(Specifics may differ in past games. Refer to Game data→Form data for these details.)
Along with Kyogre and Groudon, Rayquaza is one of the super-ancient Pokémon, often viewed as their leader by fans. It is also associated with Deoxys, with the two often being in conflict.
Rayquaza and the Draconid people as depicted in a story book
Rayquaza is a large, green, serpentine Pokémon that also resembles a missile. It has red-tipped, rudder-like wings on its shoulders and down its body, and similarly patterned fins on the tip of its tail. Yellow ring-like symbols run across the length of Rayquaza's body and it has an additional yellow ring on top of its head. Rayquaza has two limbs with three-clawed hands, and two long, flat, horn-like structures on its head, with two shorter horns along its jawline. It has small, yellow eyes with black pupils, prominent pink gums, and two discernible fangs in its upper jaw.
Rayquaza is said to be an equal to both Groudon and Kyogre.[1] Befitting its righteous nature,[2] several millenia ago, it halted their clashes and forced them back into slumber, even in their Primal forms,[3][4] and sealed them away in the Seafloor Cavern,[5] restoring order to nature in the process. For this, it was worshipped by the Draconid people, who refer to it as "Lord Rayquaza" and their "Dragon Lord" in Pokémon Adventures, as the savior of the Hoennregion. Thanks to its weather manipulation powers, it can cancel out weather effects. It has a strong and endless desire to do heroic deeds for the Pokémon world.[6] Rayquaza has resided in the ozone layer for millions of years, where it feeds on water, meteoroids, and other particles. It is rarely seen by people; even in flight, its appearance is indistinguishable from that of a meteor. It is capable of breathing in outer space beyond the ozone layer. It loves Rayquaza Treats made by Snacksworth, who once encountered it in the past. Rayquaza possesses a strong rivalry with the extraterrestrial, Mythical Pokémon, Deoxys, that repeatedly invades its territory on its way to the Pokémon world, with the two often clashing with each other in space. This is depicted in the movie Destiny Deoxys and in the games Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire, and Masters EX.
As Mega Rayquaza, its body becomes longer and gains more features. Its head becomes longer with the Δ (delta) symbol appearing on its forehead. Rayquaza's eyes now contain yellow pupils with red irises, and black, shichishito-shaped markings trail behind its eyes. Its red lips and teeth become gold, and the gold lines connect to those on its lower horns, which take on a broad, triangular shape. At the outer edges of its lower horns are long, golden, glowing filamens that each extend to a green, fin-like structure; these filaments have ring patterns that strongly resemble the yellow markings running along the length of Rayquaza's normal form. While in flight, these filaments give Mega Rayquaza a triangular profile. Its two upper horns become longer with a gold line running over them in a V shape, and each upper horn has another glowing filament that ends in a circular shape with a spike. Along the length of its body are golden, glowing orbs placed where its ring patterns used to be. The chin, part of the neck, and parts of its serpentine body are changed to the color black. The fins running along its body are now marked with gold lines; the fins on its tail become entirely yellow and substantially longer.
According to the Draconid people, Rayquaza was the first Pokémon to ever Mega Evolve.[7][8] In its honor, they built the Sky Pillar, where they guarded the rainbow stone that granted Rayquaza the power to Mega Evolve and recorded its many feats on the murals. Unlike other Pokémon, Rayquaza does not have a corresponding Mega Stone to Mega Evolve; instead, it has an internal organ that fills the same role. A Devon Corporation scientist named it the "mikado organ" (Japanese: ミカド器官) and proposed that the combination of its meteoroid diet and own internal energy creates an effect similar to a Mega Stone;[9] this effect, however, is not everlasting, and Rayquaza needs to keep eating meteorites in order to be able to Mega Evolve.[10] The filaments sprouting from Mega Rayquaza's jutting jaw are made of particles that can control the density and humidity of the air, allowing it to manipulate the weather,[11] mainly in the form of strong winds that fill the air and reduce the damageFlying-type Pokémon receive from super effective attacks. Mega Rayquaza is said to have been born from humanity's wish for salvation channeled through a huge meteorite. It is thought that occurrences of Rayquaza Mega Evolving led to the mechanism behind Mega Evolution to be known, which led to the current theory of Mega Evolution.[12] Mega Rayquaza has enough power to repel the Primal forms of Groudon and Kyogre[13] by sapping up their power with a blazing light and whipping wind. It is also capable of destroying meteors over six miles in diameter. It has been referred to as "Δ (Delta)". There have been sightings of Mega Rayquaza flying gracefully in the sky, resembling a shooting star streaking across the night sky after a meteoroid.
Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire: Rayquaza is the focus of the third and final Bonus Field. It can only be challenged after capturing Groudon or Kyogre and will then join the circuit of bonus fields. Rayquaza will bounce along from left to right, allowing the ball to roll under it if it is up. It will sometimes use Thunder to paralyze the ball if it is not moving fast enough, though it does stay still while it is unleashing the attack. Rayquaza will also sometimes use ExtremeSpeed to create two tornadoes that cause the ball to fly up into the air for several seconds if contact is made. It must be hit 15 times in three minutes to win. After beating the round twice, Rayquaza will be captured.
Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon: Rayquaza first appears early into the game, fleeing to space in fear of Dark Matter's influence. When Dark Matter attempts to take the Tree of Life to space, Rayquaza and Deoxys use their energy to try and slow its ascent from above, with Rayquaza even Mega Evolving. Ultimately, when Dark Matter regenerates itself for the first time, it unleashes even more energy, turning both Rayquaza and Deoxys to stone. At the conclusion of the event, Rayquaza turns back to normal and takes residence at Dragon Gate and guards the Wind Looplet.
Rayquaza lived for hundreds of millions of years in the earth's ozone layer, never descending to the ground. This Pokémon appears to feed on water and particles in the atmosphere.
Rayquaza is said to have lived for hundreds of millions of years in the earth's ozone layer, above the clouds. Its existence had been completely unknown because it lived so high in the sky.
It flies forever through the ozone layer, consuming meteoroids for sustenance. The many meteoroids in its body provide the energy it needs to Mega Evolve.
Rayquaza debuted in Destiny Deoxys. It fought Deoxys, believing it was invading the Sky High Pokémon's territory when Deoxys was in fact looking for its friend, another Deoxys.
In Malice In Wonderland!, Cynthia appeared to own a Rayquaza, but it was only an illusion created by Mismagius. Whenever Mismagius fuses with Rayquaza, it becomes the same color as the Mismagius, making it look like a Shiny Rayquaza.
In Living on the Cutting Edge!, a Rayquaza was battling Deoxys in outer space. The battle accidentally caused one of the meteors to head towards Alola, though it was ultimately cut up by a Kartana, saving the region from harm.
Rayquaza, the Sky High Pokémon. A Dragon and Flying type. It has lived for hundreds of millions of years in the ozone layer. When it flies at night, it resembles a shooting star.
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire Animated Trailer
In The Scoop, a Trainer's Mega Rayquaza destroyed the Grand Meteor Delta. It later battled a wild Deoxys that appeared from inside the Meteor, allowing its Trainer to catch it.
GOTCHA!
A Rayquaza briefly appeared as a silhouette in GOTCHA!.
A Rayquaza appeared in The Wish. It first appeared in a fantasy told by Zinnia as she recounted the history of the Draconid people to May, and was later summoned by Zinnia to stop a meteorite. Understanding it chose May over her, Zinnia let May battle and catch it, allowing Rayquaza to Mega Evolve under her ownership in her battle against Zinnia.
Rayquaza debuted in Rayquaza Redemption I, where Norman sought it out to stop the battle between Groudon and Kyogre in Sootopolis City, using Wally's help to gain access to its sealed chamber inside Sky Pillar. While Rayquaza's power alone was insufficient to stop the battle, Ruby was able to combine it with the powers of the Red and Blue Orbs, successfully stopping the conflict. Afterwards, Rayquaza broke free of the weakened Norman's control and fled. In the Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire arc, Ruby and Norman once again sought to use Rayquaza to avert a crisis, this time to destroy a giant meteoroid that was threatening the planet. Zinnia also wanted to use Rayquaza for the same purpose, believing herself to be the one who should carry out the task. However, after Rayquaza rejected her, it befell to Ruby and Sapphire to ride Rayquaza to space and Mega Evolve it in order to destroy the meteoroid.
In this canon, Rayquaza was once captured by the Pokémon Association in order to study it and create an artificial Green Orb in order to control it, but the artifact was never fully completed before Rayquaza escaped its imprisonment.
Rayquaza appears in The Subspace Emissary mode as a boss. After Diddy Kong lands in The Lake, Rayquaza lunges out of the water and grabs him, angry at being disrupted. Before it can further attack, Fox McCloud ejects out of his ship, which had crashed and been destroyed by Rayquaza earlier, and rescues Diddy Kong. Enraged, Rayquaza attacks Fox with Dragon Pulse, but Fox reflects its attack back at it, sending it reeling back into the water. Rayquaza soon launches back out and engages in battle against Fox and Diddy Kong. Even though it is a very powerful Legendary Pokemon, they still manage to defeat it.
Like all other Subspace Emissary bosses, Rayquaza is later battled again in The Great Maze, and can be fought in the Boss Battles mode after the latter is unlocked. Its attacks in battle include ExtremeSpeed, Thunder, Dig*, Iron Tail, and Fly.
Rayquaza being found/battled at the lake contrasts how it canonically is supposed to live in the ozone layer.
A Sky High Pokémon. It normally resides high up in the ozone layer where it flies endlessly, so it is rarely seen. However, when Groudon and Kyogre began to fight, it appeared to calm them down. It has the abilityAir Lock, which blocks all weather-condition effects. It has exceedingly strong abilities, and its attack power is especially remarkable.
Rayquaza appears as an occasional stage hazard in the Dragonmark Chamber of the Kalos Pokémon League stage. Appearing rarely, it flies across the stage at various angles, dealing damage to fighters. Its path is shown briefly by lightning before it appears, giving players time to avoid it.
