Unown (Pokémon)
From Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia.
| Unown アンノーン Unknown | |
![]() Artwork from FR/LG | |
| National Dex | #201 |
|---|---|
| Johto Dex | #061 |
| Hoenn Dex | #346 |
| Sinnoh Dex | #114 |
| Fiore Browser | R— |
| Almia Browser | R— |
| Type | Psychic |
| Species | Symbol Pokémon |
| Height | 1′08″ (0.5m) |
| Weight | 11.0 lbs. (5.0kg) |
| Ability | Levitate |
| Egg group | No eggs |
| Time to hatch | 10,240 steps |
| Effort yield | 1 Atk, 1 SpA |
| Exp. yield | 61 base exp. |
| Lv100 at | 1,000,000 exp. |
| Gender | — |
| Pokédex color | Black |
| Catch rate | 225 |
| |
Unown (Japanese: アンノーン Unknown) is a Psychic-type Pokémon. As of Generation IV, Unown has 28 derivative shapes. There are 26 English alphabet characters, plus two punctuation marks: ? (question mark) and ! (exclamation mark). That shape is determined by its personality value.
Contents |
Biology
They tend to stick to walls or orbit other Unown when in a group.
Physiology
It is a floating, flat Pokémon with appendages that make it resemble letters. It is black all over and has a large, single eye.
Gender differences
This Pokémon is genderless.
Different forms
Unown has 28 different forms, one for each letter of the alphabet, as well as '!' and '?'. These are chronicled in the Unown Dex. The '!' and '?' forms were not introduced until Generation III.
Special abilities
Unown's only known move in battle is the enigmatic Hidden Power. In the anime, they are capable of reading the thoughts of other lifeforms (which isn't a unique ability in itself). However, great numbers of them are capable of warping reality to suit the dreams and wishes of whoever is in control.
Behavior
Unown can make telepathic contact with humans (and many other creatures also). Unown have a timidness that rarely makes them venture outside of their dimension.
Habitat
Unown live in their own dimension.
When they move to the Pokémon World, Unown seem to prefer to make their habitat in ancient ruins, appearing only in the Ruins of Alph in Johto, Tanoby Chambers in the Sevii Islands, Solaceon Ruins in Sinnoh and Unown Relic in the Mystery Dungeon world.
Diet
Main article: Pokémon food
In the anime
The Unown play a large role in the third movie, creating the illusions which drive the plot.
Notes about Unown can be seen on Professor Oak's computer at the beginning of the movie. The information (as presented in the Japanese version) has been cleaned up and transcribed here:
- Because of their very timid and careful character, Unown do not want to go out to the external world.
- Unown have the power to perceive the feelings of other creatures (including human beings).
- Unown communicate with each other over electromagnetic waves but cannot use telepathy.
- Given all this, Unown are still classified as a species of Pokémon, as opposed to any other sort of creature.
Oddly enough, also on Professor Oak's computer appear several Unown of shapes not yet encountered.
An Unown fell out of the Unown dimension in Address Unown. After it was healed by the group, it helped defend against Team Rocket and its mind merged with that of Ash's Larvitar so that the group could help it to address its inner pain.
Unown appeared on a tablet that Cynthia was reading in Top-Down Training, and make yet another appearance in DP060. Also, many Unown made an appearance in the The Rise of Darkrai, seen wandering the dimension which Dialga and Palkia originally dwell in.
In the manga
In the Pokémon Special manga
Unown first appeared in Volume 8 when Gold and Bugsy were in the Ruins of Alph. Gold had his Sunkern use Flash to blind Team Rocket, but accidentally disturbed the Unown from their slumber with the light from Flash. Bugsy later returns to study the Ruins further in Volume 11, where he captures an Unown (G).
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.
It also appeared in DP saga when Diamond, Pearl and Berlitz were visiting Solaceon City. Diamond and Pearl befriended two Unowns (D and P) who behaved like them.
In the TCG
- Main article: Unown (TCG)
Other appearances
Super Smash Bros. Melee
When one Unown is released from a Poké Ball it will fly off the screen. It then returns with a large swarm similar to what Beedrill did 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. Any opponent caught in this is is damaged and juggled.
