Rayquaza (Pokémon)

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Rayquaza (Japanese: レックウザ Rayquaza) is a dual-type Legendary Pokémon introduced in Generation III.
While it is not known to evolve into or from any other Pokémon, Rayquaza can Mega Evolve into Mega Rayquaza if it knows , but only if it is not holding a Z-Crystal.
(Specifics may differ in past games. Refer to Game data→Form data for these details.)
Rayquaza is the game mascot of , appearing on the boxart of the game. It serves to end the conflict between and when Team Magma's leader Maxie and Team Aqua's leader Archie awakened them.
Along with Kyogre and Groudon, Rayquaza is one of the super-ancient Pokémon, often viewed as their leader by fans. In , it plays an important role during the Delta Episode. It is associated with .
==Biology==
Rayquaza is a large, green, serpentine that also resembles a missile. It has red-tipped, rudder-like wings on its shoulders and down its body, and similarly patterned fins on the tip of its tail. Yellow ring-like symbols run across the length of Rayquaza's body and it has an additional yellow ring on top of its head. Rayquaza has two limbs with three-clawed hands, and two long, flat, horn-like structures on its head, with two shorter horns along its jawline. It has small, yellow eyes with black pupils, prominent pink gums, and two discernible fangs in its upper jaw.
Rayquaza has a strong and endless desire to do heroic deeds for the Pokémon worldLegendary and Mythical Guidebook: Deluxe Edition: :"Rayquaza has a never-ending appetite for doing what right.". Rayquaza is said to be equal to both Groudon and Kyogre.| The Legends of Hoenn Continue Rayquaza can halt the endless battles of the other two super-ancient Pokémon, by forcing both back into their slumber, even in their Primal FormsWallace: "Somewhere, there is a super-ancient Pokémon named Rayquaza. It's said that it was Rayquaza that becalmed the two combatants in the distant past." ()Zinnia: "That was when, as if drawn by the brilliance, a Pokémon that shone in a blazing emerald hue descended from the heavens... That Pokémon was none other than Rayquaza. Rayquaza's power overwhelmed that of the two Primal Pokémon, and peace returned to the world." (Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire). Rayquaza is the only one who can stop the duo and restore order to nature. Rayquaza is said to have lived for hundreds of millions of years in the , where it feeds on water and other particles. It also feeds on meteoroids, particularly Mega Stones and even on the in the of the Alola region. It also loves Rayquaza Treats made by Snacksworth, who once encountered it in the past. Rayquaza is seen by people; even in flight, its appearance is indistinguishable from that of a meteor. For living in the ozone layer, it can breathe in outer space.
Rayquaza possesses some of the strongest attack power out of any Pokémon; it can easily summon cyclones to overwhelm its opponents. , causing huge damage. Thanks to its weather-manipulation powers, . Rayquaza was worshiped by the Draconid people along with the people of Hoenn as the savior of the region. Thus, they built the Sky Pillar to honor it. Additionally, it can be summoned atop Sky Pillar by a Key Stone. In Pokémon Adventures, the Draconids referred to it as their "Dragon Lord". It is one of the longest-lived Pokémon species. Inside Rayquaza's body lies an organ that contains the same power as a Mega Stone, which was named the "mikado organ" (Japanese: ミカド) by a Devon Corporation scientist.
Rayquaza is bitter enemies with , with the two often clashing with each other due to Rayquaza's territorial nature. This depicted in the movie Destiny Deoxys and the games Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire and Masters EX.
Rayquaza is the only known Pokémon capable of learning the move . It is also the only known Pokémon that can have as an Ability.
===Forms===
Rayquaza can Mega Evolve into Mega Rayquaza.
Thanks to Rayquaza's mikado organ, by consuming meteoroids in the stratosphere, the organ can be filled with enough energy for Rayquaza to Mega Evolve without a Mega Stone and even a Key Stone (as seen in ).