Trophy information
This Dragon- and Flying-type Pokemon usually dwells high in the ozone layer, so it can't be seen from the ground. In the Kalos Pokemon League stage, it occasionally flies at great speed through the Elite Four's Dragon-type chamber, where any fighters in its path will be damaged and launched with great force.
Rayquaza appears as a Spirit, as well as retaining its rare appearance in the Dragonmark Chamber on the Kalos Pokémon League stage. Its Spirit Battle uses a Ridley puppet fighter and is fought on the Kalos Pokémon League stage's Dragonmark Chamber, which features Rayquaza as a stage element. During the battle, heavy winds are immediately in effect, referencing Mega Rayquaza's ability, Delta Stream, which creates strong winds.
Music
This is a list of music associated with Rayquaza in the Pokémon games.
Song names marked with an asterisk are unofficial, as they have not received a soundtrack release.
Trivia
Promotional artwork of Shiny Rayquaza
Mega Rayquaza has the highest base Attack and Special Attack stats of all Flying-type Pokémon, and the highest base Attack stat of all Dragon-type Pokémon.
Mega Rayquaza is the tallest Mega Evolved Pokémon.
Rayquaza is the only Pokémon capable of Mega Evolving that does not require a Mega Stone to do so in the games.
It is, therefore, the only Pokémon that can have a different held item (apart from Z-Crystals) while Mega Evolved, since Mega Stones cannot be taken off their proper holder during battle.
It is also the only Pokémon not to have the message "(The opposing) <Pokémon>'s <Mega Stone> is reacting to its Key Stone!" when it Mega Evolves. Instead, it has the message "<player>'s fervent wish has reached Rayquaza!".
Mega Rayquaza is tied with Mewtwo's Mega Evolutions for the highest base stat total of all Pokémon, with 780, excluding the non-playable Eternamax Eternatus.
This also makes it the only Pokémon with a base stat total above 720 that doesn't require a specific held item.
In the Pokémon of the Year poll held by The Pokémon Company in 2020, Rayquaza was voted the most popular Generation III Pokémon, receiving 60,939 votes. It was also the eighth-most popular Pokémon overall.
It was also voted as the most popular Legendary Pokémon, as well as being the only Legendary to make the top ten results.
Origin
Rayquaza's design may be based on the Chinese dragon and the Lindworm. Its role is similar to that of Ziz in Hebrew legends. It matches the description of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, who was depicted as a flying serpent and created the boundary between the earth (including the oceans) and the sky. The markings on its body may be inspired from The Nazca Lines. Its trait of being capable of inhabiting the skies, and living there while subsisting on nothing but dew and particles for centuries, also bears aspects of the legendary Chinese xian hermit sages and East Asian dragons, specifically Japanese dragons, who are commonly depicted with three claws, as opposed to four in Chinese dragons.
Rayquaza being a dragon coming from the cosmic space on earth might take inspiration from meteorites, the Draconids meteor shower named after Draco constellation, or the comet that gave the name Pendragon to the legendary King of the Britons. The yellow marking on Mega Rayquaza's head, as well as its overall appearance when its chains are linked to its tail when flying, is similar to the Greek letter delta, likely signifying its connection to the Delta Episode from Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.
Name origin
Rayquaza may be derived from 裂空 rekkū (sky-rending), a word appearing in various media and merchandise that featured Rayquaza. The latter half may be derived from 座 za (seat), relating to compounds such as 星座 seiza (constellation) and 王座 ōza (throne). It may also involve רָקִיעַ rāqī́aʿ (Hebrew for firmament), ray, and quasar.
Rayquaza's mikado organ refers to 帝 mikado (emperor), another name for the Emperor of Japan.
In other languages
Language
Title
Meaning
Japanese
レックウザ Rayquaza
From 裂空 rekkū, 座 za, and possibly רָקִיעַ rāqī́aʿ, ray, and quasar
↑Zinnia: "That was when, as if drawn by the brilliance, a Pokémon that shone in a blazing emerald hue descended from the heavens... That Pokémon was none other than Rayquaza. Rayquaza's power overwhelmed that of the two Primal Pokémon, and peace returned to the world." (Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire)
↑Scientist, Devon Corporation: "It appears that within Rayquaza's body resides an organ with the same power as a Mega Stone. [...]. We believe Rayquaza usually inhabits the stratosphere, where its instincts prompt it to consume small meteoroids that fall into the atmosphere. The meteoroids merge with Rayquaza's internal energy to create an effect similar to a Mega Stone. We believe that, thanks to its mikado organ, Rayquaza can undergo its own Mega Evolution [...]." (Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire)
↑Scientist, Devon Corporation: "Those who saw the way that Rayquaza, possessing this special power, reacted to their Key Stones to transform itself, began research into the subject. It came to be recognized as a form of Evolution, a new possibility for Pokémon. And what we stitched together from all of this long research is the current theory of Mega Evolution." (Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire)
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.
Mega Rayquaza stopping Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre
Dragon Scale (100%)
Life Orb (100%)
Dragon Fang (100%)
For other sprites and images, please see Rayquaza images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
