Poké Ball
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In the fictional world of the Pokémon video games and anime television series, a Poké Ball (モンスターボール Monsutābōru?, Monster Ball) is a spherical device used by Pokémon Trainers to capture new Pokémon and store them when they are not in use. The Poké Ball is also the symbol that represents Pokémon, and it can easily be found on Pokémon-themed products.
[edit] Basic information
[edit] Design
A Poké Ball is a small pocketable sphere, with a red top and white bottom. It can change from the travel-friendly golf ball size that attaches to its owner's belt or fits in their bag, to a softball size more appropriate for the necessary throwing, by pressing a small white button located between the two halves. Despite the Poké Ball's small size, it can contain Pokémon longer than 40 ft 0 in (12.19 m) and weighing more than 2000 lb (909 kg) (the largest sizes for Pokémon to date).
Inside, the Poké Ball features many of what appear to be mirror panels. The inside of a Poké Ball is supposedly designed to make the Pokémon feel as comfortable as possible while inside it. While never fully explained in the anime, manga or core video games, Super Smash Bros. Melee states that this is done by creating a holographic environment that suits the Pokémon. However, the anime has shown examples of Pokémon that do not like being in their Poké Balls. Most notable would be Ash's Pikachu. In the first episode of the series when Ash tries to get his Pikachu to go into the ball, it refuses. Ash says that Pikachu should go in because that's what all Pokémon are expected to do, having his Pokédex state this for confirmation. However, Pikachu presses another button on the Pokédex to give more information on the subject and it is revealed that some Pokémon do not like feeling confined.
[edit] Functions
- Capturing
In the Pokémon world, scientists have been using various, highly developed techniques of converting mass into energy and back for years. The Poké Ball is a genuine example of the practice of this technique. When a Poké Ball is thrown at a Pokémon and comes into contact with it, the ball flips open. In the anime, the button on the pokéball must touch the pokémon in order for it to be captured. The ball converts the Pokémon into pure energy, which shows up as a bulk of dim red light, and sucks it inside. The ball closes automatically after this process. The Pokémon will likely struggle, trying to break free. If the Pokémon has been sufficiently weakened in battle and/or the Poké Ball model is sufficiently strong, the Pokémon is captured and henceforth can only be stored in that Poké Ball. If the Pokémon breaks free, the Poké Ball is destroyed/used up in the games or, in the case of the television series, rebounds to the trainer and can presumably be used again.
Humans can not be caught with Poké Balls, though being hit by a pokeball's return beam will paralyze them, but inanimate objects that are small enough such as doughnuts, rocks, etc. can be caught in a Poké Ball; this device was used to humorous effect in an early episode in the animé. However it has not been mentioned again.
- Storing
The conversion of a Pokémon into energy when inside a Poké Ball explains how some Pokémon can be many times the Trainer's height and weight, yet still fit in a Poké Ball and not make the Poké Ball any heavier. Nevertheless, it seems that a Pokémon inside a Poké Ball still maintains some kind of awareness, another state of consciousness, as many trainers been shown giving orders to their Pokémon before they have emerged from the Ball. Some Pokémon, most famously Ash Ketchum's Pikachu, dislike staying in Poké Balls, because they would feel trapped in it. A few Pokémon can even emerge from their Poké Balls by themselves. Interestingly, those Pokémon are often of the Psychic type or have psychic abilities, like Wobbuffet or Psyduck respectively.
Storing the Poké Balls themselves, with or without Pokémon in them, involves using a PC. The PC itself is actually used as the storage device. In the game and the anime, whenever an official Trainer has six Poké Balls containing Pokémon with him or her, additional captured Pokémon and their Poké Balls are immediately teleported automatically to their registered Pokémon Computer Storage System. In the anime, Brock explains that the Pokédex is the mechanism keeping track of a trainer's Pokémon and is responsible for the instantaneous storage of new Pokémon caught past the six. How this transport system technically works is not specifically explained, but it is assumed that it uses the same matter-energy technology present in the Poké Balls themselves.
Not only Pokémon can be "energized", practically any item, no matter how heavy, can be converted into energy and back. This makes Poké Balls practical in the storage of some of a trainer's items, though this may be a waste when compared to the opportunity to have another shot at capturing a Pokémon, as they cannot be reused to capture something else. In the anime, a Poké Ball was wasted when it captured a rice ball (or doughnut due to cultural localization during translation). In the games, many items are found in Poké Balls. When picked up, these balls are not added to one's current stock of usable Poké Balls, since they have been used already to capture those items. Like the Pokémon Computer Storage System, one's items can be transported to and from a properly equipped PC, and it is an important part of the gameplay.
