Pokémon (universe)

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The Pokémon universe refers to the Super Smash Bros. series' collection of characters, stages, and properties that originate from Nintendo's immensely successful Pokémon media franchise. Pokémon is Nintendo's second most lucrative franchise, reaching only behind Nintendo's Mario franchise in global sales. Thus, a rather large proportion of each Smash Bros. game's primary content is themed after the Pokémon intellectual property, and many of the other eponymous Pokémon creatures have made smaller cameos appearances elsewhere. Counting Pokémon that were featured as part of a prior Smash Bros. game's roster but not as part of a later game's, more Pokémon have been playable characters than most other represented franchises: Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Pichu, Mewtwo, Lucario, Squirtle, Ivysaur, Charizard, and Greninja. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Squirtle, Ivysaur, and Charizard were featured as a set of freely interchangeable combatants collectively represented by the character choice Pokémon Trainer.

Franchise description

Pokémon was introduced in Japan in February 1996 by Nintendo and the recently-founded second-party game developer, Game Freak, as "Pocket Monsters", a Game Boy JRPG that came in slightly-modified Red and Green editions that both made then-original use of the Game Boy's connection cable between separate systems in that, rather than being strictly used for competition, it was additionally used for cooperative data transfer between players. Nintendo did not expect these games to be a large success, even less so in the West than domestically, but the games - branded Pokémon outside of Japan - took both sides of the Pacific by storm and quickly established the series as a blockbuster, multi-billion dollar franchise. The main JRPG series paved the way for a merchandising empire, including an extensive anime continuity, several series of manga, a bestselling trading card game, and video games touching upon many other genres. Pokémon has become the second biggest-selling game-based media franchise of all time,only behind Nintendo's Mario franchise; as of March 2013, cumulative sold units (including home console versions) have reached 245 million copies. As a direct result, Pokémon has been a mainstay in the Nintendo-centric crossover fighting games Super Smash Bros. since the series started in 1999.

In the various incarnations of the Pokémon universe, the world of Pokémon is an Earth-like world inhabited by many species of the eponymous Pokémon creatures which coexist with humans. The Pokémon are colorful, sentient, oftentimes sapient creatures possessing the abilities to perform amazing talents of seemingly every conceivable sort, examples of which are breathing fire, expulsing poisonous smog, summoning rainfall, performing martial arts, using illusion to split up into multiple copies of itself, employing psychokinesis, unleashing paralysis-inducing electricity, etc. Many Pokémon live as wild animals both as predators and prey, while other individual Pokémon are immensely powerful beings that the world's human denizens superstitiously attach a variety of creation myths to, and others still are man-made. Unlike the main RPG series itself, where all Pokémon make animal-like grunts and vocalizations (except for Pikachu in Yellow and the sixth generation), most Pokémon in the anime freely communicate with each other in an exclusive language that consists entirely of them reciting their own species names, but some can communicate in human tongue through telepathy (e.g. Mewtwo), and in extremely rare cases a Pokémon can master the ability to speak the physical human tongue (e.g. a particular Meowth). As of the present "sixth generation", there are at least 719 recognized species of Pokémon, a fair portion of which are known to have multiple, distinctive forms.

The concepts of the Pokémon setting, in whatever incarnation it takes or what kind of media it is depicted in, stem from the hobbies of insect collecting and cockfighting, the former being a popular pastime which Pokémon executive director Satoshi Tajiri had enjoyed as a child. In most depictions of Pokémon, humans of varying interests seek out and capture various and multiple species of Pokémon using specially-designed mass-producible tools called Poké Balls. In most cases, a Pokémon caught from the wild by a human willingly joins up with the human and obeys his or her spoken commands. Some catch and own Pokémon as friendly pets and lifelong companions and do not participate in any competitive activities with them. Others of a less savory nature, such as members of Pokémon crime syndicates such as Team Rocket, capture Pokémon and use them as living tools to advance their evil agendas. Most humans, however, including players of the Pokémon RPGs, take on the occupation of Pokémon training; they catch and collect Pokémon to train them and battle the Pokémon of other trainers in officially-sponsored competitive Pokémon matches. There are never any lasting, bloody wounds or deaths incurred by the creatures involved, and seemingly never any hard feelings between winners and losers.

The two-stage object of most Pokémon RPGs is to collect all of the available Pokémon species in the region where that RPG takes place in, and from them train a winning team of powerful combat Pokémon to defeat the professionally-trained Pokémon teams of that region's strongest trainers. The player's quest always takes him or her across the region to battle eight specialists in Pokémon training, that region's "gym leaders", and once eight commemorative badges have been gathered, the player may then go to the region's Pokémon League and battle an elite group of trainers - that region's Elite Four - and then battle the regional Champion to take the title. These five trainers, which must be battled one-after-the-other with no rest in between, are almost always the game's equivalent to any other RPG's "final boss" challenge. Pokémon captured from the wild with Poké Balls accumulate experience and learn new combat moves by battling many wild Pokémon and challenging other trainer's Pokémon to Pokémon matches, and whenever a Pokémon falls in battle ("knocked out"), it is easy to quickly and completely restore it to health, free of charge, by visiting one of many Pokémon Centers located throughout a region. Many species of Pokémon, when they gain enough experience and regardless of whether they are in the wild or under a trainer's ownership, undergo a metamorphosis and "evolve" into a similar, but larger and more powerful, species of Pokémon. Many of the 719 species belong to such lineages, and therefore many of the species of Pokémon are effectively different stages of what can be said to be several hundred "families" of Pokémon.

