Mail

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This article is about the type of item. For the feature in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series, see Wonder Mail.

Mail (Japanese: メール Mail) is a type of item in the Pokémon games. It was introduced in Generation II and appeared until Generation V.

In the core series games

List of Mail

Generation II

Generation III

Generation IV

Generation V

Mechanics

The various kinds of Mail are held items given to Pokémon. Each Mail item is able to contain a message written by the Trainer. Pokémon that are holding Mail use a special Mail icon instead of the normal held item icon. This message can be sent to other Trainers by trading Pokémon.

Each different type of Mail has a unique background image. The Mail includes the message entered by the sending player, as well as their Trainer name at the bottom. In Generation II, the Portrait Mail also includes the sprite of the Pokémon holding the message, but using the same color palette as the Mail background. In Generation III, the Bead Mail and Dream Mail also feature a sketch of the Pokémon holing it.

In the Generation IV games, the player's Bag has a separate pocket for Mail. In the Generation V games, Mail is stored in the general items pocket, but has a unique icon.

Pokémon holding Mail cannot be placed in the PC or released. When removing Mail from a Pokémon, the player has the option to store it in the PC's mailbox or placing it in the Bag; the Mail's message is lost if returned to the Bag, but preserved if sent to the mailbox.

Pokémon with Mail cannot be traded to Pokémon Colosseum or XD because Mail does not exist in those games.

Many item-manipulating effects cannot affect Mail, although which effects fail depends on the game.

Generation II

Mail cannot be stolen by Thief.

In the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console versions, when the player attempts to enter the Trade Center while one of the Pokémon in their party is holding Mail, they are given a warning on the touch screen not to include offensive material in Mail.

Generation III

In Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire only, Mail can be stolen with Thief and Covet; in all other Generation III games, Mail cannot be stolen. In the Japanese version of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire only, Mail can be swapped by Trick; in the Western versions and all other Generation III games, Mail cannot be swapped with Trick. If Mail is moved in either of these ways, it can cause corruption.

Mail can be removed by Knock Off.

Generation IV

Mail cannot be stolen with Thief or Covet, swapped with Trick or Switcheroo, or thrown with Fling. Mail can be removed by Knock Off.

Generation V
151Mew.png This move effect may be in need of research.
Reason: Details on how the message of stolen Mail is changed in Gen 5
You can discuss this on the talk page.

Trick and Switcheroo fail if either Pokémon is holding Mail. Bestow fails if the user is holding Mail.

Thief, Covet, and Pickpocket can steal Mail from an ally Pokémon; however, if Mail is transferred this way, the slots in the message are changed, being blank or taking on values previously used by Mail given to a Pokémon in that party slot.

Mail can be removed by Knock Off.

Message

050Diglett.png This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: Add some images of Mail with actual text from each generation as examples of how they look like (possibly some images of Mail received from in-game trades)

Generation II

Printed Mail

The player can freely enter 32 characters across two 16-character rows of text. Mail uses a unique text entry interface, that has a wider selection of characters than other text entry interfaces in these games.

Mail can be printed using the Game Boy Printer accessory. As with all documents printed by the Game Boy Printer, the image is grayscale. This feature is disabled in the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console versions.

In the Western games, the language of the message is stored internally, so that if it is traded to a player in a different language game, the Mail can still be read using the correct character encoding; however, the English versions of Pokémon Gold and Silver ignore this value, instead trying to render the message using the English character encoding, which lacks several characters that can be typed in other Western languages.

Generation III

In Generation III, Mail is typed using the easy chat system, which restricts players to choosing from a pre-defined list of words and phrases. Mail has nine phrase slots, structured as four rows of two slots and a fifth row with one slot.

The player can unlock additional phrases from the Hipster in Mauville City.

Generation IV

In Generation IV, Mail consists of three sentence slots, which can each be filled with a sentence structure from several pre-defined structures. These sentence structures themselves have one or two gaps within them, that the player can fill using the easy chat system (which restricts players to choosing from a pre-defined list of words and phrases). This facilitates translating the message between game languages automatically.

The player can unlock additional phrases from the old man in Snowpoint CityDPPt or on Route 16HGSS.

Generation V

In Generation V, Mail consists of three sentence slots. For BridgeMail, the player can choose a sentence structure from several pre-defined structures for each of these slots, then fill gaps in those sentence structures using the easy chat system (which restricts players to choosing from a pre-defined list of words and phrases). For non-BridgeMail, all three sentence structures are fixed, depending on the specific type of Mail; the player can only fill the gaps inside the sentences, and cannot change which sentence structures are used.

