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Poltchageist is a Pokémon made of matcha tea powder that inhabits a tea caddy; specifically a 茶入 chaire, a kind used in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. The tea caddy is primarily black and white, with a white lid, a sealed crack near the top, and a painted pattern resembling a face. Poltchageist is always seen carrying a 茶杓 chashaku, the tea scoop used to transfer tea powder into the tea bowl in the aforementioned tea ceremony.
Poltchageist heavily resembles Sinistea, although they are not biologically related. On top of its matcha body, just below its lid, is a yellow swirl pattern similar to the one found on Sinistea. On Sinistea, this swirl pattern serves as its weak spot and will cause it to become dizzy if stirred; however, this is not the case for Poltchageist.[1]
According to an old tale, Poltchageist was born from the regrets of an old tea master, who was so obsessed with perfecting the art of the tea ceremony that he drove away everyone around him.[2] Poltchageist is more active at night than during the day, flying around towns and their outskirts. By day, Poltchageist dwells in cool, dark places — usually in old houses, which is its favorite.[1]
Poltchageist tends to scatter its matcha powder on people and food. If someone touches or ingests the powder, they will notice their skin apparently glowing for a brief moment, before they fall unconscious as their life force is sapped away by the powder for Poltchageist to use as energy.[1] It is capable of draining energy in this way from many people at once.[2] Another behaviour exhibited by Poltchageist is its strong tendency to repair broken objects and seal cracks by filling them in with its matcha powder.[1][2]
Game data
Type effectiveness
Under normal battle conditions in Generation IX, this Pokémon is:
Poltchageist was first teased during the 2023 World Championships, where attendees were given a tea ceremony set with the date of the reveal trailer's release included. Additional teasers include the official Pokémon website featuring a background decorated with matcha powder, and a Kitakami poster advertising the in-universe theatrical performance shown in the trailer.
Despite being a counterpart of Sinistea,[1] Poltchageist's name resembles that of Sinistea's evolution, Polteageist.
Origin
Poltchageist is based on matcha, which is green tea that has been specially grown, processed, and finely ground into powder. It may also be based on a tsukumogami, being an inanimate household object come to life — in this case, equipments used in a Japanese tea ceremony. The three dots above Poltchageist's left eye resemble the Japanese map symbol for tea plantations.
Poltchageist's overall design resembles Sinistea, having similar eyes and spiral-like markings within its tea.[1] This may be a reference to convergent evolution or parallel evolution, which can lead to separate organisms independently developing similar or identical characteristics and body plans.
Additionally, due to the way it repairs broken objects, Poltchageist may be based on the process of 金継ぎ kintsugi, in which cracked and broken pottery is mended using lacquer mixed with a metallic powder, usually gold.
Poltchageist may also be based on the Sandman, a mythical being which uses sand to make humans fall asleep, although in this case, it uses matcha powder instead.