In power plants, the Poké Ball may turn out to be a Voltorb or Electrode in disguise, attacking Trainers when picked up. In Pokémon Colosseum, items are found in containers designed to look like Poké Balls. These differ not only in shape but also in the fact that they are able to contain multiple items.
[edit] Origin
Kurt, an NPC from Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal who is referred to as an expert or "Poké Ball master" in the game and anime, explains that Poké Balls were originally made by fitting a special device in a hollowed-out Apricorn, but later began being made of synthetic materials.
Various anime episodes and movie titles either contradict this history, or expand upon it. In Pokémon 4 Ever, which is partially set in the past, one of the characters uses a non-synthetic Poké Ball which neither looks like, nor functions like and of Kurt's Apricorn Balls. It is opened by unscrewing the disproportionate top. The anime episodes (which included a paralled history of Poké Balls in an episode with Kurt titled Goin' Apricorn) rather than discredit the orgins revealed in the video games, tend to focus on ancient civilizations and the ways that they dealt with Pokémon capture. However, even these episodes can contradict eachother, some devices closely resembling the modern synthetic balls, while others do not. In the anime episode The Ancient Puzzle of Pokémopolis giant ancient Pokémon appear to have been stored in simple stone talismans. Specifically a giant Alakazam comes out of an ancient spoon and returns back to it in a manner very similar to Poké Balls. Contrarily, in the episode Claydol Big and Tall, a giant Claydol was contained within a similarly giant-sized ancient stone Poké Ball.
[edit] Varieties of Poké Balls
In the original games (Red, Blue, and Yellow) and in the first Kanto arc of the anime, there was the basic set of four Poké Balls. The only variance among them was in their effectiveness at capturing Pokémon. Over time, specialized Poké Balls were created for various purposes (i.e. to facilitate capturing Pokémon of a species that the trainer already owned). The anime, becoming more in sync with the games, mirrored this and occasionally showcased trainers in possession of these more unique balls.
[edit] Kanto's Original Poké Balls
The four basic Poké Balls (Poké Ball, Great Ball, Ultra Ball, and Master Ball) were first introduced in Pokémon Red and Blue and have remained a part of the game ever since. Each ball is more effective than the one preceding it with the Master Ball being able to catch any wild Pokémon without fail. Besides the basic balls used throughout the game, most of the games (with the exception of the second generation) also featured a Safari Ball for use in a special Pokémon catching game played in the Safari Zone. This location featured several Pokémon that could not be found anywhere else.
In the anime, most trainers only ever use the regular Poké Ball. The only time another type of the basic four is seen is in episode #351, Whiscash and Ash, in which a self-proclaimed "Legendary Fisherman" tries to capture the titular Whiscash with a Master Ball. He ironically fails when the Whiscash swallows the ball after it's thrown. However, in a later episode, Munchlax eats the Poké Ball thrown at it, but is then captured from the inside-out.
The anime mimics the GB Color games with the inclusion of the Safari Zone, Ash only managing to capture several Tauros.
Unique Poké Balls include those owned by Richie who uses star-shaped stickers to aid in identification, and Pikachu's which has a lightning bolt symbol engraved near the top.
[edit] Master Ball
The Master Ball item itself has gained further notoriety beyond that of the other Poké Balls due to it constant focus as an exploitable item. Because it is so powerful in the gameplay, the original games only offered one Master Ball to trainers. However, in the games Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald a Master Ball can be won at the lottery. In subsequent games various side-quests and random events were occasionally introduced to allow players a chance at getting additional Master Balls. Due to this restriction, several glitches that were useful for any variety of items came to be referred to as "The Master Ball Glitch" or "The Master Ball Duplication Trick."
[edit] Johto's Apricorn Poké Balls
The Apricorn Balls were later introduced in Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal and have remained exclusive to those three titles. Unlike other Poké Balls which must be found or bought, Apricorn Balls are obtained for free. Trainers find different colored Apricorns on trees and give them to Kurt at his house in Azalea Town. After a real-world day, the player can return to Kurt's house to receive a special kind of Poké Ball. The different types depend on the color of the Apricorn. The Poké Balls were the first to have their effectiveness based on more than damage and status. The balls' abilities were influenced by a wide variety of things: for example, if the player encountered a Pokémon of a lower level (lower than the trainer's Pokémon battling it) the Level Ball would become stronger, or the Moon Ball would be more effective against Pokémon that evolve using the Moonstone item. The Friend Ball and Love Ball shared a similarity in that they were both created to exploit new features of the second generation games (friendship and gender, respectively), however the Friend Ball was unique in that it was the only one not any more or less effective than a regular Poké Ball. Instead it made the Pokémon captured with it start off more tame, a key element to the evolution of certain Pokémon and the use of certain attacks.
