Physiology
Gastly appears to be nothing more that a black ball of ghostly matter that is surrounded by a purple glow of smog. Gastly has big, white eyes and a mouth with a pair of fangs in it. Gastly's face is similar to Cloyster's, but the two Pokémon aren't related.
Gender differences
None.
Special abilities
Due to having a body made of gas, Gastly can slip into any place it wants. However, Gastly's body will dwindle away when exposed to a strong wind (but it can probably regenerate itself later). A Gastly is capable of toppling an Indian Elephant within two seconds by enveloping it in poisonous gas.
Despite Gastly's evolutionary level, it is quite powerful at using special attacks such as Shadow Ball, Dark Pulse, Thunderbolt, and Energy Ball. Gastly can learn quite a few moves with all sorts of disruptive effects such as Will-O-Wisp, Confuse Ray, Hypnosis, Taunt, and Embargo.
There have been claims that on rare occasions, a Gastly can gain the ability to speak like a human and transform itself, but these rumors have yet to be proven true. However, it apparently can communicate with telepathy.
Gastly can learn and use the elemental punches, despite appearing to have no hands.
Behavior
As a Template:Type2 Pokémon, Gastly tend to be pranksters that go scaring people just for the fun of it. They are also proficient at sneaking up on unsuspecting prey and putting it to sleep or poisoning it through its skin. As Gastly's body is blown away by wind, groups of them shall gather under the eaves of houses to prevent being blown away.
Habitat
Gastly live in old, dilapidated buildings and can also be found at cemeteries. It is a common sight in Kanto, Johto, and Sinnoh.
Diet
- Main article: Pokémon food
As the victims of Gastly's gas enveloping technique have been called prey, it can be presumed that it derives energy from them. It may also lick its prey.
Major appearances
Gastly first appeared in The Ghost of Maiden's Peak. This Gastly had the ability to talk and shape-shift. He kept posing himself as the spirit of the woman which legend said turned to stone after many years of waiting for her love to return to her. Gastly kept on toying with the minds of young men.
The first time a regular Gastly appeared was in The Tower of Terror. Ash and his friends went to Lavender Town in search of a Template:Type2 Pokémon to aid Ash in defeating Sabrina.
Morty used a Gastly to battle Ash in From Ghost to Ghost.
A pair of Gastly were among a group of Ghost Pokémon living in an abandoned mine in Fear Factor Phony. The Ghost Pokémon couldn't stand the partying Psychic Pokémon that lived in the nearby town, so they created a Haunter-like illusion to scare everyone away.
Minor appearances
An Officer Jenny owned a Gastly in Pikachu Re-volts. This Gastly appeared to be the only Pokémon not affected by the psychic wave caused by Butch & Cassidy's Drowzee.
A Gastly appeared in Ghoul Daze!.
Pokédex entries
Episode
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Pokémon
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Source
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Entry
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EP020
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Gastly
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Ash's Pokédex
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Gastly, a Ghost Pokémon. It is usually invisible. Its specialty is Hypnosis.
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Original series entries continue below.
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Episode
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Pokémon
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Source
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Entry
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EP095
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Gastly
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Ash's Pokédex
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Gastly, the Gas Pokémon. Some researchers believe this Pokémon is a Multidimensional being.
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Episode
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Pokémon
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Source
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Entry
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DP028
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Gastly
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Dawn's Pokédex
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Gastly, the Gas Pokémon. Although it can sneak in anywhere with its gaseous body, it can also be blown away by wind.
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Gastly first appears in Volume 1 of Pokémon Adventures under the ownership of Koga, possessing the corpses of dead Pokémon in Pokémon Tower. Red's Bulbasaur manages to defeat it by sucking up the surrounding air with its bulb, along with Gastly's gaseous form, and expelling it in a SolarBeam. In the process, the two also freed Red's rival Blue, who was under its ghostly possession.
Gastly also forms as part of the Template:Type2 army Agatha sends out to attack the Gym Leaders. She also has a Gastly as a member of her main team.
The Masked Man also used a Gastly in his team to capture Celebi, due to its type advantage. It was purposed to possess intruders that entered the Ilex Forest. Later, during the fight at the Indigo Stadium, it impaired Suicune using its Curse technique, locking it and Misty inside Suicune's crystal wall. It was later defeated by Eusine's Haunter.
Many Gastly also appear in the Diamond & Pearl chapter when Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum spend the night in the Old Gateau.
- Gastly's prototype name was "Spirit."
- Gastly and its evolution Haunter are the lightest Pokémon in existence.
- Although it has no visible hands, Gastly is able to learn all the elemental punches in Generation IV as egg moves from Dusclops or Dusknoir or as move tutor moves.
- As shown in the anime episode The Tower of Terror, it is able to create hands out of its gas around the black matter.
- Gastly is the first Ghost Pokémon in National Pokédex order; its evolutionary line comprise the only Ghost-types present during Generation I.
- Despite all of them being Template:Type2, Gastly together with its evolutionary family are not able to learn Poison-type moves by leveling up.
- Gastly's evolution line is the only Ghost-type family that requires the Silph Scope to be seen. Therefore, they must be the only ones that are invisible normally while in the wild; even then, they can only be seen in their native region of Kanto.
- Gastly is misspelled Ghastly in the Pokémon Adventures manga.
- Gastly's shiny Emerald sprite is showing both blue and purple gas around Gastly in animation. This is most likely a coloring edit, as shiny Gastly's Crystal sprites, as well as all subsequent sprites, show only blue gas.
Origin
Gastly seems to be simply based on general cartoonish ghosts and spirits, or maybe a will o' the wisp. It may also have based on the Japanese youkai sōgen bi, the decapitated head of a monk whose head is doomed to wander the Earth, consumed by fire.
Name origin
Gastly's name origin may be a combination of gas and ghastly, dreadfully frightening or horrible. Its Japanese name Ghos (ゴース) is simply a shortened form of ghost and may also incorporate gas into its name. Its French name is a corrupt version of phantom.