Extraterrestrial Pokémon

Get it? Because the name is unknown. The subject of this article has no official name.
The name currently in use is a fan designator; see below for more information.

Extraterrestrial Pokémon is a fan term commonly used to refer to any Pokémon believed to have originated from somewhere outside the Pokémon world. The term encompasses both Pokémon believed to have arrived from outer space and those that inhabit other dimensions (“extradimensional” Pokémon). Evidence for extraterrestrial Pokémon can often be found in Pokédex entries, although these are not the only source of this information.

During the Delta Episode, players battle a Deoxys that originates from outer space.

These Pokémon have apparently adapted to the environment of the Pokémon world. Many of these Pokémon can breed with terrestrial Pokémon and evolve in the same ways. Additionally, items that work on terrestrial Pokémon, such as Poké Balls and Potions, work just as well on Extraterrestrial Pokémon.

There are many myths involving Pokémon originating outside of the Pokémon world because of their resemblance and relation to extraterrestrial bodies, and in some canons there are characters who speculate non-earthly origins for all Pokémon.

In the games

In the games, the majority of the information on extraterrestrial Pokémon comes from two main sources: their respective Pokédex entries and the local mythos surrounding the Pokémon.

Extraterrestrial Pokémon

Deoxys

 
The meteorites located at the southwest end of Route 3.

All Pokédex entries regarding this Pokémon explain that it was originally an alien virus that fell to earth in a meteor. Exposure to a laser beam mutated the virus's DNA, resulting in the Pokémon Deoxys. Upon further exposure to meteorites, Deoxys's Forme will change. Deoxys has four formes, adapted for survivability in the wild, and its specialized formes have some of the highest base stats of any Pokémon. The crystalline organ on its chest appears to be its brain, a departure from typical terrestrial Pokémon biology. Deoxys are described by the Pokédex as highly intelligent, possessing psychokinetic abilities, and are associated with auroras.

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

A Deoxys is encountered at the conclusion of Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire’s Delta Episode. After the battle with Zinnia (regardless of its outcome), Zinnia entrusts the player with destroying the approaching meteoroid. The player dons the Magma SuitOR/Aqua SuitAS and rides Rayquaza out to space to destroy the meteoroid. When Rayquaza shatters the meteoroid, however, a triangular object emerges from the middle of the debris. After a moment of darting around, tendrils snake out of the object before it bursts apart to reveal the Mythical Pokémon Deoxys, who immediately engages the player in a battle.

Cleffa evolutionary family

 
Clefairy dance in a ring at Mt. Moon Square every Monday night.

The star-shaped Cleffa are said to have come to earth on meteorites. Wherever a meteorite lands, there is always a Cleffa near. In HGSS, Cleffa and their evolved forms, Clefairy and Clefable, dance in a ring on Monday nights, nights with a full moon, and on nights when meteor showers occur. Clefairy and its evolutionary relatives tend to make their habitat at impact sites, and Clefairy evolves into Clefable from a Moon Stone, further evidence that they are extraterrestrial in origin.

Staryu and Starmie

Starmie are said to be extraterrestrials because of their star-shape and their seven colored core, which emits radio signals into space at night. Staryu behave similarly, gathering at night and flashing their red cores to communicate with the stars. They are also known to have remarkable regenerative abilities.

Lunatone and Solrock

Lunatone and Solrock are said to have come from space and to draw their power from lunar and solar rays, respectively. They are both known as "Meteorite Pokémon," as they were discovered near a meteorite strike site approximately 40 years prior to the events of Pokémon X and Y Versions.

Elgyem and Beheeyem

Elgyem and Beheeyem allegedly appeared 50 years prior to the events of Black and White Versions in the Desert Resort. It is unknown how or why they appeared, although rumors of its origin are linked to a UFO crash site. This could be explained by their ability to rewrite the memories of the people and Pokémon around them. They survive hostile encounters by using their psychic powers to confuse opponents. In the present day, they are no longer found in the desert, and have relocated to high up in the Celestial Tower and Unova Route 14, respectively. In Black and White Versions 2, Beheeyem are no longer found in Unova Route 14. These Pokémon appear to be based on alien conspiracy theories including those surrounding Area 51 and the Roswell incident.

Kyurem

 
The Giant Chasm impact crater as it appears in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 Versions.

In an old legend in Lacunosa Town, a large meteor fell from the sky, apparently containing Kyurem. At night, the "monster" would bring cold winds and take people and Pokémon away, to eat them. The town residents then surrounded Lacunosa Town with a wall to keep Kyurem out, and a rule was set on the town that forbade anyone from leaving the town at night, and encouraged them to stay in their homes. Even to this day, the residents remain in their houses at night and the wall is still standing. Kyurem lives in the Giant Chasm, the impact crater of the meteor which supposedly brought Kyurem to Unova. However, an NPC also states that this myth could possibly be false and Black and White Versions 2 states that Kyurem is actually what was left when the original dragon split into Reshiram and Zekrom.

