Unown (Japanese: アンノーン Unknown) is a Psychic-type Pokémon introduced in Generation II.
While it is not known to evolve into or from any other Pokémon, as of Generation III, Unown has 28 derivative shapes, chronicled in the Unown Mode in Generation II and the Unown Report in HeartGold and SoulSilver. There are 26 Latin alphabet characters, plus ? (question mark) and ! (exclamation mark) introduced in Generation III. In Generation II, its shape is determined by its individual values; in Generation III, it is determined by its personality value; from Generation IV onward, it is determined by a separate form identifier.
Biology
Unown is a flat, thin Pokémon shaped like an eye with appendages that make it resemble a letter or a punctuation mark. It is entirely black, except for its white sclerae. All twenty-six alphabetic forms of Unown have fully open eyes while the two punctuation Unown have half-closed eyes. Though each of its forms has a counterpart in the Latin alphabet, Unown is said to resemble ancient writing and hieroglyphs. It is a mystery whether Unown predates or postdates written language, and therefore which one is based on the other.
The Pokédex and Professor Oak's research disagree on whether Unown communicates using electromagnetic waves or telepathy. Either way, it can be detected by the Pokégear radio, which interprets it as the melody of the Azure Flute. It is said that an "odd power" emerges when more than one Unown come together. In the anime, it is capable of reading the thoughts of other life forms. Great numbers of Unown are capable of distorting the reality to suit the dreams and wishes of whoever is in control of the Unown. However, they can only do this when more Unown are present, so it could be a shared effort rather than an ability unique to each Unown.
Unown is an extremely rare Pokémon that lives in its own dimension and rarely ventures outside. When it moves to the Pokémon world, Unown tends to stick to walls like engravings of ancient texts or orbit other Unown.
In the anime
Major appearances
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.
Other
An Unown G 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.
Markings of Unown were on a tablet in Top-Down Training. The tablet reads:
| Unown
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Romaji
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| FRIEND
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FRIEND
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SUBETE NOINOCHIHA
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SUBETE NO INOCHI HA
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| BETSUNOINOCHITODEAI
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BETSU NO INOCHI TO DEAI
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| NANIKAWOUMIDASU
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NANIKA WO UMIDASU
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In the English dub, Dawn reads it as "When every life meets another life, something will be born".
Many Unown appeared in Journey to the Unown!, along with the tablet from Top-Down Training where Saturn had his Bronzor use Confuse Ray on them, causing trouble for Ash and his friends.
An Unown F fell out of the Unown Dimension in Pikachu's Big Mysterious Adventure. Pikachu and the other Pokémon helped it return to the Unown Dimension with the other Unown.
Minor appearances
A Mirage Unown G appeared in The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon.
Multiple Unown also made a brief appearance in The Rise of Darkrai fleeing from Dialga and Palkia in the Unown Dimension. Multiple of them also appeared in the opening of the movie.
Multiple Unown appeared on a stone tablet in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky - Beyond Time & Darkness.
Pokédex entries
| Episode
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Pokémon
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Source
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Entry
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| EP263
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Unown
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Ash's Pokédex
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Unown, the Symbol Pokémon. Unown are said to have existed since ancient times. There are many in form and shape but little is known about this mysterious Pokémon.
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| Episode
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Pokémon
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Source
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Entry
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| DP060
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Unown
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Dawn's Pokédex
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Unown, the Symbol Pokémon. Unown use telepathy to communicate with each other. Many different shapes of Unown have been discovered.
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In the manga
In the Pokémon Adventures manga
Unown first appeared in Into the Unown at the Ruins of Alph. During a battle with Team Rocket, Gold has his Sunbo use Flash, accidentally awakening the Unown from their slumber. Angered, the Unown retaliated on the Team Rocket Elite Trio, defeating them. Bugsy later returns to study the Ruins further in Hurray for Heracross, where he captures an Unown G and gave to one of his colleagues. Later as he searches for Suicune he finds two chambers with Unown markings. Using his device to translate them, they read the following.
| Unown
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Romaji
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| ANANUKE
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ANANUKE
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| HOUOU
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HOUOU
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Three Unown appeared in a flashback in Raising Raichu, being the N, G and U forms.
In Some Things Are Better Left Unown, Sird gains the control of a small army of Unown after awakening them in the Tanoby Ruins. She initially uses them as a distraction against Lorelei, allowing her to defeat the Elite Four member. Sird later uses them to impede the progress of Red, Blue and Green as they head to the Trainer Tower. Also, two Unown of the ! and ? forms followed Giovanni to Birth Island to relay his successful capture of Deoxys back to the Team Rocket Warehouse.
