Unown
Encyclopedia
is a Pokémon species in Nintendo
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. Created by 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...
, Unown first appeared in the video games 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...
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
Symbol
A symbol is something which represents an idea, a physical entity or a process but is distinct from it. The purpose of a symbol is to communicate meaning. For example, a red octagon may be a symbol for "STOP". On a map, a picture of a tent might represent a campsite. Numerals are symbols for...
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
Question mark
The question mark , is a punctuation mark that replaces the full stop at the end of an interrogative sentence in English and many other languages. The question mark is not used for indirect questions...
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
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBM or simply as Melee, is a crossover fighting game released for the Nintendo GameCube shortly after its launch in . It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 game Super Smash Bros., and the predecessor to the Wii game Super Smash...
and the Pokémon Adventures
Pokémon 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. Unown have received generally negative reception; 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...
describing them as "probably the single most useless Pokemon in existence".
Design and characteristics
Unown were created by Ken SugimoriKen 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...
for the 1999 Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
games, 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...
. Unown began as an alien
Extraterrestrial life
Extraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
-type Pokémon, but when artists began to sketch them, they started to look like letters of the alphabet.
Unown are hieroglyph-like, thin, black symbols usually found on walls. First appearing in 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...
, Unown have 28 different forms, based on the letters of the Latin alphabet
Latin alphabet
The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
; the two punctuation marks of a question mark
Question mark
The question mark , is a punctuation mark that replaces the full stop at the end of an interrogative sentence in English and many other languages. The question mark is not used for indirect questions...
and an exclamation point were released in 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...
. In the Pokémon universe, it is said that each form has different abilities. It is unknown whether the Unown came first, or the letters they resemble. The in-game Pokédex states that Unown can make telepathic contact with other beings. If multiple Unown come together, their power increases, which is shown in Pokémon 3: The Movie
Pokémon 3: The Movie
Pokémon 3: The Movie, originally released in Japan as , is a 2000 Japanese animated film directed by Kunihiko Yuyama as the third feature-length Pokémon film. It was released in Japanese theaters on July 8, 2000, and the English adaptation, entitled Pokémon 3: Spell of the Unknown was released...
, where a large cluster of Unown come together and are able to bend reality. 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 the Cyrillic alphabet
Cyrillic alphabet
The Cyrillic script or azbuka is an alphabetic writing system developed in the First Bulgarian Empire during the 10th century AD at the Preslav Literary School...
.
In video games
Unown made its debut appearance in the Pokémon series in Pokémon Gold and SilverPokémon 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...
. 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
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...
, where they are found in the Tanoby Chambers in the Sevii Islands. In 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...
, 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
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...
, when Arceus
Arceus
is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Arceus first appeared in the video games Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise.-Concept and...
summons either Palkia, Dialga, or Giratina
Giratina
, is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Giratina first appeared in the video games Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, but gained prominence in the remake, Pokémon Platinum, which it was made the mascot of. It later appeared in various merchandise,...
, Unown swarm around the player, Cynthia, and Arceus.
In Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee
Super Smash Bros. Melee, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBM or simply as Melee, is a crossover fighting game released for the Nintendo GameCube shortly after its launch in . It is the successor to the Nintendo 64 game Super Smash Bros., and the predecessor to the Wii game Super Smash...
, 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 the stone tiles in a box in her house. The Unown, reading Molly's mind, make her wishes come true, including turning Greenfield into crystal and creating EnteiEntei
is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Entei first appeared in the video games Pokémon Gold and Silver and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles, animated adaptations, and printed adaptations of the...
to be Molly's new dad. Because Molly also wants a mother, Entei kidnaps Ash Ketchum
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...
'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 turned back into stone tiles, and Professor Hale is released from the Unown dimension. 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
Pokémon 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, 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
VarietyVariety (magazine)
Variety is an American weekly entertainment-trade magazine founded in New York City, New York, in 1905 by Sime Silverman. With the rise of the importance of the motion-picture industry, Daily Variety, a daily edition based in Los Angeles, California, was founded by Silverman in 1933. In 1998, the...
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". 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...
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. 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
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. 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...
called them "pretty awful", further describing them as "about as threatening as a vat of Alphabits
Alpha-Bits
Alpha-Bits, also known as Frosted Alpha-Bits, is a breakfast cereal made by Post Cereals, which contains frosted alphabet-shaped corn cereal bits. Post Cereals also started producing Marshmallow Alpha-Bits in 1990....
".
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. In 2006, research was done on using Unown to teach the biological concepts of classification
Biological classification
Biological classification, or scientific classification in biology, is a method to group and categorize organisms by biological type, such as genus or species. Biological classification is part of scientific taxonomy....
and phylogeny to students, with the researchers finding the results to be "very encouraging".
External links
- Unown TrueType font (Right click, save-as)
- Unown on Bulbapedia