Treasures of ruin
Clockwise from top-left: Chi-Yu, Wo-Chien, Ting-Lu, and Chien-Pao. Artwork from Pokémon HOME.

The treasures of ruin[a] (Japanese: 災(わざわ)いの宝(たから) Wazawai no Takara, "treasures of calamity"), also known as Ruinous Pokémon[b] and Calamity Pokémon[c] (Japanese: 災(さい)厄(やく)ポケモン Saiyaku Pokemon, "Calamity Pokémon"), are a quartet of Legendary Pokémon consisting of Wo-Chien, Chien-Pao, Ting-Lu, and Chi-Yu. The four Pokémon are individually referred to by the same names as their signature Abilities: the Tablets of Ruin, Sword of Ruin, Vessel of Ruin, and Beads of Ruin, respectively.[d] They originated in an unknown land, but currently reside in the Paldea region.

Shared design

The four treasures of ruin share a primary type, Dark; a category, "Ruinous Pokémon"; and a signature move, Ruination. Their signature Abilities are all variations of each other, sharing the effect of lowering a certain stat by 25% for all Pokémon on the field except themselves when they are in battle. Their names are all derived from Chinese.

History

The four treasures of ruin were once normal objects originated from a distant land in the east of Paldea. These four treasures were a set of wooden tablets, a sword, a vessel, and a set of beads. As time passed, each of the treasures were corrupted by negative human emotions: grudge, hatred, fear, and envy respectively, gaining life and cladding themselves in dead leaves, snow and ice, dirt and rocks, and fire to create their respective bodies, becoming the Legendary Pokémon Wo-Chien, Chien-Pao, Ting-Lu, and Chi-Yu.

One day, in the ancient times of Paldea, a merchant came from the east in possession of these four treasures, traveled to the Paldea region, and presented them to the Paldean king. In excitement, the treasure-obsessed king quickly bought them all, keeping them in his castle with his other treasures. The king's greed, however, eventually caused the four treasures to awaken, transforming into their Pokémon forms. The four Legendary Pokémon went berserk and caused a disaster that completely destroyed the castle and almost the entire kingdom afterwards.

Eventually though, the four of them were defeated and sealed away in different shrines scattered across the Paldea region by Pokémon wielders called out by the Paldean king. Wo-Chien was sealed within the Grasswither Shrine, Chien-Pao within the Icerend Shrine, Ting-Lu within the Groundblight Shrine, and Chi-Yu within the Firescourge Shrine.

Moveset comparison

Lv.
Wo-Chien
 Dark  Grass 
Chien-Pao
 Dark  Ice 
Ting-Lu
 Dark  Ground 
Chi-Yu
 Dark  Fire 
1 Absorb Powder Snow Sand Tomb Ember
Spite
Mean Look
5 Tickle Icy Wind Spikes Flame Wheel
10 Payback
15 Poison Powder Mist Stomp Will-O-Wisp
Stun Spore Haze
20 Mega Drain Ice Shard Bulldoze Flame Charge
25 Leech Seed Swords Dance Whirlwind Incinerate
30 Growth Snowscape Taunt Confuse Ray
35 Ingrain Night Slash Thrash Nasty Plot
40 Dark Pulse
45 Giga Drain Icicle Crash Stomping Tantrum Lava Plume
50 Ruination
55 Foul Play Sucker Punch Throat Chop Bounce
60 Power Whip Sacred Sword Rock Slide Swagger
65 Grassy Terrain Recover Memento Inferno
70 Knock Off Throat Chop Earthquake Memento
75 Leaf Storm Sheer Cold Fissure Overheat
Moves in bold get STAB. Moves in italics do no damage.

Base stat comparison

Pokémon HP Atk Def Sp. Atk Sp. Def Spd Total
Wo-Chien
 85 85 100 95 135 70 570
Chien-Pao
 80 120 80 90 65 135 570
Ting-Lu
 155 110 125 55 80 45 570
Chi-Yu
 55 80 80 135 120 100 570

In the core series games

Promotional image of the Shiny treasures of ruin Tera Raid Battles

Pokémon Scarlet and Violet

The four treasures of ruin are scattered across Paldea, sealed in special shrines. Wo-Chien's can be found in South Province (Area One), Chien-Pao's can be found in West Province (Area One), Ting-Lu's can be found in the Socarrat Trail, and Chi-Yu's can be found in North Province (Area Two). Their shrines are usually locked, but can be unlocked after pulling out eight different stakes scattered across their respective areas. Upon pulling out all stakes, their shrines will unlock and the respective Pokémon can be called out to battle by interacting with their shrines.

