Unown (Pokémon)

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Unown (Japanese: アンノーン Unknown) is a introduced in Generation II.
While it is not known to evolve into or from any other Pokémon, Unown has . All of them are known as One form, as seen in the Pokédex.
In Generation II, there were 26 Unown forms based on Latin alphabet characters. In Generation III, two new forms were introduced as well: ? (question mark) and ! (exclamation mark). The Unown forms are chronicled in the Unown Mode, the Unown Report, and the Unown Research Notes.
In Generation II, its shape is determined by its individual values; in Generation III, it is determined by its personality value; from Generation IV onwards, it is determined by a separate form identifier.
==Biology==
Unown is a flat, thin shaped like an eye with appendages that make it resemble a letter or a punctuation mark. It is entirely black, except for its white sclerae. All 26 alphabetic forms of Unown have fully open eyes, while the two punctuation forms have half-closed eyes. Though each of its forms has a counterpart in the Latin alphabet, Unown is said to resemble ancient writing and hieroglyphs called Unown symbols. It is a mystery whether Unown predates or postdates written language, and therefore which one is based on the other. Unown can move its appendages independently like tentacles or fingers.
In the Japanese version of , a researcher implies that the Unown began appearing at the Ruins of Alph after the Pokémon Communication Center was built in Goldenrod City. This text was translated and left unused in the English release.Pokecrystal Disassembly; maps/RuinsOfAlphResearchCenter.asm
The Pokédex, Unown Report, and Professor Oak's research disagree on whether Unown communicates using electromagnetic waves (specifically radio waves) or telepathy. Either way, it can be detected by the Pokégear radio, which interprets it as the melody of the Azure Flute. Unown has an unknown connection to . It is said that an "odd power" emerges when more than one Unown come together. Certain Unown loose in the Hisui region were capable of repelling Poké Balls that contained Pokémon, preventing them from being d. Professor Laventon's research observed that Unown resemble human writing from other lands, though no one took him seriously. In the Pokémon movie Spell of the Unown: Entei, Unown is shown to be capable of reading the thoughts of other life forms. Great numbers of Unown are capable of distorting reality to suit the dreams and wishes of whoever is in control of the Unown. However, they can only do this when more Unown are present, so it could be a shared effort rather than an ability unique to each Unown.
Unown is an extremely that lives in its own dimension and rarely ventures outside. When it moves to the Pokémon world, Unown tends to stick to walls like engravings of ancient texts, or orbit other Unown, usually in ruins.
In Pokémon Crystal, the Unown are said to share a cooperative bond with .Of the legendary POKéMON, SUICUNE is said to be the closest to HO-OH. I hear there may also be a link to POKéMON known as UNOWN. The POKéMON UNOWN must be sharing a cooperative bond with SUICUNE."Wise Trio, Pokecrystal Disassembly
In Generation VIII, Unown is the only known Pokémon capable of learning the move .
===Forms===
Unown has 28 separate forms, all referred to as "One form". Pokédex 3D Pro, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, and other supplemental materials such as official guidebooks refer to each form by the letter or symbol they represent.
A	B	C	D	E	F	G
 	 	 	 	 	 	
H	I	J	K	L	M	N
 	 	 	 	 	 	
O	P	Q	R	S	T	U
 	 	 	 	 	 	
V	W	X	Y	Z	!	?
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
==Game data==
===Pokédex entries===
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===Game locations===
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====In side games====
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===Stats===
====Base stats====
====Pokéathlon stats====
=====A-Z=====
=====! and ?=====
===Type effectiveness===
===Learnset===
Unown is available in .
====By leveling up====
====By TM====
====By ====
====By tutoring====
====Animated series-only moves====
Move	Type	Episode
 	 	PK21
===Side game data===
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In , Unown can be obtained by completing 1/4 of the Special Research, Level 50 Challenge.
===Form data===
Unown has 28 non-interchangeable forms, each corresponding to a typographic character. All Unown forms are known as "One form", as seen in the Pokédex.
Unown was the first Pokémon to have multiple forms in the games. In its debut in Generation II, there were 26 forms of Unown, corresponding to each of the 26 letters of the . In the Generation III games, Unown gained two additional forms, corresponding to the and .
In the Generation II games, Unown's form is determined by its s, which results in some strange phenomena; for example, in Generation II, only Unown I and V can be due to Shininess also being determined by IVs in these games. In the Generation III games, Unown's form is determined by its personality value. From the Generation IV games onward, Unown's form is determined by a separate form identifier, unrelated to the personality value.
While Unown's form has no bearing on base stats, punctuation Unown have different performance stats than alphabetical Unown.
Various games have special catalogs for documenting Unown's forms: in , the Unown Mode is an upgrade to the Pokédex obtained at the Ruins of Alph; in , the Unown Report is obtainable instead. In , the Unown Research Notes serves this purpose.
A	B	C	D	E	F	G
 	 	 	 	 	 	
H	I	J	K	L	M	N
 	 	 	 	 	 	
O	P	Q	R	S	T	U
 	 	 	 	 	 	
V	W	X	Y	Z	!	?
 	 	 	 	 	 	
