Starmie is a Pokémon that resembles two violet starfish with five appendages each. The front starfish has a golden formation in the center. In the center of the golden casing is its red jewel core, which can glow in seven colors and has developed to resemble a cut precious stone. The second starfish is semi-attached to the back of the first and can spin 360 degrees. This rotational action is how Starmie swims through the ocean. It can also launch itself out of the water and fly through the air for short periods, as seen in Pokémon Snap.
From its core, Starmie can emit electrical waves that are powerful enough to reach the furthest parts of the universe. The multi-color glowing of its core is also believed to be a method of communication inside the species. As seen in the anime, the core will go dark if Starmie is knocked unconscious and will sometimes flicker if Starmie is low on health. Because of its body shape and habit of sending transmissions skyward, some people believe this Pokémon to be extraterrestrial. Being the result of an evolution via Evolution stone, Starmie is rarely seen in the wild, but it can be found in the deepest parts of the ocean. It is Lumineon's favorite food.
Rudy's Starmie also appears in the manga. Like in the anime, Starmie battled Ash's Squirtle, and gave the Tiny Turtle Pokémon trouble with its Thunderbolt attack.
Misty’s Starmie first made a cameo in Gyarados Splashes In! in its Poké Ball. It, however, debuted later in Suddenly Starmie, where it defeated Red in the Cerulean Gym. It allowed her to read and pass on a Pokémon's thoughts using an ancient language that can be easily decoded.
Misty sent out her Starmie for Satoshi's second Gym battle challenge in PZ03. However, it could not battle him as Satoshi had trouble dealing with water, and the battle was officially called off.
When released from a Poké Ball, Starmie floats to the closest opponent and barrages them with Swift. Each hit does 3% damage, and touching Starmie itself does 12% damage. It has been replaced by its pre-evolved form Staryu in all future releases, in which it performs the same function.
Game data
NPC appearances
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity: Starmie runs the Sunken Treasure mini-game in Pokémon Paradise. In this mini-game, the player collects black, blue and red treasure chests by tilting their Nintendo 3DS. Chinchou and rocks appear as obstacles in this mini-game, and touching them deducts one treasure chest, starting with black chests. Unlike Treasure Boxes obtained from dungeons, they are opened upon obtaining. Starmie's mini-game can be played once every in-game day.
Starmie's center section - the core - glows brightly in seven colors. Because of its luminous nature, this Pokémon has been given the nickname "the gem of the sea."
Starmie swims through water by spinning its star-shaped body as if it were a propeller on a ship. The core at the center of this Pokémon's body glows in seven colors.
Starmie's center section-the core-glows brightly in seven colors. Because of its luminous nature, this Pokémon has been given the nickname "the gem of the sea."
Starmie swims through water by spinning its star-shaped body as if it were a propeller on a ship. The core at the center of this Pokémon's body glows in seven colors.
Despite being a genderless Pokémon, Staryu and Starmie were programmed to learn Egg moves in Gold and Silver; however, due to being genderless, these were unobtainable. This was fixed in Crystal.
Also, they are one of the few genderless Pokémon able to learn Attract in Generation II, along with Mew.
In the Japanese exclusive Pokémon Stadium, Starmie seems to have originally been a lot more rubbery than it is now, as its limbs stretch when it's hit.
Origin
Starmie appears to be a stylized starfish. Given its ties to outer space, it may also be a pun on a literal star.
Starmie's gem being cut evokes the idea of some form of jewelry. Notably, the eight facets prominently witnessed upon Starmie's gemstone (adjacent to the center facet) would be called the star facets, were it a real jewel.
Starmie also bears some resemblance to the Star of Ishtar. Ishtar, also called Inanna, is known as Queen of Heaven.
Name origin
Starmie may be derived from star (referring to its shape) and mie, which may involve 珠 mi (gem or jewel), referring to its core. In English, mie may be a corruption of me (the personal pronoun), in contrast to the yu (you) in Staryu. This pun is not present in the Japanese names since Staryu's Japanese name is different from its English name.
Silver Leaf (100%)
Stardust (50%)
Star Piece (5%)
For other sprites and images, please see Starmie images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
