Death in the Pokémon world

Death is a recurring subject in the Pokémon franchise. Throughout the history of the Pokémon world, many people and Pokémon have been known to have perished. Across the Pokémon world, various burial grounds have been built to honor the dead. Some Fossils are said to be the remains of previously extinct Pokémon. Additionally, some Pokémon are killed and eaten by other Pokémon as well as people.

There also exists ghosts, which are spirits of dead humans or Pokémon. Ghost-type Pokémon, however, are fully alive creatures often said to be reborn from such spirits. This distinction has existed since Generation I, which introduced Ghost-type Pokémon along with the ghosts of Pokémon Tower. Additionally, in the games and anime, it has been suggested that some Ghost-type Pokémon themselves are able to die.

Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.

In the games

Burial grounds

The Old Cemetery in Galar

In Kanto, Pokémon Tower houses hundreds of graves of deceased Pokémon in all of its seven floors. Many people visit the building daily to pay their respects to the fallen. Prior to the events of the Generation I games and their Generation III and VII remakes, Team Rocket tried to steal the Cubone to sell their valuable skulls. In the process, a mother Marowak that was protecting her Cubone child was killed.

During the events of the Generation II games and Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, the House of Memories was built to hold graves from the Pokémon Tower when it was converted to the Kanto Radio Tower.

In the Sevii Islands, the southern segment of Memorial Pillar serves as a grave site to an Onix, nicknamed Tectonix, that was loved immensely by its Trainer.

In Hoenn, Mt. Pyre houses the many graves of Pokémon. Many grieving Trainers also visit the Tower to pay their respects. After the Delta Episode in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, the player can find Phoebe near the summit, talking to spirits. She says she came to visit her grandmother, upon whom the player character made a lasting impression.

In Sinnoh, Lost Tower is the resting ground for deceased Pokémon. A Roughneck visits the Lost Tower to mourn the killing of his Pokémon by Team Galactic.

In Unova, the Celestial Tower is a burial ground for deceased Pokémon. At the top of the tower is a bell, which mourners can ring in remembrance of their lost Pokémon. In Pokémon Black and White, the player can meet Champion Alder here, ringing the bell to comfort the spirit of his very first Pokémon.

In Kalos, mysterious stones can be found on Route 10 which are actually the graves of Pokémon who were sacrificed 3,000 years ago in order for their life forces to energize the ultimate weapon that was used by AZ to end the war.

In Alola, Hau'oli Cemetery is a graveyard for people and Pokémon alike from across Melemele Island, appropriately filled with tombstones and memorial flowers. People often come here to pay their respects to their deceased loved ones. Some of these people are Trainers missing their dead partners, and in Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon, they are willing to battle the player to try to forget about their sadness. After the player has obtained the Ride Pager, they can visit the cemetery at night to meet a woman riding a Machamp. She explains to the player how she's paying respects to her dead husband, who died in an accident years ago. Her Machamp, which originally belonged to her husband, was narrowly saved from dying in the same accident by being recalled back into its Poké Ball at the last second. Overcome by survivor guilt, Machamp came to dislike its Poké Ball and flung it off somewhere.

On Akala Island, Memorial Hill is a burial site for the old, mighty families of Alola. It is said to have been established at this site due to the proximity of the Ruins of Life to the north, the belief being that those buried here wanted to be laid to rest close to the Akala Island guardian deity, Tapu Lele. Being the most notable gravesite in Alola, people from all over the region tend to travel here to see the graves.

In Galar, the Old Cemetery can be found within the Giant's Bed in the Crown Tundra.

Pokémon Black, White, Black 2, and White 2

Prior to the events of Pokémon Black and White, Alder's starter Pokémon died of an illness, and in despair over not being able to save it, he began traveling around aimlessly. Before his partner's death, the two of them madly pursued strength. The Pokémon's death changed Alder's outlook on life. The identity of this Pokémon is never mentioned in Black and White, but dialogue in Black 2 and White 2 reveals that Alder's late partner was a Volcarona, which evolved from a Larvesta.