The Pokémon franchise's chronology is divided into "generations", each of which is defined by the newest Pokémon that are introduced within the newest pair of handheld Pokémon RPGs. Some generations may have more than one pair of interlinking RPGs, with the second set being released later than the first as a sort of "semi-sequel" to the base set that began that generation, but a new generation and associated set of new Pokemon are released every several years in a new pair of RPGs centered on a new fictional region. There have been five generations that ran their courses and a sixth that is currently underway, and each have introduced many, many dozens of new Pokémon, moves, and characters as well as new and changed mechanics and gameplay concepts:

• In the late 1990's, the First Generation begun the franchise with the Pokémon Red and Green versions in Japan and Pokémon Red and Blue versions internationally both for the Game Boy, with the first 151 Pokémon species and the first-known region of the Pokémon world, the Kanto region. Only this generation was in effect when Super Smash Bros. was developed and released in 1999, so Pokémon, locations, and properties from the first generation are featured in the game.
• In 2000, the Second Generation was heralded by the release of the Pokémon Gold and Silver sequel versions for Game Boy Color, which added 100 new Pokémon to make for a total of 251, along with the new Johto region. In 2001, Super Smash Bros. Melee was developed and released during this generation, so the game features content based on both existing generations at the time.
• In 2003, the Third Generation took effect with the release of the Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire versions for Game Boy Advance, set in the Hoenn region, which added 135 more new Pokémon and raised the total to 386.
• In 2007, the Fourth Generation was ushered in by the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl versions for Nintendo DS, set in the Sinnoh region. It added 107 more new Pokémon, bringing the total to 493 species. Super Smash Bros. Brawl drew content from all four generations of Pokémon released at the time.
• In 2011, the Fifth Generation began with the release of Pokémon Black and White, also for Nintendo DS. Set in the Unova region, it brought in 156 species, the most of any individual Generation, to the game and raised the total to 649.
• In 2013, the Sixth Generation began with the series' first-ever simultaneous worldwide release, Pokémon X and Y for the Nintendo 3DS. Set in the Kalos region, at least 70 new Pokémon were introduced, the fewest of any individual Generation, bringing the grand total to at least 719 recognized Pokémon species - but a brand new "Mega Evolution" mechanic also introduces dozens of all-new, temporary "super-forms" that Pokémon from previous generations may assume during battle. Super Smash Bros. 4 draws content from all six generations of Pokémon released at the time.

In Super Smash Bros.

The Pokémon series' initial incarnation and set of releases were in effect when Super Smash Bros. was released in 1999, so only Pokémon from what is now referred to as the franchise's "First Generation" are featured in the game.

Characters

With two of the twelve playable characters in the game being Pokémon species themselves, the Pokémon franchise ties with the Mario series in having the most amount of characters available on the roster (and becomes the second most-represented series if one counts Donkey Kong and Yoshi as extensions of the Mario series):

• 
  Pikachu: Registered as Pokémon #025 in the games' National Pokédex listing, Pikachu (name unchanged from the Japanese version) was introduced in the First Generation of the franchise as an Electric-type Pokémon that is 0.4 m (1'4'') tall and weighs 6 kg (13.2 lbs). It is a yellow, vaguely anthropomorphic mouse-like specie that stores electricity within pouches on its cheeks marked by red circular patterns, and is able to expel and shoot the electricity outward as its primary form of offense. It is regularly treated as the franchise's primary mascot, and is depicted and featured in virtually every Pokémon product, such as in the long-running anime wherein it is the favored partner of Pokémon trainer Ash Ketchum. As a not-fully-evolved specie, it is not particularly powerful or durable in Pokémon battles in the RPG series by default, though it can evolve into the larger and more capable Raichu. The Second Generation introduced a younger "baby" form of Pikachu, Pichu, which a Pikachu or Raichu may produce while breeding, and which may evolve into a Pikachu of its own. In Super Smash Bros., Pikachu is characterized as a lightweight combatant that can move around the battlefield with good speed and dole out fast attacks, and yet also possesses some strong attacks of its own. In competitive play, Pikachu is considered to be the best playable character of Super Smash Bros. for having many advantages, including an effective blend of speed and power, good combo ability, and an enormously far-reaching method of recovery.

• 
  Jigglypuff: Registered as Pokémon #039 in the games' National Pokédex listing, Jigglypuff (Purin in the Japanese version) was introduced in the First Generation as a Normal-type Pokémon (becoming dual Normal/Fairy-type in Generation VI) that is 0.5 m (1'8'') tall and weighs 5.5 kg (12.1 lbs). It is a pink, fluffy, spherical creature with a hypnotic singing voice capable of literally putting those around to hear it to sleep, which it uses as its method of self-defense against foes in Pokémon battles and in the wild. A wild Jigglypuff was a recurring character in the first two generations of the Pokémon anime, and was prone to getting insulted whenever its audience would fall asleep from its songs and would vandalize their faces with a marker. Much like Pikachu, Jigglypuff is weak in Pokémon battles in the RPG series as itself, has a larger form named Wigglytuff with better combat statistics, and received a baby form in the Second Generation named Igglybuff. In its at-the-time-unexpected debut as a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros., Jigglypuff is the lightest and floatiest character, and has various similarities to Kirby, including the ability to jump multiple times in midair. While it lacks a variety of attacks with good knockback, it has a lethal trump card in the form of its Rest ability. This is not enough, however, for it to be considered one of the better characters competitively.

