Gengar
Encyclopedia
Gengar, known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species in Nintendo
and Game Freak
's Pokémon
franchise. Designed by Game Freak, their name it is both the singular and plural name of the species. First appearing in Pokémon Red and Blue
, they later appeared in subsequent sequels, spin-off games, related merchandise, and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise. In animated appearances, Haunter are voiced in Japanese by Kōichi Sakaguchi
and in English localizations by Ted Lewis
.
Gengar has been well-received by the media, noted as popular with older male children and praised for its appearance. Groups such as IGN
and Official Nintendo Magazine have praised its abilities and style, with both naming it one of the series' best characters.
which evolved into the basis for the Pokémon franchise. During development of Pocket Monsters games Red and Green, which were localized outside of Japan as Pokémon Red and Blue
, Game Freak illustrator Ken Sugimori
adapted the character concept for the games. Called "Gangar" in Japanese, Nintendo decided to give the various Pokémon species "clever and descriptive names" related to their appearance or features when translating the game for western audiences as a means to make the characters more relatable to American children. Originally intending to call the species "Phantom", due to an existing trademark for a character with the same name
they adapted its Japanese name for the English language instead.
Known as the Shadow
Pokémon, Gengar is a dark-purple Pokémon with a roundish body. Gengar is the first of its evolutions to have hands and legs connected to its body. Gengar also has a spike-covered back, and its eyes are a sinister red. Its mouth is usually curled into a wicked grin. Gengar steals the heat from the area around it; its presence cools the temperature of the surrounding area by nearly 10°F.
Gengar, very mischievous and sometime malicious creatures, live in shadows of rooms, caves, and dark places where shadows form, especially in urban areas such as cities and back alleys but only during the night. They enjoy playing practical jokes, such as pretending to be one's shadow and then behaving erratically. When the quarry notices, the Gengar takes delight in its victim's terror. Gengar have the ability to lay curses on their foe, and it is said to steal the lives of those who become lost in mountains by overtaking the prey's shadow and silently waiting for an opportunity.
, where it is only obtainable by evolving Haunter by trading it. Haunter later appeared in several sequels, including Pokémon Gold and Silver
, Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
, Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
, and Pokémon Black and White
. Notable trainers that use Gengar are Agatha of the Kanto Elite Four, Morty, Gym Leader of Ecruteak City Gym, and Fantina, Gym Leader of Hearthome City Gym.
Outside of the main series, Gengar has appeared in the Pokémon Ranger
games. In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon
, Gengar is the main antagonist, and the leader of Team Meanies, which includes an Ekans and Medicham. Gengar spends much of the game causing trouble, even convincing the village to exile the hero, blaming him or her for the natural disasters. However, it is later revealed that Gengar is the cursed human that the plot mentions.
, Gengar made its first appearance in the opening of the first episode, "Pokémon, I Choose You!
", where it and a Nidorino battled in a Colosseum on television, a scene that mimicked the intro of Pokémon Blue. Ash
first saw a Gengar in person in Lavender Town in "The Tower of Terror" while searching for a Ghost-type Pokémon to with which fight Sabrina, the Saffron City gym leader specializing in Psychic-types. Due to a close call, Ash spent some unexpected time with the ghostly trio, Gastly, Haunter
, and Gengar. It, along with Haunter, seemed to have a fondness for Japanese stand-up, and unsuccessfully attempted to amuse Ash by acting as a pair of performers. In "The Ancient Puzzle of Pokémopolis", a giant Gengar was awakened where it battled an equally large Alakazam. Drake of the Orange Islands used a Gengar in his battle with Ash in "Hello, Pummelo!" and "Enter The Dragonite." A Gengar appeared under the ownership of Ecruteak City Gym Leader Morty in "A Ghost Of A Chance", "From Ghost to Ghost", and "For Ho-Oh the Bells Toll!". Agatha used a Gengar to battle Ash's Pikachu
in "The Scheme Team"; her Gengar actually defeated the electric mouse Pokémon.