Pokémon X and Y

Three thousand years prior to the events of Pokémon X and Y, a war broke out between two countries. This long conflict was drawn out and many lives were lost. People treated Pokémon with special powers as mere tools in their conflict, so they gathered lots of Pokémon, including Pokémon with unique powers. In order to emerge victorious, the soldiers believed that they needed even more powerful Pokémon. AZ loved his Floette, which he had received from his late mother, but it was forcefully taken from him by the soldiers and became just another sacrifice in the war. AZ received the body of his beloved Pokémon some time later, and out of unspeakable grief, he built the ultimate weapon to restore it to life. He succeeded, but unable to overcome his despair, he turned the machine into a weapon, with which he destroyed both sides of the conflict, ending the war. His Floette, disgusted with the fact that the machine was powered by the life energy of other Pokémon, left him.

Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon

Prior to the events of Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon, the island kahuna of Poni Island passed away, leaving the island with no kahuna for several years.

Pokémon Sword and Shield

According to his League Card in Pokémon Sword and Shield, Allister claims to be able to see deceased Ghost-type Pokémon.

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

The Scarlet Book^S/Violet Book^V, containing records from an expedition in the uncharted Area Zero of Paldea, describes a mysterious Pokémon known as Great Tusk^S/Iron Treads^V, who attacked and mortally wounded one of the explorers of the expedition team, forcing them to retreat for a time.

Prior to the events of the games, Professor Sada^S/Turo^V died during an incident that destroyed Research Station No. 4 in Area Zero. The professor threw themself in front of Koraidon^S/Miraidon^V to protect it from the territorial attacks of the other, more aggressive Koraidon^S/Miraidon^V and, during the ensuing destruction, suffered grave wounds that ultimately lead to their death. After the professor's death, their AI duplicate took their place managing the Zero Lab. Director Clavell gave Arven, the professor's son, his condolences upon receiving news of their parent's death. Arven was upset about his parent's death, though felt a since of relief after learning more about his parent and their motives, deciding to say good-bye and move on.

Pokédex entries

Several Pokédex entries refer to the deaths of people and Pokémon.

