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Yveltal is a large Pokémon with both avian and draconic traits. The back of its body is black with white spots along the wings and back; its front, head, and neck are bright red with branching, black lines throughout. It has a pointed, beak-like snout, bright blue eyes, a black, forward-curving horn over each eye, and a thin, antenna-like growth behind each eye. A feathery gray ruff encircles its neck and billows out over its back. Yveltal's wings each have three spikes along the bottom edge near the body and five large, black claws on the tip. It has small, birdlike legs with gray talons. Each foot has two toes facing forward and one pointing backward. Its tail is similar in structure to its wings, including the five claws on the tip.
Yveltal has the power to absorb life energy by spreading its wings and tailfeathers. According to legend, Yveltal does this in order to power up its own energy. It is highly feared by the ancient people of Kalos because of this. It is known to appear during the conflict, draining countless people and Pokémon that Yveltal encounters. When it reaches the end of its lifespan, it steals the life energy of everything around it and then transforms into a cocoon to sleep. It is also capable of stealing away life through a beam from its chest and by simply touching plants as seen in the manga. Yveltal along with Xerneas have the power to transform Evolution stones into Mega Stones as seen with the ultimate weapon's blast shot by AZ 3000 years ago. Both are in charge of taking care of the land in a delicate balance between life and death. Yveltal's power can be used to power up machines as seen with the ultimate weapon.
Any living creatures drained by Yveltal will turn into petrified stone, as depicted in Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction. It is unknown whether this action is intentionally malicious or not. However, Yveltal can be very vengeful to anyone who disturbs its sleep and will seek to destroy it. Its counterpart Xerneas has the power to cure Yveltal's victims by filling them with life energy, but this has a chance to fail, as depicted in The Legend of X, Y, and Z!.
Yveltal made its main series debut in The Legend of X, Y, and Z! during a flashback, where it unleashed trouble on a kingdom, turning people and Pokémon to stone such as Aila. Its attack prompted Jan to embark on a quest to find Xerneas and have it restore the land and Aila.
Yveltal debuted in An X-cuse to Come Out and Play, alongside Xerneas. The two faced each other in a battle, which caused chaos and destruction in Vaniville Town. The two eventually stopped fighting and returned to their dormant cocoon and tree states, which are being sought after by Team Flare to power the ultimate weapon. Yveltal was later captured by Malva, who revealed that it had been resting in the ground under the tree form Xerneas the entire time. In Xerneas Gives, both Yveltal and Xerneas returned to their dormant states once again, choosing to do so in order to prevent Lysandre from using Zygarde to his own deeds.
Yveltal sometimes appears in the background of the Prism Tower stage.
Yveltal trophy in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS
Yveltal also appears as a trophy exclusive to the 3DS version.
Trophy information
NA: With its wings spread wide, this Legendary Pokémon looks just like the letter Y. Since its name also starts with the same letter, it's difficult to imagine a more appropriate mascot for Pokémon Y. Apparently, when Yveltal's life comes to an end, it will absorb the life force of all living things— here's to a long and healthy life!
PAL: With its wings spread wide, this Legendary Pokémon looks just like the letter Y. Since its name also starts with the same letter, it's difficult to imagine a more appropriate mascot for Pokémon Y. Apparently when Yveltal's life comes to an end, it will absorb the life force of all living things, so here's hoping it stays strong and healthy!
Yveltal has the same stat distribution as Xerneas.
Yveltal, along with Xerneas, was designed by art designers Ken Sugimori and Yusuke Ohmura. The initial designs for the two Legendary Pokémon were started by Sugimori, but he encountered "artist's block", having a hard time coming up with concepts. For the first time, he gave the work over to another designer, Ohmura. Ohmura furthered the designs, after which Sugimori resumed to finish them.[1]
Yveltal was designed so that its silhouette resembles the letter Y.[2] Appearance-wise, Yveltal resembles birds such as the long-tailed widowbird, or carrion birds such as crows and vultures.
Yveltal may also be based on any number of avian-related figures from mythology, such as the Celtic death-goddess Morrigan, which often takes the form of a raven; or Norse mythological figures such as Hræsvelgr, which takes the form of an eagle and sits at the end of the world, or the hawk Veðrfölnir or the unnamed eagle that resides at the top of the world tree Yggdrasil. Additionally, it bears a striking resemblance to a species of fungus known as "devil's fingers."
This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon species, as well as Pokémon groups and forms.