The Shiny version of the treasures of ruin were encounterable in four limited Poké Portal News events as 5 Star Tera Raids. During the Tera Raid Battle event, neither of the four can be captured and said events ends on September 30, 2025 respectively. Challenge the Shiny Tablets of Ruin event lasts from Friday, August 8, 2025 to Tuesday, September 30, 2025. Challenge the Shiny Sword of Ruin event lasts from August 22, 2025 to Tuesday, September 30, 2025. Challenge the Shiny Vessel of Ruin event lasts from September 5, 2025, to September 30, 2025. Challenge the Shiny Beads of Ruin event lasts from September 19, 2025 to September 30, 2025. Defeating any of this battles one million times will grant players the respective Shiny Pokémon to be obtained though Mystery Gift rewards at the following times.

In the manga

Pokémon Adventures

Scarlet & Violet arc

While none of the treasures of ruin have appeared in Pokémon Adventures so far, Scarlet, who is a treasure hunter, is battling Paldea's Gym Leaders in search of information about them. In Evolve! The Second Fire Evolution!!, it was revealed that Scarlet is seeking the treasures for one of her clients. In Ruin! The Client, Raifort!!, it was revealed that her client is Uva Academy's history teacher Raifort, who wants them to be captured and brought under control so they can't spread ruin in case they're released into the world. She also revealed that to unseal the treasures, Scarlet would need another Pokémon with a special power, the Legendary Iron Serpent.

Gallery

 S  V 
Shrines concept art

Music

Games Location Track Title (Japanese) Track Title (English) Composer Arranger Duration
 S  V  When battling the
treasures of ruin 		戦闘！災厄ポケモン Battle! (Calamity Pokémon) Gō Ichinose Gō Ichinose 03:39
Song names marked with an asterisk are unofficial, as they have not received a soundtrack release.

Trivia

  • The treasures of ruin share similarities to the guardian deities:
    • They are a quartet of Legendary Pokémon situated in a particular region.
    • Both quartets share a base stat total of 570.
    • Each quartet has a shared type: the treasures of ruin share the Dark type, while the guardian deities share the Fairy type.
    • The respective quartets' signature moves, Ruination and Nature's Madness, are differently typed variations of each other, both being moves that deal damage equivalent to half the target's remaining HP.
    • Both quartets also share variations of given Abilities: the treasures of ruin all have variations of Abilities that lower a stat of all other Pokémon on the field when they are present, while the guardian deities all share Abilities that summon a different type of terrain upon entering battle.
  • Wo-Chien, Chien-Pao, Ting-Lu, and Chi-Yu all have their names romanized in the Wade–Giles format in English, Spanish, and Italian. In French and German, their names are instead romanized in the Hanyu Pinyin format, with their respective names being Chongjian, Baojian, Dinglu, and Yuyu in those languages.
  • The treasures of ruin are the first Pokémon whose base stats were adjusted via a patch to the game, with each receiving a total decrease of 10 points:
    • Wo-Chien lost 5 points in base Attack and Special Attack.
    • Chien-Pao lost 10 points in base Attack.
    • Ting-Lu lost 10 points in base HP and 5 points in base Defense, while gaining 5 points in base Special Attack.
    • Chi-Yu lost 10 points of base Special Attack.

Origin

Each Pokémon appears to draw prominent inspiration from ancient Chinese artifacts originating from the era prior to the establishment of the Qin dynasty in 221 BC, particularly bamboo and wooden slips, double-edged jian sword, bronze ding cauldron, and jade ware. The appearance of the treasures of ruin may also reference early modern cultural and commercial exchanges of the West with China during the period, such as the Portuguese establishment of trading activities in southern China in the early 16th century with the founding of Macau, followed by Spanish contacts with China starting at the latter part of the century.

They may also be partly inspired by the concept of the Four Perils, four malevolent beings that exist in Chinese mythology.

In other languages

Treasures of ruin
Language Title
Chinese Cantonese 災禍之寶 Jōiwoh jī Bóu
Mandarin 災禍之寶 / 灾祸之宝 Zāihuò zhī Bǎo
French Trésors du fléau
German Schätze des Unheils
Italian Tesori portatori di sciagura
Korean 재앙의 보물 Jaeang-ui Bomul
Brazilian Portuguese Tesouros da Ruína
Spanish Tesoros funestos
Ruinous Legends
Language Title
French Légendes du fléau
German Unheilvolle Legende
Italian Leggenda rovinosa
Spanish Leyendas funestas

Notes

  1. ↑ These Pokémon are consistently referred to as the "treasures of ruin" by Raifort in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. The term is also used in a description in Pokémon HOME. "Pokémon known as the treasures of ruin, sealed away with sacred stakes."
  2. ↑ The four Pokémon collectively share the category "Ruinous Pokémon".
  3. ↑ From the name of their battle theme in Nintendo Music, "Battle! (Calamity Pokémon)".
  4. ↑ Referred to in-game as well as in promotional material for events, e.g. "Challenge the Shiny Tablets of Ruin!"

Related articles

Groups of Legendary and Mythical Pokémon
Quintets
RegirockRegiceRegisteel
RegielekiRegidrago

Legendary giants
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