Stage

Super Smash Bros. features one Pokémon-themed stage:

• Saffron City: This stage is set on the rooftops of the skyscrapers in Saffron City, the largest metropolis in the Pokémon world's Kanto region. The central skyscraper in Saffron City belongs to Silph Co., a corporation that designs technologically advanced devices, and in the earliest Pokémon RPGs, the Pokémon crime syndicate Team Rocket takes over the building, and the player's character must enter it and defeat the Rockets in battle. The structure on the Silph Co. building in this stage routinely opens up and makes one of several Pokémon briefly appear to function as a stage hazard: Venusaur, Charmander, Electrode, Chansey, and Porygon.

Item

Super Smash Bros. introduces what has since been the only Pokémon-related item featured throughout the Smash Bros. series:

• Poké Ball: The mass-producible, spherical item that, in any Pokémon continuity, can be thrown at a wild Pokémon to capture it and place it under the thrower's ownership, and which can subsequently be used by the owner as a storage device for that Pokémon that can send out and recall the Pokémon freely. The Poké Ball item featured in Super Smash Bros., like with each incarnation of the Poké Ball in future Smash Bros. installments, comes pre-loaded with one Pokémon randomly selected out of a pool of possible species, and when the ball is thrown and lands on a floor, the Pokémon inside emerges and briefly performs its own moves and behaviors before disappearing. The Super Smash Bros. version of this item can release one of thirteen different results, all originating from the First Generation: Charizard, Blastoise, Beedrill, Clefairy, Meowth, Onix, Hitmonlee, Koffing, Chansey, Goldeen, Starmie, Snorlax, and most rarely, Mew.

Music

• 12: An orchestration of the traditional Pokémon title theme, heard on Saffron City.
• 22: The victory fanfare of Pikachu and Jigglypuff is an orchestration borrowing elements from track 12.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee

Following the release of the first Smash Bros., the Pokémon series entered its Second Generation in 2000, so Pokémon from the two existing generations at the time are featured in 2001's Super Smash Bros. Melee.

Characters

While four of the 26 playable characters are Pokémon, the Pokémon series is now the third most-represented in the game, falling behind the five characters of The Legend of Zelda.

• 
  Pikachu: Returning from Super Smash Bros., Pikachu gains Skull Bash as its new side special move, but otherwise retains its role as a fast character with and powerful attacks and a versatile recovery. However, Pikachu's aforementioned power and speed are weakened from Super Smash Bros., which together with the poor approach options it finds itself with in the competitive Melee environment causes Pikachu to be graded much lower on the Melee tier list than it was back in Smash 64. However, it still finds itself as a viable character to be reckoned with

• 
  Jigglypuff: Returning from Smash Bros., Jigglypuff gains Rollout as its new neutral special move, but otherwise retains its role as a seemingly "underpowered" character that is easy to knock out but is capable of both incredibly versatile recovery and a powerful trump card move in Rest. However, its overall attack power, attack speed, range, and midair jumping velocity are improved, and its Rest is both stronger and easier to combo into, such as the Space animal slayer, all of which prompt it to be competitively regarded as one of the best characters.

• 
  Pichu: Registered as Pokémon #172 in the games' National Pokédex listing, Pichu (name unchanged from the Japanese version) was introduced in the Second Generation as a new "baby" stage in Pikachu's evolutionary line - a Pokémon that will hatch out of an egg produced by Pikachu that are left to breed at a daycare. It is an Electric-type Pokémon that is 0.3 m (1'0'') tall and weighs 2 kg (4.4 lbs). Like Pikachu - which it can evolve into - Pichu can store electricity within its cheek pouches and expel it outward to attack, but unlike Pikachu, its inexperience with handling electricity often causes it to damage itself when attempting to unleash a strong electric attack. This does not carry over into the Pokémon RPGs as a game mechanic, but nonetheless, as a basic-stage specie, it is extremely weak in Pokémon battles. In Super Smash Bros. Melee, there is no dispute that Pichu is an inferior clone of Pikachu, having similar moves across the board but being even easier to knock out. While some of its attacks and traits are actually slightly stronger and faster than Pikachu's, Pichu is crippled by many of its attacks actually adding damage to its own damage meter fairly quickly as a side effect. This leads it to be consistently considered the worst character competitively, or at least a candidate for the label.

