Z-Crystal

A Z-Crystal (Japanese: クリスタル Z-Crystal) is an item required to upgrade moves to Z-Moves through the use of a Z-RingSM or Z-Power RingUSUM.

Z-Crystals in the anime

In the Alola region, Z-Crystals play an important role in the island challenge, as they provide proof of completing trials and grand trials, much like Gym Badges in other regions. However, not all Z-Crystals are obtained in this manner in Pokémon Sun and Moon or Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. Like Sparkling Stones, the objects that are crafted into Z-Rings and Z-Power Rings, Z-Crystals are pieces of Necrozma that had chipped off and traveled to Alola through Ultra Wormholes. Z-Crystals are described as crystalized forms of Z-Power.

During the game, the player can obtain Z-Crystals for their Bag, which will be stored in a dedicated Bag section. These Z-Crystals can be used to create held items of the same name at will. A held Z-Crystal is automatically removed if the Pokémon is traded between players; however, some Pokémon received from in-game trades may be holding a Z-Crystal the player already has. This is in contrary to lore, where the Trainer will only need to own one Z-Crystal on their Z-Ring/Z-Power Ring, channeling the Z-Power onto their Pokémon.

Holding a Z-Crystal makes Rayquaza unable to Mega Evolve. If Arceus holds a type-specific Z-Crystal, its type changes to correspond to the Z-Crystal via its Multitype ability; unlike with Plates, however, its signature move, Judgment, remains unaffected.

List of Z-Crystals

For each type

Name Z-Move Associated
move type
   Buginium Z Savage Spin-Out Bug
   Darkinium Z Black Hole Eclipse Dark
   Dragonium Z Devastating Drake Dragon
   Electrium Z Gigavolt Havoc Electric
   Fairium Z Twinkle Tackle Fairy
   Fightinium Z All-Out Pummeling Fighting
   Firium Z Inferno Overdrive Fire
   Flyinium Z Supersonic Skystrike Flying
   Ghostium Z Never-Ending Nightmare Ghost
   Grassium Z Bloom Doom Grass
   Groundium Z Tectonic Rage Ground
   Icium Z Subzero Slammer Ice
   Normalium Z Breakneck Blitz Normal
   Poisonium Z Acid Downpour Poison
   Psychium Z Shattered Psyche Psychic
   Rockium Z Continental Crush Rock
   Steelium Z Corkscrew Crash Steel
   Waterium Z Hydro Vortex Water

For specific Pokémon

Name Debut
games
Associated
Pokémon
Base
move
Z-Move
   Aloraichium Z SM   Alolan Raichu Thunderbolt Stoked Sparksurfer
   Decidium Z SM   Decidueye Spirit Shackle Sinister Arrow Raid
   Eevium Z SM   Eevee Last Resort Extreme Evoboost
   Incinium Z SM   Incineroar Darkest Lariat Malicious Moonsault
   Kommonium Z USUM   Kommo-o Clanging Scales Clangorous Soulblaze
   Lunalium Z USUM    Lunala or Dawn Wings Necrozma Moongeist Beam Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom
   Lycanium Z USUM     Lycanroc Stone Edge Splintered Stormshards
   Marshadium Z SM   Marshadow Spectral Thief Soul-Stealing 7-Star Strike
   Mewnium Z SM   Mew Psychic Genesis Supernova
   Mimikium Z USUM   Mimikyu Play Rough Let's Snuggle Forever
   Pikanium Z SM   Pikachu (Normal form) Volt Tackle Catastropika
   Pikashunium Z SM     
   
Pikachu (Pikachu in a cap) Thunderbolt 10,000,000 Volt Thunderbolt
   Primarium Z SM   Primarina Sparkling Aria Oceanic Operetta
   Snorlium Z SM   Snorlax Giga Impact Pulverizing Pancake
   Solganium Z USUM    Solgaleo or Dusk Mane Necrozma Sunsteel Strike Searing Sunraze Smash
   Tapunium Z SM      Tapu Koko, Tapu Lele, Tapu Bulu, or Tapu Fini Nature's Madness Guardian of Alola
   Ultranecrozium Z USUM   Ultra Necrozma Photon Geyser Light That Burns the Sky

In the anime

 
Various Z-Crystals in the anime

Z-Crystals first appeared in Alola to New Adventure!, where a Firium Z appeared on Kiawe's Z-Ring. He obtained it by completing Olivia's grand trial. Later in the same episode, Ash received an Electrium Z with his Z-Ring, from Tapu Koko. However, in the following episode, it shattered after Ash performed Gigavolt Havoc with Pikachu.

As revealed in To Top a Totem!, the island challenge is one way of obtaining Z-Crystals, though it is not necessarily the only way a Trainer can obtain them. Ash's goal in Alola was to complete the island challenge and collect the Z-Crystals in order to prove himself worthy of the power of Z-Moves.

A full set of replicas of the type-specific Z-Crystals were also shown to Ash and his classmates by Professor Kukui in A Team-on-Team Tussle!.