manga, Agatha has two Gengar on her team. One of them was used to attack Blue and Koga from the shadows, draining the latter's life force as it possessed his shadow. Another Gengar was seen at the beginning of the FireRed and LeafGreen saga in Volume 23. It was used by a kid from Pallet Town in an attempt to capture a Nidorino, replicating the opening sequence of Pokémon Red and Blue
.
as having a "devilishly cute smile, horns to match and a crocodile spine". GamesRadar
described the species along with its two pre-evolutions as the "most famous" of Ghost-type Pokémon, calling all three "highly useful". They further stated that Gengar's own combined with its overall design made it "extremely desirable". Official Nintendo Magazine named Gengar one of the ten best Pokémon in the game as of 2010, stating that people "either love Gengar or hate it" and that with the proper abilities could be very effective. In a later reader-based poll, it placed ninth as one of the best ghost characters in a Nintendo game, which the magazine attributed to its appearance and design. IGN
called Gengar the best Ghost type Pokémon in Red and Blue, and also praised its appearance, citing a resemblance to Nekobus from My Neighbor Totoro
.
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
and Game Freak
Game Freak
is a Japanese video game developer that currently creates games exclusively for Nintendo. It has developed the Pokémon series of role-playing games and several other games.-History:...
's Pokémon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
franchise. Designed by Game Freak, their name it is both the singular and plural name of the species. First appearing in Pokémon Red and Blue
Pokémon Red and Blue
Pokémon Red Version and Blue Version, originally released in Japan as , are role-playing games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. They are the first installments to the Pokémon series. They were first released in Japan in 1996 as Red and Green, with Blue being...
, they later appeared in subsequent sequels, spin-off games, related merchandise, and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise. In animated appearances, Haunter are voiced in Japanese by Kōichi Sakaguchi
Koichi Sakaguchi
is a Japanese seiyū. He is affiliated with 81 Produce.He also had a recurring role in both the Japanese and English language Pokemon anime which saw him voicing Jessie's Arbok up until Episode 6 of the Hoenn series which saw Arbok and its companion, Weezing being released to help protect a herd of...
and in English localizations by Ted Lewis
Ted Lewis (voice actor)
Ted Lewis is an American voice actor who does work for 4kids Entertainment, Central Park Media, DuArt Film and Video, NYAV Post. Primarily, he is involved with anime dub voice work...
.
Gengar has been well-received by the media, noted as popular with older male children and praised for its appearance. Groups such as IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
and Official Nintendo Magazine have praised its abilities and style, with both naming it one of the series' best characters.
Design and characteristics
Unlike other Pokémon in the series, Gengar originally appeared in the manga Capsule Monsters, an early concept by Satoshi TajiriSatoshi Tajiri
is a Japanese video game designer best known as the creator of Pokémon and the founder of development company Game Freak, Inc. An avid fan of arcade games, Tajiri wrote for and edited his own video gaming fanzine Game Freak with Ken Sugimori, before evolving it into a development company of the...
which evolved into the basis for the Pokémon franchise. During development of Pocket Monsters games Red and Green, which were localized outside of Japan as Pokémon Red and Blue
Pokémon Red and Blue
Pokémon Red Version and Blue Version, originally released in Japan as , are role-playing games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. They are the first installments to the Pokémon series. They were first released in Japan in 1996 as Red and Green, with Blue being...
, Game Freak illustrator Ken Sugimori
Ken Sugimori
is a Japanese video game designer, illustrator, manga artist, and director. He is most famous as the character designer and art director for the Pokémon franchise. Sugimori is also credited with the art direction for other titles, including Pulseman. Sugimori drew all of the original 151 Pokémon...
adapted the character concept for the games. Called "Gangar" in Japanese, Nintendo decided to give the various Pokémon species "clever and descriptive names" related to their appearance or features when translating the game for western audiences as a means to make the characters more relatable to American children. Originally intending to call the species "Phantom", due to an existing trademark for a character with the same name
The Phantom
The Phantom is an American adventure comic strip created by Lee Falk, also creator of Mandrake the Magician. A popular feature adapted into many media, including television, film and video games, it stars a costumed crimefighter operating from the fictional African country Bengalla.The Phantom is...
they adapted its Japanese name for the English language instead.