As Mega Rayquaza, its body becomes longer and gains more features. Its head becomes longer with the symbol appearing on its forehead. Rayquaza's eyes now contain yellow pupils with red irises, and black, -shaped markings trail behind its eyes. Its red lips and teeth become gold, and the gold lines connect to those on its lower horns, which take on a broad, triangular shape. At the outer edges of its lower horns are long, golden, glowing tendrils that each extend to a green, fin-like structure; these tendrils have ring patterns that strongly resemble the yellow markings running along the length of Rayquaza's normal form. While in flight, these tendrils give Mega Rayquaza a -shaped profile. Its two upper horns become longer with a gold line running over them in a V shape, and each upper horn has another glowing tendril that ends in a circular shape with a spike. Along the length of its body are golden, glowing orbs placed where its ring patterns used to be. The chin, part of the neck, and parts of its serpentine body are changed to the color black. The fins running along its body are now marked with gold lines; the fins on its tail become entirely yellow and substantially longer. Particles stream from the long tendrils that extend from its jutting jaw; these particles can control the density and humidity of the air, allowing Mega Rayquaza to manipulate the weather. Its green hide sparkles with an emerald-like quality.| Mega Rayquaza
Mega Rayquaza was said to have been born from humanity's wish for salvation, channeled through the Key Stone of a Draconid Lorekeeper. Rayquaza is the first recorded Pokémon to achieve Mega Evolution and is at its full power when in the Mega Evolved state. Thanks to its weather-manipulating powers, all of the Flying type's weaknesses. Mega Rayquaza is so powerful that it can undo the primal forms of and . It's also capable of destroying meteors bigger than itself.
Mega Rayquaza is the only known Pokémon that can have as an Ability.
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Rayquaza
==Game data==
===NPC appearances===
* : Rayquaza is the focus of the third and final Bonus Field. It can only be challenged after capturing or and will then join the circuit of bonus fields. Rayquaza will bounce along from left to right, allowing the ball to roll under it if it is up. It will sometimes use to paralyze the ball if it is not moving fast enough, though it does stay still while it is unleashing the attack. Rayquaza will also sometimes use to create two tornadoes that cause the ball to fly up into the air for several seconds if contact is made. Rayquaza must be hit 15 times in three minutes to win. After beating the round twice, Rayquaza will be captured.
* Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team: Rayquaza acts as the final boss, living on the Sky Tower. After it is defeated, Rayquaza helps save the from a meteor. After the credits roll, the player can re-battle Rayquaza to recruit it.
* : Rayquaza can be captured in a bonus mission after the credits.
* Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness: Rayquaza is the guardian of the Sky Melodica.
* PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure: Rayquaza is the leader of the Granite and Flower Zones. He's in charge of .
* : Rayquaza first appears early into the game, fleeing to space in fear of Dark Matter's influence. When Dark Matter attempts to take the Tree of Life to space, Rayquaza and Deoxys use their energy to try and slow its ascent from above, with Rayquaza even Mega Evolving. Ultimately, when Dark Matter regenerates itself for the first time, it unleashes even more energy, turning both Rayquaza and Deoxys to stone. At the conclusion of the event, Rayquaza turns back to normal and takes residence at Dragon Gate and guards the .
===Pokédex entries===
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===Game locations===
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====In side games====
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====In events====
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=====Poké Portal News=====
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====Pokémon Global Link promotions====
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===Held items===
===Stats===
====Base stats====
=====Rayquaza=====
=====Mega Rayquaza=====
====Pokéathlon stats====
===Type effectiveness===
===Learnset===
====By leveling up====
====By TM====
====By ====
===Side game data===
====Rayquaza====
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====Mega Rayquaza====
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===Form data===
====Mega Evolution====
Rayquaza can Mega Evolve into Mega Rayquaza if it knows , but only if it is not holding a Z-Crystal. In , the Rayquaza featured in the Delta Episode must be (which requires it to eat the Meteorite) before the player can Mega Evolve any Rayquaza.
===Evolution data===
===Sprites===
==In animation==
===Main series===
====Major appearances====
=====Rayquaza (M07)=====
Rayquaza debuted in Destiny Deoxys. It fought , believing it was invading the Sky High Pokémon's territory when Deoxys was in fact looking for its friend, another Deoxys.