 	 	 	 	 	 	
===Evolution data===
===Sprites===
==In animation==
===Major appearances===
====Unown (M03)====
Unown played a large role in Spell of the Unown: Entei, creating the illusions that drive the plot.
Notes about Unown can be seen on 's computer at the beginning of the movie. The information (as presented in the Japanese version) has been cleaned up and transcribed here:
* Because of their very timid and careful character, Unown do not want to go out to the external world.
* Unown have the power to perceive the feelings of other creatures (including human beings).
* Unown communicate with each other over electromagnetic waves but cannot use telepathy.
* Given all this, Unown are still classified as a species of Pokémon, as opposed to any other sort of creature.
====Other====
In Address Unown!, an Unown G fell out of the Unown Dimension. After it was healed by the group, it helped defend them against , and its mind merged with that of Ash's Larvitar so that the group could help it address its inner pain.
Markings of Unown were observed on a tablet in Top-Down Training!.
In Journey to the Unown!, Saturn had his use on multiple Unown, causing trouble for and . The tablet from Top-Down Training also appeared in this episode. The Unown reappeared in a flashback in Enter Galactic!.
In PK21, an Unown F fell out of the Unown Dimension following an unspecified incident, and and his friends had to help it return to the Unown Dimension so it could reunite with the other Unown.
In Star Night, Star Flight!, five Unown covered a town in Johto with an endless night in order to help accept parting ways with her . Once she finally realized it was time to say goodbye, the Unown returned day to the town and departed.
===Minor appearances===
In The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon, a Unown G was created by the Mirage Master.
In The Rise of Darkrai, multiple Unown fled from and in the Unown Dimension. Others appeared during the opening sequence.
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky - Beyond Time & Darkness featured a stone tablet written in Unown.
===Pokédex entries===
==In the manga==
===Pokémon Adventures===
========
Unown first appeared in Into the Unown at the Ruins of Alph. During a battle with the Team Rocket Elite Trio, had his use , accidentally awakening the Unown from their slumber. Angered, the Unown retaliated on Team Rocket, defeating them.
Bugsy later returned to study the ruins further in Hurray for Heracross, where he an Unown G and gave it to one of his colleagues. Later, as he searched for , he found two chambers with Unown symbols.
Three Unown appeared in a flashback in Raising Raichu, being the N, G, and U forms.
========
In Some Things Are Better Left Unown, Sird gained control of a small army of Unown after awakening them in the Tanoby Ruins. She initially used them as a distraction against Lorelei, allowing her to defeat the Elite Four member. Sird later used them to impede the progress of , , and as they headed to the Trainer Tower, but they were defeated by . Also, two Unown of the ! and ? forms followed to Birth Island to relay his successful capture of back to the Team Rocket Warehouse.
========
In Knowledge of the Unown I, a D and P Unown befriended , , and in Solaceon Town. The two enlisted the help of the Pokédex holders to free their friends from a chamber in the Solaceon Ruins. Later, they helped to defeat the blocking Pearl's path to Veilstone City.
Multiple Unown appeared in Halting Honchkrow and Chancing Upon Chingling.
========
In All About Arceus IV, a massive group of Unown were spawned at the Sinjoh Ruins when created , , and .
===Pokémon: Yeah! I Got Pokémon!===
Multiple Unown appeared in GDZ58.
An Unown appeared in GDZ59.
===Pokémon Pocket Monsters===
Multiple Unown appeared in all of the species' forms in Rampage at the Ruins of Alph!!.
==In the TCG==
The English Pokédex data for Unown cards in the expansion say that it is believed that the variety of types of Unown is a result of , but this is not present in the original Japanese text.
==Other appearances==
===Super Smash Bros. Melee===
When one Unown is released from a , it will fly off the screen. It then returns with a large swarm, similar to what did in the original Super Smash Bros. The only difference is that Beedrill only attacks from left or right while Unown can come from any direction. Any opponent caught in this barrage is damaged and juggled.
There are also a number of Unown Poké Floats featured in the Poké Floats stage. In the second half of the stage's cycle, numerous Unown fly across the screen. Towards the end of the cycle, staying on the stage relies on hopping between the Unown.
====Trophy information====
These Psychic-type symbol Pokémon resemble ancient hieroglyphics found on rocks, a resemblance that's said to be more than superficial. Quite a few different shapes of Unown have been confirmed, and it's believed that each type has unique abilities. These enigmatic Pokémon can be found in the Ruins of Alph.
