokémon Conquest.
- Virizion appears as a major supporting character in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity.
In other languages
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See also
References
- ↑ M15
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Nintendo Dream Vol. 204, April 2011 (Shellspider's blog (Japanese), Translation by Dr. Lava)
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