In Pokémon GO, it evolves into Melmetal when the player uses 400 Meltan Candy. Meltan cannot evolve in the core series games.
Meltan's appearance was first teased during the September Pokémon GO Community Day on September 22, 2018, and it was officially revealed on September 25, 2018.
Biology
Meltan is a small Pokémon with a silvery body of liquid metal. Its head is hard and resembles a golden hexagonal nut, with a small black sphere floating inside. This sphere serves as its eye. It has a red tail that resembles an electrical wire with two tiny protrusions at the end. According to official concept arts, Meltan's liquid body is made of gallium, and it can cry gallium tears. Its arms can stretch to be longer or shorter.[1]
Meltan's body can corrode various metals, which it feeds on by absorbing them.[2] The absorbed metals are circulated within Meltan's body to generate electricity, which it uses as an energy source. According to Professor Willow, Meltan instinctively engages in this behavior when it encounters and absorbs metal.[3]As a side effect, anything made of metal that Meltan absorbs will melt. Meltan can also use this electricity to attack by firing it from its eye.[4] According to Professor Willow, Meltan has been described in ancient texts in the same place the Mystery Box was found. The Mystery Box was created by Melmetal's followers to store away the Meltan created after its death, until one day, they could create a new Melmetal.[5] At the end of a Melmetal's life span, it'll rust and fall apart, however its shards will eventually be reborn as Meltan.[6] It is known to live in groups, until the day comes where one strong Meltan absorbs the rest of the group to evolve. Professor Willow and Professor Oak theorize that Meltan's unique ability to evolve into Melmetal is due to its body resembling molten metal.[7]
As seen in the Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon episode Show Me the Metal!, the hexagonal nut on Meltan's body can be removed. It has also been seen working in packs. Meltan can spin its head, creating a sound that calls others of its kind. Its head-spinning can also be used as a sign of affection. In Got Meltan?, it's revealed that it can be tamed if fed metal-like treats. In Living on the Cutting Edge!, Meltan is shown multiplying in numbers overtime.
Meltan often uses its unique physiology to express itself in unexpected ways[1]
It is the only Pokémon capable of Evolution that cannot be evolved in the core series games. Because of this, it is not affected by Eviolite.
As a result of not being able to be evolved in the core series games, Meltan is the only Pokémon that can be obtained in Poké Balls that its evolved form cannot.
They are the only Pokémon in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! whose Kanto Pokédex number (152) is not the same as its National Pokédex number (808). While KantoPokédex numbers are normally used throughout the game, the judge screen displays National Pokédex numbers, which is evident for Meltan and Melmetal.
They are the only Pokémon officially introduced in Generation VII that are not in the Alola Pokédex.
They are the only Pokémon in the National Pokédex of Pokémon GO and Pokémon HOME (Nintendo Switch only) to not be listed in a region section. Instead, they are put into "Unidentified" and "Unknown Origins", respectively.
They are the only Mythical Pokémon that can be traded or placed in a Gym as a defender in Pokémon GO.
In the animated series, Professor Oak is the person who gives Meltan its species name.
According to Junichi Masuda, Meltan and its Evolution were created for Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! out of a "desire to build a bridge between players of the core Pokémon series and players of Pokémon GO", to make both groups happy.[1]
In a 2018 GameSpot interview, Junichi Masuda mentioned that Meltan was designed by a Game Freak staff member "who was also a fan of the original games and played them as a kid", with setting directions from Masuda. The finished designs and assets were then given to Niantic in order to plan and launch the debut event.[8]
Two people were credited as "Pokémon Character Designers" in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!: Misaki Hashimoto and Hironobu Yoshida. However, Yoshida has worked on the Pokémon games since Pokémon Yellow, implying that it was Hashimoto that designed Meltan.
Meltan is based on a hexagonal nut,[8] and its tail resembles an exposed wire. Its lower body is based on gallium,[1] a metallic element with a relatively low melting point of about 86 °F (30 °C). Gallium is used to make semiconductors, and can easily "attack" other metals, such as aluminum and tin, to form alloys that are either very brittle or liquid at room temperature. These may be referenced with Meltan's liquid body, electric affinity, and ability to absorb metals.
Meltan may also be inspired by mercury, a metallic element that is liquid at room temperature. Much like gallium, mercury can also conduct electricity, as well as react with many other metals to form alloys known as amalgams.
Name origin
Meltan may be a combination of melt, metal, and たん -tan (diminutive Japanese suffix). It may also be derived from molten.
↑Professor Willow: "Maybe the people who glorified and worshiped Melmetal decided to keep it safe when the Pokémon somehow split itself apart. Doing so could have been thought of as the only way for the people to ever meet Melmetal again. " (Pokémon GO)
↑Professor Willow: "With careful study of the Ditto that I sent him and the small amount of documented Meltan encounters, Professor Oak was able to solve more mysteries related to this Pokémon. Meltan very well may have split from a Pokémon named Melmetal, which has been recorded even less than Meltan." (Pokémon GO)
↑Professor Willow: "Professor Oak and I have made a guess as to how Meltan can re-form back into Melmetal—because Meltan have bodies similar to molten metal, they have a unique ability to merge and trigger an Evolution into Melmetal!" (Pokémon GO)
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.
![Meltan often uses its unique physiology to express itself in unexpected ways[1]](https://archives.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/thumb/d/d2/Meltan_LGPE_Concept_Art.png/171px-Meltan_LGPE_Concept_Art.png)
Meltan often uses its unique physiology to express itself in unexpected ways[1]
Meltan without its head![Meltan often uses its unique physiology to express itself in unexpected ways[1]](/wiki/File:Meltan_LGPE_Concept_Art.png)
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For other sprites and images, please see Meltan images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