• 
  Mewtwo: Registered as Pokémon #150 in the games' National Pokédex listing, Mewtwo (name unchanged from the Japanese version) was introduced in the First Generation as a Psychic-type Pokémon that is 2 m (6'7'') tall and weighs 122 kg (269 lbs). It is unique in the Pokémon setting because it is an individual lifeform that was created by humankind, cloned from the Pokémon Mew, and it possesses incredible powers that help categorize it alongside the various all-powerful Pokémon that are typically referred to as "legendary Pokémon". A Mewtwo was the focus of the anime continuity's first movie and a direct-to-video follow-up, in which it was depicted as sapient and capable of telepathically projecting human language and was initially shown in a villainous role. In the RPG series, Mewtwo is one of the most overall powerful and threatening Pokémon to bring into battle against opponent trainers' Pokémon teams. However, its role in its debut appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee is very different; it is a very odd blend of various attributes that excel and various other important attributes that are very lacking, and features multiple non-damaging utility moves and a chargeable projectile in Shadow Ball. Its lacking power, range, and speed in its attack options, its subpar resilience, and its highly situational special moves results in it being regularly considered close to being one of the worst competitive character choices.

Additionally, Ditto makes an appearance as the graphic for a random character and color choice when setting up a Winner Out or Loser Out style tournament in the Tournament Mode.

Stages

Super Smash Bros. Melee features two stages representing Pokémon, one starter and one unlockable. While the second generation of Pokémon games introduced the Johto region in which they initially take place, it may be noted that both of the following stages nonetheless take place in Kanto, the region that was the setting of the first generation.

• Kanto: Pokémon Stadium This takes place in a stadium that does not represent any one specific location in the Pokémon RPGs. Noteworthy about this stage is that the entire field routinely transforms into one of four entirely new themed battlefields.
• Kanto Skies: Poké Floats: This stage consists of many Pokémon-shaped balloons floating in the skies above the Kanto region. Over the course of three-and-a-half minutes, giant balloons of Squirtle, Onix, Psyduck, Chikorita, Weezing, Slowpoke, Porygon, Wooper, Sudowoodo, Snorlax, Venusaur, Seel, Wobbuffet, Goldeen, Lickitung, Chansey, Geodude, and many Unown appear in that order and cycle through for the players to battle on.

In addition, a stage based on the Entei trophy is used as the battlefield for Event 26: Trophy Tussle 2, shaped like the Pokémon Entei. It is not accessible for multiplayer play.

Item

• Poké Ball: The Super Smash Bros. Melee version of this item can release one of twenty-nine different results, originating from the First and Second Generations: Venusaur, Charizard, Blastoise, Clefairy, Electrode, Weezing, Chansey, Goldeen, Staryu, Snorlax, Chikorita, Cyndaquil, Togepi, Bellossom, Marill, Unown, Wobbuffet, Scizor, and Porygon2, and in rare instances, Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, Mew, Raikou, Entei, Suicune, Lugia, Ho-Oh, and Celebi. (Incidentally, Ditto is a dummied-out result that can be accessed with Action Replay or other hacking methods.)

Music

• 15: Pokémon Stadium: An orchestration of the main title screen music in most Pokémon RPGs, complete with a chorus. It is heard in Pokémon Stadium.
• 16: Poké Floats: A synthesized medley of three battle-related tunes heard in the first generation of Pokémon RPGs, beginning with the standard Trainer Battle theme, then the Gym Leader Battle theme, and finally the wild Pokémon encounter theme. This is heard on Poké Floats and is often heard accompanying Mewtwo in Single-player mode.
• 32: Battle Theme: A synthesized medley of three battle-related tunes heard in the second generation of Pokémon RPGs, beginning with the wild Pokémon encounter theme, then the Gym Leader Battle theme, and finally the Champion Battle theme. This is heard as a secondary track on Pokémon Stadium and is often heard accompanying Pichu in Single-player mode.
• 45: Pokémon Victory: The victory fanfare of Pikachu, Jigglypuff, Pichu, and Mewtwo is an orchestration borrowing elements from track 15, "Pokémon Stadium".

Full Trophy List

Pikachu's three game trophies Jigglypuff's three game trophies Pichu's three game trophies Mewtwo's three game trophies Bulbasaur Venusaur Charizard Squirtle Blastoise Clefairy Meowth Poliwhirl Electrode Weezing Chansey Goldeen Staryu Ditto Eevee Snorlax

Articuno Zapdos Moltres Mew Chikorita Cyndaquil Totodile Crobat Cleffa Igglybuff Togepi Bellossom Marill Sudowoodo Unown Wobbuffet Steelix Scizor Heracross Porygon2

Raikou Entei Suicune Lugia Ho-Oh Celebi Poké Ball Pokémon Stadium Professor Oak Misty ZERO-ONE

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl

During the extended hiatus between Melee and Brawl, Pokémon proceeded with and completed its Third Generation, and had already begun its Fourth Generation in 2006-2007 when Brawl was released in 2008. Therefore, all four of the Pokémon generations at the time are represented in the Brawl package.

Characters

While Pokémon-related characters occupy four slots on the 35-slot character roster of the game, the franchise effectively contributes six unique playable characters, the largest of any represented franchise if not compared to a combination of Mario, Donkey Kong, Yoshi, and Wario as one "overall" franchise; this is reflected in the Pokémon segment of the game's All-Star mode having the most opponents to fight. This is especially noteworthy because Pokémon is the only series to have more than one of its characters from Melee retired from Brawl, with the absence of both Pichu and Mewtwo in the roster.

