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Unown were created by [[Ken Sugimori]] for the 1999 [[Game Boy]] games, [[Pokémon Gold and Silver|''Pokémon Gold'' and ''Silver'']]. Unown began as an [[Extraterrestrial life|alien]]-type Pokémon, but when artists began to sketch them, they started to look like letters of the alphabet.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q4-2000/101300a.html |title= Pokémon Development Team Interview|author= Matthew Wanlin|date= October 13, 2000|publisher= [[RPGamer]]}}</ref>
Unown were created by [[Ken Sugimori]] for the 1999 [[Game Boy]] games, [[Pokémon Gold and Silver|''Pokémon Gold'' and ''Silver'']]. Unown began as an [[Extraterrestrial life|alien]]-type Pokémon, but when artists began to sketch them, they started to look like letters of the alphabet.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q4-2000/101300a.html |title= Pokémon Development Team Interview|author= Matthew Wanlin|date= October 13, 2000|publisher= [[RPGamer]]}}</ref>


Unown are [[hieroglyph]]-like,<ref name="unowngold">{{pokédex|gold|Their shapes look like hieroglyphs on ancient tablets. It is said that the two are somehow related.}}</ref> thin, black symbols usually found on walls.<ref name="unownsilver">{{pokédex|silver|Its flat, thin body is always stuck on walls. Its shape appears to have some meaning.}}</ref> First appearing in [[Pokémon Gold and Silver|''Pokémon Gold'' and ''Silver'']], Unown have 28 different forms, based on the letters of the [[Latin alphabet]]; the two [[punctuation mark]]s of a [[question mark]] and an [[exclamation point]] were released in [[Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen|''Pokémon FireRed'' and ''LeafGreen'']]. In the Pokémon universe, it is said that each form has different abilities.<ref name="unowncrystal">{{pokédex|crystal|Because different types of Unown exist, it is said that they must have a variety of abilities.}}</ref> It is unknown whether the Unown came first, or the letters they resemble.<ref name="unownruby">{{pokédex|ruby|This Pokémon is shaped like ancient writing. It is a mystery as to which came fir.t, the ancient writings or the various Unown. Research into this topic is ongoing but nothing is known.}}</pkeununmake telepathunic contact with other beings.<ref name="unownpearl">{{pokédex|pearl|They seem to communicate among each other telepathically. They are always found stuck on walls.}}</ref> If multiple Unown come together, their power increases,<ref name="unownplatinum">{{pokédex|platinum|When alone, nothing happens. However, if there are two or more, an odd power is said to emerge.}}</ref> which is shown in ''[[Pokémon 3: The Movie]]'', where a large cluster of Unown come together and are able to bend reality.<ref name="Spell of the Unown"/> Unown's only known move in battle is "Hidden Power", which is a different type move depending on the stat points of the user. In the movie, Professor Oak studies a new pair of Unown, which are actually modelled after [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]].Unown does not evolve. They use telepathy to communicate. It is a Symbol Pokémon It weighs 11 pounds. They are psychic. It is pronounced
Unown are [[hieroglyph]]-like,<ref name="unowngold">{{pokédex|gold|Their shapes look like hieroglyphs on ancient tablets. It is said that the two are somehow related.}}</ref> thin, black symbols usually found on walls.<ref name="unownsilver">{{pokédex|silver|Its flat, thin body is always stuck on walls. Its shape appears to have some meaning.}}</ref> First appearing in [[Pokémon Gold and Silver|''Pokémon Gold'' and ''Silver'']], Unown have 28 different forms, based on the letters of the [[Latin alphabet]]; the two [[punctuation mark]]s of a [[question mark]] and an [[exclamation point]] were released in [[Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen|''Pokémon FireRed'' and ''LeafGreen'']]. In the Pokémon universe, it is said that each form has different abilities.<ref name="unowncrystal">{{pokédex|crystal|Because different types of Unown exist, it is said that they must have a variety of abilities.}}</ref> It is unknown whether the Unown came first, or the letters they resemble.<ref name="unownruby">{{pokédex|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.}}</ref> The in-game Pokédex states that Unown can make telepathic contact with other beings.<ref name="unownpearl">{{pokédex|pearl|They seem to communicate among each other telepathically. They are always found stuck on walls.}}</ref> If multiple Unown come together, their power increases,<ref name="unownplatinum">{{pokédex|platinum|When alone, nothing happens. However, if there are two or more, an odd power is said to emerge.}}</ref> which is shown in ''[[Pokémon 3: The Movie]]'', where a large cluster of Unown come together and are able to bend reality.<ref name="Spell of the Unown"/> Unown's only known move in battle is "Hidden Power", which is a different type move depending on the stat points of the user. In the movie, Professor Oak studies a new pair of Unown, which are actually modelled after [[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]].


