# Ho-Oh

Ho-Oh is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon media franchise who appears on the cover of Pokémon Gold, alongside the Pokémon Lugia, who appears on the cover of Pokémon Silver. It first appeared in a brief appearance in the first episode of the Pokémon TV series, seen by protagonist Ash Ketchum and unable to be identified.
Despite being grouped in the second generation of Pokémon species three years after the first generation, it is among the first Pokémon seen in the anime. It later made its video game debut in Pokémon Gold and Silver. Since its debut, it has appeared in multiple games including Pokémon Go and the Pokémon Trading Card Game, as well as various merchandise.
Classified as Fire and Flying-type Pokémon, Ho-Oh is a large bird with the features of different bird species with red-and-white feathers. It is tied to the mythology of the Johto region, believed to have resurrected the Pokémon Raikou, Entei, and Suicune after they died in the Brass Tower, renamed the Burnt Tower. It is one of the two legendary birds of Johto, alongside Lugia. Both can be obtained in both versions, with Ho-Oh available earlier in Gold than Silver. It also appears on the cover of Pokémon Stadium 2 along with Lugia.

## Concept and development

Ho-Oh 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. Some Pokémon can transform into stronger species through a process called evolution via various means, such as exposure to specific items. 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.
Ho-Oh was first revealed in the August 1996 issue of CoroCoro Comics alongside Pokémon Gold and Silver. When developing the games, around 300 individual Pokémon designs were drafted by various members of the development team, with each deciding their names and features, revising the drafts as needed. During this process, the team actively tried to avoid vague design concepts, as they felt this had caused difficulty in creating completed Pokémon during Red and Blue development. As the team selected which Pokémon would be included, they were drawn and finalized by lead artist Ken Sugimori. To maintain balance, many of the newer species did not appear in the early stages of the game. Additionally, many of the Pokémon were designed with merchandise in mind, taking into account the related Pokémon toy line and anime series. As a result, designs often had to be kept simplistic, something that caused strain for Sugimori and affected his approach to the next Pokémon franchise titles, Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire. It was also revealed at E3 2000 as part of the lead-up to the North American release of Pokémon Gold and Silver.
Ho-Oh is classified as both a Fire and Flying-type Pokémon, as well as being a Legendary Pokémon, a type of Pokémon that typically only appears once in a game. In the demo of Gold and Silver displayed at Spaceworld '97, Ho-Oh was exclusively Flying type. It has the ability to resurrect other beings. Its name comes from the on'yomi reading of fenghuang, the Chinese word for phoenix.
In the remakes HeartGold and SoulSilver, both Ho-Oh and Lugia get an exclusive battle theme. When composing Ho-Oh's, composer Go Ichinose found it the most difficult to compose; he imagined Ho-Oh as a peaceful Pokémon, and made the song sound peaceful in turn. He worried that it would be too peaceful and thus take players out of the battle, and his compositions were declined multiple times due to not capturing Ho-Oh's "glory and strength." He ultimately had to make it less peaceful in the final version.

## Design

Ho-Oh has features of different types of birds, including the head of a pheasant, the body of a duck, the legs of a crane, and the beak of a parrot. Its plumage is primarily red and white, with gold tail feathers and crest.