In the manga

 
Z-Crystals in Pokémon Adventures

Pokémon Adventures

Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon arc

In Pokémon Move Specialist Professor Kukui, Olivia and Nanu attempted to use their respective Z-Crystals, Rockium Z and Darkinium Z, to perform their Z-Moves against each other during a practice battle between their Lycanroc and Alolan Persian. However, Hala interrupted the battle before either move could be properly executed. In the same chapter, Hala was also shown being in possession of a Fightinium Z.

In Homecoming and the Brilliant Professional Golfer, Kiawe found a Firium Z hidden in the fur of Sun's Litten, Dollar. After learning the proper Z-Move pose from Kiawe, Sun was successfully able to perform Inferno Overdrive with Dollar during a battle with Gladion.

In Shock!! Father in the Pendant!, Kahili was revealed to have spent six months gathering a multitude of Z-Crystals. In the same chapter, Hau was revealed to have obtained a Primarium Z.

In Transcend!! Ultra Necrozma!, an Ultranecrozium Z found by the Ultra Recon Squad was revealed to have been the cause behind Necrozma's transformation into Ultra Necrozma.

In the TCG

This listing is of cards featuring Z-Crystals in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

Z-Crystals
Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format.
Cards listed with a silver background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats.
Card Type English
Expansion
Rarity # Japanese
Expansion
Rarity #
Flyinium Z: Air Slash I Unified Minds   195/236 Sky Legend   045/054
Normalium Z: Tackle I Unified Minds   203/236 Sky Legend   044/054
Dragonium Z: Dragon Claw I Cosmic Eclipse   190/236 SM-P Promotional cards   359/SM-P
 


Gallery

Artwork

Standard

       
Electrium Z Fairium Z Kommonium Z Lunalium Z
       
Lycanium Z Mimikium Z Pikashunium Z Solganium Z


Pokémon Global Link

This is the artwork of the Z-Crystals on the Pokémon Global Link:

             
Buginium Z Darkinium Z Dragonium Z Electrium Z Fairium Z Fightinium Z Firium Z
             
Flyinium Z Ghostium Z Grassium Z Groundium Z Icium Z Normalium Z Poisonium Z
             
Psychium Z Rockium Z Steelium Z Waterium Z Aloraichium Z Decidium Z Eevium Z
             
Incinium Z Kommonium Z Lunalium Z Lycanium Z Marshadium Z Mewnium Z Mimikium Z
             
Pikanium Z Pikashunium Z Primarium Z Snorlium Z Solganium Z Tapunium Z Ultranecrozium Z


Concept art

   
Concept art of the Z-Crystals introduced in Pokémon Sun and Moon Concept art of the Z-Crystals introduced in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
   
Concept art for a pedestal containing a Z-Crystal for Pokémon Sun and Moon Concept art of the Z-Ring for Pokémon Sun and Moon,
describing its connection with Z-Crystals

Trivia

 
Early Z-Crystal design
 
Early Z-Power design
  • The Japanese, Korean, and Chinese logos for Pokémon Sun and Moon all feature a Z-Crystal.
  • Roster -Behind the Scene- #2 GAME FREAK, a video focusing on the sound and music design of Sun and Moon, showcases an early build from 2015. In this build, Z-Crystals seem to have had a different appearance, being 8-sided as opposed to being 5-sided. Instead of a 2D symbol representing a type, there was a 3D shape.
    • The animation for receiving a Z-Crystal shows another symbol rather than the usual Z-Power symbol used in the final version.
  • Early concept art for the original Sun and Moon titles in the Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon Essentials Concept Art Book features a page on Z-Rings and how they interact with Z-Crystals. This page featured what would eventually become the Pikashunium Z, the Z-Crystal for Pikachu in a cap. This early Z-Crystal design had originally been designed to look like an entire Pikachu, rather than just its tail.

In other languages

Language Title
Chinese Cantonese Z純晶 Z-Sèuhnjīng
Mandarin Z純晶 / Z纯晶 Z-Chúnjīng
  Czech Z-krystal
  Danish Z-krystal
  Dutch Z-Kristal*
Z-Crystal*
Z-kristal*
  Finnish Z-kristalli
  French Cristaux Z
  German Z-Kristall
  Hebrew קריסטל זי Krystal Zi
  Hungarian Z-Kristály
  Italian Cristallo Z
  Korean Z크리스탈 Z-Crystal
  Norwegian Z-krystall
  Polish Kryształ-Z
  Portuguese Cristal Z
  Russian Кристалл Z Kristall Z
  Spanish Cristal Z
  Swedish Z-kristall

See also



Held items
In-battle effect items
BerriesColored orbsDrivesPower items
Experience-affecting itemsGemsIncenseMega StonesMemoriesPlates
Stat-enhancing itemsType-enhancing itemsZ-Crystals
Out-of-battle effect items
Power itemsIncenseMailScarves


  This item article is part of Project ItemDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on all items.