In Knowledge of the Unown I, a D and P Unown befriended Diamond, Pearl and Platinum in Solaceon Town. The two enlisted the help of the Pokédex holders to free their friends from a chamber in the Solaceon Ruins. Later, they helped battle Team Galactic at Veilstone City.
In All About Arceus IV, a massive group of Unown were spawned at the Sinjoh Ruins when Arceus created Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina.
In the TCG
- Main article: Unown (TCG)
Other appearances
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 barrage is damaged and juggled.
There are also a number of Unown Poké Floats featured in the Poké Floats stage. In the second half of the stage's cycle, numerous Unown fly across the screen. Towards the end of the cycle, staying on the stage relies on hopping between the Unown.
Trophy information
These Psychic-type symbol Pokémon resemble ancient hieroglyphics found on rocks, a resemblance that's said to be more than superficial. Quite a few different shapes of Unown have been confirmed, and it's believed that each type has unique abilities. These enigmatic Pokémon can be found in the Ruins of Alph.
Game data
Pokédex entries
| This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation II.
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| Generation II
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| Gold
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Their shapes look like hieroglyphs on ancient tablets. It is said that the two are somehow related.
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| Silver
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Its flat, thin body is always stuck on walls. Its shape appears to have some meaning.
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| Crystal
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Because different types of Unown exist, it is said that they must have a variety of abilities.
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| Stadium 2
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Their shapes look like hieroglyphs on ancient tablets. It is said that the two are somehow related.
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| Generation III
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| Ruby
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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.
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| Sapphire
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| Emerald
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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.
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| FireRed
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Its flat, thin body is always stuck on walls. Its shape appears to have some meaning.
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| LeafGreen
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Their shapes look like hieroglyphs on ancient tablets. It is said that the two are somehow related.
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| Generation IV
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| Diamond
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Shaped like ancient writing, it is a huge mystery whether language or Unown came first.
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| Pearl
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They seem to communicate among each other telepathically. They are always found stuck on walls.
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| Platinum
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When alone, nothing happens. However, if there are two or more, an odd power is said to emerge.
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| HeartGold
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Their shapes look like hieroglyphs on ancient tablets. It is said that the two are somehow related.
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| SoulSilver
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Its flat, thin body is always stuck on walls. Its shape appears to have some meaning.
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| Generation V
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| Black
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When alone, nothing happens. However, if there are two or more, an odd power is said to emerge.
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| White
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| Black 2
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When alone, nothing happens. However, if there are two or more, an odd power is said to emerge.
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| White 2
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| Generation VI
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| X
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Its flat, thin body is always stuck on walls. Its shape appears to have some meaning.
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| Y
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Shaped like ancient writing, it is a huge mystery whether language or Unown came first.
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| Omega Ruby
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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.
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| Alpha Sapphire
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Game locations
| This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation II.
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In side games
| This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation II.
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| Generation II
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| This Pokémon is unavailable in Generation II side games.
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| Generation VI
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| Battle Trozei
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Safari Jungle Stage 1 (AMo, ETu, IWe, JWe, MTh, QFr, RFr, USa, YSu)
Safari Jungle Stage 2 (BMo, FTu, GTu, KWe, NTh, OTh, SFr, VSa, ZSu)
Safari Jungle Stage 3 (CMo, DMo, HTu, LWe, PTh, TFr, WSa, XSa, !Su, ?Su)
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| Shuffle
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| Rumble World
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| Picross
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Stats
Base stats
| Stat
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Range
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| At Lv. 50
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At Lv. 100
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48
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108 - 155
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206 - 300
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72
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69 - 136
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134 - 267
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48
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47 - 110
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90 - 214
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72
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69 - 136
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134 - 267
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48
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47 - 110
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90 - 214
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48
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47 - 110
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90 - 214
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Total: 336
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Other Pokémon with this total
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- Minimum stats are calculated with 0 EVs, IVs of 0, and (if applicable) a hindering nature.
- Maximum stats are calculated with 252 EVs, IVs of 31, and (if applicable) a helpful nature.
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Pokéathlon stats
A-Z
! and ?
Type effectiveness
| Under normal battle conditions in Generation IX, this Pokémon is:
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Learnset
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- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Unown
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an Evolution of Unown
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see level-up moves from other generations
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- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Unown
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an Evolution of Unown
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see TM moves from other generations
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- Moves marked with an asterisk (*) must be chain bred onto Unown in Generation VII
- Moves marked with a double dagger (‡) can only be bred from a Pokémon who learned the move in an earlier generation.
