Gengar, known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Designed by Game Freak, their name is is both the singular and plural name of the species. First appearing in Pokémon Red and Blue, they later appeared in subsequent sequels, spin-off games, related merchandise, and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise. In animated appearances, Haunter are voiced in Japanese by Kōichi Sakaguchi and in English localizations by Ted Lewis.
Gengar has been well-received by the media, noted as popular with older male children and praised for its appearance. Groups such as IGN and Official Nintendo Magazine have praised its abilities and style, with both naming it one of the series' best characters.
Design and characteristics
Unlike other Pokémon in the series, Gengar originally appeared in the manga
Capsule Monsters, an early concept by
Satoshi Tajiri which evolved into the basis for the
Pokémon franchise. During development of
Pocket Monsters games
Red and
Green, which were localized outside of Japan as
Pokémon Red and Blue, Game Freak illustrator
Ken Sugimori adapted the character concept for the games. Called "Gangar" in Japanese, Nintendo decided to give the various Pokémon species "clever and descriptive names" related to their appearance or features when translating the game for western audiences as a means to make the characters more relatable to American children. Originally intending to call the species "
Phantom", due to an existing trademark for
a character with the same name they adapted its Japanese name for the English language instead.
Known as the Shadow Pokémon, Gengar is a dark-purple Pokémon with a roundish body. Gengar's hands now connect to the rest of its body and it now has a pair of legs. Gengar has a spike-covered back. Upon evolution, Gengar's eyes are now red. Its mouth is usually curled into a sinister grin. Gengar steals the heat from the area around it; its presence cools the temperature of the surrounding area by nearly 10°F.
Gengar, very mischievous and sometime malicious creatures, live in shadows of rooms, caves, and dark places where shadows form, especially in urban areas such as cities and back alleys but only during the night. They enjoy playing practical jokes, such as pretending to be one's shadow and then behaving erratically. When the quarry notices, the Gengar takes delight in its victim's terror. Gengar have the ability to lay curses on their foe, , and it is said to steal the lives of those who become lost in mountains by overtaking the prey's shadow and silently waiting for an opportunity.
Appearences
In video games
Gengar's
Pokémon series debut was in
Pokémon Red and Blue, where it is only obtainable by
evolving Haunter by
trading it. Haunter later appeared in several sequels, including
Pokémon Gold and Silver,
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen,
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, and
Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver. Notable trainers that use Gengar are
Agatha of the Kanto
Elite Four,
Morty, Gym Leader of Ecruteak City Gym, and
Fantina, Gym Leader of Hearthome City Gym.
Outside of the main series, Gengar has appeared in the Pokémon Ranger games. In , Gengar is the main antagonist, and the leader of Team Meanies, which includes an Ekans and Medicham. Gengar spends much of the game causing trouble, even convincing the village to exile the hero, blaming him or her for the natural disasters. However, it is later revealed that Gengar is the cursed human that the plot mentions.
In anime
In the
anime, Gengar made its first appearance in the opening of the first episode, "
Pokémon, I Choose You!", where it and a
Nidorino battled in a Colosseum on television, a scene that mimicked the intro of
Pokémon Blue.
Ash first saw a Gengar in person in Lavender Town in "The Tower of Terror" while searching for a Ghost-type Pokémon to with which fight
Sabrina, the Saffron City gym leader specializing in Psychic-types. Due to a close call, Ash spent some unexpected time with the ghostly trio,
Gastly,
Haunter, and Gengar. It, along with Haunter, seemed to have a fondness for Japanese
stand-up, and unsuccessfully attempted to amuse Ash by acting as a pair of performers. In "The Ancient Puzzle of Pokémopolis", a giant Gengar was awakened where it battled an equally large
Alakazam.
Drake of the Orange Islands used a Gengar in his battle with Ash in "Hello, Pummelo!" and "Enter The Dragonite." A Gengar appeared under the ownership of Ecruteak City Gym Leader
Morty in "A Ghost Of A Chance", "From Ghost to Ghost", and "For Ho-Oh the Bells Toll!".
Agatha used a Gengar to battle Ash's
Pikachu in "The Scheme Team"; her Gengar actually defeated the electric mouse Pokémon.
In other media
In the
Pokémon Adventures manga, Agatha has two Gengar on her team. One of them was used to attack
Blue and
Koga from the shadows, draining the latter's life force as it possessed his shadow. Another Gengar was seen at the beginning of the FireRed and LeafGreen saga in Volume 23. It was used by a kid from Pallet Town in an attempt to capture a
Nidorino, replicating the opening sequence of
Pokémon Red and Blue.
Promotion and reception
The book
Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon cited Gengar as popular with older male children who tend to be drawn to "tough or scary" characters. It was described by
Time as having a "devilishly cute smile, horns to match and a crocodile spine".
GamesRadar described the species along with its two pre-evolutions as the "most famous" of Ghost-type Pokémon, calling all three "highly useful". They further stated that Gengar's own combined with his overall design made it "extremely desirable".
Official Nintendo Magazine named Gengar one of the ten best Pokémon in the game as of 2010, stating that people "either love Gengar or hate it" and that with the proper abilities could be very effective. In a later reader-based poll, it placed ninth as one of the best ghost characters in a Nintendo game, which the magazine attributed to its appearance and design.
IGN called Gengar the best Ghost type Pokémon in
Red and
Blue, and also praised its appearance, citing a resemblance to Nekobus from
My Neighbor Totoro.
References
External links
Official Pokémon website
Gengar on Bulbapedia
Category:1996 introductions
Category:Fictional ghosts
Category:Fictional characters who can turn intangible
Category:Fictional characters who have mental powers
Category:Pokémon species
