Celebi is a green fairy-like creature. It has round toeless feet, three-fingered hands, and clear wings on its back. It has a round head that comes to a curved point. It has large baby-blue eyes with thick black rings around them, and a pair of green antennae with blue tips.
Often found in forests, Celebi is a Mythical Pokémon, known in legend as the "Voice of the Forest." It is able to travel through time and exist simultaneously throughout time, and plant life flourishes wherever it has been. As seen in the anime, it is able to bring deceased Celebi back to life and restore plants to perfect health. It was shown in Pokémon Colosseum that Celebi has the power to instantly cause the Purification of any Shadow Pokémon and can be summoned at Relic Forest with the melody of a Time Flute. Despite living in forests as its guardian, Celebi only shows itself in areas and times of peace. It has been regarded that as long as Celebi are seen throughout the world, a prosperous and bright future is still in store for the Pokémon world. As shown in the anime, it can sense if something is a temporal anomaly in their current timeline and will bring them back to their original timeline.
Celebi debuted in Celebi: The Voice of the Forest, where it played a major role. A Pokémon hunter was after it and Celebi traveled 40 years into future to escape from him, taking young Sam along with it accidentally. The Iron-Masked Marauder eventually captured the Time Travel Pokémon in a Dark Ball and used it to destroy the forest. Ash and Sam managed to snap Celebi out of the Iron-Masked Marauder's spell.
Celebi appeared in a central role again in Zoroark: Master of Illusions. Grings Kodai was after Celebi's Time Ripple in order to restore his ability to see the future, which he got on a previous encounter with it. It befriended Zorua and helped save Zoroark after she was mortally injured by Kodai.
A Celebi appeared in A Timeless Encounter!, where it became disturbed by the battle between Ash's Lycanroc and Torracat and accidentally caused Ash and Torracat to travel back to the past. Later, Celebi transported them back to the present. It reappeared in Pikachu's Exciting Adventure!.
A Celebi appeared in Team Rocket's fantasy in An Egg Scramble!, where it was one of the Pokémon they hoped the Egg that they stole from Dawn would hatch into.
The Masked Man aimed to capture Celebi and use its time-traveling powers to reunite one of his Pokémon with its deceased parents. Although the Masked Man managed to capture Celebi, the GS Ball holding it was destroyed by Gold, freeing it from the villain's control. Afterward, it would appear to help in the Ruby & Sapphire and HeartGold & SoulSilver arcs. Celebi made its debut in The Last Battle IX.
In the Pokémon Gotta Catch 'Em All manga
Shu caught a Celebi in Pokémon Gotta Catch 'Em All but released it afterwards.
When a Poké Ball is thrown, there is a 1 in 251 chance of Celebi appearing after all these requirements have been fulfilled:
Unlock all 25 characters
Unlock all 29 stages
Beat all 51 events
Unlock the score display (by reaching 5000 KOs)
It does not affect the battle, but the thrower of the Poké Ball will earn a bonus and trophy of Celebi.
Trophy information
"Celebi has the power to travel through time, and thus wanders from one age to the next. It is considered a deity by the forests: plants and trees are said to grow in unimaginable abundance wherever Celebi visits. Like Mew, Celebi is a Pokémon shrouded in mystery. Its special techniques blend grass and psychic powers."
When a Poké Ball is thrown, there is a 1 in 493 chance of Celebi appearing. Like the other "secret" Pokémon, it drops collectible items; in Celebi's case, it drops trophies.
Trophy information
"A Time Travel Pokémon. Celebi can travel throughout time and inhabit multiple places simultaneously. It is said that it appears only during times of peace, greeted by a flourishing of grass and trees. Two turns after Celebi uses its Future Sight move, the foe is bombarded with psychic energy. This proves to have a devastating impact on any Pokémon."
This Pokémon has the unique ability to travel through time to the past or future. However, the only times Celebi wants to visit are those of peace, so catching sight of Celebi in one of the beautiful forests it frequents is a good sign indeed. Perhaps it's mankind's responsibility to create the kind of time Celebi would want to visit.
Game data
NPC appearances
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness: A Shiny Celebi is a supporting protagonist in the main storyline. When the player and partner are sent to the future by Dusknoir, the player, partner, and Grovyle work together to get back to the past. Celebi was the Pokémon who sent Grovyle and the player to the past before, and the trio receive her help to go back again.
Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs: Celebi is the first boss of the game and a main Pokémon in the storyline. It has the power to time travel and can send the player (without the Ukulele Pichu) into the past. It can also send specific Pokémon to the present if the player uses the correct Ranger Signs.
Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon: A regular Celebi appears with Ampharos and Jirachi of the Expedition Society to transport the player and partner out of harm's way before Nuzleaf and Beheeyem get a second chance to petrify the player and partner after their return from the Voidlands. Celebi explains that Dark Matter once threatened to attack the Tree of Life which would have resulted in the planet's collision with the sun, but was stopped by the efforts of a human and a Pokémon. Celebi theorizes this same human was brought back to the present by the ancient Mew. Celebi also reveals that the Harmony Scarves worn by the player and partner were made using materials from the Tree of Life; their temporary evolutions were triggered as a result of the Tree's power. Later, Celebi helps assist many other Pokémon in stopping the ascent of the Tree of Life into the sun a second time. It, along with the Shiny Celebi from Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Time, Darkness, and Sky, are recruitable after completion of the main story via the Connection Orb.
Pokédex entries
This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation II.
Prior to the Virtual Console release of Pokémon Crystal on the 3DS, it was impossible to legitimately obtain a shiny Celebi in a non-Japanese language game. In addition, Celebi was unobtainable in its shiny form for the most number of Generations, making it the rarest shiny Pokémon that could still be obtained legitimately.
According to a dead Nintendo of Japan page from the early 2000s, Celebi's Japanese name was initially romanized as Selbi as opposed to the later Celebi.[1][2]
Celebi was the first event-exclusive Pokémon to appear in an episode of the anime.
Origin
Celebi has a natural theme.[3] Specifically, it might be related to the natural worship of Shintoism. It also may be based on a fairy, dryad, or kodama.
Name origin
Celebi may be a combination of celestial and being, or it may be a combination of serenity and 美 bi (beauty).
In other languages
Language
Title
Meaning
Japanese
セレビィ Celebi
From celestial, cerebral, serenity, being, and 美 bi