Extradimensional Pokémon

Arceus and the Creation trio

The creation trio is a fan term used to refer to three powerful Legendary Pokémon of the Sinnoh region: Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina. Each of the members of this trio, including its trio master Arceus, have control over their own dimensions. Dialga controls time and Palkia controls space, two aspects of the four-dimensional universe that the Pokémon world, like our own, is a part of. Giratina has control over antimatter and the Distortion World, where time does not flow and space is unstable, while Arceus has its own world where the Hall of Origin is located.

 
The Distortion World as seen in Pokémon Platinum Version

In Pokémon Diamond and Platinum, Cyrus summons Dialga from its dimension to the Spear Pillar using the Red Chain. In Pearl and Platinum, Cyrus summons Palkia from its dimension to the Spear Pillar using the Red Chain. In Platinum, a portal to Dialga's dimension appears at the Spear Pillar if the player has the Adamant Orb. Likewise, a portal to Palkia's dimension appears in Platinum at the Spear Pillar if the player has the Lustrous Orb. Notably, these portals will never appear at the same time.

Giratina lives in a parallel dimension of antimatter known as the Distortion World. Here, the normal rules of time and space do not apply. When it is not in this dimension, Giratina assumes its Altered Forme, however, holding the Griseous Orb reverts it to its Origin Forme. Because the other dimensions are inextricably linked with Giratina's dimension, Giratina will viciously defend its world if events in other dimensions threaten it. Arceus lives in a high dimension, from which it stands guard over the entire Pokémon world. In the games, this dimension is the Hall of Origin. The only way to get there is by blowing on the Azure Flute, which was never legitimately released, at the Spear Pillar, the highest point in Sinnoh.

Dusknoir

The antenna on Dusknoir's head allows it to receive transmissions from the spirit world, which tell it to bring people there. The band on its body can open, similar to a mouth. It uses this ability to take spirits into its body and carry them home or as it travels to unknown places. Dusknoir evolves from Dusclops when traded holding a Reaper Cloth. The Japanese name of the Reaper Cloth (れいかいのぬの Spirit World Cloth) indicates that it comes from the Ghost World.

Ultra Beasts

The Ultra Beasts are native to the dimension known as Ultra Space, which on rare occasions becomes connected with the Pokémon world via spacetime anomalies called Ultra Wormholes. While the Ultra Beasts normally stay within Ultra Space, they can on occasion become stranded outside of it due to the formation of an Ultra Wormhole that leaves them unable to return. This can prove to be dangerous for anyone nearby, as the disorientation involved can often cause them to become violent.

Cosmog and its evolutions

Cosmog, along with its evolutions Cosmoem, Solgaleo, and Lunala, are also native to Ultra Space, as evident by their ability to create and manipulate Ultra Wormholes.

Necrozma

Although its exact origins are unknown, Necrozma's body structure and biology are similar to that of the Ultra Beasts, and according to the Pokédex, it came from "another world" in ancient times.


In the anime

In contrast to the games, the appearance of other dimensions and the topic of alien Pokémon are somewhat common in the Pokémon anime.

Extraterrestrial Pokémon

Clefairy

In the anime, Clefairy have been explicitly stated to have come from the moon and are seen piloting alien spacecraft at various recurring instances. In Clefairy and the Moon Stone, a group of Clefairy gather Moon Stones together to form a "circuit", which they dance around in an attempt to ascend to the stars. These events are repeated in A Real Cleffa-Hanger.

A group of Clefairy with a similar goal appear in Clefairy Tales, where they begin stealing things from a town near to the place that their UFO touched down. It is later revealed that these stolen items are being used to build a rocket ship. This same group returns in Wish Upon a Star Shape, where they demonstrate mechanical prowess by disassembling machinery and reassembling it into a functional spaceship.

Clefairy are also shown to be capable of constructing aircraft and runways, which could offer another explanation for their origins.

Deoxys

 
Deoxys came to the planet in a meteor.

In Destiny Deoxys, Deoxys arrived on earth on a meteorite and subsequently clashed with Rayquaza. Deoxys is shown to have the ability to change between its four Formes at will. Its Attack Forme is adapted for combat against Pokémon native to earth, its Defense Forme is useful to protect itself from attack from Pokémon native to earth, and its Speed Forme is useful for fleeing and striking quickly. These Formes in combination with its ability to quickly and completely regenerate lost body parts allow it to survive in an alien world. It is generally asocial and hostile, only seeking out other Deoxys, whom it is shown communicate with by creating auroras. The crystalline gem at its core is shown to be vital to its survival in the movie, but as long as the core remains it will gradually regenerate, no matter how long that may take.