==Appearances==
==Appearances==

Revision as of 15:54, 8 October 2012

Unown
Pokémon series character
File:201Unown.png
"F" Unown
National Pokédex
Misdreavus - Unown (#201) - Wobbuffet
First gamePokémon Gold and Silver

Unown (アンノーン, Annōn) is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Unown first appeared in the video games Pokémon Gold and Silver and in subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise. Unlike other characters in the franchise, Unown have no singular voice actors, but instead utilize several at once.

Known as the Symbol Pokémon, Unown are hieroglyph-like, thin, black symbols usually found on walls. There are 28 forms of Unown, one for each letter of the alphabet, a question mark and an exclamation point. They were featured as the main antagonists of Spell of the Unown, the third Pokémon movie. Unown have also appeared in Super Smash Bros. Melee and the Pokémon Adventures manga. Unown have received generally negative reception; IGN describing them as "probably the single most useless Pokemon in existence".

Design and characteristics

Unown were created by Ken Sugimori for the 1999 Game Boy games, Pokémon Gold and Silver. Unown began as an alien-type Pokémon, but when artists began to sketch them, they started to look like letters of the alphabet.[1]

Unown are hieroglyph-like,[2] thin, black symbols usually found on walls.[3] First appearing in Pokémon Gold and Silver, Unown have 28 different forms, based on the letters of the Latin alphabet; the two punctuation marks of a question mark and an exclamation point were released in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen. In the Pokémon universe, it is said that each form has different abilities.[4] It is unknown whether the Unown came first, or the letters they resemble.[5] The in-game Pokédex states that Unown can make telepathic contact with other beings.[6] If multiple Unown come together, their power increases,[7] which is shown in Pokémon 3: The Movie, where a large cluster of Unown come together and are able to bend reality.[8] Unown's only known move in battle is "Hidden Power", which is a different type move depending on the stat points of the user. In the movie, Professor Oak studies a new pair of Unown, which are actually modelled after Cyrillic.

Appearances

In video games

Unown made its debut appearance in the Pokémon series in Pokémon Gold and Silver. In this game, they can be found in the Ruins of Alph of Johto and are triggered once the player completes the puzzles in the caves found in the Ruins. They were also used as writings by classification of their shapes as seen in Pokémon Crystal. Unown appear again in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, where they are found in the Tanoby Chambers in the Sevii Islands. In Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, they are found in a cave near Solaceon Town of Sinnoh, and writings utilizing Unown letters can be seen on the top floor of the cave. In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, when Arceus summons either Palkia, Dialga, or Giratina, Unown swarm around the player, Cynthia, and Arceus.

In Super Smash Bros. Melee, Unown appear when released from a Poké Ball and will fly off the screen. They then return with a large swarm similar to that of Beedrill in the original Super Smash Bros. The only difference is that Beedrill only attack from left or right while Unown can come from any direction. Opponents caught in this are damaged and juggled. There are also Unown Pokéfloats. In the second half of the cycle, they fly across the screen. Towards the end of the cycle, staying on the stage relies on hopping between the Unown.