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In Mega Evolution Special II, a Rayquaza showed up and Mega Evolved. Alain and tried to battle it, but they were quickly defeated by the Sky High Pokémon. In Mega Evolution Special III, it tried to stop the destructive battle between Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre as both were trying to obtain the Giant Rock, and eventually succeeded.
=====Black Rayquaza=====
In The Ancient Poké Ball, a Rayquaza emerged from Roy's before flying away. It's later revealed that it was one of Lucius's Pokémon and one of the Six Heroes. Finding it again provided Roy with inspiration to start traveling with the Rising Volt Tacklers.
=====Other=====
In Malice In Wonderland!, appeared to own a Rayquaza, but it was only an illusion created by . Whenever Mismagius fuses with Rayquaza, it becomes the same color as the Mismagius, making it look like a Shiny Rayquaza.
Rayquaza made its physical animated series debut in Where No Togepi Has Gone Before!. It used on the rocket ship , , and were on, presumably in order to protect its territory from them.
In BWS02, saw a Rayquaza and decided to follow it and see where it would go next.
In Hoopa and the Clash of Ages, a Shiny Rayquaza capable of Mega Evolving was summoned alongside and by to protect it from the shadow . The trio protected Hoopa from the shadow Hoopa and its reinforcements, Primal , Primal , , , , and , in Dahara City. Eventually, the ended after the shadow Hoopa was sealed in a Prison Bottle, and Rayquaza departed for its home.
In Living on the Cutting Edge!, a Rayquaza was battling in outer space. The battle accidentally caused one of the meteors to head towards Alola, though it was ultimately cut up by a , saving the region from harm.
====Minor appearances====
In the opening sequence of Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea, a Rayquaza was captured by Team Rocket operatives and experimented on.
A Rayquaza appeared in the opening sequence of Lucario and the Mystery of Mew.
In the opening sequence of The Rise of Darkrai, a Rayquaza fired a at a .
A Rayquaza appeared in the opening sequence of Zoroark: Master of Illusions.
In Showering the World with Love!, and saw a Rayquaza in the sky at Starfall Hill after saying goodbye to .
A Rayquaza appeared in a fantasy in Time After Time!.
A Rayquaza appeared in Getting More Than You Battled For!.
A silhouetted Rayquaza appeared in a fantasy in Healing the Healer!.
A Rayquaza appeared in a vision in In the Palms of our Hands!.
====Pokédex entries====
===Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire Animated Trailer===
In the Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire Animated Trailer, a Rayquaza descended from the ozone layer and Mega Evolved.
===Pokémon Generations===
In The Scoop, a 's Mega Rayquaza destroyed the Grand Meteor Delta. It later battled a Deoxys that appeared from inside the Meteor, allowing its Trainer to it.
===GOTCHA!===
A Rayquaza briefly appeared as a silhouette in GOTCHA!.
===Pokémon Evolutions===
A Rayquaza appeared in The Wish. It first appeared in a fantasy told by Zinnia as she recounted the history of the Draconid people to , and was later summoned by Zinnia to stop a meteorite. Understanding it chose May over her, Zinnia let May battle and catch it, allowing Rayquaza to Mega Evolve under her ownership in her battle against Zinnia.
==In the manga==
===Pokémon Adventures===
Rayquaza debuted in Rayquaza Redemption I, where Norman sought it out to stop the battle between and in Sootopolis City, using 's help to gain access to its sealed chamber inside Sky Pillar. While Rayquaza's power alone was insufficient to stop the battle, was able to combine it with the powers of the Red and Blue Orbs, successfully stopping the conflict. Afterwards, Rayquaza broke free of the weakened Norman's control and fled. In the , Ruby and Norman once again sought to use Rayquaza to avert a crisis, this time to destroy a giant meteoroid that was threatening the planet. Zinnia also wanted to use Rayquaza for the same purpose, believing herself to be the one who should carry out the task. However, after Rayquaza rejected her, it befell to Ruby and to ride Rayquaza to space and Mega Evolve it in order to destroy the meteoroid.
