Unown

Unown
Misdreavus
201
Wobbuffet
Ability	Levitate
First game	Pokémon Gold and Silver (1999)
Creator	Game Freak

Unown <sup>(JPJapanese: アンノーン

Romaji: Unknown)</sup> is a species of Pokémon in the series of the same name. It is a Psychic-type Pokémon that made its first appearance in the second generation games Gold and Silver.

While it is not known to evolve into or from any other Pokémon, Unown has 28 different forms. All of them are known as One form, as seen in the Pokédex. The Unown forms are chronicled in the Unown Mode and the Unown Report.

Appearances

Main Pokémon games

The Unown first appeared in the second generation of Pokémon games which include Pokémon Gold and Silver and later Pokémon Crystal. In these early titles, there were 26 Unown shapes that together made up the alphabet. The Unown are found exclusively in the Ruins of Alph, which was filled with secrets connected to their presence.

In the Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, exclamation mark (!) and question mark (?) variants were created and could be encountered in the Tanoby Chambers along the rest in various chambers.

In the fourth generation they received yet another set of ruins were they could be found. Pokémon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum introduced the Solaceon Ruins in Sinnoh. ! and ? are unobtainable unless all other forms are collected. They could be found in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver in the Ruins of Alph again with a similar requirement for ! and ?..

Super Smash Bros. series

Unown made a prominent appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee for the Nintendo GameCube. They were a Poké Ball Pokémon that, when summoned would attack as a group (the only Poké Ball Pokémon to do so). Because of the date that Super Smash Bros. Melee came out, the ! and ? forms were not present, but the entire alphabet was. A float of an Unown can be found in the Poké Floats stage. The following is the trophy description for Unown:

The trophy for Unown, which includes all 26 then-known forms of the species, can be obtained by reaching 16,503 combined feet in the Home Run Contest.

In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Unown does not return as a Poké Ball Pokémon, though it is a Spirit, appearing in its F form.

Trophy descriptions

"These symbol Pokémon resemble ancient hieroglyphics found on rocks, a resemblance that's said to be more than superficial. Quite a few different shapes of Unown have been confirmed, and it's believed that each type has unique abilities. These enigmatic pokémon can be found in the Ruins of Alph."

In the anime

Unown played a major role in Pokémon 3: The Movie: Spell of the Unown: Entei, creating the illusions that drive the plot.

Origin and inspiration

Unown may be derived from unknown.

In-game information

Pokédex entries

Title	Entry
Second Pokémon generation
Pokémon Gold	Their shapes look like hieroglyphs on ancient tablets. It is said that the two are somehow related.
Pokémon Silver	Its flat, thin body is always stuck on walls. Its shape appears to have some meaning.
Pokémon Crystal	Because different types of Unown exist, it is said that they must have a variety of abilities.
Third Pokémon generation
Pokémon Ruby	This Pokémon is shaped like ancient writing. It is a mystery as to which came first, the ancient writings or the various Unown. Research into this topic is ongoing but nothing is known.
Pokémon Sapphire	This Pokémon is shaped like ancient writing. It is a mystery as to which came first, the ancient writings or the various Unown. Research into this topic is ongoing but nothing is known.
Pokémon Emerald	This Pokémon is shaped like ancient text characters. Although research is ongoing, it is a mystery as to which came first, the ancient writings or the various Unown.
Pokémon FireRed	Its flat, thin body is always stuck on walls. Its shape appears to have some meaning.
Pokémon LeafGreen	Their shapes look like hieroglyphs on ancient tablets. It is said that the two are somehow related.
Fourth Pokémon generation
Pokémon Diamond	Shaped like ancient writing, it is a huge mystery whether language or Unown came first.
Pokémon Pearl	They seem to communicate among each other telepathically. They are always found stuck on walls.
Pokémon Platinum	When alone, nothing happens. However, if there are two or more, an odd power is said to emerge.
Pokémon HeartGold	Their shapes look like hieroglyphs on ancient tablets. It is said that the two are somehow related.
Pokémon SoulSilver	Its flat, thin body is always stuck on walls. Its shape appears to have some meaning.
Fifth Pokémon generation
Pokémon Black	When alone, nothing happens. However, if there are two or more, an odd power is said to emerge.
Pokémon White	When alone, nothing happens. However, if there are two or more, an odd power is said to emerge.
Pokémon Black 2	When alone, nothing happens. However, if there are two or more, an odd power is said to emerge.
Pokémon White 2	When alone, nothing happens. However, if there are two or more, an odd power is said to emerge.
Sixth Pokémon generation
Pokémon X	Its flat, thin body is always stuck on walls. Its shape appears to have some meaning.
Pokémon Y	Shaped like ancient writing, it is a huge mystery whether language or Unown came first.
Pokémon Omega Ruby	This Pokémon is shaped like ancient writing. It is a mystery as to which came first, the ancient writings or the various Unown. Research into this topic is ongoing but nothing is known.
Pokémon Alpha Sapphire	This Pokémon is shaped like ancient writing. It is a mystery as to which came first, the ancient writings or the various Unown. Research into this topic is ongoing but nothing is known.
Eighth Pokémon generation
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond	Because the Pokémon is shaped like ancient writing, it is a huge mystery whether written language or Unown came first.
Pokémon Shining Pearl	They seem to communicate among each other telepathically. They are always found stuck on walls.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus	It is hard to believe these strangely shaped Pokémon are truly living creatures. I've pointed out that the species' many forms resemble writing from other lands; no one will take me seriously.