There are also a number of Unown Pokéfloats. In the second half of the cycle, a number fly across the screen. Towards the end of the cycle, staying on the stage relies on hopping between the Unown.
Game data
Pokédex entries
| Gen | Game | Pokédex entry |
|---|---|---|
| II | Gold | Their shapes look like hieroglyphs on ancient tablets. It is said that the two are somehow related. |
| Silver | Its flat, thin body is always stuck on walls. Its shape appears to have some meaning. | |
| Crystal | Because different types of Unown exist, it is said that they must have a variety of abilities. | |
| Stadium 2 | Their shapes look like hieroglyphs on ancient tablets. It is said that the two are somehow related. | |
| III | 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. |
| Sapphire | 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. | |
| Emerald | This Pokémon is shaped like ancient text characters. Although research is ongoing, it is a mystery as to which came first, the ancient writings or the various Unown. | |
| FireRed | Its flat, thin body is always stuck on walls. Its shape appears to have some meaning. | |
| LeafGreen | Their shapes look like hieroglyphs on ancient tablets. It is said that the two are somehow related. | |
| IV | Diamond | Shaped like ancient writing, it is a huge mystery whether language or Unown came first. |
| Pearl | They seem to communicate among each other telepathically. They are always found stuck on walls. |
Game locations
| Gen | Game | Rarity | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| II | Pokémon Gold and Silver | Common | Ruins of Alph |
| Pokémon Crystal | Common | Ruins of Alph | |
| III | Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire | None | Trade |
| Pokémon Emerald | None | Trade | |
| Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen | Common | Tanoby Chambers | |
| Pokémon Colosseum | None | Trade | |
| Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness | None | Trade | |
| IV | Pokémon Diamond and Pearl | Common | Solaceon Ruins |
| Pokémon Platinum | Unknown | ||
| Pal Park | Forest |
In side games
| Game | Location |
|---|---|
| Pokémon Trozei! | Phobosphere (G) Endless Level 48 (N) Endless Level 83 (Y) Forever Level 48 (N) Endless Level 83 (Y) Mr. Who's Den |
| Pokémon Mystery Dungeon | Unown Relic |
In Pokémon Trozei, rounds at Mr. Who's den that contain Unown will include multiple forms at the same time.
Each form of Unown is found on different floors in the Unown Relic:
| Form | Floors | Form | Floors | Form | Floors | Form | Floors | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 1, 7 | H | 2, 8, 10 | O | 1, 4, 10, 11 | V | 3, 6, 10 | |||
| B | 1, 7 | I | 3, 7, 9, 11 | P | 2, 4, 9, 10 | W | 6 | |||
| C | 1, 5, 6, 8, 11 | J | 3, 5, 9, 10 | Q | 5, 8, 10, 11 | X | 2, 6 | |||
| D | 1, 8 | K | 3, 7, 9, 11 | R | 1, 5, 9 | Y | 7 | |||
| E | 2, 6, 9, 11 | L | 3, 9 | S | 2, 5, 8, 9, 11 | Z | 1, 7 | |||
| F | 2 | M | 4, 8, 11 | T | 3, 5, 10 | ! | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | |||
| G | 2, 5, 8, 11 | N | 4, 10 | U | 1, 6, 8 | ? | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
Base stats
| HP: | 48 | |
|---|---|---|
| Attack: | 72 | |
| Defense: | 48 | |
| SpAtk: | 72 | |
| SpDef: | 48 | |
| Speed: | 48 |
Type effectiveness
| Weakness | Resistance | |
|---|---|---|
Note: If Skill Swap or Gravity is used, the effectiveness of Ground becomes 1×.
Learnset
Unown is capable of learning the following moves.
Moves in bold are damage moves to which STAB apply.
By leveling up
| Level | Generation II | Generation III | Generation IV |
|---|---|---|---|
| Start | Hidden Power | Hidden Power | Hidden Power |
By TM/HM
Unown is incapable of learning any TM/HM moves.
By breeding
Unown cannot be bred.
By tutoring
Unown is incapable of learning any tutored moves.
