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Suicune

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Suicune
File:Suicune.png
National Pokédex
Entei - Suicune (#245) - Larvitar
Johto Pokédex
Entei - Suicune (#240) - Dratini
Japanese nameSuikun
Evolves fromNone
Evolves intoNone
GenerationSecond
SpeciesAurora Pokémon
TypeWater
Height6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)
Weight412.0 pounds (186.9 kg)
AbilityPressure

Suicune (スイクン, Suikun) is a fictional character of the Pokémon franchise. It is a Legendary Pokémon, one of the three Legendary Beasts first encountered in Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal. It plays a much more prominent role in the last game than in the other two.

Suicune's name is an anglicized version of the original Japanese Suikun. Since 水 sui means water, and 君 kun means prince, Suikun can be translated as "water prince", referring to Suicune's dominion over the water element.

Biology

Suicune is one of the three Legendary Pokémon of the Johto region. According to in-game oral tradition, the Legendary Beasts (otherwise known as Legendary Dogs or Legendary Cats) were reincarnated by Ho-Oh from the spirits of three Pokémon that perished in the fire of the Burnt Tower's namesake; speculation has it may have once been a Vaporeon that died in said fire. Each Beast personifies a force of nature - in Suicune's case, it is said to be both the north wind and clear water and the destructive force, if put into anger, of tsunamis.

Suicune is said to travel across the land at a speed so fast it is invisible to the human eye. Every once in a while it will stop running, possibly appearing in front of a trainer, and as it stands, the north winds will blow. Suicune runs so fast, it can run on water so it crosses oceans with ease. It is said that Suicune constantly searches for a pure reservoir of water, however it has the power to turn any body of water into such a reservoir. Suicune has the power to instantly purify dirty, muddy, or otherwise polluted water into the clearest of liquids by simply stepping into it. It usually appears next to water regions, or in forests.

In the video games

In Pokémon Gold and Silver, Suicune is captured in the same manner as the other two Legendary Beasts, Raikou and Entei. First, it must be awoken by the player at the basement of the Burnt Tower near Ecruteak City. After that, Suicune wanders everywhere in Johto except for caves and sea routes (although with Suicune being a Water-type Pokémon, it wouldn't have seemed out of place).

Suicune is found for the first time most commonly south of Ecruteak city in the route traveled after defeating the 1st gym leader. After encountering it for the first time in the wild, the Pokédex will show its current location. Walking to a new location makes Suicune move to an adjacent Route, following a set itinerary. However, using Fly to travel to a new location will change its position completely. The player is supposed to move strategically in order to find himself in the same environs as Suicune. Every time that the player encounters it, it quickly flees, sometimes before even the player takes his turn. Suicune keeps any damage dealt on it. Eventually, it will have received enough damage that it may be caught.

Template:Spoiler

In Pokémon Crystal Suicune is the star Pokémon, in a similar way that Pokémon Yellow showcased Pikachu and Pokémon Emerald features Rayquaza. A mysterious trainer named Eusine appears a few times during the course of the game - Eusine is set on meeting and catching Suicune, and will battle the player for that honor. Eventually, Suicune can be caught by heading to the Tin Tower after obtaining the Clear Bell key item. Three old men will challenge the player to a battle and if they are defeated, they will allow access to a floor where Suicune waits to battle. Unlike the previous games, it will not run away, thus offering a more conventional Legendary Pokémon capturing challenge. Suicune had Rain Dance. In these two games, Raikou, Entei, and Suicune had Roar, a move that would scare your Pokémon away, in case you used Mean Look, Spider Web, etc. In Pokémon Crystal and other games after it, Suicune would have Rain Dance, which boosts Water-Type abilities.

In Pokémon Colosseum, Suicune is a Shadow Pokémon and can be snagged from Venus, an Administrator of Team Cipher.

In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, if the player chooses Charmander as their starter Pokémon, Suicune will be wandering around Kanto after the player beats the Elite Four for the first time, and if the player has recived the National Pokédex, a manner exactly like that in Gold and Silver. Even though most players might not have experienced it, Suicune can be encountered while surfing.

Suicune also appears in Super Smash Bros. Melee as one of the Pokémon to emerge from a Poké Ball item. It attacks by temporarily freezing enemies (with an attack that appears to be Blizzard).

Strategy

As a Legendary Pokémon, Suicune's stats are impressive. Its Defense ratings are especially good, and coupled with its high Hit Points help Suicune remain in battle a long time, while its Pressure ability forces opposing Pokémon to do just the opposite.

Suicune is widely used where accepted, and one of the most effective archetypes appears to be the "Calm-cune", where the move Calm Mind plays a prominent part, together with Rest, the Leftovers item and a strong Water move like Surf. In this strategy, one uses Calm Mind to fortify Suicune's Special Attack and Defense even more, pausing to use Rest when Leftovers don't heal damage from physical attacks fast enough, and then use Surf to knock out all opposition. You could also presumably use Water Pulse. The preferred nature for Suicune is Bold nature. It is this moveset that makes Suicune one of the best Pokémon in the game. With the "Calm-cune" tactic, Suicune is a generally good sweeper.

In the Anime

Suicune first appears in episode #119 (Don't touch that 'Dile!). Ash and friends catch a fleeting glimpse of it when they begin their journey into Johto, much like Ash saw Ho-oh when he first started his Pokémon journey.

Suicune goes on to have a much larger role in Pokémon 4 Ever (a.k.a Celebi: Voice of the Forest or Celebi: A Timeless Encounter in Japanese.) It appears to help the persecuted Celebi against the evil Iron Masked Marauder of Team Rocket. It uses its water purifying powers to cleanse a contaminated lake so that Celebi can be healed there.

After the movie, Suicune makes another appearance in episode #229, set in Ecruteak City. The episode features Eusine meeting Ash and shows his obsession with catching Suicune. Suicune appears before Eusine, but he fails to catch it.

In Pokémon: Master Quest's theme song/Ready Go!, Suicune is featured along with all of the other legendary Pokémon that were around back then.

In Pokémon: Advanced Battle's theme song/Symphonic Medley, Suicune was running with Raikou and Entei, avoiding the attacks of Kyogre and Groudon.

In other properties

Suicune has appered on many cards, all as water-type Basic Pokémon in all the expansions listed below:

  • Neo Revelation
  • Neo Revelation
  • Aquapolis
  • EX Team Magma vs. Team Aqua (as Suicune EX)
  • EX Team Rocket Returns (as Rocket's Suicune EX)
  • EX Unseen Forces (as Suicune "star")

In addition, Suicune has come in two promotional cards, one of them was with the Pokémon 4Ever-movie, the second one from Nintendo when participating in Pokémon Leagues and receiving "POP2" booster packs. After that Nintendo reprinted the 4Ever promo and it could be found in "Ex Carry Tin".

References

Publications
  • Barbo, Maria. The Official Pokémon Handbook. Scholastic Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-439-15404-9.
  • Loe, Casey, ed. Pokémon Special Pikachu Edition Official Perfect Guide. Sunnydale, CA: Empire 21 Publishing, 1999. ISBN 1-930206-15-1.
  • Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon FireRed & Pokémon LeafGreen Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., August 2004. ISBN 1-930206-50-X
  • Mylonas, Eric. Pokémon Pokédex Collector’s Edition: Prima’s Official Pokémon Guide. Prima Games, September 21 2004. ISBN 0-7615-4761-4
  • Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Emerald Version Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., April 2005. ISBN 1-930206-58-5
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