Human–Pokémon transformation

Get it? Because the name is unknown. The subject of this article has no official name.
The name currently in use is a fan designator; see below for more information.

People and Pokémon have exhibited the ability to transform into each other's forms under special circumstances, such as due to human technology or the mystical abilities of Pokémon.

Human-to-Pokémon transformation

Bill transformed into Clefairy

Under various unusual circumstances, there have been humans who have transformed into Pokémon.

In the core series games

  • In the Kanto-based games, Bill accidentally combines himself with a Pokémon and transforms into either Nidorino, Clefairy, or an indistinct Pokémon (MS Rhydon I.png) while performing a teleportation experiment.
  • In the Sinnoh-based games, a book in Canalave Library contains a folk story about a Pokémon living in a forest that sheds its hide to sleep as a human, and when awoken the human dons the Pokémon hide to roam villages.[1]

Pokédex entries

A few Pokédex entries refer to Pokémon that were once human. It is uncertain how some of these Pokémon transformed or ended up the way they are.

Pokémon Description
0064Kadabra.png
Kadabra
A Pokédex entry states that one morning a boy with extrasensory powers awoke in bed transformed into Kadabra.[2]

Pocket Monsters Encyclopedia expands the entry explaining it's only the plot of a book called "The Transformation".

0094Gengar.png
Gengar
Gengar was once a human itself. It tries to create another one by taking the lives of other humans.[3]
0563Cofagrigus.png
Cofagrigus
People say that Cofagrigus was once human but it no longer remembers it.[4]
0992Iron Hands.png
Iron Hands
Iron Hands is said to be a mortally wounded athlete who was kept alive by being made into a cyborg.[5][6]

In the spin-off games

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series

In the majority of the Mystery Dungeon series, the player character is a human who has been transformed into a Pokémon.

201
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
201
201 Spoilers end here. 201

In animation

In the novels

Pokémon Tales

In I'm Not Pikachu!, a boy who transformed into Pikachu meets a girl who transformed into Mew and a boy who transformed into Mewtwo. Several other children have also transformed into a group of other Pikachu, Mew, and Mewtwo. This happened because they all watched a Pokémon movie starring those three Pokémon species (the movie is not identified in the plot, but this book is a tie-in to Pokémon: The First Movie). The Pikachu boy mentions at some point: "The movie was so much fun, we all turned into Pokémon!", and later "I guess if you really love a movie, you can turn into the star!" In the end, the Pikachu boy tells the reader that they can turn into a Pokémon by watching a Pokémon movie too, but they will wake up as a human again after a good night's sleep.

Pokémon formed from human spirits

050Diglett.png This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.

In the core series games

Pokédex entries

Several Pokémon, particularly Ghost types, are stated in the Pokédex to be formed from the spirits or souls of deceased humans.

Pokémon Description
0038Ninetales.png
Ninetales
According to an enduring legend, nine noble saints were united and reincarnated as Ninetales.[7]
0092Gastly.png
Gastly
Poisonous gas comprises 95% of its body. It's said that the remaining 5% is made up of the souls of those who died from the gas.[8]
0107Hitmonchan.png
Hitmonchan
The spirit of a pro boxer has infused this Pokémon. It is said to be the spirit of a boxer who aimed to become the world champion.[9]
0271Lombre.png
Lombre
Old folklore in Kitakami tells of a mischievous child who was reborn as a Pokémon.[10]
0425Drifloon.png
Drifloon
Drifloon is a Pokémon formed by the spirits of people and Pokémon.[11] It likes to steal away children to the afterlife and expands each time it leads someone away.[12]
0426Drifblim.png
Drifblim
The raw material for the gas inside Drifblim's body is composed of souls.[13]
0442Spiritomb.png
Spiritomb
Spiritomb was formed from 108 spirits bound to a fissure in an Odd Keystone as punishment for misdeeds 500 years ago. It is uncertain if those spirits were humans.[14]
0478Froslass.png
Froslass
Froslass was born when the soul of a woman met her end on a snowy mountain bearing a grudge and regrets.[15]
0562Yamask.png
Yamask
Yamask is said to arose from the spirits of people interred in graves in past ages retaining memories of its former life.[16] The mask they bear used to be its face when it was human.[17]
0592Frillish-Male.png
Frillish
Legend has it that the residents of a sunken ancient city changed into these Pokémon.[18]
0615Cryogonal.png
Cryogonal
It is said that people and Pokémon who die on snowy mountains are reborn into these Pokémon.[19]
0679Honedge.png
Honedge
Honedge's soul once belonged to a person who was killed a long time ago by the sword that makes up Honedge's body.[20]
0708Phantump.png
Phantump
According to old tales, these Pokémon are stumps possessed by the spirits of children who died while lost in the forest.[21]

