Xerneas and Yveltal

Xerneas (ゼルネアス, Xerneas), and Yveltal (イベルタル, Yveltal) are two legendary Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise, debuting as the version mascots in the 2013 Nintendo 3DS games Pokémon X and Y. Both creatures were jointly designed by Ken Sugimori and Atsuko Nishida over a period of 18 months. Their designs draw inspiration from Norse mythology and are based on the shapes "X" and "Y". Known as the Life and Destruction Pokémon, respectively, Xerneas and Yveltal are powerful creatures said to have shaped the history of the Pokémon world. Xerneas and Yveltal appeared in many other games and media since their debut. Both Pokémon received praised for their design, particularly Xerneas which is considered by some to be among the most well-designed in the franchise.

Concept and characteristics

Development of Pokémon X and Y began in 2010, and the games were released worldwide on October 12, 2013.^[1][2] The titles X and Y, representing the x-axis and y-axis—also reflecting different forms of thinking^[3]—were chosen early in development.^[4] At the request of game director Junichi Masuda,^[3] the shapes "X" and "Y" were used as the framework for the boxart legendary Pokémon: Xernas and Yveltal.^[4] Following tradition that began with Red and Green, Ken Sugimori was tasked with designing these two legendary Pokémon. Normally, Sugimori designs the legendary Pokémon by himself; however, he suffered from artist's block and required assistance from designer Atsuko Nishida to create Xerneas and Yveltal.^[5] Finalization of their designs took about 18 months, 3 times longer than normal.^[6]

Xerneas is a large stag-like Pokémon adorned with glowing antlers and Yveltal is a large y-shaped bird.^[7] Part of a Legendary trio alongside Zygarde, the designs of Xerneas and Yveltal are rooted in Norse Mythology. Xerneas traces to the Eikþyrnir, a stag that stands atop Valhalla, while Yveltal is inspired by the Hræsvelgr, a giant eagle able to make the wind blow by flapping its wings.^[8] Some fans speculate that the two Pokémon also draw inspiration from the three layers of an organism in biology: neurons (Xerneas), blood vessels and muscles (Yveltal), and endodermal tissue (Zygarde). When asked about this theory by Kotaku, J.C. Smith of The Pokémon Company International stated he personally did not know if it was true but called the idea "fascinating and well thought out".^[9]

Canonically, the Xerneas and Yveltal represent eternity and destruction, respectively. The former can grace beings with eternal life while the last is capable of absorbing life energy.^[10][11][12] Xerneas donned the newly introduced Fairy-type and a new ability called Fairy Aura, which raises the power of all Fairy-type attacks in-battle. Yveltal is a dual Dark- and Flying-type with the unique ability Dark Aura which has the same effect as Xerneas' ability but for Dark-type attacks. Additionally, both Pokémon have unique attacks: Geomancy^{[note 1]} for Xerneas and Oblivion Wing^{[note 2]} for Yveltal.

Appearances

In video games

Within the main series games, Xerneas and Yveltal are only available in X and Y, respectively, as of the release of Sun and Moon in November 2016. They serve a pivotal role in the games' story, providing the energy necessary for Team Flare to power their super weapon as well as ultimately being the reason for the villainous team's downfall. They must be caught for the story to progress and can only be encountered once. From May 11 to 17, 2016, a shiny Xerneas was distributed via Wi-Fi to players using X, Y, OmegaRuby, and AlphaSapphire. An identical distribution of a shiny Yveltal took place the following week from May 20 to 28.^[15]

Yveltal appears as one of the primary antagonists in Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon, turning numerous characters to stone while under control of the primary antagonist "Dark Matter". During the story's climax, Yveltal itself is turned to stone by Dark Matter before being saved by the player character. After Dark Matter is defeated, Xerneas appears from the "Tree of Life" and enables to player to evolve any party member. Yveltal is able to join the player's team once they achieve Grand Master Rank. Xerneas and Yveltal also appear in multiple other spinoff titles, including Pokémon Art Academy, Pokémon Rumble World, Pokémon Battle Trozei, Pokémon Shuffle, and Pokémon Picross. Yveltal is featured in the 2015 fighting game Pokkén Tournament as an assist character that can temporarily stop the player's opponent from using their Synergy Gauge.^[16] The 2016 mobile strategy game Pokémon Duel features both as EX-level figures. Additionally, Xerneas appears as an assist character and trophy Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. Yveltal has a cameo appearance in both the 3DS and Wii U versions of the game, sometimes showing up in the background of the Prism Tower stage.

Other media

Both Xerneas and Yveltal appeared in the seventeenth Pokémon movie: Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction and its manga adaptation.^[17] They also made minor appearances in the Pokémon: XY anime,^[18][19] and Yveltal further appeared briefly in Pokémon Generations.^[20] The two legendary Pokémon reprise their role from X and Y in the Pokémon Adventures manga during the X & Y chapter. They also made minor appearances in the Let's Play the Pokémon Card Game XY! manga. Furthermore, both appear on multiple cards in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

Promotion and reception

Xerneas and Yveltal were revealed on January 8, 2013, as part of the announcement of Pokémon X and Y during a Pokémon Direct broadcast.^[7] Three limited-edition Nintendo 3DS XL bundles were designed for Xerneas and Yveltal, a blue and red one featuring both Pokémon and a gold one featuring Xerneas, Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie.^[21][22] Pre-orders of X and Y in Japan were bundled with miniature figurines of the two legendary Pokémon.^[23] In 2014, three limited edition Nintendo 3DS XL systems featuring Xerneas and Yveltal were distributed at football matches played by Yokohama F. Marinos, Urawa Red Diamonds, and FC Tokyo.^[24]

In an IGN poll with more than 8 million participants, Yveltal ranked as the second-most popular of the then 69 known new Pokémon in X and Y and Xerneas ranked fourth.^[25] In an official poll in Japan, Yveltal ranked twenty-sixth and Xerneas thirty-seventh out of the then-721 Pokémon.^[26] Screen Rant placed Xerneas as the eleventh-best Legendary Pokémon while Yveltal did not make the top 16.^[27] Ben Skipper of the International Business Times praised the designs of the two creatures, calling Xerneas "one of the strongest legendary designs produced to date" and complimented the freshness of Yveltal.^[28] Jay Michael of Gamer Headlines went further and ranked Xerneas as the best designed Pokémon as of the sixth generation, describing it as "cool...and [oozing] class".^[29]

Footnotes

References

External links

• Xerneas on Bulbapedia
• Yveltal on Bulbapedia