In this canon, Rayquaza was once captured by the Pokémon Association in order to study it and create an artificial Green Orb in order to control it, but the artifact was never fully completed before Rayquaza escaped its imprisonment.
===Pokémon Pocket Monsters===
A Rayquaza appears in Pokémon Task Force In Action!!, where , , , and try to stop it from destroying a city.
===Let's Play the Pokémon Card Game XY!===
Manabu was seen with a Rayquaza.
===Movie adaptations===
Rayquaza plays a major role in the of Destiny Deoxys.
A Shiny Rayquaza appears in .
===Pocket Monsters DP===
A Rayquaza appeared in PMDP29.
==In the TCG==
==Other appearances==
===Super Smash Bros. Brawl===
Rayquaza appears in The Subspace Emissary mode as a boss. After lands in , Rayquaza lunges out of the water and grabs him, angry at being disrupted. Before it can further attack, ejects out of his ship, which had crashed and been destroyed by Rayquaza earlier, and rescues Diddy Kong. Enraged, Rayquaza attacks Fox with , but Fox its attack back at it, sending it reeling back into the water. Rayquaza soon launches back out and engages in battle against Fox and Diddy Kong. Even though it is a very powerful Legendary Pokemon, they still manage to defeat it.
Like all other Subspace Emissary bosses, Rayquaza is later battled again in , and can be fought in the mode after the latter is unlocked. Its attacks in battle include , , , , and .
Rayquaza being found/battled at the lake contrasts how it canonically is supposed to live in the ozone layer.
====Trophy information====
A Sky High Pokémon. It normally resides high up in the ozone layer where it flies endlessly, so it is rarely seen. However, when and began to fight, it appeared to calm them down. It has the ability , which blocks all weather-condition effects. It has exceedingly strong abilities, and its attack power is especially remarkable.
===Super Smash Bros. for Wii U===
Rayquaza appears as an occasional stage hazard in the of the stage. Appearing rarely, it flies across the stage at various angles, dealing damage to fighters. Its path is shown briefly by lightning before it appears, giving players time to avoid it.
====Trophy information====
This Dragon- and Flying-type Pokemon usually dwells high in the ozone layer, so it can't be seen from the ground. In the Kalos Pokemon League stage, it occasionally flies at great speed through the Elite Four's Dragon-type chamber, where any fighters in its path will be damaged and launched with great force.
===Super Smash Bros. Ultimate===
Rayquaza appears as a , as well as retaining its rare appearance in the Dragonmark Chamber on the stage. Rayquaza's Spirit Battle uses a Ridley puppet fighter and is fought on the Kalos Pokémon League stage's Dragonmark Chamber, which features Rayquaza as a stage element. During the battle, heavy winds are immediately in effect, referencing Mega Rayquaza's ability, Delta Stream, which creates strong winds.
==Music==
This is a list of music associated with Rayquaza in the Pokémon games.
Games 	Location 	Song name 	Composition 	Arrangement
 	Battling Rayquaza atSky Pillar or theUltra Space Wilds 	 	 	
 	Rayquaza's descent atSootopolis City 	 	 	
 	Battling Rayquaza at theEmbedded Tower 	 	 	
 	Recounting Rayquaza's tale atSky PillarThis song is an arrangement of "Rayquaza Appears!" from Pokémon Emerald.	 	 	
 	Battling Rayquaza atSky Pillar 	 	 	
 	Battling Rayquaza at theMax Lair 	Battle! (Max Lair)* 	Unknown 	Unknown
 	Battling Rayquaza atRamanas Park 	Battle! (Strange Space)* 	Shota KageyamaKageyama confirming he composed and arranged both battle themes for Ramanas Park 	Shota Kageyama
Song names marked with an asterisk are unofficial, as they have not received a soundtrack release.	Song names marked with an asterisk are unofficial, as they have not received a soundtrack release. 	Song names marked with an asterisk are unofficial, as they have not received a soundtrack release.	Song names marked with an asterisk are unofficial, as they have not received a soundtrack release.	Song names marked with an asterisk are unofficial, as they have not received a soundtrack release.