Special moves
Side game data
| Pokémon Trozei! | ||
|---|---|---|
| | Rarity: Common | |
| Pokémon Mystery Dungeon | ||
| Body size: 1 | Recruit Rate: 1.8% (A-Z) 0.1% (!?) | Friend Area: Aged Chamber AN Aged Chamber O? |
| Phrases | ||
| 51%-100% HP | What am I, you ask? | |
| 26%-50% HP | My HP has plunged to half... | |
| 1%-25% HP | I cannot go on... I have little power left... | |
| Level Up | I have leveled up.
| |
Evolution
Sprites
| Gen | Game | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Red | Blue | Yellow | Red (Ja) | Green | Back | |
| This Pokémon did not appear during Generation I. | |||||||
| II | Gold | Silver | Crystal | Back | |||
|
|
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| ||||
|
|
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| III | Ruby | Sapphire | Emerald | FireRed | LeafGreen | Back | |
| Image:Spr 3r 201.png | Image:Spr 3e 201.gif | Image:Spr 3f 201.png | Image:Spr b g3 201.png | ||||
| Image:Spr 3r 201 s.png | Image:Spr 3e 201 s.gif | Image:Spr 3f 201 s.png | Image:Spr b g3 201 s.png | ||||
| IV | Diamond | Pearl | Platinum | Back | |||
| Image:Spr 4d 201.png | Image:Spr 4p 201.png | Image:Spr b g4 201.png | |||||
| Image:Spr 4p 201 s.png | Image:Spr b g4 201 s.png | |||||
Unown's forms
Trivia
- In Spell of the Unown, Professor Oak had some pictures of unreleased Unown on his computer. They resemble a few Greek alphabet letters, especially σ (lowercase sigma), Σ (capital sigma), π (pi) and Ω (omega). The top-middle Unown may be also a variation of an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection, the Eye of Horus. This may lead to the conclusion that there are more forms of Unown, being the prototypes of other known (or unknown) alphabets.
- In Generation II, the Unown appear to be able to generate a radio signal.
- In Diamond and Pearl, the Ruin Maniac in the Maniac Tunnel proposes a little contest with the player: he will dig straight through the mountain as the player captures the 26 letter-shaped Unown. If all 26 Unown are caught in Solaceon Ruins, the Maniac Tunnel leads to a chamber with Unown ! and ? to be found. Additionally, the chances of finding a Hippopotas in the tunnel are increased.
- In the third movie, Molly Hale owned a book that had Unown on the cover of it.
Origin
Their appearances are corruptions of the modern Latin alphabet. The shapes of the Unown are used like runes in the Pokémon world, although in Generation III their place has been taken by Braille.
Name origin
Unown's name is a misspelling of the word unknown. Its German name, Icognito, comes from Ikone and Inkognito, one who has their identity concealed. Its French name, Zarbi, comes from the word bizarre in verlan, a youth language.
In other languages
External links
| Super Smash Bros. series | |
|---|---|
| Games: | Super Smash Bros. | Super Smash Bros. Melee | Super Smash Bros. Brawl |
| Characters: | Pikachu | Jigglypuff | Mewtwo | Pichu | Pokémon Trainer (Squirtle | Ivysaur | Charizard) | Lucario |
| Stages: | Saffron City | Pokémon Stadium | Poké Floats | Pokémon Stadium 2 | Spear Pillar |
| Poké Ball: | Articuno | Beedrill | Bellossom | Blastoise | Bonsly | Celebi | Chansey | Charizard | Chikorita | Clefairy | Cyndaquil | Deoxys Electrode | Entei | Gardevoir | Goldeen | Groudon | Gulpin | Hitmonlee | Ho-Oh | Jirachi | Koffing | Kyogre | Latias and Latios Lugia | Manaphy | Marill | Meowth | Mew | Metagross | Moltres | Munchlax | Onix | Piplup | Porygon2 | Raikou | Scizor Snorlax | Staryu | Starmie | Suicune | Togepi | Torchic | Unown | Venusaur | Weavile | Weezing | Wobbuffet | Zapdos |
| Stickers & Trophies: | Melee Trophy list | Brawl Sticker list | Brawl Trophy list |
| Misc: | The Subspace Emissary | My Music | Final Smash | Pokémon Change | Brawl cameos |
| This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon as a species. |













