Talk:Arceus (Pokémon)

Talk:Arceus (Pokémon)

This talk page is for discussions about the contents of Arceus (Pokémon).

Archived discussions: 1 • 2

Origin section

As of today, I realize that the Origin section of Arceus has been changed a fair bit, so I would like to record what was written, just in case we would like to come back to these ideas:

• Arceus' General Inspirations
  • Arceus appears to be particularly based on a creator deity, present in many world cultures.
• Arceus' Design: It's Quadrupedal Body Plan and implied Polymelia
  • Arceus's stance and general form are similar to Egyptian bovine idols— particularly Apis. Apis, in particular, is a sacred beast and acts as a god of primordial power, the divine cycle of life, rebirth, fertility, and agriculture.
  • Its general anatomy may also be similar to equine idols. Based on its appearance and attack movements in the 3D games, Arceus may be modeled after ordinary creatures—such as those from the Equidae, Camelidae or Giraffidae families; It may be based on fantastical and mythical varations of those creatures—such as the polymeliac Uchchaihshravas and Sleipnir, the qilin, the longma, or the centaur.
  • The Pokédex entry that states Arceus “shaped the world with its multiple arms” may also reference or be inspired by the many-armed Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara, who, in Buddhism, has polymelia and is either pictured with eleven heads and one thousand arms (the latter of which is mentioned in Arceus's Pokédex entry) or in a white, four-armed manifestation (which could look similar to Normal-type Arceus).
  • It may also be inspired by the many-armed Hecatoncheires of Greek mythology.
• Arceus' Design: The Circle on its Torso
  • The circle resembles a stylized halo, a form of religious iconography used by many religions to indicate holy, divine, or sacred figures; it has at various periods also been used in imagery of rulers, heroes, and saints.
  • The arc on its back may also be inspired by the Dharmachakra, or the Bhavacakra, used to represent a concept similar to the reincarnation in Hinduism.
  • The gold, cross-spoked ring fused around a white, near-abstract body operates as a built-in nimbus or solar crown in the manner of Helios.
• Arceus' Cultural Inspirations
• Arceus also appears to draw significant inspiration from Classical Greece—evident in the (putative) onomastic nod to Zeus, ruler of Mount Olympus and the third in a line of divine kings who ruled over other deities; in the ancient Greek style settings that frequently frame its epiphanies such as rows of classical columns, stepped stone platforms, and straight processional approaches typical of Greek sanctuaries; and in the Classical Greek styling favored by Arceus devotees such as Volo, whose tunic-like layering, himation-like draped cloak, gold-edged geometric trimming, and laurel-adjacent coiffure.
• Arceus' Origin of Life
  • Its myth is nearly identical to the world egg, found in creation myths of many cultures and civilizations.
  • Its cosmogonic emergence “from an egg” resonates with the Orphic Egg and the birth of Phanes/Protogonos.
• Arceus as the Origin of Life
  • The conception of the first god might be influenced by the Shinto gods Kuninotokotachi and Amenominakanushi, who summoned Izanami and Izanagi to create Japan with the spear. Arcues is credited as having creating the universe starting with Sinnoh where Spear Pillar is located, and expanding outward.
• Arceus in Relation with other Pokémon
  • The triadic delegation of domains (time, space, distortion) parallels the classical division of realms among Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades, while Giratina’s banishment functions as a Tartarean containment of rebellious force.

ThunderBrine (talk) 01:28, 2 January 2026 (UTC)

Pronunciation citation?

How do I add a proper citation needed tag? I've been seeing the 'dub director claimed they changed the pronunciation cuz it sounded like arse' thing floating around for years, including on other wikis like TVTropes... but I never see a source. Does anyone have a link to this interview with the dub director, or is this just a rumor that's been repeated enough to go unquestioned? LilyLopears (talk) 02:11, 15 March 2026 (UTC)

In the second archive of this talk page, a user mentions this edit added the info, though there seems to be no written record of the conversation given with Tom Wayland unfortunately.

Using {{fact}} will add 'citation needed' to the line in question. Thespeon (talk) 11:19, 16 March 2026 (UTC)

Thank you! Added. LilyLopears (talk) 20:37, 16 March 2026 (UTC)

I found a video of Tom Wayland at Pokécon 2015 where he mentions this being the reason for the pronunciation of Arceus. While that edit was in 2013 (before this specific panel), he also indicates that he has explained this to fans multiple times, so he likely had at conventions in or prior to 2013 as well (but we might not necessarily have videos of those).

My transcription of Tom Wayland's explanation:

So, Arceus is the Japanese is pronounced "ar-see-us", okay. But the English language version of the show — so that you know — goes to every English speaking market on the planet. So it goes to Canada, it goes to Australia, it goes to the UK. In the UK, what does "arse" mean? It is your butt, okay. So if you call him "ar-see-us", it is like the American equivalent of calling him "ass-ee-us", and nobody will take that seriously. And everybody is supposed to take Arceus very seriously. So that one changed for that reason. And some people are like "grrrrr" (motions pounding fists), but usually when I tell them that, they're like "oh, okay".

SnorlaxMonster 12:08, 17 March 2026 (UTC)

Excellent, we finally have a source then. LilyLopears (talk) 19:49, 17 March 2026 (UTC)