Pokémon	Pokédex
Charmander	The strength of the flame on the end of Charmander's tail is an indication of its health. Its entries in Pokémon Y and Pokémon Shield specifically state that Charmander would die were its flame to go out.
Primeape	Primeape has been known to become so angry that it dies. However, its said that its face looks peaceful in death.
Farfetch'd	Farfetch'd is thought to be going extinct. There have been attempts at breeding in order to increase the Farfetch'd population. According to sources such as the anime and the Pocket Monsters Encyclopedia, Farfetch'd's population decline is caused by humans hunting it for food.
Muk	Muk is speculated to be going extinct due to recent environmental impacts and decreased food sources. Sludge ponds are being built to prevent their extinction.
Gastly	Gastly's entry in Pokémon Ultra Moon suggests that it is comprised of 95% poisonous gas and 5% the souls of those who have died from the poisonous gas. Its entry in Pokémon Ultra Sun, on the other hand, poses that Gastly was formed by gas emanating from a graveyard possessed by the grievances of the deceased.
Gengar	Gengar is known to take the lives of others by slipping into their shadow and waiting for an opportunity. It often targets people lost in the mountains, but has also been known to take people in the dark corners of rooms in their homes. It is said that Mega Gengar tries to take the lives of anyone and everyone around it. Gigantamax Gengar's mouth is rumored to lead to the afterlife, and it is said that it lays traps hoping to steal the lives of those it catches.
Cubone	Cubone wears the skull of its deceased mother.
Marowak	Marowak gets its bones from an unknown place; there is a Marowak graveyard located somewhere in the Pokémon world. The skull of Cubone's deceased mother fuses to its head when it evolves. Alolan Marowak dances in mourning of lost members of its kind. The bones it possesses belonged to its deceased mother; it has transformed the spirit of its mother into its flames. Mounds of dirt on the sides of roads are said to be the graves of Marowak.
Lapras	Lapras was once near extinction due to poaching. In the evenings, this Pokémon used to sing plaintively as it sought what few others of its kind still remained. Due to being so cherished, and following protective regulations, there is now an overabundance of them; the fish Pokémon population has declined in waters with too many Lapras.
Omastar	Omastar died out due to its heavy shell making it too slow to catch and eat enough prey to survive.
Aerodactyl	Aerodactyl is theorized to have gone extinct due to a large meteor impact.
Jumpluff	Once Jumpluff's cotton spores run out, its journey ends, as does its life.
Spoink	If Spoink ever stops bouncing, its heart will stop and it will die.
Rampardos	Rampardos is theorized to have gone extinct due to its small brain and presumed stupidity.
Froslass	Legends suggest that Froslass was formed when the spirit and lingering regrets of a lost woman who died in the snowy mountains possessed an icicle.
Yamask	Yamask is said to have arose from the spirits of people that were interred in graves.
Zorua	Hisuian Zorua is a once-departed soul returned to life.
Klang	If Klang's minigear does not return after being launched at an opponent, it will die.
Lampent	Lampent appears the moment before someone dies to steal their spirit from their body.
Cryogonal	It is said that people and Pokémon who die on snowy mountains are reborn into Cryogonal.
Yveltal	It is said that when Yveltal reaches the end of its life, it'll absorb the life energy of everything around it and turn back into a cocoon.
Sandygast	Sandygast is said to embody the grudges of the dead.
Minior	If Minior's core stays exposed for too long, it will eventually die; though it may survive if it's put into a Poké Ball quickly enough.
Sinistea	The soul of someone who died alone possessed some leftover tea and became Sinistea.
Polteageist	Drinking the tea that composes Polteageist’s body can be fatal.
Dracozolt	Dracozolt went extinct due to overgrazing its plant-based food sources.
Arctozolt	Arctozolt went extinct because it moved so slowly.
Dracovish	Dracovish was an apex predator that went extinct due to overhunting its prey.
Arctovish	Arctovish went extinct despite the impervious skin on its face due to breathing difficulties.
Basculegion	Basculegion clads itself in the souls of comrades that perished before fulfilling their goals of journeying upstream.
Greavard	It is said that a dog Pokémon that died in the wild without ever interacting with a human was reborn as Greavard.
Ceruledge	The fiery blades on Ceruledge's arms burn fiercely with the lingering resentment of a sword wielder who fell before accomplishing their goal.

In the anime

A deceased Totem Trevenant in the anime

On two separate occasions the plot of a villainous team arc has ended in a situation that ambiguously implies the death of a primary antagonist. In Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl, Pokémon Hunter J and her team are on board their ship when it is destroyed by the lake guardians' attacks in Unlocking the Red Chain of Events!; and in Pokémon the Series: XY, Lysandre disappears after the Zygarde's final attack in Rocking Kalos Defenses!.

As shown in Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, some Ghost-type Pokémon, despite their name, can still die. This was first mentioned in Why Not Give Me a Z-Ring Sometime?, where Acerola revealed that her Shiny Mimikyu, Mimikins, is in fact the ghost of a deceased Mimikyu. Later, in A Timeless Encounter!, it is revealed that Professor Kukui had once befriended a Totem Trevenant that he nicknamed Elder. It is later revealed that Elder has since died, its body now a regular tree, though the circumstances of the death weren't revealed. Giratina is another Ghost-type whose life has been in danger, in Giratina and the Sky Warrior. However, despite this, it still appears that many Ghost-type Pokémon, particularly ones who are more similar to traditional ghosts, are indeed immune to the ravages of time and can live on indefinitely; for instance, a Yamask shown in A Night in the Nacrene City Museum! was told to be millennia old.