• 
  Pikachu: Pikachu returns from its Super Smash Bros. Melee appearance without any thematic changes to its core moveset. Its new Final Smash, Volt Tackle (named after a powerful exclusive attack it has in the RPGs), temporarily turns it into a giant, floating sphere of electricity that can be controlled and sent flying through the air, damaging any enemy it comes into contact with. Pikachu regains some of its excellent competitive standing with increased survivability, approach options, grab range, and damage with various attacks, despite some weaker smash attacks.

• 
  Jigglypuff: Jigglypuff similarly returns from its Super Smash Bros. Melee appearance without any thematic changes to its core moveset. Its new Final Smash, Puff Up (which does not originate from the RPGs), renders Jigglypuff stationary and makes it grow to gargantuan proportions, and it eventually inflicts a massive pushback to all opponents that are too close and promptly deflates. Jigglypuff's prior strong attacks are now much weaker, especially Rest, which carries much less force and places more emphasis on it now causing the flower special condition. Despite retaining incredible air mobility, Jigglypuff has been graded to be one of the worst competitive characters in Brawl.

• 
  Pokémon Trainer: A representation of a generic Pokémon trainer - the design of which matches the playable male trainer depicted in Pokémon FireRed & LeafGreen - makes for a mechanically unique character choice in Brawl; the player does not control him as a playable combatant, but rather a set of three unique Pokémon that belong to him, only one of which partakes in the match at any given point. Each of the three Pokémon are playable characters that can be freely swapped between with the Pokémon Change move and an associated set of mechanics, and the three share the same Triple Finish final smash, which launches three simultaneous beam attacks across the screen. While being a rotating set of three fighters, each with their own merits, causes the Pokémon Trainer to be a character choice that can bypass some problems other characters have with specific matchups against certain enemy characters, he is graded to be low-tier competitively because of particularly severe afflictions involved with the mechanic that punish him for not swapping Pokémon constantly - an issue compounded by the sluggish pace of the move.

• 
  Squirtle: Registered as Pokémon #007 in the games' National Pokédex listing, Squirtle (Zenigame in the Japanese version) was introduced in the First Generation as one of the three "starter" Pokémon the player may choose between at the start of games set in the Kanto region. It is a Water-type Pokémon that is 0.5 m (1'08'') tall and weighs 9 kg (19.8 lbs), and is able to eventually evolve into Blastoise. In its Brawl appearance, Squirtle is the smallest, lightest, and fastest of the three Pokémon overall, and is capable of spewing water and retreating into its shell for brief invulnerability.
• 
  Ivysaur: Registered as Pokémon #002 in the games' National Pokédex listing, Ivysaur (Fushigisou in the Japanese version) was introduced in the First Generation as the intermediate evolution stage of Bulbasaur, another of the three "starter" Pokémon the player may choose between at the start of games set in the Kanto region. It is a Grass/Poison dual-typed Pokémon that is 1.0 m (3'03'') tall and weighs 13 kg (28.7 lbs), and is able to evolve into Venusaur. A rare instance of a playable Smash Bros. character that is predominantly quadrupedal, Ivysaur can extend prehensile vines out of the plant on its back to whip enemies, and its budding back flower can release powerful attacks. In Brawl, it lacks the speed of Squirtle, and the sluggishness of its otherwise powerful smash attacks counterbalances its access to moves like Bullet Seed, which can rack up damage points very fast.
• 
  Charizard: Registered as Pokémon #006 in the games' National Pokédex listing, Charizard (Lizardon in the Japanese version) was introduced in the First Generation as the final evolution stage of Charmander, the last of the three "starter" Pokémon the player may choose between at the start of games set in the Kanto region. It is a Fire/Flying dual-typed Pokémon that is 1.7 m (5'07'') tall and weighs 90.5 kg (199.5 lbs), and is a viable contender in competitive play in the Pokémon RPGs themselves. In Brawl, Charizard is a heavyweight, fire-breathing character that is one of the game's few characters capable of gliding with its wings, and has attacks with great power, great range, and even good speed, though they have high ending lag as well.

• 
  Lucario: Registered as Pokémon #448 in the games' National Pokédex listing, Lucario (name unchanged from the Japanese version) was introduced in the Fourth Generation as a Steel/Fighting dual-type Pokémon that is 1.2 m (3'11'') tall and weighs 54 kg (119 lbs). Introduced as a mascot for the Fourth Generation, it is a bipedal canine Pokémon that is the evolved form of Riolu, and is capable of utilizing a spiritual force named "aura" to both improve its martial arts strength and react to its opponents' movements better. It has powerful and versatile offensive statistics and options in the Pokémon RPGs, but frail durability. Both its anime depiction and its appearance in Brawl show it to be capable of a similar kind of telepathic speech as Mewtwo. Lucario has a unique trait in its playable appearance in Brawl, wherein its attacks become stronger as it accumulates damage from enemy attacks, and its Final Smash, Aura Storm (another attack that does not appear in the RPGs themselves), unleashes an immense beam of energy through the stage that can be guided with the analog stick. With a strong aerial game to begin with, Lucario is comparatively high-tier in competitive play because its moves become very powerful and dangerous when it is at a high damage percentage, though it is primarily held back by its reliance on being damaged enough to attain this power to begin with.