Pokémon-to-human transformation

A wild Zorua transforming into Dawn, but keeping its tail

Some Pokémon have moves or Abilities, such as Transform and Illusion, that allow them to take the form of humans. Some notable examples of Pokémon shown doing this are Ditto, Mew, Latias, Zorua, and Zoroark.

In the core series games

In the spin-off games

Pokémon Masters EX

In Pokémon Masters EX, the April Fools' Day 2022 event Find the Ditto impostors! features several Trainer duplicates which are in fact Ditto transformed into humans. Similarly, in the story event Threads of Strength, a Camper has his Ditto transform into Red so he can pretend to be Red's friend.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, the Ditto summoned from the Poké Ball transforms into a purple version of the fighter who used this item.

In animation

Pokémon the Series

In live action

In the manga

Pokémon Adventures

  • The Latias befriended by Emerald often disguises herself as a human in order to blend in with her surroundings.

The Electric Tale of Pikachu

  • In a bonus comic published in the volume 2, Ditto transformed into Ash and harassed Misty.

Pokémon Newspaper Strip

Gallery

For more images of Latias, see Eon duo (Adventures) → Gallery

Trivia

References

  1. "Sinnoh Folk Story 2": There lived a Pokémon in a forest. In the forest, the Pokémon shed its hide to sleep as a human. Awakened, the human dons the Pokémon hide to roam villages. (Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Brilliant Diamond, and Shining Pearl)
  2. Multiple Pokédex entries:
    • It happened one morning - a boy with extrasensory powers awoke in bed transformed into Kadabra. (Pokémon FireRed)
    • It is rumored that a boy with psychic abilities suddenly transformed into Kadabra while he was assisting research into extrasensory powers. (Pokémon Emerald)
    • A theory exists that this Pokémon was a young boy who couldn't control his psychic powers and ended up transformed into [Kadabra]. (Pokémon Sun)
    • There are rumors that a child with mystical powers became a Kadabra; however, this remains unverified. [...] (Pokémon Legends: Arceus)
  3. Pokédex entry: [Gengar] apparently wishes for a traveling companion. Since it was once human itself, it tries to create one by taking the lives of other humans. (Pokémon Moon)
  4. Pokédex entry: [...] People say [Cofagrigus] no longer remembers that it was once human. (Pokémon Sword)
  5. Occulture magazine: A leading theory holds that Iron Hands was once an athlete who became mortally wounded but was kept alive by being made into a cyborg. Why it so strongly resembles Hariyama, however, remains unanswered. (Pokémon Violet)
  6. Pokédex entry: [Iron Hands] is very similar to a cyborg covered exclusively by a paranormal magazine. The cyborg was said to be the modified form of a certain athlete. (Pokémon Scarlet)
  7. Multiple Pokédex entries:
  8. Multiple Pokédex entries:
    • It's said that gas emanating from a graveyard was possessed by the grievances of the deceased and thus became [Gastly]. (Pokémon Ultra Sun)
    • Poisonous gas comprises 95% of [Gastly's] body. It's said that the remaining 5% is made up of the souls of those who died from the gas. (Pokémon Ultra Moon)
  9. Multiple Pokédex entries:
    • Hitmonchan is said to possess the spirit of a boxer who had been working toward a world championship. (Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, Omega Ruby, and Alpha Sapphire)
    • The spirit of a pro boxer has infused [Hitmonchan]. (Pokémon FireRed and Y)
    • A Hitmonchan is said to possess the spirit of a boxer who aimed to become the world champion. (Pokémon Emerald)
  10. Pokédex entry: Old folklore in Kitakami tells of a mischievous child who was reborn as [Lombre]. (Pokémon Scarlet and Violet - The Teal Mask)
  11. Multiple Pokédex entries:
    • [Drifloon is] A Pokémon formed by the spirits of people and Pokémon. [...] (Pokémon Diamond, X, Omega Ruby, and Brilliant Diamond)
    • [Drifloon's] round body is stuffed with souls [..]. (Pokémon Ultra Sun)
    • Wandering souls gathered together to form [Drifloon]. (Pokémon Ultra Moon)
    • The gathering of many souls gave rise to [Drifloon]. (Pokémon Shield)
    • [...] Some whisper that Drifloon are formed of reincarnated human souls, but these rumors are as yet unconfirmed. (Pokémon Legends: Arceus)
  12. Multiple Pokédex entries:
    • [Drifloon] tugs on the hands of children to steal them away. [...] (Pokémon Pearl and Shining Pearl)
    • It is whispered that any child who mistakes Drifloon for a balloon and holds on to it could wind up missing. (Pokémon HeartGold, ,SoulSilver, and Scarlet)
    • [...] Children holding [Drifloon] sometimes vanish. (Pokémon Black 2, White 2, Y, and Alpha Sapphire)