Original series

Two thousand years prior to the events of The Ghost of Maiden's Peak, a war took place and soldiers were shipped overseas from Kanto to the battlefield. A maiden was in love with one of the soldiers who was sent to war, and she swore to wait on the cliff until her love returned, but he never did. According to legend, she died while standing there, and her body became a part of the cliff itself.

Three hundred years prior to the events of A Shipful of Shivers, a ship captain died after a storm caused his ship to sink.

Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sappire

Prior to the events of Taming of the Shroomish, Alex's grandfather passed away, after which the Shroomish that had played with Alex and his grandfather seemingly disappeared from the area. In the present, Alex, now an adult, after finding the Shroomish living in his grandfather's abandoned mansion, decided to demolish the stately home to instead make way for a forest that would house the Shroomish, as a tribute to his grandfather.

Pokémon the Series: XY

Prior to the events of A Watershed Moment!, Henny's grandfather, Chapman, died of an illness. Before he died, Chapman made a video explaining how the desolate wasteland surrounding the Chapman Research Lab was once a beautiful forest inhabited by a variety of Pokémon before mysteriously drying up. Determined to help the forest grow back, Chapman constructed a robot, Robon, to help the forest regrow. Chapman requested anyone who watched his video to help Robon and his Chesnaught in their efforts.

A long time before the events of The Legend of X, Y, and Z!, a Talonflame and a girl named Aila was turned to stone by Yveltal's Oblivion Wing.

Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon

The subject of death was dealt with directly several times in Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon, with some Pokémon being seen dying, as well as showing a main character dealing with the death of a parent (as opposed to the usual instance of absent parents almost never being mentioned).

In That's Why the Litten is a Scamp!, an old Stoutland was living in an abandoned house with a wild Litten. By the events of One Journey Ends, Another Begins..., its health had gotten so bad that it had to be taken to Nurse Joy for treatment. After being discharged, Stoutland disappeared, leaving Litten upset. In Memories in the Mist!, it appeared as an apparition, confirming that it had passed away after the events of One Journey Ends, Another Begins...

In Showering the World with Love!, several Minior fade away into the atmosphere due to no longer being protected by their shells, similar to how Minior are explained to "die off" if their core is exposed for too long in their Pokédex entry for Pokémon Moon.

Pokémon Journeys: The Series

In JNS05, Ash met the ghost of a boy named Haruto who had died of an illness before getting to set off on his journey as a Pokémon Trainer.

In the movies

Several deaths have occured during or prior to the events of many of the Pokémon movies.

• In Mewtwo Strikes Back, shortly after gaining consciousness, Mewtwo destroyed the lab on New Island, presumably killing everyone inside.
• In The Uncut Story of Mewtwo's Origin, the clones of the Kanto starter Pokémon and Amber died inside their test tubes.
• In Celebi: The Voice of the Forest, Celebi appeared to die after being freed from the Iron-Masked Marauder's control. Ash attempted to heal Celebi in the Lake of Life and tried to feed it Berries that it liked, to no avail. However, a portal appeared and other Celebi from the past and future traveled through it and successfully revived Celebi.
• At the end of Pokémon Heroes: Latios & Latias, Latios had to sacrifice himself to save Alto Mare, and turned into the new Soul Dew, just like his father in the past.
• Prior to the events of Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, Sir Aaron is said to have died fighting in a war between two unknown armies. During the events of the movie, Lucario sacrificed itself to save Ash and the Tree of Beginning to protect the balance between Pokémon and nature. The two appeared to reunite in the afterlife.
• Prior to the events of I Choose You!, a Luxray owned by Sorrel and his family froze to death after he and Sorrel got lost in a forest during a blizzard.
• Fifty years prior to the events of The Power of Us, Harriet's Snubbull died in a fire while retrieving the key to the power plant.
• Prior to the events of Secrets of the Jungle, Chrom and Phossa Molybdenum had died in a car explosion after being ran off the road and left behind by Dr. Zed. Before Zed could reach them, Chrom and Phossa sent their son down a nearby river in a cradle to protect him, ensuring his survival. He was found and raised by one of the Zarude, who gave him the name Koko.

