# Giratina

Giratina (ギラティナ, /ˌɡɪrəˈtiːnə/ GHIRR-ə-TEE-nə) is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Giratina first appeared in the video games Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, but gained prominence in the sister game, Pokémon Platinum, in which it is the mascot and a major part of the storyline, and would later appear as an antagonist in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.
Giratina is a Legendary Pokémon, a special classification of Pokémon noted for their rarity and power; specifically, it is one of the "Pokémon of Myth" involved in the creation of the Sinnoh region in which Pokémon Diamond and Pearl take place. In the video games, the player can fight and capture Giratina to use it in battle against other Pokémon. Giratina has also appeared in other Pokémon media, including animated adaptations, merchandise and print media. Giratina has been well-received by critics and fans, drawing attention for its in-universe similarities to Satan and devils and the difficulty of its boss battle in Pokémon Legends: Arceus.

## Concept and creation

Giratina is a species of fictional creatures called Pokémon created for the Pokémon media franchise. Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, the Japanese franchise began in 1996 with the video games Pokémon Red and Green for the Game Boy, which were later released in North America as Pokémon Red and Blue in 1998. In these games and their sequels, the player assumes the role of a Trainer whose goal is to capture and use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon. Each Pokémon have one or two elemental types, which define its advantages and disadvantages when battling other Pokémon. A major goal in each game is to complete the Pokédex, a comprehensive Pokémon encyclopedia, by capturing, evolving, and trading with other Trainers to obtain individuals from all Pokémon species.
Introduced in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, Giratina is one of the legendary Pokémon trio of Sinnoh, alongside Dialga and Palkia. It is a Pokémon with characteristics of ghosts and dragons, as demonstrated by its visual design as well as its Ghost and Dragon elemental typing. Giratina has two forms, the ground-bound "Altered Forme" ("Another Forme" (アナザーフォルム, Anazā Forumu) and the floating, serpentine "Origin Forme" (オリジンフォルム, Orijin Forumu), between which it can shift depending on its location and held item.
The designers of Pokémon Platinum designed Giratina's Origin Forme to be the "opposite" of Dialga and Palkia, as well as to make its existence "more fun, more interesting, cooler". They paid "meticulous attention" to the Origin Forme's details; the designer "redrew Giratina’s image again and again" in order to make it "significantly different" and change its shape. The designers eventually decided to feature the Origin Forme on the cover of Platinum. Designer Junichi Masuda envisioned concepts of "reversed world", "matter and anti-matter", and "E = mc$^2$" in designing it. Its location, the Distortion World, was designed by Takeshi Kawachimaru around Giratina, with the concept as "how Giratina fits in the world". When designing its theme, Masuda "thought of the front/back, life/death" to make it cover "bipolar, opposite ideas".

## Appearances
### In the video games

In the video games Pokémon Diamond and Pearl and their remakes Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, Giratina can be found as an optional postgame encounter after the player defeats the Elite Four. In the enhanced version of Diamond and Pearl titled Pokémon Platinum, Giratina plays an increased role in the game's plot, this time fought in the Distortion World in its Origin Forme as part of the main storyline. Giratina's backstory specifies that it was banished by the Mythical Pokémon Arceus to the Distortion World for its violent nature; during the game's storyline, it captures and drags main antagonist Cyrus into the Distortion World to prevent him from ruining the fabric of space-time. It also appears in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver as part of a special event. In Pokémon Legends Arceus, Giratina appears as a storyline boss under the command of the game's antagonist, Volo. In the game, Giratina has teamed up with Volo to cause a rift in the space-time continuum in order to force the Mythical Pokémon Arceus out of hiding. Giratina is also obtainable alongside other past Legendary Pokémon in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon and Pokémon Sword and Shield: The Crown Tundra..
Outside of the main titles, Giratina appears in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness, Pokémon Rumble, and Pokémon GO. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, and Ultimate, it appears in its Altered Forme as a Poké Ball/Master Ball summon, using Dragon Breath upon being released. It also appears as a collectible "Spirit" in the latter.

### In other media

Giratina is featured prominently in the film Pokémon: Giratina and the Sky Warrior as one of main protagonists. Giratina also appears in the film Pokémon: Arceus and the Jewel of Life and Pokémon the Movie: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages. Giratina also appears in the manga based on the three films, as well as the Pokémon Adventures manga.

## Reception and cultural impact

Giratina has been well-received by critics and fans, citing it as one of the more memorable Pokémon of the Sinnoh Region for its sinister design and backstory. Emma Singer labeled Giratina as "the most demonic of all Pokémon", claiming it to be more "appreciated" than the other members of its trio and likening it to Satan in contrast to the God-like role of Arceus. Likewise, IGN writer Dale Bashir also likened it to the "devil" of the Pokémon world, noting that its popularity led to the introduction of its "frightening" Origin Forme in Pokémon Platinum, starting a trend in the series of Legendary Pokémon with multiple forms. Justin Pietrodarchi drew attention to the fact that despite its frequent comparisons to devils, Giratina has played both heroic and villainous roles in the main Pokémon games. Analyzing its story throughout the series, Pietrodarchi concluded that it had to be "the devil to Arceus' angel" in order to properly shape the Pokémon world.
GamesRadar editor Carolyn Gudmundson called Giratina "fearsome" and the most "terrifying" member of its trio, while PALGN's "Toastfarmer" called it "strange" and joked about the prospect of capturing it in a Poké Ball. 1UP.com's Justin Haywald described Giratina's new form and its home of the Distortion World as Platinum's "biggest draws". Tom Bowen of GameRant noted Volo and Giratina's three-phase battle in Pokémon Legends: Arceus to be "difficult", claiming that the battle's mechanics essentially gave Volo latter a total of eight Pokémon on his team rather than the usual maximum of six. "Aku" of sister site DualShockers likewise claimed the battle to be one of the "hardest battles in the history of [the series]".
Giratina was featured in a Pokémon Platinum-themed deck of playing cards as the Joker. As a bonus for pre-ordering Platinum, select customers would receive a 2.75" sculpted figurine of Giratina's Origin Forme. This was a part of a promotion called "Search for Giratina", which also encompassed a number of other promotional items. In Europe, Nintendo made available a limited edition DS Lite featuring Giratina's Origin Forme through their "Stars Catalogue" which could be purchased with coins that are earned by buying Nintendo games and registering them. In 2022, an "alternate art" Giratina card from the Pokémon Trading Card Game, illustrated by Shinji Kanda, was noted for achieving prices upwards of $230 USD on the secondary market; Theo Dwyer of BleedingCool noted the card to be "transcendent" and "show-stopping" as well as "the best Alternate Art of [that] year so far." In 2024, digital illustrator Steve Carcamo produced and shared fan art of Giratina combined with Tina Belcher from the animated sitcom Bob's Burgers, which drew enough viral attention on Reddit to make the front page of its main Pokémon subreddit.