Unown

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Unown
Unown
National
Misdreavus - Unown (#201) - Wobbuffet
Johto
Gengar - Unown (#061) - Onix
Sinnoh
Snorlax - Unown (#114) - Riolu
Japanese name アンノーン Annōn
Stage Basic
Evolves from None
Evolves to None
Generation Second
Species Symbol Pokémon
Type Psychic
Height 1 ft 8 in (0.50 m)
Weight 11.0 lb (5.0 kg)
Ability Levitate

Unown (アンノーン Annōn ?) is one of the 493 fictional species of Pokémon from the Pokémon Franchise – a series of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri.

The purpose of Unown in the games, anime, and manga, as with all other Pokémon, is to battle both wild Pokémon, untamed creatures encountered while the player passes through various environments, and tamed Pokémon owned by Pokémon trainers.[1] Each individual Unown is a floating hieroglyphic symbol, comprised of a shiny black substance. The configuration of their bodies varies between each individual, totaling 28 different shapes. Twenty-six variations resemble the letters of the English alphabet, while the final two are shaped like a question mark (?) and an exclamation point (!). Despite their different bodies, all Unown have only one large flat eye.

The name Unown is an intentional misspelling of unknown (meaning "not known"). The Japanese version of its name, Annōn, is pronounced similarly to the English version.

Contents

[edit] Characteristics

Pokédex data states that Unown spend most of their time sticking to walls in ancient ruins. The variety of their shapes suggests the variety of their abilities. In fact, all Unown have only one move, called Hidden Power, which can be of a different type depending on the IV's (Individual Values) of a Pokémon. The Pokédex also states some sort of causal relationship between Unown and ancient hieroglyphic writings. [2]

Information from their anime and movie appearances suggest that Unown are Pokémon which appear only in mysterious locations, and are never seen without the presence of other Unown in the area. What is known about these beings is that they have the amazing ability to create new realities and dimensions with their particular brand of psychic powers. They appear to have synchronized minds as well. Sometimes a swarm of them appear and act in perfect unison to create psychic effects beyond the imagination, including projecting illusionary beings such as other Pokémon that seem genuinely corporeal to the touch.

In Pokémon 3: Spell of the Unown, one of the characters, Professor Hale, is thrown into an another dimension with many Unown circling around him. Because Unown are so rare elsewhere in the Pokémon world, it is supposed that this is their true home. Their psychic power allows them to tap directly into people's and Pokémon's minds, observing and planting memories and experiences.

[edit] In the video games

All 28 different types of Unown.
Enlarge
All 28 different types of Unown.

Introduced in Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, each of the initial 26 variations of Unown represented the 26 letters of the English alphabet. Each one was in a shape that was at least vaguely similar to each letter.

To show which varieties of Unown the player has caught, an "Unown Mode" (sometimes referred to as the "Unowndex") can be added to the Pokédex in the Gold, Silver, and Crystal versions. This mode assigns to each Unown a verb beginning with the letter it resembles; F-shaped Unown, for example, are associated with the word "Find."

The verbs associated with the original 26 Unown are as follows: Angry, Bear, Chase, Direct, Engage, Find, Give, Help, Increase, Join, Keep, Laugh, Make, Nuzzle, Observe, Perform, Quicken, Reassure, Search, Tell, Undo, Vanish, Want, Xxxxx, Yield, and Zoom.

These Pokémon were originally only catchable in the Ruins of Alph, a mysterious archeological site in Johto which only became more mysterious with the addition of many hidden secret chambers in Pokémon Crystal. They also cause interference on the in-game radio, noticeable only in the Ruins of Alph on Frequency 13.5.

Upon catching all 26 in Pokémon Gold or Silver, any player who owned a Game Boy Printer earned the ability to type in an Unown typeface and then print it onto special paper with the Game Boy Printer.

In terms of battling prowess, though, Unown are purely novelty. All their stats are below average, and they wield only one attack: Hidden Power, which varies between each Unown dependent on their IV's (Individual Values) in element. Unown are essentially meant to be a Pokémon to treat as a whole sub-class of Pokémon to catch on its own.

In each chamber except the Unown Shrine is a sliding panel puzzle, plus at the back of each chamber is a strange place where there are Unown words. The Unown words are: "Light"—use Flash, "Water"—re-enter with a Water Stone in bag, "Escape"—use an Escape Rope then re-enter the room, and "Ho-oh"—place Ho-oh at the front of the party. Once one has done all of that whether or not one does the sliding puzzle to form either Ho-oh, Omanyte, Aerodactyl, or Kabuto, one will open a new chamber where there are four items to collect. Once one opens up the chambers one can fall down the hole to read a message written in Unown font on the floor, which some believe explains why they are chasing Suicine in the Introduction. The translated text reads:

Our words shall remain here for the ages.
Thus we shall erect a Pokemon statue outside.
They possess great insight and refuse the outside world.
We humans must learn to walk in harmony with them.
We depart for their sakes.