In the manga

Pokémon Adventures

Several deaths have occurred during or prior to the events of the Pokémon Adventures manga.

Red, Green & Blue arc

After two Magmar had set the Pewter Museum of Science on fire, Red battled them and encased them in sand with his Sandshrew. He then withdrew his Pokémon, declaring that he can no longer attack the helpless Magmar. Giovanni thanked Red and gave him an Old Amber. The two then said goodbye and Red went on his way. Suddenly, the two Magmar broke free and lunged at Giovanni, who then ruthlessly used his Cloyster to freeze the Magmar and split them in half, killing them.

Gold, Silver & Crystal arc

It's revealed that in the past, in a snowy region, a young Pryce watched as his two Lapras fell to their deaths in an avalanche. Pryce then noticed a crackling sound in his pocket, which turned out to be a Pokémon Egg. The Egg hatched into a baby Lapras, which began looking for its now-deceased parents in vain. With tears in his eyes, Pryce begged the Lapras to forgive him. Pryce then decided to capture Celebi in order to travel in time and reunite his Lapras, La Glace, with its parents in the past.

Ruby & Sapphire arc

Ruby embraces his deceased father

Ruby and Courtney stood in front of the Cave of Origin while attempting to use the Red and Blue Orbs to stop the battle between Groudon and Kyogre. During the battle, Courtney was grabbed by a tentacle and knocked to the ground. Just before she was dragged away, Courtney sent a message to Ruby alerting him that his father, Norman, was arriving with Rayquaza to help stop the fight. The tentacle then dragged Courtney into the collapsing Cave of Origin, which subsequently crushed her to death, to Ruby's horror. After the battle, Norman and Steven suddenly become unresponsive.

Later, Wallace reveals that Steven had fallen in the battle, guessing that he died from the strain of controlling the Legendary titans. In Sootopolis City, Norman collapses and dies from exhaustion in front of Ruby, who shouts his father's name in anguish. Suddenly, an explosion bursts forth from the Cave of Origin's ruins. Maxie and Archie emerge from the ruins and attack Ruby, asserting that anyone who stands in their way will die. Maxie and Archie loom over Ruby, who is being restrained by Archie's Tentacruel's tentacles. Ruby then realizes that they were the ones who dragged Courtney into the Cave of Origin and to her death. Maxie and Archie confirm this, and claim that she deserved it. They both pick up the Red and Blue Orbs and prepare to use them to restart the battle between Groudon and Kyogre. Even though Norman is now dead, Maxie has his Houndoom torch his corpse just to be safe. As his father's body is set aflame, Ruby cries out.

After a battle with Maxie and Archie, the two attempt to escape in Wallace's aircar. Maxie and Archie decide to let their opponents live, assured that with the power of the Red and Blue Orbs they can easily get rid of them later. Seeing what happened, Sapphire decides to use the New Mauville generator in addition to Plusle and Minun's electric energy to stop Archie and Maxie. By summoning the electrical energy stored inside the generator, Plusle and Minun shoot a powerful attack at the aircar. Maxie and Archie try to escape, but the attack reaches them and surrounds the car in a dangerous field of electricity.

Ruby gives Sapphire his Pokégear and has her put up the aircar's shield to protect Maxie and Archie. Stating that enough people have died, Ruby decides to simply retrieve the Red and Blue Orbs now that Maxie and Archie cannot move. Sapphire questions Ruby's motives, as no Pokémon they have could possibly move through the electrical field and survive. Ruby states that he has one Pokémon that can and sends out Celebi. The Pokémon passes through the electrical field and takes the Red and Blue Orb from Maxie and Archie's hands.

An exhausted Ruby lies with Sapphire right next to him. As Celebi flies past them, Ruby sees images of Courtney, Steven, and Norman. Celebi smashes the Red and Blue Orbs to pieces, which break into two gemstones. Ruby and Sapphire begin floating into the air, while Celebi stays behind. Ruby and Sapphire suddenly wake up in the Pokémon Association's headquarters, where they are thanked by their friends and allies.

