Primal Reversion
- Primal redirects here. For the Pokémon from Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, see Primal Dialga.
Primal Reversion (Japanese: ゲンシカイキ Primal Regression) is an ancient transformation affecting Kyogre and Groudon. It debuted in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.
The process is said to restore Kyogre and Groudon's true powers as it absorbs the energy of nature to greatly increase its potential. It has been described in-game as an ancient form of evolution. Primal Reversion has been absent from the core series since Pokémon Sword and Shield, though it still appears in spin-off games such as Pokémon GO, as well as in other media.
Terminology
- Main article: Terminology of Primal Reversion
Primal Reversion uses the same English name but a different Japanese name to refer specifically to the transformed version of a Pokémon: Primal Reversion (Japanese: ゲンシカイキのすがた Primal Regression's Form). This appears as the name of this form of Kyogre and Groudon in the Pokédex, including in Pokémon HOME.
Pokémon that have undergone Primal Reversion are distinguished by the word "Primal" (starting with a capital letter) in front of their species name: Primal Kyogre and Primal Groudon. Each is referred to as their primal form in Generation VI and Pokémon GO, or as primal state in Generation VII, written in lowercase (Japanese: 原始の姿 primal form/state).
In the core series games
Gameplay
In battle
In order to undergo Primal Reversion, Kyogre and Groudon only need to be holding the appropriate Colored orb (the Blue Orb for Kyogre and the Red Orb for Groudon). Like Mega Stones, orbs cannot be removed during battle if held by the appropriate Pokémon. Unlike Mega Evolution, however, the player does not need a Key Stone or have to manually trigger Primal Reversion; it will simply happen automatically after Kyogre or Groudon enters a battle and after any entry hazards take effect, but before the activation of weather-changing Abilities.
If a Pokémon that has undergone Primal Reversion faints and then is revived, it will still be in its primal form after revival. In contrast, this does not occur to a Pokémon that has Mega Evolved or undergone Ultra Burst.
In a Rotation Battle, Kyogre or Groudon will only undergo Primal Reversion if it is sent out in the primary position; the Primal Reversion will not activate if the Pokémon is sent out in a secondary position at the start of the battle and then rotated to the primary position. Also, unlike Mega Evolution and Ultra Burst, there is no limit to the number of times a Primal Reversion may be performed per battle.
Outside of battle
In Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, if Kyogre or Groudon is holding the appropriate orb for Primal Reversion when it is entered into a Pokémon Contest Spectacular, it will automatically appear in its primal form for the entirety of the show. However, this has no effect on the Pokémon's performance.
Pokémon capable of Primal Reversion
| Pokémon | Before Primal Reversion | After Primal Reversion | Orb | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Image | Type | Ability | Image | Type | Ability | ||
| Kyogre | 
|
Water | Drizzle | 
|
Water | Primordial Sea |  Blue Orb |
| Groudon | 
|
Ground | Drought | 
|
Ground Fire | Desolate Land |  Red Orb |
Base stat comparison
Similar to Mega Evolution, Primal Reversion increases a Pokémon's base stat total by 100.
| Pokémon | Kyogre |
Kyogre |
Groudon |
Groudon | ||||
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| Speed |
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| Total | 670 | 770 | 670 | 770 |
In the spin-off games
Pokémon GO
- Main article: Mega Evolution (GO)
Primal Reversion was introduced in Pokémon GO on February 18, 2023. Rather than using the Red Orb or Blue Orb, an eligible Pokémon instead consumes Primal Energy to undergo a temporary Primal Reversion. Primal Reversion is functionally similar to Mega Evolution. The only differences are the types affected by the 1.3× power boost given to allies in raids (Primal Groudon affects the Grass, Fire and Ground types, while Primal Kyogre affects the Electric, Water and Bug types) and that the damage bonuses are active whenever the Primal Pokémon is in the party, not only when it is on the field. A player can only have one active Mega Evolution or Primal Reversion at a time.
In animation
Pokémon animated series
Pokémon the Series: XY
Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre both appeared in Mega Evolution Special III, where they had a clash with one another off the coast of Rustboro City. Alain and Steven attempted to fight the ancient Pokémon with their Mega Charizard X and Mega Metagross, but they were soon overpowered. Soon after, a Mega Rayquaza appeared, battled, and eventually managed to defeat the two Primal Pokémon, causing them to return to their regular forms.
Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre also appeared in Hoopa and the Clash of Ages, where they were summoned and controlled by Hoopa Unbound along with the Pokémon of Myth and Kyurem to attack Ash, Pikachu, Hoopa Confined, a Shiny Rayquaza, and the Eon duo in Dahara City.
Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire Animated Trailer
Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre both appeared in the Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire Animated Trailer.
Pokémon Generations
Primal Groudon appeared in Courtney's vision in The Vision. She imagined it attacking Maxie, Tabitha, and the rest of Team Magma, but this did not deter her from her team's plans for long.
Primal Kyogre appeared in The Cavern. Despite Shelly's insistence not to, Archie awakened it nonetheless in the Seafloor Cavern. It proceeded to cause destruction across Hoenn, and eventually prepared to attack Archie and Shelly.
Pokémon Evolutions
Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre both appeared in a fantasy in The Wish. They were shown battling before being calmed by Mega Rayquaza as Zinnia told the story of the Draconid people to May.
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire arc
Archie and Maxie used the Red and Blue Orbs to transform Groudon and Kyogre into their primal forms in order to help save the world from the giant meteoroid headed for the planet. After some training at the Meteor Falls, both Primal Pokémon managed to master their special moves; Precipice Blades and Origin Pulse, respectively. However, both ancient Pokémon, even when assisted by Rayquaza, completely exhausted themselves while destroying a large piece of the meteoroid falling before the main body, causing them to revert to their regular forms.
Let's Play the Pokémon Card Game XY!
Pokémon Omega Ruby Crimson Passion and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire Indigo Wisdom
Movie adaptations
In the TCG
Primal Reversion was brought into the Trading Card Game with the release of Primal Clash (Gaia Volcano • Tidal Storm in Japan). Primal Reversion is an extension of the Mega Evolution Pokémon mechanics. As such, Primal Reversion Pokémon only evolve from the long-standing Pokémon-EX and are Pokémon-EX themselves. The only Primal Reversion Pokémon are the Primal Kyogre-EX and Primal Groudon-EX cards from Primal Clash and Ancient Origins. Each Primal Reversion Pokémon features an Ancient Trait. The Ancient Origins prints feature the Shiny versions of the Pokémon and replace the original Ancient Traits with θ Max, but are otherwise identical to the Primal Clash cards.
| Related cards Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format. Cards listed with a green background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats. | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Card | Type | English Expansion |
Rarity | # | Japanese Expansion |
Rarity | # |
Primal Kyogre
|
|
Primal Clash | 
|
55/160 | Tidal Storm | 
|
032/070 |
| Primal Clash | 
|
149/160 | Tidal Storm | 
|
073/070 | ||
| Primal Kyogre
|
|
Ancient Origins |
|
96/98 | 
|
093/081 | |
| Primal Groudon
|
|
Primal Clash |
|
86/160 | Gaia Volcano |
|
040/070 |
| Primal Clash |
|
151/160 | Gaia Volcano |
|
074/070 | ||
| Primal Groudon
|
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Ancient Origins |
|
97/98 |
|
094/081 | |
In other languages
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Primal Kyogre
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Primal Groudon
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