Jirachi

In Jirachi: Wish Maker, Jirachi descended from outer space in the Millennium Comet, which is visible from the Pokémon world for only seven nights once every thousand years. The origin of this comet, or Jirachi itself, is unknown, and as such, it is not known if there are any other Jirachi left in existence. It is also based on the concept of wishing upon a star.

Elgyem and Beheeyem

An Elgyem appears in A UFO for Elgyem! under the ownership of Professor Icarus, who is working with it to build a functional spacecraft. In Capacia Island UFO!, a group of Beheeyem are shown directly piloting and crash landing an alien spacecraft, powered by an energy source that strikingly resembles an Amulet Coin. After their crash, they are shown controlling the minds of the local townsfolk until their power source is returned, at which point they fly away and release the town’s people from their mental hold.

Extradimensional Pokémon

Unown

 
Unown in their alternate dimension.

Unown originate from an alternate dimension. People, such as Spencer Hale in Spell of the Unown: Entei, have been known to be transported to their dimension and Unown have been known to come from their alternate dimension into other dimensions, such as an Unown in Address Unown!. Several Unown also are found in the Ruins of Alph, Tanoby Chambers and Solaceon Ruins but it is unknown how they came to be here, whether they came here from another dimension or originated here.

Lake guardians

The anime shows that Uxie, Mesprit, and Azelf reside in pocket dimensions whose entrances are within their respective lakes.

Creation trio

Dialga lives in its own dimension, from which it governs temporal matters. Palkia lives in its own dimension, from which it governs spatial matters. These dimensions collided in The Rise of Darkrai, and, each thinking that the other was trespassing, Sinnoh's Legendary Pokémon began to clash. Giratina lives in a parallel dimension of antimatter. In the anime, this dimension is the Reverse World, which appears quite literally as an inverse of the regular Pokémon world. Here, the normal rules of time and space do not apply. When it is not in this dimension, Giratina assumes its Altered Forme. Because the other dimensions are inextricably linked with Giratina's dimension, Giratina will viciously defend its world if events in other dimensions threaten it.

Arceus

Arceus lives in a high dimension, from which it stands guard over the entire Pokémon world, and will wake from its slumber to save it from annihilation.

In the manga

The manga chapter Clefairy in Space from The Electric Tale of Pikachu revolves around the idea that Clefairy are extraterrestrials.

Trivia

  • Of the 22 total extraterrestrial Pokémon listed, 12 are Psychic-type Pokémon (13 if Arceus is holding the Mind Plate).
  • Deoxys, Staryu, and Starmie share several noticeable similarities. All have a red core at their center that is vital to their survival. All are Psychic-type Pokémon whose crystalline core is said to be center to their psychic powers. Additionally, all three display the remarkable ability to completely regenerate lost limbs.
  • Haunter’s Red, Blue, and Leaf Green Pokédex entires state that because of its ability to slip through block walls, people believe it to be from another dimension.
    • Mega Gengar's unblinking third eye allows it to see into other dimensions.[1]
  • Porygon-Z’s Pokédex entires report that its programming was modified to enable it to work in alien dimensions, but that an unplanned error in the Dubious Disk corrupted Porygon-Z and prevented it from fulfilling this purpose.
  • Mew is said to be the ancestor of all Pokémon. Due to this, and the number of extraterrestrial Pokémon that have been discovered, it is possible that Mew inhabit other areas of the universe, and it is equally possible that they originate from a world other than Earth. Mew have been shown to be capable of flying through the vacuum of space, as displayed in the original Pokémon Theme.
  • Jigglypuff gave signals on Oswald's device in Clefairy Tales. Additionally, the fact that Jigglypuff is commonly found living near impact sites, and that it evolves from a Moon Stone, could be seen as evidence that Jigglypuff and its evolutionary relatives, Igglybuff and Wigglytuff, are extraterrestrial in origin.
  This section contains fan speculation.
There is no solid evidence for or against some parts of this article.
  • Darkrai resembles a shadow, has power over dreams, and can hold its own with extra-dimensional monsters. It is shown in Giratina and the Sky Warrior that there exists a dream dimension. It is possible that Darkrai originates from this dimension.
    • Cresselia also has power over dreams and, like several Psychic-type Pokémon, it has a celestial theme. If Darkrai exists in a dream dimension, it is possible that the Lunar Pokémon may be from the dream dimension as well.

References