Jynx is a humanoid Pokémon that resembles a bulky woman. Jynx wears a red gown that hides her feet, has white arms and purple hands. Jynx has a purple face, pink lips, saucer-like eyes, and long blonde hair. She seems to resemble a Nordic princess, as seen in various operas. Originally, her face was colored black, causing a controversy.
Gender differences
Jynx is a female-only Pokémon species with no male counterpart.
Special abilities
Jynx can use telepathy to transfer visions of what they've seen into another being's mind. In battle, Jynx have the power to control ice and snow and can also use physical force to some degree.
Jynx are very dependent, and if something wrong happens, they try to fix it. Jynx can also become very angry if something has changed or gone wrong. However, when all is right again Jynx love to thank the people who helped by giving them a big kiss. Jynx are a kind species of Pokémon.
A Jynx was also used by a girl named Erica in the Pacifidlog Town Contest in Mean With Envy and Pacifidlog Jam. Mean With Envy also marked the first appearance of Jynx's purple redesign in the anime.
A trio of Jynx sisters were in Three Jynx and a Baby!. These three Jynx were overly-protective towards their sister, a Smoochum. The Smoochum evolved into a Jynx at the end of the episode.
A Jynx appears in Pokémon Double Trouble, running on a treadmill in a scene removed from the dub.
A Jynx was used by a Trainer in All Things Bright and Beautifly!, but this scene was cut from the English dub as it featured Jynx in its original design.
Jynx, the Human Shape Pokémon. This Pokémon has some very unusual powers. Its special attack is the Lovely Kiss, which puts its opponent into a deep sleep.
A fortune-telling Jynx appears in the manga Magical Pokémon Journey. Arbok goes to Jynx's fortune-telling hut to find out if he has a chance with his crush, Wigglytuff.
In the Pokémon Adventures manga
Jynx's most notable role is being under the ownership of Lorelei in Pokémon Adventures. Lorelei's Jynx is noted for having the ability to generate voodoo dolls out of ice using its Ice Beam. When Lorelei draws crosses on any part of the dolls using her lipstick, ice shackles form on the specified body parts of her targets, eventually freezing the victim over completely. Even after the victims are broken free, the freeze induces lasting numbness in the areas where it was applied. Both Red and Sabrina suffered this condition and had to seek a cure atop Mt. Silver by bathing in the hotsprings there.
Another ability of Lorelei's Jynx is revealed in the Sevii Islands saga: she can create a wispy band of ice around targets, which Lorelei can use to track them down using her powder case.
A Jynx also made an appearance in The Jynx Jinx under the ownership of Ken.
Jynx walks rhythmically, swaying and shaking its hips as if it were dancing. Its motions are so bouncingly alluring, people seeing it are compelled to shake their hips without giving any thought to what they are doing.
A Jynx sashays rhythmically as if it were dancing. Its motions are so bouncingly alluring, people seeing it are compelled to shake their hips without noticing.
Jynx is also the only Pokémon introduced in Generation I that still has a unique type combination and it is not part Poison-type.
As her Pokédex entries state that she speaks an incomprehensible language, the player, as a Pokémon, cannot understand anything of what she says in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon.
In Pokémon Stadium and its successor, when Jynx faints, everything but her hair vanishes implying that her armor and black "skin" is darkness. Similarly, in Pokémon Colosseum and XD, she simply vanishes on fainting.
Although Jynx has been seen to possess feet in the anime, she does not have a footprint.
When Jynx is viewed from underneath via the 3D rendered Pokédex in the Stadium games, she is depicted to have no body or feet underneath her dress.
A pre-alpha sketch depicts an unreleased Pokémon with the same Pokédex number as Jynx.
Jynx has the longest cry of any Pokémon, lasting 2.24 seconds.
Jynx originally bore a striking, but possibly coincidental, resemblance to entertainers in blackface. It is argued that Jynx may instead be a parody of or homage to the Japanese Ganguro and Yamanba fashion trends, which were extremely popular when Pokémon was first released; however, blackface-influenced characters have appeared in other anime and manga such as Dragon Ball's Mr. Popo and in Metropolis.
As Pokémon became more popular in the US, this perceived similarity to a racist image from America's past offended some. In particular, it had offended children's book author Carole Boston Weatherford, who accused Jynx of being a racist stereotype in an article titled "Politically Incorrect Pokémon" in the magazine Black World Today, shortly after the anime episode Holiday Hi-Jynx aired. Episodes that contained Jynx in its original design were left unaired outside of Japan, including EP250 and portions of All Things Bright and Beautifly, with the exceptions of Stage Fight!, The Mandarin Island Miss Match, and the Who's That Pokémon? segment of It's Mr. Mime Time.
In response to this controversy, Nintendo changed the color of Jynx's dark blue hands and its black face to purple in Pokémon games, including in the international versions of Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal. In addition to this, Jynx's facial expression in her Silver sprites were also changed, as was her hair color in both her normal and Shiny forms. Jynx has appeared since using her new design, with the exception of some side-games, with no problems. The Virtual Console version of Pokémon Snap recolors Jynx's face.
What Jynx is based on is a controversial topic within the fandom, although common interpretations are a Nordic or a Viking woman (possibly Hel, goddess of the underworld), or ガングロ ganguro, face-black. Also, the fact that Jynx are depicted as Santa's helpers in the anime can possibly mean that Jynx is based on Zwarte Piet. Jynx also has the traits of a female opera singer, especially the iconic cartoon depiction of the fat lady; it should also be noted that in Pokémon Snap and the third generation sprites depict her singing, especially the Emerald sprite that animates her singing a high note. Jynx may also have origins in the Japanese spirits known as Yuki-onna, who lack feet, akin to Jynx's feet being covered by her dress, and Yama Uba, which is described as always wearing a tattered red kimono, having whitish-blonde hair, control over snow, dark-colored skin, and large lips, traits which are evident in Jynx.
Her revised coloring may be based on purple discoloration of the skin, a common symptom of frostbite. This fits with Jynx's Ice typing, and how it is found in very cold places.
Name origin
Jynx is a corruption of jinx, a curse or hex of bad luck.
Rougela may be a feminized corruption of rouge, a type of makeup. It is also French for red.