Ruby is shocked to see that Steven and Norman are alive, and sees Courtney flying past the airship as well. Courtney states that she feels like she had come back from the dead, and decides to take this second chance to pursue a life of Contests again. Ruby realizes that he had passed through a time slip and ended up in a slightly different future. Looking at Celebi's empty Poké Ball, Ruby guesses that Celebi joined his team because it knew that all of this would happen.

Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire arc

When the Devon Corporation came to the Embedded Tower in hopes of capturing Rayquaza so that the Pokémon Association could study it, Aster fought alongside Rayquaza in order to stop them. Though the battle went unseen, Rayquaza was successfully captured and taken away along with several Key Stones that Aster had collected. When Zinnia arrived at the tower, she found the area in flames and that Aster had died during the battle. Traumatized by Aster's death, Zinnia began to cry so much that her voice eventually gave out. She also took a partially burnt cloak belonging to Aster as a memento. With Aster dead, the title of Lorekeeper was passed down to Zinnia.

The Electric Tale of Pikachu

The Black Fog is an ancient giant Haunter that terrorized the people of Saffron City and has killed many people and Pokémon by eating their souls. The Black Fog had killed Sabrina's Pokémon when she was younger. As Ash attempted to capture the Black Fog with an Ultra Ball, the Haunter committed suicide with Self-Destruct. According to Sabrina, in the ancient times, Pokémon were once treated as if they were gods, and the Black Fog had become accustomed to the treatment, so it would rather commit suicide than let itself be caught by a human. Despite hating the beast for over the last ten years, Sabrina could not help herself from feeling sorry for it and broke down in tears.

Magical Pokémon Journey

Main article: Sandy (MPJ)

The spirit of a young girl named Sandy owned a Raichu in her former life. They were separated when her parents left it in a box by the sea. They promised to meet, but before they did, they were both killed by a tidal wave.

Trivia

• The Japanese name of the fainting status condition is ひんし near death.
  • In an interview, Satoshi Tajiri explained that Pokémon were designed to faint instead of die in the core series games to avoid children developing an abnormal understanding of death and dying, as he felt they do when playing other video games, and to encourage children to treat death with respect.
• The name of the move Memento (particularly its German name, Memento-Mori) is a reference to the Latin phrase memento mori, meaning "remember that you will die".
• In the Canalave Library in Sinnoh, a folk tale describes people eating Pokémon that they've fished up and then putting the bones back into the water, allowing the Pokémon to resurrect completely so that the cycle can start once more.
• The Japanese name of the move Oblivion Wing is デスウイング Death Wing.
• Vulpix's Pokédex entry in Pokémon Moon suggests that it can spew flames that seem to resemble the spirits of the deceased, which are sometimes mistaken for real ghosts.
• On the official Pokémon Scarlet and Violet website, it is stated that Ceruledge gathers the lingering regrets of the fallen into its swords in order to use the move Bitter Blade.
• Penny makes several references to death during the perilous events of The Way Home in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, exclaiming that she was scared "half to death" when surprised by a Paradox Pokémon and frequently joking about herself or the group possibly dying or having died during the adventure or from being nudged for belly rubs by Koraidon^S/Miraidon^V in its battle form. Arven also comments on how the mysterious and otherworldly appearance of Area Zero "makes you feel like maybe you already died and went somewhere..."

See also

• Death on Wikipedia
• Illness in the Pokémon world
• Ghost (literal)
• Fossil

Burial grounds Kanto Sevii Islands Hoenn Sinnoh Unova Kalos Alola Galar Kitakami Pokémon Tower* • Memorial Pillar • Mt. Pyre • Lost Tower • Celestial Tower • Route 10 • Hau'oli Cemetery • Old Cemetery • Loyalty Plaza House of Memories* Memorial Hill

This article is part of Project Locations, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on every location in the Pokémon world.