Aura
Aura (Japanese: alternately はどう wave and 波導 wave-guiding) is a form of spiritual energy introduced in Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. It is described as the essence of every living creature.
In the anime
In the Pokémon world's past, there were once humans that could sense and control its power. These humans, known as Aura Guardians, traveled around doing good deeds and passing on their skills to those who also possessed this innate ability. One famous Aura Guardian was Sir Aaron who took a Lucario as his apprentice and became a hero when he sacrificed himself to stop a war from destroying the area around the Tree of Beginning. In The Keystone Pops!, the group heard the story of how a Spiritomb was sealed away by an Aura Guardian who traveled with a Pikachu. In Pokémon Ranger and the Kidnapped Riolu! Part One, Ash and co. meet a Riolu that can use aura. Ash demonstrates the ability to sense Riolu's aura several times over the remainder of the episode and the next.
The Aura Guardians disappeared from history for some undisclosed reason a long time before the present era. The only humans in the present time known to have the ability to control aura are Riley and Ash, though Ash has chosen to continue his journey as a Pokémon Trainer rather than follow up on the revelation.
However, he did follow in the footsteps of both known Aura Guardians by helping Lucario to save the Tree of Beginning and resealing Spiritomb.
Known abilities of Aura
- Ability to read minds and actions of another being.
- Ability to "sense" other Auras and view surroundings even with a blindfold, also allows users to view through some objects.
- Projection of one's Aura; such as to create barriers or attacks. It can also be used to transfer aura to others but that method can be fatal to the user.
- Activation of time flowers.
- Telepathy.
In the games
Various Pokémon can use aura. Aura Sphere is a move that uses aura, along with the moves, Dragon Pulse, Dark Pulse, and Focus Blast. In Pokémon, aura manifests as a blue-green to purple type of energy. The move Detect is sometimes implied to be based around using aura to sense the movement of others as well. The move Force Palm also implies that it uses aura, forcing aura through the palm of the users hand.
Riley's animation in Platinum seems to suggest he can use Aura as well (incidentally confirming it for humans in the games if true), as his hand lights with a blue glow. This is appropriate as he gives the player the only Riolu egg naturally in the game, as well as training a Lucario and being somehow related to Sir Aaron in design. In his anime debut, he was revealed to be a user of aura.
Aura also plays a minor role in the GameCube RPGs. The process that creates Shadow Pokémon surrounds them with a darker aura that, while still invisible to most people, can be seen by Rui of Pokémon Colosseum. By the time of Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, the Aura Reader had been developed to automatically identify this aura for those that can't normally see it.
The beginning of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon 2 mentions aura. After answering the quiz, the player's aura is read, and described as being a particular color, which relates to the player's nature and what Pokémon they become.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, almost all of Lucario's moves use aura. In the game, thanks to aura, the more damage Lucario has, the more powerful its attacks are. Furthermore, when Lucario gets a Smash Ball, it can execute its Final Smash, Aura Storm. During the attack, Lucario focuses its aura into a powerful beam that the player controls.
In the TCG
This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring Aura or its Pokémon in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.
| Name | Type | Level | Rarity | Set | Set no. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aura's Lucario |  |
- | - | 8th Movie Half Deck (no English release) | 12/20 |
| "PCG-P" Promotional cards (no English release) | 93/"PCG-P" | ||||
| Aaron's Aura | - | - | - | 8th Movie Half Deck (no English release) | 19/20 |
| Aura's Lucario | |
- | - | "PCG-P" Promotional cards (no English release) | 75/"PCG-P" |
| Aura's Lucario | |
- | - | "PCG-P" Promotional cards (no English release) | 79/"PCG-P" |
| Aura's Lucario | |
- | - | "PCG-P" Promotional cards (no English release) | 90/"PCG-P" |
| Aura's Lucario | |
- | - | "PCG-P" Promotional cards (no English release) | 92/"PCG-P" |
| Aura's Lucario ex | |
- | - | Lucario Gift Set (no English release) | 6/12 |
| Aura's Lucario ex | |
- | - | Mew Gift Set (no English release) | 6/15 |
Inspiration
Aura is a field of light said to surround living beings, the color of which is determined by the particular person's disposition. It is often used in artwork to cause objects or people of high importance to stand out.
It is likely that some inspiration for aura came from the Force of Star Wars. In particular, the phrase "the aura is with me" is a clear reference to "may the Force be with you", while the Aura Guardians seem to be a parallel to the Jedi Knights. It could also have its roots in the Chinese concept of qi, as both describe a life-force existing in all things. It should be noted that the Force itself was based strongly upon qi as well.