While it is not known to evolve into or from any other Pokémon, Miraidon is said to be either a future relative of Cyclizar or a version of it from a parallel timeline. It also has an ancient counterpart, Koraidon.
Miraidon can change forms as it traverses varying terrain and adapts to different situations.
When it is at full strength and in a battle, it is in its Ultimate Mode.
Outside of a battle or when it has little power, it is in its Low-Power Mode.
When it is sprinting on the land, it is in its Drive Mode.
When it is swimming in the water, it is in its Aquatic Mode.
When it is gliding in the sky, it is in its Glide Mode.
Miraidon is the game mascot of Pokémon Violet, appearing on the game's box art in its Ultimate Mode. In the Violet Book, it is also known as the "Iron Serpent" (Japanese: テツノオロチTetsuno'orochi). Miraidon and Koraidon are often collectively referred to as the Paradox duo by fans. It is the last Pokémon in the Paldea Pokédex.
Miraidon is a large, robotic, reptilianPokémon with a primarily metallic, violet body. Its face, neck, abdomen, tail, and knee joints are silver, while its claws are white. A distinctive feature of Miraidon is the gular sac on its throat, which changes appearance across its various forms. Its head features a small, dark purple casque reminiscent of a motorcycle windshield and circular, purple cheek markings. Miraidon's eyes resemble an LED display, with black sclerae and pupils and pixelated irises that can change pattern to simulate blinking. Each eye is bordered by two connected silver plates that resemble eyelids, from which long blue and yellow plasma-like antennae extend, resembling eyebrows. Miraidon's shoulders are equipped with backward-curving, handlebar-like structures. A black, fender-like structure is positioned on its lower back just above the base of its tail. Each of Miraidon's feet has three claws, with the central one marked by a vertical black line. Both its tail and gular sac have grooved surfaces, resembling tire treads. In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Miraidon is shown to possess a robotic tongue that visually resembles its gular sac.
The origins of Miraidon in the present day trace back to a time machine constructed by Professor Turo, which brought two specimens to Area Zero a decade ago. These two individuals displayed contrasting temperaments: one was friendly and curious, while the other was aggressive and territorial. 200 years ago, Heath also encountered a Miraidon as seen in the Violet Book, though it is unclear how it arrived in Area Zero at the time. It shares similarities with Cyclizar, a contemporary Pokémon, though Miraidon is notably more powerful and aggressive. According to AI Turo, it is a futuristic relative of Cyclizar, though a version of Turo that appeared at the Crystal Pool instead suggests that Miraidon is an alternate timeline version of Cyclizar. It was formerly referred to as the "Iron Serpent" in the Violet Book, with its current name, Miraidon, attributed to Professor Turo, potentially due to a bootstrap paradox. Much remains unknown about Miraidon's ecology and other details. Despite its mechanical appearance, it displays behavior that suggests an advanced level of intelligence and perceptiveness. It carefully evaluates a person's character using keen insight before deciding to accompany them. Miraidon's calm and enigmatic nature makes it difficult to discern its thoughts or emotions, with subtle hints only visible in its eyes.[1] Miraidon also exhibits biological traits such as the ability to consume food, specifically Herba Mysticasandwiches, to regain strength and power, allowing it to access its transformations after being weakened. Due to the smell of Herba Mystica smell on them, Miraidon can track down Titan Pokémon. Despite it's artificial nature, Miraidon also possesses the ability to produce saliva.
Miraidon has five forms: Ultimate Mode, Low-Power Mode, Drive Mode, Aquatic Mode, and Gliding Mode. In all of its travel forms, Miraidon's tail stays tucked in, and its back legs remain folded, exposing its jet engines for propulsion.
Ultimate Mode
Low-Power Mode
Drive Mode
Aquatic Mode
Glide Mode
Ultimate Mode
Ultimate Mode Miraidon shooting electricity from its hind legs, functioning as cannons
In its Ultimate Mode, Miraidon's body becomes charged with purplish-yellow energy. Its gular sac inflates and glows with a bluish-white light, while its antennae flare with electricity, taking on the appearance of lightning bolts. The middle and tip of its tail also emit this energy. Miraidon's back legs fold into its thighs, forming jet engine-like structures that enable it to hover and fly. Its legs also double as electrical cannons in this form. Its irises display a unique combination of light blue outer rings and yellow inner rings. Areas on its cheeks, arms, handlebars, and thighs are filled with light purple energy. When Miraidon enters sleep, it deactivates, causing its glowing features to turn silver. According to Arven, this is Miraidon's true form.
In battle, Miraidon floats to maintain a strategic position, applying pressure to grounded foes while predicting their movements and striking at their weak points. It uses electricity generated within its body to charge its claws, fangs, and tail, with one strike from its charged tail said to knock out even the most resilient opponents.[1] Miraidon can achieve high speeds and unleash powerful, electrically charged attacks, utilizing the advanced engine within its body to amplify its abilities, especially when surrounded by Electric Terrain. Miraidon can also race at ultrafast speeds to pierce its targets with futuristic electricity. Miraidon can unleash lightning powerful enough to scorch the land from its mouth, neck, or hind legs.
Low-Power Mode
In Low-Power Mode, Miraidon adopts a quadrupedal stance. It lacks the intense purplish-yellow energy seen in Ultimate Mode, resulting in a monochromatic silver appearance on its gular sac, antennae, and tail similar to when entering sleep in that form. Its irises remain light blue, and areas on its cheeks, antennae, handlebars, and thighs retain subtle light purple energy. Miraidon assumes this form when weakened or not engaging in a battle.