Known as the Shadow
Shadow
A shadow is an area where direct light from a light source cannot reach due to obstruction by an object. It occupies all of the space behind an opaque object with light in front of it. The cross section of a shadow is a two-dimensional silhouette, or reverse projection of the object blocking the...
Pokémon, Gengar is a dark-purple Pokémon with a roundish body. Gengar is the first of its evolutions to have hands and legs connected to its body. Gengar also has a spike-covered back, and its eyes are a sinister red. Its mouth is usually curled into a wicked grin. Gengar steals the heat from the area around it; its presence cools the temperature of the surrounding area by nearly 10°F.
Gengar, very mischievous and sometime malicious creatures, live in shadows of rooms, caves, and dark places where shadows form, especially in urban areas such as cities and back alleys but only during the night. They enjoy playing practical jokes, such as pretending to be one's shadow and then behaving erratically. When the quarry notices, the Gengar takes delight in its victim's terror. Gengar have the ability to lay curses on their foe, and it is said to steal the lives of those who become lost in mountains by overtaking the prey's shadow and silently waiting for an opportunity.
In video games
Gengar's Pokémon series debut was in Pokémon Red and BluePokémon Red and Blue
Pokémon Red Version and Blue Version, originally released in Japan as , are role-playing games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. They are the first installments to the Pokémon series. They were first released in Japan in 1996 as Red and Green, with Blue being...
, where it is only obtainable by evolving Haunter by trading it. Haunter later appeared in several sequels, including Pokémon Gold and Silver
Pokémon Gold and Silver
are the second installments of the Pokémon series of role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color. The games have dual-mode capabilities allowing them to also be played on earlier Game Boy models. They were first released in Japan in 1999 and to...
, Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
are enhanced remakes of the original Pokémon Red and Blue video games, which were released in 1996. The new titles were developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance and have compatibility with the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter, which originally came bundled with...
, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
are role-playing games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. With the enhanced remake Pokémon Platinum, the games comprise the fifth installment and fourth generation of the Pokémon series of RPGs...
, Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
are enhanced remakes of the 1999 video games Pokémon Gold and Silver. The games are part of the Pokémon series of role-playing video games, and were developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS...
, and Pokémon Black and White
Pokémon Black and White
are role-playing games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. They are the first installments in the fifth generation of the Pokémon series of role-playing games...
. Notable trainers that use Gengar are Agatha of the Kanto Elite Four, Morty, Gym Leader of Ecruteak City Gym, and Fantina, Gym Leader of Hearthome City Gym.
Outside of the main series, Gengar has appeared in the Pokémon Ranger
Pokémon Ranger
is an action/role-playing video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS video game console. The game was released at various dates, varying between continents. The game was first released in Japan on March 22, 2006 and was later released in North America and...
games. In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team
and are a matched pair of Pokémon games for the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance, respectively. These two games were developed by Chunsoft and were published by Nintendo....
, Gengar is the main antagonist, and the leader of Team Meanies, which includes an Ekans and Medicham. Gengar spends much of the game causing trouble, even convincing the village to exile the hero, blaming him or her for the natural disasters. However, it is later revealed that Gengar is the cursed human that the plot mentions.
In anime
In the animePokémon (anime)
, abbreviated from , is a children's TV anime series, which has since been adapted for the North and South American, Australian and European television markets...
, Gengar made its first appearance in the opening of the first episode, "Pokémon, I Choose You!