The Johto games were also the first to offer a history for Poké Balls, explaining that before the creation of synthetic materials people in the Pokémon universe used Apricorns. This fictional history maintained its continuity with the concurrent anime in which the main characters hear the same story from the same Poké Ball creator, Kurt.
Through the course of a few episodes, the trainers learn about the various Apricorn Balls available and are each given a Fast Ball in addition to one other type of their choosing. Fast Balls are used to catch Pokémon that try to escape quickly, and Brock uses his to catch a Pineco in Goin' Apricorn (#145). Ash and Misty each receive Lure Balls, a type of ball that makes catching Water-type Pokémon easier. They try to use theirs at the same time when capturing a Totodile in The Totodile Duel (#153) and since they cannot determine whose ball actually caught it, they have a battle, with Ash as the winner. Misty later uses the leftover Lure Ball in The Corsola Caper (#215) to capture the pink "coral Pokémon". These rare balls don't make an appearance again until the Advanced Generation series in episode #341, Gulpin it Down. In this episode both a Gulpin and Ash's Treecko become giant sized in a freak accident and stage a Godzilla-esque battle which the Treecko wins. While the Gulpin is recuperating, the scientist responsible for the accident uses a Heavy Ball to capture it. Heavy Balls work more effectively the heavier the Pokémon is, so in this case it was the perfect choice.
[edit] Park Ball
Besides the Apricorn Balls, a minor, single-use ball was introduced as the Park Ball. The Park Ball was used in the Bug Catching Contest of GSC and while the game was much more elaborate than the Safari Zone game, the ball itself, like the Safari Ball, was about as effective as a Great Ball.
The Park Ball will be making a reappearance for use in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. They will be used in a capture game that allows players to acquire Pokémon they previously owned on the Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed, and LeafGreen game cartridges. It has been stated though that this Park Ball will have a 100% capture rate.
In the anime episode, The Bug Stops Here (#163), the Bug Catching Contest is played out according to the same rules in the GSC video games. Ash ultimately catches a Beedrill and wins the contest, but gives it to his friend Casey who happened to have entered the contest as well. In addition to mirroring the Park Ball, the anime built upon the idea of contest-specific balls and in an episode entitled Hook, Line, and Stinker introduced the Lake Ball which were given to Misty and Ash for use in a Seaking-catching contest.
[edit] Hoenn's Poké Balls
When Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire were released, it was revealed that they did not support the Apricorn feature of the previous games. Instead, many of the balls were either replaced with purchasable facsimiles, or completely removed (e.g. the Heavy Ball). Hoenn also introduced two new-concept Poké Balls, the Timer Ball and the Repeat Ball - capable of increasing in effectiveness depending on length of battle or whether the trainer has already caught that type of Pokémon, respectively. Instead of strict duplication like that seen with the Level Ball and its newer counterpart, the Nest Ball, developers expanded upon the Lure Ball and even created a second specialized version to capitalize on one of their new concepts (much like the Love Ball and Friend Ball from before). The new Net Ball was created to replace the Lure Ball, and expanded its capabilities by proving more effective not only when the player has caught a Pokémon by fishing, but when they encounter any Water-type, or even Bug-type Pokémon. The similar ball, the Dive Ball, exploited the new ability to dive underwater by making Pokémon found "on the ocean floor" more susceptible. Coincidentally, these currently only include Water-type Pokémon.
Two unique balls are the Luxury Ball and the Premier Ball. Both are colored very differently than other varieties - the norm being a variance on the top half of the ball only, as seen with the Master Ball and Apricorn Balls. The Luxury Ball is almost completely black with a gold band in the center, conversely the Premier Ball is completely white with a red band in the center. Neither of these balls are any more or less effective than a regular Poké Ball; while the Luxury Ball is the Hoenn counterpart to Johto's Friend Ball, the Premier Ball has the distinction of always being given away freely by mass purchasing basic Poké Balls (more than 10).
[edit] Sinnoh Poké Balls
The newest games in the series, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, have introduced their own new variations. Most notable are the Dark Ball, which work better in dark areas and the Heal Ball, due to the fact they were part of limited pre-release information. The Heal Ball is unique like the Friend Ball (and its counterpart the Luxury Ball), in that while no more effective at catching certain Pokémon, it improves the Pokémon inside - in this case it restores HP. It also has a new Premier Ball, the Precious Ball, and the Quick Ball, which works better in the first five turns.
[edit] Other Poké Balls
Poké Balls become so iconic and symbolic in the Pokémon universe itself, that they infiltrate various aspects of the anime, manga, and trading card games - manifesting themselves as symbols of capture and control.