Drive Mode
In Drive Mode, energy is channeled to Miraidon's tail and throat, creating wheel-like rings that make it resemble a motorcycle. This enables high-speed movement and cliff climbing.[2]
Aquatic Mode
In Aquatic Mode, Miraidon's rings expand to help it float and propel itself through rivers, lakes, and oceans using either the rotation of the rings or its jet engines.[2]
Glide Mode
In "Glide Mode", Miraidon's antennae extend to spread an energy membrane, allowing it to glide or even fly through the air.[2][3]
Pokémon Violet: A Miraidon is a major character in the game, accompanying the player throughout their journey. Another more aggressive Miraidon is also a major character, playing an antagonistic role.
Miraidon can switch between five forms: Ultimate Mode, Low-Power Mode, Drive Mode, Aquatic Mode, and Gliding Mode.
The Ultimate Mode is the only form of Miraidon that can be used in a battle. Miraidon assumes its Limited Build when it is not battling or has been weakened. The Drive, Aquatic, and Gliding Modes are used for traveling in the land, water, or air, respectively.
Only Miraidon's Ultimate Mode is recognized as a form in the Pokédex. However, its Low-Power Mode is fully usable in battle when hacked into Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, albeit with various glitches and oddities, and has an unused Pokédex entry. It shares these traits with Koraidon. Miraidon's ride forms are 9'2" / 2.7 m tall, which is smaller than its Ultimate Mode.[4]
Miraidon debuted in Speeding! Paldea's Prince of Speed!! as Violet Lang's ride. In Discover! The Quaking Earth Titan!!, Violet revealed to Arven that he had encountered Miraidon as it crashed down on a beach near Cabo Poco and started following him after eating his sandwich. Professor Turo had then contacted him, informing him that Miraidon had previously been in his possession, and told Violet that its current depowered state could be remedied with the help of the Herba Mystica, inspiring Violet to find them in order to unlock Miraidon's full potential. It debuted in its Drive Mode, with its other forms being unlocked and appearing later on.
Miraidon is the tallest Paradox Pokémon in the Paldea Pokédex and the only known future Paradox Pokémon to be taller than both its present-day and ancient relatives.
It is also the only future Paradox Pokémon not to have the word "Iron" in its name. However, its other name in the Violet Book is "Iron Serpent".
Miraidon is also the only Dragon-type Paradox Pokémon to be a future Paradox Pokémon rather than an ancient one.
Of all Pokémon, Miraidon and Koraidon have the highest number of forms that are obtainable in some capacity yet unusable in battle, as they each use three forms solely for travel and are obtained in their fourth low power forms, yet can only battle in their high-power forms.
Rotom has five forms that are unusable in battle (Pokédex, Phone, Bike, Rotomi, Drone), but Rotomi and Drone Rotom are completely unobtainable.
The modes of Miraidon in Japanese and Korean use borrowed words from English, showing modernity, while the builds of Koraidon in the same languages use Sino-Japanese and Sino-Korean words respectively, showing tradition and the past.
Despite being able to swim and fly with the player on its back, Miraidon cannot learn Surf or Fly. It shares this trait with Koraidon.
Miraidon is the subject of the Toyota Miraidon Project, which seeks to recreate the Pokémon as a mobile model.
Origin
Miraidon's appearance may be based on a robotic serpentine dragon and various lizards, such as the anole or the genera Sitana and Sarada—the latter two are collectively known as fan-throated lizards. Its robotic look might also be a reference to how futuristic cultures are often depicted with the overuse of machines and robots, as opposed to Koraidon's traditional look. Some elements of its design may be based on parts of various motorized vehicles (such as a sport bike and other super bikes designed with maneuverability in mind for city streets and highways), with its casque resembling a motorcycle windshield, its shoulders being similar to handlebars, its rear looking like the backrest of a vehicle seat, its throat and tail resembling wheels when active, and its legs resembling jet engines or exhaust pipes. Miraidon's ability to rearrange itself when changing between forms may be inspired by transforming robots. Miraidon's color scheme, along with the name of the game it debuts in, possibly stemmed from violet being on the opposite side of the visible spectrum of light from red (a prominent color associated with Pokémon Scarlet and Koraidon) as well as violet occasionally being associated with space (which is often considered the "final frontier", tying to Miraidon's hypothetical future motifs). Building on to this, it could be based on the concept of blueshifting, which is the phenomenon of things that move towards the observer (i.e things that are yet to come, in the future) appear blueish in color, which would make Miraidon a blueshifted version of the green Cyclizar.
Given its serpentine body and its Electrictype, it may take inspiration from Sugaar in Basque mythology. Originally venerated as the god of storms and thunder in pre-Christian Basque beliefs, Sugaar takes the form of a serpent and embodies lightning.
Additionally, due to its color scheme, its status as a Paradox Pokémon, and it being the mascot of Pokémon Violet, it could be based on Ultraviolet, a color that exists beyond the human visible light spectrum. It can't be seen, but it's still there, much like the confusing and contradictory origins of the Paradox Pokémon.
Name origin
Miraidon may be a combination of 未来 mirai (future), ライド raido (ride), and dragon, don (Spanish for lord), or -don (common suffix in dinosaur names derived from the Ancient Greek word for tooth).
Miraidon's name may have been intentionally designed to sound phonetically like me ride on, referencing how the player rides around the Paldea region on it.
Its alternate name, Iron Serpent, is literally iron serpent.
Tetsuno'orochi, its alternate name in Japanese, can be taken literally as 鉄の大蛇 tetsu no orochi (iron serpent).
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.
For other sprites and images, please see Miraidon images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