Acquisition

Purchasable Mail

In all games from Generation III to V, several Mail items can be bought in places such as Poké Marts, department stores, and shops.

In Generations II, IV, and V, all games of the same generation have the same purchasable Mail items. However, in Generation III, the purchasable Mail items are completely different between the Kanto-based games and the Hoenn-based games.

II GSC
III RSE
FRLG
IV DPPt
HGSS
V BW
B2W2

Trick House Mail

In Generation III, some Mail items are found in the Trick House. There is only one of each Mail item available in this place and they are permanently missable if the player finishes the current puzzle without obtaining them. Most of those Mail items are also purchasable in Poké Marts, except the Glitter Mail Glitter Mail.

In this generation, the puzzle 5 is the only one without a Mail item.

III RSE

Mail held by non-player character's Pokémon

There are several Mail items held by non-player character's Pokémon, including those received from in-game trades. However, no Mail is received by this method in Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum and in the Generation V games.

II GSC
III RS
E
FRLG
IV HGSS

Mail from other in-game methods

III RS
E
V BW
B2W2

Version-exclusive Mail

These Mail items are only available by trading from other games in the same generation.

There is no version-exclusive Mail in Generations II and V, while the single version-exclusive Mail in Generation IV is the Brick Mail which was only available from an event compatible with Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.

III RSE
FRLG
IV PtHGSS

Mail from events and Mystery Gifts

II GSC
IV DP

Unobtainable Mail

In the side series games

Pokémon Stadium 2

Main article: PC (Stadium) → Mail

In Pokémon Stadium 2, Mail can be transferred from and to the Generation II core series games connected via Transfer Pak. The message can be edited using the C-buttons to control the cursor.

In this game, it is possible to store 30 Pokémon with Mail in the Pokémon Storage System. There is also the N64 Mailbox with 50 slots for written messages.

Other games

In Pokémon Colosseum, XD: Gale of Darkness, Box: Ruby & Sapphire, Battle Revolution, and Ranch, there is no compatibility with any Mail items, even though they feature other kinds of held items and connect with core series games that have Mail items.

In the manga

Pokémon Adventures

Gold, Silver & Crystal arc

In The Last Battle VIII, Silver revealed that as Green had used her Abra to teleport him away earlier, his Sneasel had used Thief to steal the Flower Mail held by Abra. The Mail contained a map that told Silver of Green's plan to go to Ilex Forest.

Ruby & Sapphire arc

In The Beginning of the End with Kyogre & Groudon VI, Ruby left Wallace a Tropic Mail, informing his teacher of his decision to fight against Team Magma.

HeartGold & SoulSilver arc

In Weavile Wobbles But It Won't Fall Down, Mail was seen being sold at the Safari Zone Gate.

Gallery

In other languages

Language Title
Chinese Cantonese 郵件 Yàuhgín
Mandarin 郵件 / 邮件 Yóujiàn
The Netherlands Flag.png Dutch Post*
French Canada Flag.png Canada Courrier*
France Flag.png Europe Lettre
Germany Flag.png German Briefe
Italy Flag.png Italian Messaggio
South Korea Flag.png Korean 메일 Mail
Portuguese Brazil Flag.png Brazil Papel de carta
Portugal Flag.png Portugal Correio*
Spain Flag.png Spanish Carta

References



Held items
In-battle effect items
BerriesColored orbsDrivesPower items
Experience-affecting itemsGemsIncenseMega StonesMemoriesPlates
Stat-enhancing itemsType-enhancing itemsZ-Crystals
Out-of-battle effect items
Power itemsIncenseMailScarves


Types of items
General Evolution stonesFossilsFlutesShardsHeld items
Evolution itemsEscape itemsExchangeable itemsValuable items
Battle itemsScentsNectarsCandyIngredients
Medicine Status condition healing itemsVitaminsFeathers
MintsMochiDrinksHerbal medicine
Berry and Apricorn Poké BallsApricornsBerriesMulch
Aesthetic DecorationsAccessoriesBackdropsPropsDécor
Clothing (XYSMUSUMLGPESwShBDSPLASV)
Other MailKey ItemsEvent items
Wonder Launcher itemsRotom Powers


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