Yveltal is a large Pokémon with both avian and draconic traits. The back of its body is black with white spots along the wings and back; its front, head, and neck are bright red with branching, black lines throughout. It has a pointed, beak-like snout, bright blue eyes, a black, forward-curving horn over each eye, and a thin, antenna-like growth behind each eye. A feathery gray ruff encircles its neck and billows out over its back. Yveltal's wings each have three spikes along the bottom edge near the body and five large, black claws on the tip. It has small, birdlike legs with gray talons. Each foot has two toes facing forward and one pointing backward. Its tail is similar in structure to its wings, including the five claws on the tip.
Yveltal is said to represent destruction and death. It has the power to absorb life energy by spreading its wings and tailfeathers; according to legend, it does this in order to power up its own energy. It is highly feared by the ancient people of Kalos because of this. Yveltal is known to appear during a conflict, draining the life energy of any person or Pokémon that it encounters. Upon reaching the end of its lifespan, Yveltal steals the life energy of everything around it, then encases itself in a cocoon and falls into a deep slumber. Both Xerneas and Yveltal are in charge of taking care of the land in a delicate balance between life and death. Yveltal's power can be used to power up machines, as seen with the ultimate weapon. Yveltal's light energy has the power to transform Evolution stones into Mega Stones when directed through the ultimate weapon.[1] It can also absorb its target's energy, restoring its vitality as a result. Said attack can also burn the ground it hits in the process.[2] Yveltal can crawl on the ground using its wings and talons, similar to a bat. It can also use its wings to propel itself back into the air. It will harm anyone who tries to take it, even while it's in its dormant, cocoon-like state. Yveltal is drawn to the life energy that's released or disturbed within the ecosystem, such as the Mega Power emitted by the Ange machine. According to research done by Mable of Team Flare, Yveltal's ability to manipulate life is considered so mysterious that not even science could successfully solve it.[3][4]
As shown in Pokémon the Series, any living creatures drained by Yveltal will turn into petrified stone, though it is unknown whether this action is intentionally malicious or not. As depicted in Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction, Yveltal can be very vengeful to anyone who disturbs its sleep and will seek to destroy it. Its counterpart Xerneas has the power to cure Yveltal's victims by filling them with life energy, but as seen in The Legend of X, Y, and Z!, it couldn't undo Aila's case for unknown reasons. Xerneas is also shown to be capable of calming down Yveltal should it get enraged. In Sylveon Enchants, Yveltal was shown making plants wither away by simply touching them. In the Pokémon Adventures manga and in Pokémon the Series, it has been referred to as "Y", while in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, it is known as "the one who takes".
Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon: Yveltal is one of the main antagonists of the game. It first appears on Revelation Mountain, turning the player, partner, Raikou, and Entei to stone. Later, Yveltal and the other Pokémon possessed by Dark Matter attack the group again at the Road to Primeval Forest. Once freed from its possession, Yveltal feels deep regret for its actions, despite having been under the control of something else, and tries to make amends by attacking Dark Matter later on, only to be turned to stone itself.
Spoilers end here.
Pokédex entries
This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation VI.
Yveltal made its animated series debut in The Legend of X, Y, and Z! during a flashback, where it unleashed trouble on a kingdom, turning people and Pokémon to stone such as Aila. Its attack prompted Jan to embark on a quest to find Xerneas and have it restore the land and Aila.
Minor appearances
Pokémon Generations
Team Flare captured Yveltal in The Beauty Eternal so they could begin the next phase of their plans, which they titled "Project Y".
GOTCHA!
A Yveltal briefly appeared as a silhouette in GOTCHA!.
Yveltal debuted in An X-cuse to Come Out and Play, alongside Xerneas. The two faced each other in a battle, which caused chaos and destruction in Vaniville Town. The two eventually stopped fighting and returned to their dormant cocoon and tree states, which are being sought after by Team Flare to power the ultimate weapon. Yveltal was later captured by Malva, who revealed that it had been resting in the ground under the tree form Xerneas the entire time. In Xerneas Gives, both Yveltal and Xerneas returned to their dormant states once again, choosing to do so in order to prevent Lysandre from using Zygarde to his own deeds.
Yveltal sometimes appears in the background of the Prism Tower stage.
Yveltal trophy in Super Smash Bros. for 3DS
Yveltal also appears as a trophy exclusive to the 3DS version.
Trophy information
NA: With its wings spread wide, this Legendary Pokémon looks just like the letter Y. Since its name also starts with the same letter, it's difficult to imagine a more appropriate mascot for Pokémon Y. Apparently, when Yveltal's life comes to an end, it will absorb the life force of all living things— here's to a long and healthy life!
PAL: With its wings spread wide, this Legendary Pokémon looks just like the letter Y. Since its name also starts with the same letter, it's difficult to imagine a more appropriate mascot for Pokémon Y. Apparently when Yveltal's life comes to an end, it will absorb the life force of all living things, so here's hoping it stays strong and healthy!
Yveltal has the same stat distribution as Xerneas.
Yveltal, along with Xerneas, was designed by art designers Ken Sugimori and Yusuke Ohmura. The initial designs for the two Legendary Pokémon were started by Sugimori, but he encountered "artist's block", having a hard time coming up with concepts. For the first time, he gave the work over to another designer, Ohmura. Ohmura furthered the designs, after which Sugimori resumed to finish them.[5]
Yveltal was designed so that its silhouette resembles the letter Y.[6] Appearance-wise, Yveltal resembles birds such as the long-tailed widowbird, or carrion birds such as crows and vultures.
Yveltal may also be based on any number of avian-related figures from mythology, such as the Celtic death-goddess Morrigan, which often takes the form of a raven; or Norse mythological figures such as Hræsvelgr, which takes the form of an eagle and sits at the end of the world, or the hawk Veðrfölnir or the unnamed eagle that resides at the top of the world tree Yggdrasil. Additionally, it bears a striking resemblance to a species of fungus known as "devil's fingers."
↑Mable: "The power of the LegendaryPokémon... The power to grant life to all around it...X/The power to steal life from all around it...Y It's a mysterious ability that even scientists like us haven't been able to really decode. What d'you think will happen to the world if we fuel the ultimate weapon with something like that?" (Pokémon X and Y)
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.
Gold Bottle Cap (100%)
For other sprites and images, please see Yveltal images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
