Unown

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Not to be confused with Unknown (disambiguation).
Unown
Pokémon character
"F" Unown artwork by Ken Sugimori
First gamePokémon Gold and Silver (1999)
Designed byKen Sugimori
In-universe information
SpeciesPokémon
TypePsychic

Unown (アンノーン, Annōn,

hieroglyph-like, thin, black ancient Pokémon usually found on walls. There are twenty-eight forms of Unown: one for each of the twenty-six letters in the Latin alphabet, a question mark, and an exclamation mark
. Unown is a Psychic-type Pokémon, and is not able to evolve.

Unown was conceived as an alien-like creature, but while designing it, the designers noticed its resemblance to letters in the Latin alphabet, and shifted course. It has received generally negative reception, criticized for being weak, useless, and lacking appeal, though it has been considered an underutilized element in the series. It was used as part of a research paper, where they used Unown in order to teach

phylogeny
to students.

Concept and creation

Unown is a fictional species of Pokémon created for the

Pokédex, a comprehensive Pokémon encyclopedia,[3] by capturing, evolving, and trading to obtain individuals from all Pokémon species.[2]

Unown were designed by series artist

hieroglyph-like Psychic-type Pokémon that first appear in Pokémon Gold and Silver. They can be found on walls.[6][7] Unown gained two more forms in later games, with the latter two Unown meant to look like a question mark and an exclamation mark.[8] They are among the Pokémon with the most forms.[9] There are also other Unown, which are modeled after Cyrillic script, though these only appeared briefly in Pokémon: Spell of the Unown.[10] Very little information about the species has ever been explained.[11][12]

Appearances

Pokémon Legends: Arceus
.

Unown made their debut appearance in the

Pokémon Legends Arceus, with all twenty-eight variants found at different points in the game, with locations indicated to the player by hints written using Unown-based text.[16] They are generally not used in battle due to their low stats and limited move pool.[17]

The original twenty-six forms of Unown based off of the letters of the alphabet were added to

Poké Ball item to attack enemy player characters, and they also appear as a collectible trophy in Melee and a stat-enchancing Spirit in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.[20][21]

In the Pokémon anime, they first appeared as the main antagonists of

Entei to be a surrogate father. Molly soon learns that her wishes come with threatening consequences and attempts to stop them, but the Unown are out of control, and Entei sacrifices itself to send them back to their dimension.[22] In print media, Unown also appear in the Pokémon Adventures manga,[23] and the different variants have also appeared on cards for the Pokémon Trading Card Game.[24]

Promotion and reception

To promote Pokémon 3: The Movie, a

US dollars towards their college tuition.[26] All twenty-eight variants of Unown were also released as plushies in Pokemon's Sitting Cuties product line.[27] Other merchandise such as action figures, embroidery, and stamps have been released.[28][29][30] Line stickers depicting the twenty-eight forms of Unown were added to the social messaging platform.[31] A Pokémon themed exhibition at the National Crafts Museum featured an exhibit based off the Unown, which was considered a particular highlight.[32]

Unown have received generally negative reception since their appearance in Pokémon Gold and Silver, with IGN writer Kat Bailey identifying it as the worst Pokémon.

phylogeny to students, with the researchers finding the results to be "very encouraging".[39]

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."[22] 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."[40] The Unown's transformation of reality has been analyzed as a metaphor for the power of words and language.[41]