Boss

• Rayquaza: Registered as Pokémon #384 in the games' National Pokédex listing, Rayquaza (name unchanged from the Japanese version) was introduced in the Third Generation as a Dragon/Flying dual-type Pokémon that is 7.0 m (23'00'') tall and weighs 206.5 kg (455.2 lbs). It is an incredibly powerful and legendary Pokémon that is the version mascot of the game Pokémon Emerald, appearing on that game's box art, and is depicted as a serpentine dragon that makes its home flying in the ozone layer of the planet; in stark contrast to this, Brawl depicts it as a territorial beast that slumbers at the bottom of a lake in the game's story mode, The Subspace Emissary. Rayquaza appears as a stage boss that Diddy Kong and Fox McCloud have to fight early in the story, and is featured in the Boss Battles mode like the rest of the game's bosses.

Stages

Super Smash Bros. Brawl features three stages representing Pokémon, one starter and two unlockable, and one of them is a carry-over from the previous game, Melee:

• 
  Pokémon Stadium 2: An all-new counterpart to Melee’s Pokémon Stadium stage, which has a similar layout and transformation routine but transforms into four all-new themes. Cosmetically, other Pokémon will now appear in the background to each stage theme, unlike in the original stage: Dugtrio, Cubone, Hoppip, Skarmory, Drifloon, Electivire, Magnezone, Snover, and Snorunt.

• 
  Spear Pillar: This unlockable stage is set at the ruins on the peak of the Sinnoh region's Mt. Coronet, an important location in the Fourth Generation of Pokémon games. Each time the stage is played, one of three legendary Pokémon from the Fourth Generation is selected to appear in the background and function as a stage hazard, launching powerful attacks at the fighters in the foreground: Dialga, Palkia, and Cresselia. Furthermore, the pixie-like Pokémon Mesprit, Azelf and Uxie appear when either Dialga or Palkia destroy a part of the stage.

• 
  Pokémon Stadium: The original Pokémon Stadium makes a return appearance as part of Brawl’s collection of Melee Stages, with minor changes to the physics of the platforms that appear.

Item

• Poké Ball: The Super Smash Bros. Brawl version of this item can release one of thirty different results, originating from all four Generations of the franchise that were in effect as of Brawl: Meowth, Electrode, Goldeen, Staryu, Snorlax, Chikorita, Togepi, Bellossom, Wobbuffet, Torchic, Gardevoir, Gulpin, Metagross, Latias and Latios (the first instance of a duo of separate Pokemon that can appear out of a single thrown Poké Ball), Piplup, Bonsly, Munchlax, and Weavile, and in rare instances, Moltres, Mew, Entei, Suicune, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Celebi, Kyogre, Groudon, Jirachi, Deoxys (in its Attack Forme), and Manaphy.

Music

See List of SSBB Music (Pokémon series).

• Pokémon Main Theme - A completely redone version of the original Pokémon main theme that was mostly used in the original Red & Blue versions but isn't heard as often in the newer ones. It is used on the Pokémon Stadium 2 stage.
• Road to Viridian City (From Pallet Town/Pewter City) - A whimsical remix of one of the commonly used "Route" songs used in the Red & Blue versions, first heard on Route 1, which also has elements of the town music in Viridian. It is used on the Pokémon Stadium 2 stage. This song is also played during both Pokémon Trainer and Jigglypuff's Classic Mode credits.
• The Pokémon Center - A remix of the Pokémon Center background music that is used in nearly every Pokémon title. It is used on the Pokémon Stadium 2 stage. This song is also played during Pikachu's Classic Mode credits.
• Pokémon Gym/Evolution - A medley made of both the Pokémon Gym song as well as the evolution song, both of which have made regular appearances in every mainstream Pokémon title. It is used on the Pokémon Stadium 2 stage.
• Wild Pokémon Battle! (Ruby/Sapphire) - A remix of the background music that plays when encountering a wild Pokémon in the Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald versions. It is the theme of the Pokémon Stadium 2 stage.
• Victory Road - A guitar remix of the theme that originated at Victory Road and the Elite Four in the Ruby & Sapphire versions. It is used on the Spear Pillar stage.
• Dialga/Palkia Battle at Spear Pillar! - A medley consisting of remixes of both the Dialga & Palkia battle theme and the Spear Pillar background music from the Diamond & Pearl versions. It is the theme of the Spear Pillar stage.
• Wild Pokémon Battle! (Diamond/Pearl) - A remix of the background music that plays when encountering a wild Pokémon in the Diamond & Pearl versions. It is used on the Spear Pillar stage.
• Team Galactic Battle! - A remix taken directly from the Diamond & Pearl versions soundtrack. It is used on the Spear Pillar stage. This song is also played during Lucario's Classic Mode credits.
• Route 209 - A rather upbeat remix of the Route 209 background music from the Diamond & Pearl versions. It is used on the Spear Pillar stage.
• Pokémon Stadium (Melee) - Taken directly from Melee. It is used on the Pokémon Stadium stage.
• Battle Theme (Melee) - Taken directly from Melee. It is used on the Pokémon Stadium stage.
• Poké Floats (Melee) - Taken directly from Melee. It is used on the Pokémon Stadium stage.
• Pokémon Victory Theme - Pikachu, Pokémon Trainer, Lucario and Jigglypuff's victory theme. A section of the Pokémon Red & Blue main theme.

