Physiology
Rotom's basic body looks similar to Castform, but Rotom has no real relation to any other species, since it doesn't have any evolutions or pre-evolutions. Rotom has a body of plasma. It also has teeth, which are often seen. Rotom also have unique eyes that have a dividing line across them. Rotom themselves are shaped like lightning rods, while the blue aura of electricity around them takes the appearance of lightning.
Starting in Platinum, Rotom also has five extra forms (each based on a household appliance), which can be accessed by possessing specific appliances. In Platinum, the appliances are located in Rotom's Room in Galactic Eterna Building via the use of the Secret Key. In HeartGold and SoulSilver, the appliances are located in Rotom's Room in Silph Co. which can be accessed when entering the broken elevator with Rotom as the walking Pokémon. In Black and White, they can be found in the basement of Shopping Mall Nine.
They are based on a microwave oven (Heat Rotom), washing machine (Wash Rotom), refrigerator (Frost Rotom), rotary fan (Fan Rotom), and a lawn mower (Mow Rotom). Prior to Generation V, they were all Electric/Ghost-type. Rotom's eyes and aura of electricity will change colors when it changes form, but the aura remains the same color if it is Shiny. In contrast, their base stats are far higher than those of the original Rotom.
Gender differences
Rotom is a genderless species.
Special abilities
Rotom can creep into machines and appliances and infiltrate them. It may also possess and take the form of them if it wishes. However, only five alternate forms have been discovered so far.
Behavior
Rotom are mischievous, apparently wreaking havoc on electrical appliances just for the fun of it. They like to pull pranks on others, or just shock them. When not possessing any object or when possessing a fan, it levitates when moving. On the other hand, when possessing a refrigerator or an oven, it bounces. When possessing a lawn mower, it rolls around on its wheels.
Habitat
They usually live in electrical appliances, sometimes in those of abandoned places. In Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, a Rotom resides inside a television, where the player is able to catch it.
Diet
- Main article: Pokémon food
As with most Electric Pokémon, Rotom probably feeds on electricity.
- When Rotom is encountered, the music is the same as legendary encounters, although it is not classified as one. Rotom is, to date, the only non-legendary Pokémon to do this.
- With the exception of Unown and Spinda, Rotom has the most forms of any non-legendary Pokémon, with six in total.
- Rotom has the most interchangeable forms of any non-legendary Pokémon.
- When Rotom transforms, it learns a new move in the same way that other Pokémon may learn new moves upon evolving. The move is replaced by another if Rotom possesses another object, and is deleted when Rotom transforms back to its normal form. If the only move that Rotom knows right before reverting to its original form is exclusive to its alternate form, then that move will be replaced with ThunderShock.
- While some other Pokémon with alternate forms have different base stat distributions in their other forms, Rotom is the only Pokémon whose alternate forms have a different base stat total than that of the original form.
- Rotom's alternate forms, along with Arceus's formes, were the only alternate forms of a Pokémon not featured in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky. However, despite being introduced a year before the game was released like Rotom, Shaymin and Giratina's alternate forms made an appearance in the game.
- All of Rotom's appliance forms except Mow Rotom are tied for, or have the least weaknesses of all Pokémon of their secondary types.
Generation V type change
- Rotom is only the third Pokémon to have its types changed, after Magnemite and Magneton: its alternate forms, while sharing the Electric/Ghost typing with normal Rotom in Generation IV, have their Ghost-type exchanged for the type of move they learn from Generation V onward, with Heat Rotom being Electric/Fire, Wash Rotom being Electric/Water, Fan Rotom being Electric/Flying, Frost Rotom being Electric/Ice, and Mow Rotom being Electric/Grass.
- Coincidentally, like Magnemite and Magneton, Rotom is Electric-type.
- No other Pokémon has the same type combination as Normal, Heat, Frost, and Mow Rotom.
- Mow Rotom is the only Grass-type Pokémon incapable of learning Energy Ball and SolarBeam, Heat Rotom is the only Fire-type Pokémon incapable of learning Flamethrower and Fire Blast, and Frost Rotom is the only Ice-type Pokémon incapable of learning Ice Beam. Coincidentally, all three of the Rotom specified are uniquely typed appliance forms of Rotom.
- Despite becoming part Flying-type, Fan Rotom retains the ability Levitate, being the only Flying-type Pokémon with this ability.
Origin
Rotom appears to be based on Pulseman, who was actually designed by Pokémon designer Ken Sugimori, although it may also be inspired by the unexplained phenomenon of ball lightning. Its Pokédex entry brings to mind gremlins. Its possession of other objects may be based on poltergeists or tsukumogami.
Name origin
In Pokémon Platinum, it is revealed that Charon discovered and named the first known Rotom. It appeared out of his toy robot, and Charon named it Rotom due to its origin. Rotom is the word motor backwards; this may refer to the fact that motors make many appliances function, while Rotom makes them fail.