Game locations

Title	Location(s)
Second Pokémon generation
Pokémon Gold	Ruins of Alph (inside)
Pokémon Silver	Ruins of Alph (inside)
Pokémon Crystal	Ruins of Alph (inside)
Third Pokémon generation
Pokémon Ruby	Trade
Pokémon FireRed	Tanoby Chambers (forms determined by chambers)
Pokémon LeafGreen	Tanoby Chambers (forms determined by chambers)
Fourth Pokémon generation
Pokémon Diamond	Solaceon Ruins (forms determined by room)
Pokémon Pearl	Solaceon Ruins (forms determined by room)
Pokémon Platinum	Solaceon Ruins (forms determined by room)
Pokémon HeartGold	Ruins of Alph (inside)
Pokémon SoulSilver	Ruins of Alph (inside)
Sixth Pokémon generation
Pokémon Omega Ruby	Mirage Cave (South of Route 107)
Pokémon Alpha Sapphire	Mirage Cave (South of Route 107)
Eighth Pokémon generation
Pokémon Brilliant Diamond	Solaceon Ruins (different forms appear in different rooms)
Pokémon Shining Pearl	Solaceon Ruins (different forms appear in different rooms)
Pokémon Legends: Arceus	Crimson Mirelands: Solaceon Ruins, massive mass outbreaks (all 28 forms appear after completing the Unown Research Notes) All over Hisui: one of each form

Different forms

Base Stats

Base Stats
HP	48
Attack	72
Defense	48
Sp. Attack	72
Sp. Defense	48
Speed	48
Total	336

Gallery

Main article: Unown/gallery

Sprites

Sprites and renders
Gold	Silver	Crystal
Ruby Sapphire	Emerald	Fire Leaf File:PKMNFRLG201.png File:PKMNFRLG201-S.png
Diamond Pearl	Platinum File:PKMNP201.png File:PKMNP201-S.png	Heart Soul
Black White	Black 2 White 2 File:PKMNBW2201.png File:PKMNBW2201-S.png	X Y File:PKMNXY201-S.png
Pikachu Eevee File:PKMNLGPE201.png File:PKMNLGPE201-S.png	Brilliant Diamond Shining Pearl File:PKMNBDSP201-S.png	Legends Arceus File:PKMNPLA201-S.png

Reception

Unown has received generally negative reception since its appearance in Pokémon Gold and Silver, with IGN writer Kat Bailey identifying it as the worst Pokémon as of October 2013. In another article, Bailey criticized its gimmick as well as its uselessness in combat. Both IGN and Variety felt that it lacked the appeal of other Pokémon, with IGN calling Unown one of the "most useless Pokémon in existence" due to its weakness and lack of an evolution. In an analysis of the article on 1UP FM, Philip Kollar felt it had appeal with children, and added "another layer" for those trying to complete the Pokédex. In 2006, research was done on using Unown to teach the biological concepts of classification and phylogeny to students, with the researchers finding the results to be "very encouraging". While The Gamer writer Stacey Henley did not have a particular affinity for Unown in the video games, comparing it negatively to the Pokémon Castform due to its usefulness, she felt it was narratively interesting. She expressed disappointment that the writers did not explore the species more, speculating that its uselessness in the video games resulted in them being under-utilized.

The Unown also received minor praise for their appearance in Pokémon 3: The Movie, with the Escapist Magazine describing the Unown as "eerie" stating that "They almost come across as a force of nature, something more powerful than our heroes could imagine." TheGamer writer Stacey Henley stated that the Unown were a narratively interesting idea in the Pokémon franchise that were heavily underutilized. She further stated that while the movie only scratched the surface of the Unown, citing that "Without it, the Unown potential would have been squandered completely, instead of only being mostly squandered as it is right now." The Unown's transformation of reality has been analyzed as a metaphor for the power of words and language.

Trivia

• Unown was designed by Ken Sugimori, who had wanted to make a Pokémon with a more surreal design.
• In Pokémon 3: The Movie: Spell of the Unown: Entei, Professor Oak had some pictures of Unown on his computer which have never appeared in any other media. Some resemble Greek alphabet letters, particularly σ (lowercase sigma), Σ (capital sigma), Π (capital pi), and Ω (capital omega). The top left large image also resembles the Greek ligature, Ȣ (ou). Others resemble the Cyrillic letters ю (yu) and б (lowercase be). The Unown in the top-middle large image resembles the Cyrillic я (ya).
• Unown is the only Pokémon with a base stat total of 336.
• In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Unown are the only Pokémon that can be found in the wild with no preferred foods.

External links

• Unown at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Unown at Pokémon Wiki, the Fandom wiki on Pokémon