In other media

The Unown are the main antagonists of Spell of the Unown, the third Pokémon movie. The Unown send Professor Hale into their dimension. Later, Molly Hale releases Unown from their demension. The Unown, reading Molly's mind, make her wishes come true, including turning Greenfield into crystal and creating Entei to be Molly's new dad. Because Molly also wants a mother, Entei kidnaps Ash Ketchum's mom. Eventually, Molly realizes that what she is doing is wrong and she wants to stop, but the power of the Unown is out of control. Entei destroys the psychic energy shield around the Unown, sacrificing himself in the process. The Unown are sent back into their demension, and Professor Hale is released from the Unown dimension.[8] The Unown also make a brief cameo in Pokémon: The Rise of Darkrai, in the scenes where Dialga and Palkia are seen fighting each other in the space-time rift dimension, swarms of Unown are seen floating about, many of which are blown away by Dialga and Palkia's attacks.

In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Unown first appear in Volume 8, when Gold and Bugsy are in the Ruins of Alph. Gold has his Sunkern use Flash to blind Team Rocket, but this accidentally disturbs the Unown from their slumber. Bugsy later returns to study the Ruins further in Volume 11, where he captures a "G"-shaped Unown. Unown later appear in Volume 24, having been awakened by Sird from the Tanoby Ruins to use as a distraction while she fought Lorelei. The Unown later appear again throughout the volume, being employed by Team Rocket as living security cameras while impeding the progress of Red, Blue and Green. They show up in the DP saga when Diamond, Pearl and Platinum visit Solaceon Town. Diamond and Pearl befriend two Unown, "D" and "P", who behave like each of them, respectively.

Critical reception

Variety described Unown as "purely abstract", further feeling them as having none of the appeal of other Pokémon species and "a bad idea that gets worse".[9] IGN described them as "probably the single most useless Pokemon in existence", noting its contrast to other weaker Pokémon which would by comparison evolve into stronger forms eventually, and further described their sole appeal as one for children intending to use them to spell out profanity.[10] 1UP.com named them the fifth "Lamest Pokémon" in the franchise, describing them as "silly gimmick Pokémon" and "useless" for in-game battles and other in-game events.[11] GamesRadar called them "pretty awful", further describing them as "about as threatening as a vat of Alphabits".[12]

However, in an analysis of the article on 1UP FM, the host argued otherwise, feeling that while odd the characters had some appeal with children and further described it as "another layer of insanity" for people who were already interested in collecting all the species.[13] 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".[14]

References

  1. ^ Matthew Wanlin (October 13, 2000). "Pokémon Development Team Interview". RPGamer.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ Game Freak (2001-07-29). Pokémon Crystal (Game Boy Color). Nintendo. Pokédex: Because different types of Unown exist, it is said that they must have a variety of abilities.
  5. ^ Game Freak (2003-03-17). Pokémon Ruby (Game Boy Advance). Nintendo. Pokédex: 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.
  6. ^ Game Freak (2007-04-22). Pokémon Pearl (Nintendo DS). Nintendo. Pokédex: They seem to communicate among each other telepathically. They are always found stuck on walls.
  7. ^ Game Freak (2009-03-22). Pokémon Platinum (Nintendo DS). Nintendo. Pokédex: When alone, nothing happens. However, if there are two or more, an odd power is said to emerge.
  8. ^ a b Norman J. Grossfeld (writer) (April 6, 2001). "Pokémon 3: Spell of the Unown". Pokémon. Various.
  9. ^ Koehler, Robert (2001). "Pokemon 3: Spell of the Unown (Review)". Variety. Reed Business Information.
  10. ^ Staff (2003-01-14). "Pokemon Crystal Version Pokemon of the Day: Unown (#201)". IGN. IGN Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
  11. ^ Bailey, Kat. "Top 5 Lamest Pokémon". 1UP.com. UGO Networks. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
  12. ^ Padilla, Raymond (2007-11-22). "Pokemusing, week 23". GamesRadar. Future Publishing. p. 2. Retrieved 2009-10-17.
  13. ^ Phil Kohler (2008-08-25). "1UP FM - August 28, 2008". 1UP.com (Podcast). UGO Networks. Retrieved 2009-09-30.
  14. ^ Freidenberg, Rolfe, Jr. (2006). "Using the Pokemon Alphabet to Teach Classification and Phylogeny". Science Scope. National Science Teachers Association. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links

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