- Moves marked with a superscript game abbreviation can only be bred onto Unown in that game.
- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Unown
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an Evolution of Unown
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see Egg moves from other generations
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- A black or white abbreviation in a colored box indicates that Unown can be tutored the move in that game
- A colored abbreviation in a white box indicates that Unown cannot be tutored the move in that game
- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Unown
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an Evolution of Unown
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see Move Tutor moves from other generations
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Side game data
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Pokémon GO
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Base HP: 96
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Base Attack: 136
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Base Defense: 91
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| Egg Distance: N/A
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Buddy Distance: 5 km
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Evolution Requirement: N/A
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| Fast Attacks: Hidden Power
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| Charged Attacks: Struggle
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Evolution
| A
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B
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C
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D
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E
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F
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G
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| H
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I
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J
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K
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L
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M
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N
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| O
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P
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Q
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R
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S
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T
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U
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| V
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W
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X
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Y
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Z
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!
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?
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| Does not evolve
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Unown
Psychic
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Sprites
| This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation II.
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Trivia
- In Spell of the Unown: Entei, Professor Oak had some pictures of Unown on his computer which have never appeared in any other media. Some resemble Greek alphabet letters, particularly σ (lowercase sigma), Σ (capital sigma), Π (pi), and Ω (omega). The top left large image also resembles the Greek Ȣ (ou). Others resemble the Cyrillic letters ю (yu) and б (be). The Unown in the top-middle large image resembles the Cyrillic я (ya).
- If a player does not have Unown's Pokédex data on a Generation II game when in Oak's lab in Pokémon Stadium 2, Unown's Pokédex number is listed as 252 instead of 201. This happens regardless of which Pokédex display mode is selected.
- Unown is the only Pokémon with a base stat total of 336.
- Unown currently is represented in the Trading Card Game by the most cards of any Pokémon, at 87 unique cards.
- Unown has the most officially recognized alternate forms of any Pokémon, with a total of 28.
- Unown is the only Generation II Pokémon that has not been featured in a Ranger series game.
- Due to Unown's letter and Shininess both being determined by IVs in Generation II, Shiny Unown will always be either an I or V in these games.
- Despite Unown being able to use TM10 in Generation VI, it still cannot do so legitimately because it will always already know Hidden Power.
- Unown is the only Pokémon in the Sinnoh Pokédex (that is not a Legendary or Mythical Pokémon) not used by any Trainer in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl.
- Unown is the only Pokémon that can't learn any status moves.
Origin
Their appearances are corruptions of the modern Latin alphabet, as well as the exclamation mark (!) and the question mark (?), and the G form of Unown is based on a double-story lower case G. The shapes of the Unown are used like graphic symbols in the Pokémon world, although in Hoenn and the Sevii Islands, their place is taken by Braille.
Name origin
Unown is a corruption of unknown.
Unknown is literally unknown.
In other languages
| Language
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Title
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Meaning
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 Japanese
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アンノーン Unknown
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From unknown
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 French
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Zarbi
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From the word bizarre in Verlan, a youth language consisting of reversed words
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 Spanish
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Unown
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Same as English name
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 German
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Icognito
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From icon and inkognito
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 Italian
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Unown
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Same as English name
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 Korean
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안농 Annown
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Transliteration of its Japanese name
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 Mandarin Chinese
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未知圖騰 / 未知图腾 Wèizhītúténg
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From 未知 meihjī and 圖騰 / 图腾 túténg
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 Cantonese Chinese
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未知圖騰 Meihjītòuhtàhng
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From 未知 meihjī and 圖騰 tòuhtàhng
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| More languages
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 Danish
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Ukendt / Ukendte*
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Literally "unknown"
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 Finnish
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Tuntemattomat*
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Literally "the unknown"
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 Hebrew
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אנון Anon
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Transcription of English name
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 Hindi
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अननोन Unown
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Transcription of English name
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 Hungarian
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Öntudatlan*
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Literally "senseless"
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 Norwegian
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De ukjente*
Ukjent*
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Literally "The unknown"
Literally "unknown".
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 Russian
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Аноун Anoun
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Transcription of English name
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 Swedish
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Okänd*
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Literally "unknown"
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Related articles
External links
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This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon species, as well as Pokémon groups and forms.
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For other sprites and images, please see Unown images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