    • Stories go that [Drifloon] grabs the hands of small children and drags them away to the afterlife. (Pokémon Sun)
    • [Drifloon] expands each time it leads someone away. (Pokémon Ultra Sun)
    • [Drifloon is] Said to lure away young children and carry them off to the afterlife. [...] (Pokémon Legends: Arceus)
  13. Multiple Pokémon entries:
    • The raw material for the gas inside [Drifblim's] body is souls. [...] (Pokémon Ultra Moon)
    • Some say [Drifblim] is a collection of souls burdened with regrets, silently drifting through the dusk. (Pokémon Sword)
  14. All of Spiritombs' Pokédex entries
  15. Multiple Pokédex entries:
    • Legends in snowy regions say that a woman who was lost on an icy mountain was reborn as Froslass. (Pokémon HeartGold, SoulSilver, Y, and Alpha Sapphire)
    • The soul of a woman lost on a snowy mountain possessed an icicle, becoming [Froslass]. (Pokémon Moon)
    • After a woman met her end on a snowy mountain, her regrets lingered on. From them, [Froslass] was born. (Pokémon Sword)
    • [Froslass is] A Pokémon inhabited by the soul of a woman who died bearing a grudge in the snowy mountains. [...] (Pokémon Legends: Arceus)
  16. Multiple Pokédex entries:
    • [Yamask] arose from the spirits of people interred in graves [in past agesW]. Each retains memories of its former life. (Pokémon White, Black 2, White 2, X, and Omega Ruby)
    • The spirit of a person from a bygone age became [Yamask]. [...] (Pokémon Shield)
  17. Multiple Pokédex entries:
    • Each of [Yamask] carries a mask that used to be its face when it was human. [...] (Pokémon Black, Y, and Alpha Sapphire)
    • [Yamask] wanders through ruins by night, carrying a mask that's said to have been the face it had when it was still human. (Pokémon Sword)
  18. Pokédex entry (male ): Legend has it that the residents of a sunken ancient city changed into [Frillish]. (Pokémon Shield)
  19. Pokédex entry: [...] It is said that people and Pokémon who die on snowy mountains are reborn into [Cryogonal]. (Pokémon Scarlet)
  20. Pokédex entry: Honedge's soul once belonged to a person who was killed a long time ago by the sword that makes up Honedge's body. (Pokémon Sword)
  21. multiple Pokédex entries:
    • [Phantump] are created when spirits possess rotten tree stumps. [...] (Pokémon X and Omega Ruby)
    • According to old tales, [Phantump] are stumps possessed by the spirits of children who died while lost in the forest. (Pokémon Y and Alpha Sapphire)
    • [Phantump] are stumps possessed by the spirits of children who died in the forest. [...] (Pokémon Sun)
    • An unknown spirit came to lodge in a tree stump, creating [Phantump]. [...] (Pokémon Ultra Moon)
    • After a lost child perished in the forest, their spirit possessed a tree stump, causing the spirit's rebirth as [Phantump]. (Pokémon Sword)
    • [Phantump] came to be when the spirit of a deceased child possessed a tree stump. [...] (Pokémon Violet)
  22. Multiple Pokédex entries:
    • Born from a sand mound playfully built by a child, [Sandygast] embodies the grudges of the departed. (Pokémon Sun)
    • Grudges of the dead have possessed a mound of sand and become [Sandygast]. [...] (Pokémon Sword)
  23. Pokédex entry: The fiery blades on [Ceruledge's] arms burn fiercely with the lingering resentment of a sword wielder who fell before accomplishing their goal. (Pokémon Scarlet)
  24. Multiple Pokédex entries:
    • The grudge of a person punished for writing the king’s evil deeds upon wooden tablets has clad itself in dead leaves to become [Wo-Chien]. (Pokémon Scarlet)
    • The hatred of those who perished by the sword long ago has clad itself in snow and become [Chien-Pao]. (Pokémon Violet)
    • The fear poured into an ancient ritual vessel has clad itself in rocks and dirt to become [Ting-Lu]. (Pokémon Scarlet)
    • The envy accumulated within curved beads that sparked multiple conflicts has clad itself in fire and become [Chi-Yu]. (Pokémon Violet)
  25. Pokédex entry: Supposedly, the regrets of a tea ceremony master who died before perfecting his craft lingered in some matcha and became [Poltchageist]. (Pokémon Scarlet)
  26. Valerie: "I've always wanted to be a Pokémon, you see. That desire is my inspiration and what I try to achieve by designing." (Pokémon X and Y)
  27. Multiple Pokédex entries:
    • [...] [Oranguru] throws Poké Balls and gives other Pokémon orders as it pleases. (Pokémon Ultra Sun)
    • [...] Oranguru skillfully gives instructions to other Pokémon. (Pokémon Sword)
    • People used to mistake Oranguru for a human when they saw it issue command after command to the other Pokémon of the forest. (Pokémon Scarlet)