Pokémon, I Choose You!
is the first episode of the first season of the Pokémon anime series. It was first broadcast in Japan on April 1, 1997 and was first broadcast in the United States on September 8, 1998....
", where it and a Nidorino battled in a Colosseum on television, a scene that mimicked the intro of Pokémon Blue. Ash
Ash Ketchum
Ash Ketchum, known as for all appearances in Japan, is a fictional character in the Pokémon franchise owned by Nintendo. He was created by, and named after, Satoshi Tajiri as the protagonist of the anime and manga series, as well as on various merchandise related to the franchise...
first saw a Gengar in person in Lavender Town in "The Tower of Terror" while searching for a Ghost-type Pokémon to with which fight Sabrina, the Saffron City gym leader specializing in Psychic-types. Due to a close call, Ash spent some unexpected time with the ghostly trio, Gastly, Haunter
Haunter
Haunter, known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Designed by Game Freak and originally intended to be renamed Spectre for North American audiences, their name is a derivative of the verb "to haunt", and is both the singular and plural name of the...
, and Gengar. It, along with Haunter, seemed to have a fondness for Japanese stand-up, and unsuccessfully attempted to amuse Ash by acting as a pair of performers. In "The Ancient Puzzle of Pokémopolis", a giant Gengar was awakened where it battled an equally large Alakazam. Drake of the Orange Islands used a Gengar in his battle with Ash in "Hello, Pummelo!" and "Enter The Dragonite." A Gengar appeared under the ownership of Ecruteak City Gym Leader Morty in "A Ghost Of A Chance", "From Ghost to Ghost", and "For Ho-Oh the Bells Toll!". Agatha used a Gengar to battle Ash's Pikachu
Pikachu
is one of the species of Pokémon creatures from the Pokémon media franchise—a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards, and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. As do all Pokémon, Pikachu fight other Pokémon in battles central to the anime, manga, and games of the series...
in "The Scheme Team"; her Gengar actually defeated the electric mouse Pokémon.
In other media
In the Pokémon AdventuresPokémon Adventures
Pokémon Adventures, released in Japan as , is a Pokémon-related manga based on the video games. Satoshi Tajiri once stated that the Pocket Monsters Special series is closest to what he imagined the Pokémon world to be:...
manga, Agatha has two Gengar on her team. One of them was used to attack Blue and Koga from the shadows, draining the latter's life force as it possessed his shadow. Another Gengar was seen at the beginning of the FireRed and LeafGreen saga in Volume 23. It was used by a kid from Pallet Town in an attempt to capture a Nidorino, replicating the opening sequence of Pokémon Red and Blue
Pokémon Red and Blue
Pokémon Red Version and Blue Version, originally released in Japan as , are role-playing games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. They are the first installments to the Pokémon series. They were first released in Japan in 1996 as Red and Green, with Blue being...
.
Promotion and reception
The book Pikachu's Global Adventure: The Rise and Fall of Pokémon cited Gengar as popular with older male children who tend to be drawn to "tough or scary" characters. It was described by TimeTime (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
as having a "devilishly cute smile, horns to match and a crocodile spine". GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
described the species along with its two pre-evolutions as the "most famous" of Ghost-type Pokémon, calling all three "highly useful". They further stated that Gengar's own combined with its overall design made it "extremely desirable". Official Nintendo Magazine named Gengar one of the ten best Pokémon in the game as of 2010, stating that people "either love Gengar or hate it" and that with the proper abilities could be very effective. In a later reader-based poll, it placed ninth as one of the best ghost characters in a Nintendo game, which the magazine attributed to its appearance and design. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
called Gengar the best Ghost type Pokémon in Red and Blue, and also praised its appearance, citing a resemblance to Nekobus from My Neighbor Totoro
My Neighbor Totoro
, is a 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and produced by Studio Ghibli. The film follows the two young daughters of a professor and their interactions with friendly wood spirits in postwar rural Japan...
.