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Tonight people of all ages will dress up in costumes. Some will be spooky, and others will be pop culture references that few people understand. Whatever the case, it’s always nice to have a few spooky traditions alongside your Halloween plans, and Nintendo is a goldmine for not-so-scary, but still a little scary, games.
In the past, we’ve talked about the best bosses in Luigi’s Mansion, as well as what some of the Spoopy things are in video games. But we haven’t really talked about one game a whole generation grew up playing: Pokemon.
If you aren’t busy playing Luigi’s Mansion while handing out candy, maybe you want to go collect some of the more spooky Pokemon found throughout the franchise. We’ve helped by picking out 5 spooky Pokemon for you to find tonight.
#5 Cubone
First Appearance: Red and Blue
Type: Ground
National number: 104
Cubone undoubtedly will make it to everyone’s scary list, or maybe spoopy if that’s your sort of humour.
The ground type Pokemon made it’s first appearance in Red and Blue as a ground Pokemon, coming in at 104 on the Pokédex. It’s known as the “lonely Pokémon”, and has one evolution, Marowak.
Cubone undoubtedly started with the intent of just being a cute Pokemon with a skull on it’s head. We quickly learned in Yellow, however, that Cubone “Wears the skull of its deceased mother. Its cries echo inside the skull and come out as a sad melody.”
Each generation of Pokemon has had a different Pokédex description for Cubone, some better, some worse, but perhaps the most heart wrenching was found in Emerald. “It pines for the mother it will never see again. Seeing a likeness of its mother in the full moon, it cries. The stains on the skull it wears are from its tears.”
Cubone itself may not be a spookiest looking Pokemon, but any creature that puts its mothers skull on its own head has a certain element of spook in it.
#4 Palossand
First appearance: Sun and Moon
Type: Ghost Ground
National number: ???
In fairness, we don’t know a terrible amount about any of the new Pokemon coming out in Sun and Moon. But that won’t stop Palossand from making the list, especially with the description that can be found on long time Pokemon fan site, Pokemon Database.
Palossand is the evolution of Sandygast, and is Ghost/Ground type. The Pokemon is just one of several new ghost types in the past few generations, padding out your team for anyone who wants a Ghost only team. (Which, let’s be real here, doesn’t sound like the greatest idea.)
It being a Ghost sandcastle isn’t the only spooky part though. According to Pokemon Database, the sandcastle can actually control adult humans. “Palossand controls human adults, making them build a sand castle that provides camouflage and also raises its defensive abilities. Unlike Sandygast, if Palossand loses some of the sand from its body, it can restore itself on its own. When moving about in search of prey, the shovel on top of Palossand’s head revolves. It’s said that the shovel could be serving as some kind of radar.”
#3 Sableye
First appearance: Ruby and Sapphire
Type: Dark Ghost
National Number: 302
Sableye, like most Pokemon on this list, is pretty adorable. But if there is one thing you have to learn the hard way in life, it’s don’t let looks deceive you. This gem-eyed Pokemon has some dirty secrets, and at first Pokemon wasn’t afraid to hide that fact in Ruby, but Sapphire left out some important notes in their Pokédex entry. I’ll give you a hint: It’s the fact that Sableye can steal human souls.
“Sableye lead quiet lives deep inside caverns. They are feared, however, because these Pokemon are thought to steal the spirits of people when their eyes burn with a sinister glow in the darkness.”
Sableye’s description has gotten much tamer since FireRed and LeafGreen, with the only truly spooky description being found in Ruby. Nowadays, it’s just up to hiding in caves and nourishing itself with gems.
#2 Drifloon
First appearance: Diamond and Pearl
Type: Ghost Flying
National Number: 425
I love Drifloons. I had a Drifblim, Drifloon’s evolution, playing through Diamond, and it’s still one of my favourite Pokemon I’ve ever used on a team actively. They look so huggable, like balloons someone pasted a face onto.
With a little research though, it’s not hard to discover how wrong that innocent first impression is. It turns out, in Pearl, Drifloon has a pretty different description. “It tugs on the hands of children to steal them away. However, it gets pulled around instead.”
And, unlike most other Pokemon on this list, Drifloon’s description doesn’t get better as the games go on – it got worse. In HeartGold and SoulSilver, it highlighted the fact that the Pokemon can steal children. “It is whispered that any child who mistakes DRIFLOON for a balloon and holds on to it could wind up missing.”
There is no longer a “However, it gets pulled around instead.” Drifloon is a child snatcher.
#1 Black Fog, the ancient Haunter
First appearance: Red and Blue
Type: Ghost Poison
National Number: 093
Okay, so I’m sort of bending the rules here. Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar are all spooky enough to earn spots on this list themselves, but instead, we are talking about a very specific Haunter right now.
In the Manga “The Electric Tale of Pikachu”, Ash, Brock, and Pikachu are off to Saffron City to challenge gym leader, Sabrina. During the chapter “Haunting My Dreams,” Sabrina ends up in the hospital, and it reveals that a mysterious Haunter had killed her Pokemon at a young age.
Surprised by her taste for revenge, Ash and Brock decide to hunt the Haunter and see if they can stop it. They craft a large Pokéball and, with Sabrina and several members of the town in tow, head for where the Haunter resides. The members of the town help distract the many Gastly that the Haunter has on patrol, and Ash and Brock begin battling the Haunter. With the help of Sabrina and her Abra, they manage to get the Haunter inside the Pokéball, and try to close it shut. Suddenly the Haunter breaks out and escapes through a hole in the floor. They realize that the Haunter used Explosion to free itself, but was seriously damaged during the process, and is near death.
After tracking it down one last time, the Haunter uses Self Destruct to kill itself over being caught. Ultimately, the Haunter was from a time when Pokémon used to be revered as Gods, and it couldn’t stand not being worshiped anymore.
Needless to say, this story didn’t make it into the anime.
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From the staff at Gamespresso, we want to wish all of our readers a safe and happy Halloween. Let us know what Spooky Pokemon you’re planning on catching in the comments below.