Trophies

Aura Storm Azelf Bellossom Blaziken Bonsly Bulbasaur Buneary Celebi Charizard Charmander Chikorita Chimchar Cresselia Cubone Cyndaquil Darkrai Deoxys Dialga Drifloon Dugtrio

Electivire Electrode Entei Gardevoir Glaceon and Leafeon Goldeen Groudon Gulpin Gyarados Ho-Oh Hoppip Puff Up Ivysaur Jigglypuff Jirachi Kyogre Latias and Latios Lucario Lugia Magnezone

Manaphy Meowth Mesprit Metagross Mew Mewtwo Moltres Mudkip Munchlax Palkia Pichu Pikachu Piplup Plusle & Minun Poké Ball Pokémon Trainer Rayquaza Riolu Skarmory Snorlax

Snorunt Snover Squirtle Starly Staryu Togepi Torchic Totodile Treecko Turtwig Triple Finish Uxie Volt Tackle Weavile Wobbuffet

Stickers

Bellossom Bonsly Celebi Charizard Chikorita Deoxys Electrode Entei Gardevoir Goldeen Groudon Gulpin Ho-Oh Ivysaur Jigglypuff Jirachi Kyogre Latias and Latios Lucario Lugia

Manaphy Meowth Metagross Mew Moltres Munchlax Pikachu Piplup Pokémon Trainer Rayquaza Snorlax Squirtle Staryu Suicune Togepi Torchic Weavile Wobbuffet

In Super Smash Bros. 4

In the interim between the releases of Brawl and the Wii U and 3DS Smash Bros. games, the Pokémon franchise once again proceeded with and completed a full generation, the Fifth, and had started its Sixth Generation, which allows for content from all six Pokémon generations to be featured in the most recent Smash Bros. game. Among the introductions in the Sixth Generation are new, temporary "Mega Evolutions" for certain Pokémon species such as Lucario and Charizard.

Characters

• 
  Pikachu was confirmed to be a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4 at the game's initial showcase at E3 2013. The only apparent cosmetic change is that it is much more brightly colored, and its model continues the trend of gradually becoming less chubby, matching its appearances in the most recent Pokémon products.
• 
  Lucario was the first Pokémon-series character to be revealed as playable since Pikachu and the initial E3 2013 reveal trailers, and this took place well over seven months afterward. Like many other characters from cartoonish franchises, Lucario's appearance is changed to stray away from the more realistic look of his Brawl appearance. Lucario also gains a much larger influence of his aura, which has been partly shown in confirmed changes to Aura Sphere and Extreme Speed. Lucario has been shown to assume his new Mega Evolution from the Generation 6 games, which has been stated to function as though it were a Lucario at maximum Aura, regardless of its health.
• 
  Charizard has similarly been confirmed to return, and it is heavily implied that it is now a stand-alone character choice, devoid of any special interaction with accompanying characters like it had in the previous game. One of its two Mega Evolutions, Mega Charizard X, has also been displayed.
• 
  Greninja was confirmed as a Pokémon newcomer in the April 8, 2014 Smash Bros. Direct. Registered as Pokémon #658 in the games' National Pokédex listing, Greninja (Gekkouga in the Japanese version) was introduced in the Sixth Generation as the final evolution stage of Froakie, one of the three "starter" Pokémon the player may choose between at the start of games set in the Kalos region. It is a Water/Dark dual-typed Pokémon that is 1.5 m (4'11'') tall and weighs 40 kg (88.2 lbs), and is regarded as one of the most viable contenders in the latest iteration of the main RPG series' competitive scenes. An amphibian warrior with a ninja-like aesthetic, its signature attack is its appropriately-titled Water Shuriken.

Stage

• Prism Tower from Pokémon X and Y appears as a new stage in the 3DS. Information about the stage's layout and how it'll play is currently unknown, other than that it is a traveling stage that centers around the tower and will have fighters fighting on top of it.
• A stage based on the Kalos Pokémon League building, also from Pokémon X and Y, appears in the Wii U version. Not much is known about it, only that battles take place where the Kalos Elite Four are encountered.

Item

• Poké Ball: The Poké Ball was announced to make its comeback in the Comet Observatory trailer from Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U. Palkia, one of the legendary dragons of Sinnoh from the fourth generation that previously appeared in Brawl as a stage hazard, is confirmed to be one of the Poké Ball Pokémon in the Wii U version. It uses its signature move, Spatial Rend.
• Master Ball: A variant of the Poké Ball, where only rare and legendary Pokémon come out of it.

Misc.

• Palkia, a large dragon-like Pokemon native to the Sinnoh region, is confirmed to have become a Pokeball Pokemon instead of a background character in at least the Wii U version of "Super Smash Bros. 4".
• Dedenne, a hamster-like Pokémon native to the Kalos region, is confirmed to appear in some capacity in at least the Wii U version of Super Smash Bros. 4.
• Xerneas, a legendary elk-like Fairy Pokémon that is the version mascot for the game Pokémon X, is confirmed to appear in some capacity in at least the Wii U version of Super Smash Bros. 4.