## Appearances

In the Pokémon video games, Ho-Oh first appeared in Pokémon Gold and Silver, appearing on the cover of Pokémon Gold alongside Lugia on the cover on Pokémon Silver. These games are set in Johto, where both creatures are legendary figures in this region. Ho-Oh is said to have been responsible for reviving the Pokémon Raikou, Entei, and Suicune after they died in the Bronze Tower fire, which was later renamed the Burnt Tower, which took place in Ecruteak City. Ho-Oh then chose to reside at the Tin Tower in the same city, which cannot be accessed by the player until they receive the Rainbow Wing. This item is available sooner in Pokémon Gold, meaning that Ho-Oh is obtained later in Pokémon Silver. Ho-Oh also appears in most other Pokémon mainline sequels; while many require trading or transferring between games, some allow players to obtain it in-game. In Pokémon FireRed, LeafGreen, and Emerald, the player can access an area called Navel Rock, where they can encounter Ho-Oh and Lugia. This was limited in the United States to only special events where Nintendo distributed a "MysticTicket" item to players using the Mystery Gift functionality of these games. It is initially unavailable in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, only made available through the Indigo Disk downloadable content.
It appears in multiple Pokémon spin-offs, including Pokémon Stadium 2 and as a playable character in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series. It can also be found in Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs. It also appears in the photography game New Pokémon Snap. Ho-Oh appears in Pokémon Unite as a playable character.
It also appears in Pokémon Go. There was an issue with players who nicknamed their Ho-Oh to change the name back to Ho-Oh due to word filtering.
Outside of the Pokémon series, Ho-Oh appears in multiple Super Smash Bros. titles; it appears in the form of a collectible in Super Smash Bros. Melee, Brawl, 4 and Ultimate. It also appears as a summonable character who can aide the summoner in Melee and Brawl, and as a stage hazard on the Kalos Pokémon League stage in for Wii U and Ultimate.
In the Pokémon TV series, Ho-Oh is one of the first Pokémon to appear, appearing at the end of the first episode after the conflict resolves. Protagonist Ash Ketchum attempts to identify it, but finds that it has not been documented. It is the first Pokémon from Pokémon Gold and Silver to be publicly revealed. Its design is entirely gold, with a green aura around it. Ho-Oh is seen by Ash in a later episode, as well as the character May. Ash reencounters Ho-Oh in Pokémon Journeys: The Series while riding Lugia. Ho-Oh also appears in the film Pokémon the Movie: I Choose You! A Ho-Oh-themed escape room called "ホウオウの試練からの脱出" (Escape from Ho-Oh's Trial) was opened in eight different locations across Japan to commemorate this film's release.

## Reception

Ho-Oh has received generally positive reception. Futabanet writer Honey stated that Ho-Oh was a particularly popular Pokémon with Japanese kids during the time between Red and Blue and Gold and Silver. It was also the subject of urban legends regarding obtaining Celebi, with different methods to obtain it involving Ho-Oh and Lugia. Writer Caleb Compton felt that Ho-Oh was a strong example of how Gold and Silver designed Pokémon to have more colorful Pokémon in general, including ones that incorporate "vibrant complementary colors." He also discussed how Ho-Oh demonstrated how Legendary Pokémon in Gold and Silver became more than just powerful Pokémon, specifically in establishing the legend of Ho-Oh resurrecting the Legendary Beasts. He felt Ho-Oh's visuals also better emphasize its Legendary status than Zapdos, Articuno, and Moltres, who he felt were "relatively ordinary." In an article in their "Pokémon of the Day" series, IGN staff identified it as the best Fire and Flying type in the series despite preferring Charizard personally. Dot Esports writer Adam Snavely considered Ho-Oh among the best Fire-type Pokémon, calling it a classic Legendary Pokémon and better than Moltres, another fire bird, in nearly every way.
Ho-Oh's original appearance in the Pokémon anime is considered an iconic moment, with IGN staff identifying it as an "amazing shared moment" among Pokémon fans. IGN writer Audrey Drake also consider this moment a significant one, calling it "magical" and saying that she wanted to catch one of them back when she first saw it. She stated that she preferred it to Lugia, ranking it as one of the best Pokémon. USA Today writer Cian Maher considered it one of the most famous Pokémon thanks to its anime appearance, stating that it became more popular after a full reveal. In Pokémon Horizons: The Series, the reveal of the yet-introduced Legendary Pokémon Terapagos early on was contrasted with Ho-Oh's early appearance by IGN writer Adam Bankhurst. Screen Rant writer Rodrigo Sandoval Lahut felt that Ho-Oh appeared to Ash because of his potential, citing a Pokedex entry that stated that Ho-Oh could only be seen by people with a pure heart. Specifically, Lahut believed that Ash putting his life on the line for Pikachu was enough for Ho-Oh to deem him worthy. He also believed that Ho-Oh making brief, sporadic appearances throughout the series was a sign that it was watching his progress. Honey stated that he found this moment an exciting thing to see as a child. Game Informer writer John Carson felt that Ho-Oh was a special Pokémon at the time, as showing a Pokémon that went beyond the initial 151 gave the Pokémon series a sense of mystery to him. GamesRadar+ writer Lucas Sullivan identified Moltres as being based on the Slavic firebird, he felt that Ho-Oh was based on the Chinese variant on the myth, the Fenghuang, which "typically only shows up in places of great peace and prosperity."