This can mean that the Unown, with their ability to stick to walls, will remain in the Ruins for eternity and the Pokemon statue may refer to the actual pokemon, as "they possess great insight and refuse the outside world." And also, the Unown also reside in their habitat the Ruins.

Also, if someone were to play Crystal version and pull the cartridge out, one would see Unowns for a second.

[edit] The new varieties

In Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, two brand new variations of Unown were introduced but remained uncatchable in the game. They are, however, catchable in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. The two new variations represent an exclamation point (!) and a question mark (?). Both of these variations are extremely rare. It is also noted that both have their eyes only half open.

All 28 varieties are catchable in Tanoby Ruins (located on Seven Island in the Sevii Islands) in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen.

In the DS game, Pokémon Trozei, all 28 varieties of Unown are available to add to the Trozei list. Because the Trozei list uses National Pokédex numbering, this means that when viewing the list, there are 28 slots listed as No. 201. Different varieties of Unown are encountered in different places in the game, and each one counts as a separate Pokémon towards the Trozei List percentage, so in order to receive credit for getting every type of Pokémon you have to get one of every type of Unown (as opposed to Pokémon RPGs where one must only get one Unown to have Unown registered in the Pokédex). This technically brings the count of available Pokémon in Pokémon Trozei to 413, rather than 386, since different types of Unown cannot match with each other.

[edit] Super Smash Bros. Melee information

Unown is one of the Pokémon that the Poké Ball item can unleash in Super Smash Bros. Melee. In Super Smash Brothers Melee, the newly released Unown flies to one side of the screen. If lucky enough, it will come in contact with a player, doing potentially fatal damage. Then from that side of the screen, Unown swarm together and attack at a random angle. They don't do much damage, and they don't hit the opponent very far, but about 40 to 50 appear, making the opponent prone to multiple hits. On contact, an Unown sends an opponent directly upwards. A different Unown appears each time, but the exclamation point (!) and question mark (?) Unown are not in the game (as Melee was released before the Ruby, Sapphire, FireRed and LeafGreen versions). This attack is quite similar to the effect of Beedrill or Onix being summoned from a Poké Ball in Super Smash Bros..

[edit] In the anime

Unown is featured in Pokémon the Movie 3: Spell of the Unown as well as in the TV episode "Address Unown". In the movie, the Unown as well as an Entei befriend a young girl, leading to them granting all of the girl's wishes. In the girl's case, turning the town she lives in into crystal. Ash and friends convince the girl that Entei is not her true father, since her father was lost on an archeological dig in an Unown temple. The Unown, overpowered by the girl's current thoughts, became unable to control their powers and the country, possibly the world, was facing crystallisation. Entei saves them all by attacking the Unown, sending them all back to their dimension. The Unown 'sing' a toneless 'song' consisting, of course, of their own name.

Unown was also featured in Pokémon: Master Quest, in the episode Address Unown. In it, an ill and sick Unown fell out of the sky but quickly recovered thanks to Larvitar. Unown decides to return its kindness by showing Ash and his friends why Larvitar doesn't open up to people.

[edit] Trading Card Game

The complete set of Unown (at the time they were printed) have appeared twice over the course of the Trading Card Game's history. The first were distributed among the three consecutive sets Neo Discovery, Neo Revelation, and Neo Destiny, as well as some Promo cards released between these sets. All ran on a weak attack called Hidden Power, but each one had a different Pokémon Power that would affect the game in a way related to the word it was associated with. For example, Unown J, associated with the word "Join," could summon other Pokémon into play. The Unown's Pokémon Powers usually only effected other Unowns. For example, Unown B can move damage counters from another Pokémon to itself, but only if the damage is moved from another Unown, and Unown X, interpretting the letter as ×, multiplies the effectivness of Hidden Power. Although they are technically different cards, only 4 Unown total are allowed per deck. Because these were released during the Johto era, they did not yet include Unown ! or Unown ?.

[edit] References

Publications
  • Barbo, Maria. The Official Pokémon Handbook. Scholastic Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-439-15404-9.
  • 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 FireRed Version & Pokémon LeafGreen Version Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., August 2004. ISBN 1-930206-50-X
  • Mylonas, Eric. Pokémon Pokédex Collector’s Edition: Prima’s Official Pokémon Guide. Prima Games, September 21 2004. ISBN 0-7615-4761-4
  • Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Emerald Version Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., April 2005. ISBN 1-930206-58-5

[edit] External links

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