Games with elements from or in Super Smash Bros.

Pokémon Red, Green, Blue and Yellow

Pikachu, Jigglypuff, and Mewtwo originally come from Pokémon Red/Blue/Yellow/Green, as do other Generation 1 Poké Ball Pokémon.

Pokémon Gold and Silver

Many Pokémon that debuted from Gold and Silver appear out of Poké Balls in Melee and Brawl, from the game mascots Ho-Oh, Lugia and Suicune to more common ones such as Chikorita and Wobbuffet.

Pichu, a playable fighter in Super Smash Bros. Melee, also made its debut in this game.

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire

The game mascots, Kyogre and Groudon, appear out of Poké Balls in Super Smash Bros. Brawl. Kyogre using Hydro Pump and Groudon using Overheat. Other third generation Pokémon also appear, many filling the roles of old Pokémon (for example, Torchic fills the role previously held by Cyndaquil). Pokémon, such as Gardevoir and Metagross, also appear from Pokéballs, while others, like Snorunt, appear as Stage Elements in Pokémon Stadium 2. The third generation is the only generation to not have its own playable character but, according to scrapped data, there is a rumor of Plusle and Minun having been originally planned to be fighters.

Also, some Pokémon who debut in these games have appearances as Trophies:

• Blaziken
• Mudkip
• Plusle and Minun
• Snorunt
• Treecko

Alternatively, Rayquaza appears as a boss in The Subspace Emissary. Latios and Latias, Deoxys, and Jirachi also appear as legendary Pokémon in these games.

Songs (Brawl)

• Wild Pokémon Battle! (Ruby / Sapphire)
• Victory Road

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen

The design for Red, the male Pokémon Trainer from FireRed and LeafGreen, is the design for Pokémon Trainer in Brawl. Also, he comes with Charizard, Ivysaur, and Squirtle, the three starter Pokémon in the game or Pokémon that evolve from the starters. Also, Pikachu and Jigglypuff, veteran Smash fighters, make appearances in this game. Many of the Poké Ball Pokémon appear in this game, such as Articuno, Entei, and Suicune.

A majority of the Kanto Pokémon can be found in the Poké Balls of all three Super Smash Bros. games, such as Goldeen, Electrode and Moltres. However, a new Pokémon called Deoxys is also included in the Pokémon roster in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl

In terms of playable characters, the fourth generation also has a representation, with Lucario as a playable character. Spear Pillar is also a stage in Brawl, complete with the mascots Dialga and Palkia, along with Cresselia as major Stage Elements. Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf appear in the background, while Electivire, Magnezone, Snover, and Drifloon also appear on Pokémon Stadium 2.

New selections of Sinnoh Pokémon return in Brawl, one of which is Piplup. They are released from "Poké Balls". The random Pokémon released offers aid in a variety of different ways to the player who releases them. Each of the Poké Ball Pokémon plus numerous others appear as trophies and stickers. There are also a few collectible songs that originated from Diamond & Pearl:

• Dialga / Palkia Battle at Spear Pillar!
• Wild Pokémon Battle! (Diamond / Pearl)
• Team Galactic Battle!
• Route 209

Pokémon X and Y

Xerneas, the mascot of Pokémon X, is confirmed to be a Poké Ball in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Dedenne will also make an appearance in the game. Prism Tower appears as a stage in the 3DS version of Super Smash Bros. 4, while a stage based on the Kalos Pokémon League building is in the Wii U version. Greninja is a playable character. Chandelure is confirmed to appear as an enemy in Smash Run.

Trivia

• The Pokémon series was the only series to get stickers based on their artwork from Smash Bros. Dojo.
  • Also, stickers based on Pokémon are referred to by series, not by game (e.g., Rayquaza, although exclusive to Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, HeartGold, and SoulSilver, is credited to Pokémon series).
• The number of playable Pokémon characters has moved up by two for each Smash Bros. game (2 in the original, 4 in Melee, and 6 in Brawl).
• The Pokémon Universe has the characters with the least number of palette swaps in Brawl, with Pikachu having only four, and the other Pokémon having five (rather than the six every other character except Sonic has).
• Most playable Pokémon have come from the first generation. Only Pichu from the second, Lucario from the fourth, and Greninja from the sixth have come from a later generation.
• One of the bonuses in Melee, "Rocket KO", is a reference to the Team Rocket trio in the Pokémon anime, who are often seen unhappily "blasting off" into the distance at episode conclusions. The bonus is awarded for Star KO-ing an enemy team.
• Pokémon is the only series that had more than one character in Melee that didn't return in Brawl.
• Pokémon is one of three universes to have a new character in each Smash Bros game released so far, the others being Star Fox and The Legend of Zelda.
• The Pokémon universe has the most trophies in both Melee and Brawl.
• The Pokémon and Donkey Kong universes have characters that share a similar On-screen appearance with them coming out of some sort of container item.
  • Lucario is the only Pokémon that doesn't use this on-screen appearance; he teleports on to the stage, whereas every other Pokémon enters through a Poké Ball.
• The Pokémon universe has the most playable characters in the whole series with 8.

External links

• Bulbapedia