===Super Smash Bros. Ultimate===
Unown does not return as a Poké Ball Pokémon, though it is a , appearing in its F form.
==Music==
This is a list of music associated with Unown in the Pokémon games.
Games	Location 	Song name 	Composition 	Arrangement
 	When using the Pokégear's radio in or near the Ruins of Alph	Pokégear Radio: Unown	Junichi Masuda	Junichi Masuda
 	When using the Pokégear's radio in or near the Ruins of Alph	Pokégear Radio: Unown	Junichi Masuda	Shota Kageyama
==Trivia==
* Unown was designed by Ken Sugimori, who had wanted to make a Pokémon with a more surreal design.(2001). ゲーム・マエストロ〈VOL.4〉デザイナー/イラストレーター編 (English translation by Shmuplations)
* In Spell of the Unown: Entei, had some pictures of Unown on his computer which have never appeared in any other media. Some resemble letters, particularly σ (lowercase ), Σ (capital sigma), Π (capital ), and Ω (capital ). The top left large image also resembles the Greek ligature, Ȣ (). Others resemble the letters ю () and б (lowercase ). The Unown in the top-middle large image resembles the Cyrillic я ().
* If a player does not have Unown's Pokédex data on a Generation II game when in Oak's lab in , Unown's Pokédex number is listed as 252 instead of 201. This happens regardless of which Pokédex display mode is selected.
* Unown is the only Pokémon with a base stat total of 336.
* After Pikachu, Unown is currently represented in the by the second-highest number of cards of all Pokémon, with unique cards.
** Unown was previously represented by the highest number of cards, as multiple TCG sets included individual cards for each of Unown's forms.
* Unown is the only Generation II Pokémon that has not been featured in a Ranger series game.
** It is also the only Generation II Pokémon that cannot have the as its origin mark.
* Due to Unown's letter and Shininess both being determined by s in Generation II, Shiny Unown will always be either an I or V in these games. This in turn matches the acronym for IVs; however, this is only a coincidence, as "Individual Values" (IVs) is a fan-originated term.
* Unown's ? and ! forms were introduced in , but they were not originally available anywhere at the time of release of these games and . Those forms were first catchable in .
* Unown is the only Pokémon in the Sinnoh Pokédex (that is not a or Mythical Pokémon) not used by any Trainer in .
* The two main official artworks for Unown represent (for Pokémon Gold and Silver Versions) and (for Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen Versions onward), which may allude to the acronym for Game Freak.
* The used in was altered considerably before , to that is in use for all subsequent games.
* Despite Unown being compatible with TM10 in Generation VI and Generation VII, it still cannot do so legitimately because it will always already know .
* Unown is the only Pokémon that cannot learn any status moves.
* Starting in Generation IV, where moves were split into categories based on themselves and not their types, Unown can only use its Attack (not Special Attack) stat for damage and .
* Excluding , , and Mythical Pokémon, the Unown evolutionary line is the only:
** Generation II evolutionary line that was never obtainable via the in Generation V.
** Generation I, II, III, or IV evolutionary line that was never obtainable via the Generation V Pokémon Global Link.
* In , Unown are the only Pokémon that can be found in the wild with no preferred foods.
===Origin===
Unown's appearances are eyes and corruptions of the 26 letters of the modern , as well as the and s. Unown's G form specifically may be based on a double-story lowercase . The shapes of the Unown are used like graphic symbols in the Pokémon world, although in Hoenn and the Sevii Islands, their place is taken by Braille. Unown being weak alone and strong together may be inspired by the idea that a single letter cannot convey much information, but many letters forming a sentence can communicate a hypothetically infinite number of interpretations and ideas.
Unown may also be inspired by the Brahmi or Siddham scripts, used in Japan to mark the graves of important Buddhist figures since at least the 8th century. Because not many people could read Siddham at the time, the script came to be regarded as a mysterious language associated with gods and the Buddha, and several characters (especially in Brahmi) either appear or can be modified to appear as very similar to various Unown.
====Name origin====
Unown may be derived from unknown.
Unknown is literally unknown.
==In other languages==
One form
==Related articles==
* Unown (M03)
* Unown symbols
* List of Pokémon with form differences
==References==
==External links==
* 
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Category:Pokémon that are not part of an evolutionary line
Category:Pokémon with different forms
Category:Pokémon that run from battle
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es:Unown
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