Related articles

Pokémon forms and variants
Permanent: Shiny Pokémon (GO) • Alternately colored Pokémon (animated series)
Gender differencesForm differences (GO) • Brilliant PokémonAlpha Pokémon
Transformations: Mega Evolution (ShuffleMastersGO) • Primal Reversion (GO) • Bond Phenomenon
Ultra BurstDynamax (GO) • Gigantamax (GO) • EternamaxTerastal phenomenon
Groups: Totem PokémonNoble PokémonTitan Pokémon
Regional forms: AlolanGalarianHisuianPaldean
Analogous species: Paradox PokémonEcologically similar Pokémon
Species-specific: Arbok variantsPikachu variants (SurfingFlyingCosplayCap) • Ditto transformations
Miscellaneous: Giant PokémonSpiky-eared PichuPartner Pokémon (LGPE)
Fusions (GO) • Human–Pokémon transformation
Side series original: Colo/XD: Shadow PokémonShadow Lugia
Spin-off original: GO: Shadow Pokémon (GO)Battle-Only FormMighty Pokémon
Mystery Dungeon: Primal DialgaRumble: Toy Pokémon (Rusty Pokémon)
Pokkén: Shadow MewtwoQuest: PokéxelNew Snap: Illumina phenomenon
Animation original: Pokémon the Series: Pink ButterfreeClone PokémonCrystal Onix
Mirage PokémonMeta GroudonGreen-crystal Deoxys
Manga original: Adventures: Thu-Fi-ZerElectric Tale: Black FogGolden Boys: Black Tyranitar
Project Pokédex logo.png This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon species, as well as Pokémon groups and forms.