==Trivia==
* Mega Rayquaza has the highest base and stats and the highest base stat total of all and Pokémon.
* Mega Rayquaza is the tallest Mega Evolved Pokémon.
** It is also the tallest Pokémon.
* Rayquaza's catch rate was raised from its original value of 3 to 45 in . This is likely due to it being a required capture during the Delta Episode storyline of that game. Its catch rate was later reverted from 45 back to 3 in .
* Rayquaza was the most voted Pokémon of all pre-Generation V Pokémon in the Pokémon Global Link promotion poll.
** Rayquaza was also the most voted on the , which was for the game mascots of the core series games, making it Japan's favorite game mascot.
* Rayquaza is misspelled as "Rayquayza" at the player select screen of .
** However, this typo does not affect the minigames Charizard's Crossword Challenge and Mudkip's Word Finder, because they don't use Rayquaza or any other Pokémon without evolutionary relatives as of Generation III.
* Rayquaza is the only Pokémon capable of Mega Evolving that does not require a Mega Stone to do so in the games.
** It is, therefore, the only Pokémon that can have a different held item (apart from Z-Crystals) while Mega Evolved, since Mega Stones cannot be taken off their proper holder during battle.
** It is also the only Pokémon not to have the message "(The opposing) <Pokémon>'s <Mega Stone> is reacting to its Key Stone!" when it Mega Evolves. Instead, it has the message "<player>'s fervent wish has reached Rayquaza!".
* Mega Rayquaza is tied with 's Mega Evolutions for the highest base stat total of all Pokémon, with 780, excluding non-playable Eternamax .
** This makes it the only Pokémon with a base stat total above 720 that doesn't require a specific held item.
* Rayquaza was designed by Hironobu Yoshida.2014 Pokémon World Championships VIPs | The Official Pokémon Website
* In the Pokémon of the Year poll held by The Pokémon Company in 2020, Rayquaza was voted the most popular Generation III Pokémon, receiving 60,939 votes. It was also the eighth-most popular Pokémon overall.
** It was also voted as the most popular Legendary Pokémon, as well as being the only Legendary to make the top ten results.
===Origin===
Rayquaza's design may be based on the and the . Its role is similar to that of in Hebrew legends. It matches the description of the Aztec god , who was depicted as a flying serpent and created the boundary between the earth (including the oceans) and the sky. The markings on its body may be inspired from The Nazca Lines. Its trait of being capable of inhabiting the skies, and living there while subsisting on nothing but dew and particles for centuries, also bears aspects of the legendary Chinese xian hermit sages and East Asian dragons, specifically Japanese dragons, who are commonly depicted with three claws, as opposed to four in Chinese dragons.
Rayquaza being a dragon coming from the cosmic space on earth might take inspiration from s, the meteor shower named after , or the comet that gave the name to the legendary King of the Britons. The yellow marking on Mega Rayquaza's head appear similar to the Greek letter what might allude to the Delta Episode from .
====Name origin====
Rayquaza may be derived from 裂空 rekkū (sky-rending), a word appearing in various media and merchandise that featured Rayquaza. The latter half may be derived from 座 za (seat), relating to compounds such as 星座 seiza (constellation) and 王座 ōza (throne). It may also involve רָקִיעַ rāqī́aʿ (Hebrew for ), , and .
Rayquaza's mikado organ refers to 帝 mikado (emperor), another name for the .
==In other languages==
==See also==
* Rayquaza (M07)
* 
* Black Rayquaza
* Six Heroes
* Rayquaza (Adventures)
* Super-ancient Pokémon
* Mega Evolution
* Legendary Pokémon
* Delta Episode
* Myths and legends involving Legendary and Mythical Pokémon
==References==
==External links==
* Rayquaza's encounter in The Subspace Emissary
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Category:Pokémon that learn HM moves by level-up
Category:Legendary Pokémon
Category:Hoenn Legendary Pokémon
Category:Game mascots
Category:Legendary trio Pokémon
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