References

  1. ^ Hilliard, Kyle (December 25, 2016). "Pokémon Red & Blue – A Look Back At The 20-Year Journey To Catch 'Em All". Game Informer. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  2. ^
    ISBN 9780520938991
    .
  3. ^ "Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire Preview". Nintendo Power. Vol. 165. February 2003. p. 102.
  4. ^ "Ken Sugimori – Monster Designer". Shmuplations. 2000. Archived from the original on November 9, 2019. Retrieved January 21, 2024.
  5. ^ Matthew Wanlin (October 13, 2000). "Pokémon Development Team Interview". RPGamer. Archived from the original on October 2, 2012. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  6. ^ Game Freak (2000-10-15). Pokémon Silver (Game Boy Color). Nintendo. Pokédex: Its flat, thin body is always stuck on walls. Its shape appears to have some meaning.
  7. ^ Game Freak (2000-10-15). Pokémon Gold (Game Boy Color). Nintendo. Pokédex: Their shapes look like hieroglyphs on ancient tablets. It is said that the two are somehow related.
  8. ^ a b "Pokemon Go To Add Two More Versions of Unown". Gaming. Archived from the original on 2024-04-04. Retrieved 2024-04-04.
  9. ^ Whaling, Jacob (January 20, 2023). "10 Pokemon With The Most Forms". The Gamer. Archived from the original on June 3, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  10. ^ Dickson, Kelsey (October 1, 2020). "Pokémon: How the Series' MOST Mysterious Creature May Have Created Language". Comic Book Resource. Archived from the original on February 8, 2022. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  11. ^
    ISBN 979-12-220-9738-1. Archived
    from the original on 2024-04-04. Retrieved 2024-04-04.
  12. ^ a b "'Pokémon Go' Unown: Everything you need to know about the Pokémon you can spell with". Mic. 2017-04-28. Archived from the original on 2024-04-04. Retrieved 2024-04-04.
  13. ^ Asselt, Erik Van (January 10, 2020). "Should Pokémon Become a Game as a Service Franchise?". RPGamer. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  14. ^ a b c Friend, Devin Ellis (November 11, 2022). "Pokémon Wasted What Could've Been Its Coolest Monster". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on January 9, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  15. ^ Harris, Craig (July 30, 2001). "Pokemon Crystal". IGN. Archived from the original on August 16, 2012. Retrieved August 15, 2023.
  16. ^ Rehfield, Spencer (February 24, 2022). "Pokemon Legends: Arceus Sequels Should Have More Unown, Less Spiritomb Hunts". Game Rant. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  17. ^ Ratcliff, James (December 24, 2022). "Pokemon Fan Visiting Rome Finds Payphone With Unown Letters on It". Game Rant. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  18. ^ Frank, Allegra (February 20, 2017). "Unown is in Pokémon Go, but good luck finding it". Polygon. Archived from the original on July 31, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  19. ^ Wilson, Iain (April 20, 2008). "Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time / Darkness walkthrough". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  20. ^ Mirabella, Fran; Schneider, Peer (June 16, 2001). "Inside Super Smash Bros. Melee, Part III (GameCube)". IGN. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  21. ^ Hernández, David (December 21, 2018). "Todos los espíritus en Super Smash Bros Ultimate". Hobby Consolas. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  22. ^ a b Agnello, Anthony John (2019-05-15). "Pokémon: Spell of the Unown is the Best Pokémon Movie". The Escapist. Archived from the original on 2024-04-04. Retrieved 2024-04-04.
  23. ISBN 9781421530611
    .
  24. ^ "Unown". Pokémon.com. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  25. ^ McCormick, Moira (July 21, 2001). "Child's Play". Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 29. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 80. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  26. ^ Parry-Cruwys, Robert. "Gotta Spell 'Em All". RPGamer. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  27. ^ Shea, Brian (May 17, 2019). "Every Johto Pokémon Is Getting Its Own Plushie". Game Informer. Archived from the original on August 3, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  28. ^ "食玩フィギュア「ポケモンスケールワールド」より、ジョウト地方セットが再登場！メガニウム、オーダイルも単品で再び展開！". 電撃ホビーウェブ (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2024-01-26. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  29. ^ "「ポケモンシャツ」に"アンノーン刺繍"など新しいカスタマイズオプションが登場". 4Gamer.net (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2024-01-26. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  30. ^ "お気に入りの「アンノーン」をゲットだぜ！ポケモンのはんこ「Pokémon PON」に25種類のアンノーンが追加!!". 電撃ホビーウェブ (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2024-01-26. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  31. ^ "【ポケモン】『動く！アンノーン絵文字』がLINEに登場。跳ねたり、揺れたり、いろいろな動きをしているアンノーンがかわいい！". Dengeki. November 21, 2023. Archived from the original on January 26, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2024.
  32. ^ "「ポケモン×工芸展」で公開された作品に反響 「ヌメラかわいい」「有田焼きすごい」「アンノーン良すぎる」". ねとらぼ (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2024-01-26. Retrieved 2024-03-14.
  33. ^ Bailey, Kat (October 9, 2013). "The Worst Pokemon of All Time". IGN. Archived from the original on March 20, 2014. Retrieved April 21, 2014.
  34. 1UP.com. Archived from the original
    on 25 March 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
  35. Reed Business Information
    .
  36. IGN Entertainment. Archived from the original
    on 2010-04-10. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
  37. ^ Bailey, Kat (2013-10-09). "The Worst Pokemon of All Time". IGN. Archived from the original on 2023-11-21. Retrieved 2024-03-10.
  38. 1UP.com (Podcast). Retrieved 2009-09-30.[permanent dead link
    ]
  39. ^ Freidenberg Jr., Rolfe; Kelly, Martin (2006). "Using the Pokemon Alphabet to Teach Classification and Phylogeny". Science Scope. National Science Teachers Association.
  40. ^ Henley, Stacey (April 6, 2021). "Happy 20th Birthday To Pokemon 3, The Best Pokemon Movie". The Gamer. Archived from the original on April 6, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
  41. ISBN 978-1-134-67573-9. Archived
    from the original on 2024-04-04. Retrieved 2024-04-04.

External links
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