Examples of this symbolic use include Team Rocket using various devices in the shape of Poké Balls that were designed to capture Pokémon or other things through unconventional means - often in the form of dispensing a net, or being connected to a large vacuum hose [1]. In the first Pokémon movie, Mewtwo Strikes Back, the titular character, Mewtwo, creates his own sort of black Poké Ball. These balls do not follow the same guidelines as others, allowing the capture of trainer-owned Pokémon, even those that are still within their own Poké Balls. In another Pokémon movie, a little girl named Molly creates a crystal version of the Poké Ball with psychic power borrowed from Unown. She uses this crystal Poké Ball to release crystal Pokémon into battle.
In addition, several Poké Balls are shown augmented in some way to show their association with a particular group or purpose. Examples include Nurse Joy using a Poké Ball that vaguely resembles Chansey (the Pokémon most often seen running about Pokémon Centers in the anime), Team Rocket using name-branded balls in the movie Mewtwo Returns, and the Pokémon trading card game featuring various Poké Ball cards that are associated with Team Aqua, Team Magma, or the aforementioned Team Rocket.
The Poké Ball has even been subjected to gold-plating throughout its history in the anime. The most notable example being the beginning of a running gag which involved a salesman selling a gold-plated Poké Ball to James. James is conned into thinking the Poké Ball is pure gold and spends the team's entire advanced salaries to make the purchase. A fake golden Poké Ball is used again in The Ribbon Cup Caper when Officer Jenny spray paints a regular Poké Ball in order to catch a criminal.
There are various Poké Balls that are of special interest. Some are found in the core video games, but are utilized in such specific ways that they do not fall into the normal categories. Others are found in the multitude of minor Pokémon games like Pokémon Trozei! and Pokémon Snap.
[edit] GS Ball
In the Japanese version of Pokémon Crystal, the GS Ball (G and S probably stands for Gold and Silver) is obtainable as a key item. It is obtained after using the mobile phone hook-up feature that was not made available US versions. A day after it has been delivered to Kurt, he returns it to the player and directs them to a restless Ilex Forest. Once the GS Ball is placed in the forest's shrine, Celebi appears and the player has a chance to capture it.
In the television series, Ash obtains the GS Ball from a Pokémon researcher, Professor Ivy in the Orange Islands. He is instructed to deliver the ball to his hometown's own researcher, Professor Oak. The GS Ball is a great puzzle. It cannot be opened or teleported and no-one can tell whether it has a Pokémon inside. After Professor Oak is in turn unable to figure out the GS Ball, Ash journeys to Johto and delivers it to Kurt, the Poké Ball master, in whose care it apparently remains. While the GS Ball appeared to play an important role throughout the series - several random scenes were shown throughout various episodes of Ash studying it, trying to figure out its origin - the GS Ball turned out to be apparently little more than a meaningless plot device; the thread was completely dropped despite allusions in its final episode that more information was to be revealed.
[edit] Various Poké Balls
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| Name | Notes |
|---|---|
| Dark Ball | Used in the movie Pokémon 4 Ever by the villain, Vicious. Pokémon captured inside this Poké Ball emerge with a sinister personality fit for Team Rocket's criminal deeds. Pokémon can fight against powers of this ball even after being captured. If the Pokémon succeeds, the ball will be destroyed. It is not related to the ball used to make Shadow Pokémon in Pokémon Colosseum. |
| Snag Ball | Only used in Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD, it is not its own type of ball. It is a modified ball allowing capture of other Trainers' Pokémon. While the device that makes them was created for nefarious deeds, the game only allows players to use the Snag Balls on the corrupted Shadow Pokémon in order to later make them normal Pokémon again. |
| Pester Ball | In Pokémon Snap, these balls are not for capturing Pokémon, but flushing them out into the open with a purple gas called "Repel". |
| Jammer Balls | In Trozei, the Phobos use these balls to try to block the player from Trozeing Pokémon. You can only get rid of one by lining it up with Ditto. |
| Giant Ball | This is a Giant pokéball in the Pokémon manga comics were it is said to capture the giant Haunter that was destroying Saffron City. |
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Serebii.net episode guide: Bye-Bye Butterfree. Retrieved on 2006-12-03.
- The following games and their instruction manuals: Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue; Pokémon Yellow; Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal; Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald; Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen; Pokémon Snap
- Publications
- Barbo, Maria. The Official Pokémon Handbook. Scholastic Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0439154049
- Loe, Casey, ed. Pokémon Special Pikachu Edition Official Perfect Guide. Sunnydale, CA: Empire 21 Publishing, 1999. ISBN 1-930206-15-1
- Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Snap Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., 1999. ASIN B000CDZP9G
- Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Ruby Version & Sapphire Version Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., 2003. ISBN 1930206313
- Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon FireRed & Pokémon LeafGreen Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., August 2004. ISBN 193020650X
- Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Emerald Version Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., April 2005. ISBN 1930206585
