Lapras

**Lapras** (ラプラス, *Rapurasu*, /ˈlæprɪs/) is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's *Pokémon* franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Lapras first appeared in the video games *Pokémon Red* and *Blue* and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise.

It is voiced by Rikako Aikawa in both the Japanese and English-language versions of the anime.

## Contents

* 1Concept and characteristics
* 2Appearances
	+ 2.1In the video games
	+ 2.2In other media
* 3Reception
* 4References
* 5External links

## Concept and characteristics[edit]

Lapras was one of 151 different designs conceived by Game Freak's character development team and finalized by Ken Sugimori for the first generation of *Pocket Monsters* games *Red* and *Green*, which were localized outside Japan as *Pokémon Red* and *Blue*.[1][2] It was supposed to be called Ness in the English versions after the mythical lake creature Loch Ness Monster, but was eventually changed to *Lapras* after the mathematician Pierre-Simon Laplace.[3][*better source needed*]

Lapras, known as the Transport Pokémon, is a large sea creature which resembles a plesiosaur. It may also be inspired by placodonts. It has four flippers, however its front ones are notably larger than its hind flippers. It has a long neck, and large black eyes. Lapras has unusual curled ears and a short horn in the middle of its forehead. The majority of its body is blue, while its underside is a light cream-yellow color. Its most distinguishing feature is the gray shell on its back, which is largely dotted with blunt knobs. Lapras is most known for its fondness of moving people and Pokémon across bodies of water.[4] Some Lapras are able to develop Psychic abilities such as telepathy,[5] which makes them able to understand human speech.[6] They keep track of their fellow pod members through use of high-pitched songs they constantly sing,[7] much like whales. Unfortunately due to their docile nature they do not like to fight, and this has made them an easy target for hunters,[8] which has made them very rare in the wild, due to being over hunted.[9] Despite this, wild Lapras are somewhat common in the Sinnoh region, appearing in Victory Road exclusively but at a fairly abundant rate.

## Appearances[edit]

### In the video games[edit]

Lapras first appears in *Pokémon Red* and *Blue* and appears in the subsequent remakes *Pokémon Yellow*, *FireRed*, and *LeafGreen*. In it, players are given a Lapras in Saffron City. Lapras appears in every main *Pokémon* title following, most notably in *Pokémon Gold* and *Silver* as well as its remakes *Crystal*, *Pokémon HeartGold*, and *SoulSilver*, where it can be found in Union Cave every Friday until captured. In *Pokémon Diamond* and *Pearl* wild Lapras are a more common sight, but they still only appear in a single area. Lapras appears in other *Pokémon* titles, including *Pokémon Conquest*, *Pokémon Snap*, *Pokémon Channel*, *Pokémon Pinball*, *Pokémon Trozei!*, the *Pokémon Mystery Dungeon* titles, the *Pokémon Ranger* titles, *Pokémon Rumble*, *PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure*, and "Pokémon Go".

It also appears in the crossover game *Super Smash Bros. Ultimate*, under the form of a spirit which can be ridden to cross water bodies within the "World of Light".

### In other media[edit]

In the anime, Ash travels to the Orange Islands and finds a small Lapras which has been accidentally left behind by its pod. It joins him after he rescues it from some unscrupulous trainers and Team Rocket. It is mainly used for transportation between the various islands, but he uses it in some battles. Lapras eventually reunites with its pod and leaves Ash. They meet up again in Johto where Lapras rescues its entire pod from Team Rocket and becomes their leader.

Lapras also appears in the second part of the anime special *Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Darkness* where she takes Piplup and Chimchar on a ride.

In the *Pokémon Adventures* manga, Pryce lost two of his favorite Lapras in an avalanche, just as the egg born by them hatched. Unable to get over his loss, Pryce swore to save his Lapras and thus began researching into time travel, setting the events of the Johto saga in motion in which he tries to capture a Celebi in a GS Ball.

## Reception[edit]

IGN's Pokémon Chick wrote that Lapras was "amazing" and has "won the heart of many a trainer, including yours truly" due to its "great beauty, grace and gentleness."[10] UGO Networks' Chris Plante named Lapras one of the "most unconventional vehicles in games".[11] GamesRadar's Raymond Padilla wrote that it is "one of our favorite Pokémon from the original game."[12] Author Loredana Lipperini wrote that Lapras was "reliable", "placid", and "gentle".[13] Lapras has been compared to several creatures both real and mythological. IGN wrote that it was "loosely based on a plesiosaur, crossed with a tortoise".[3] Gamershell's David Jenkins compared Lapras to the Loch Ness Monster.[14] Author Ash Dekirk described it as a combination of a sea turtle and a dragon. He also described it as resembling a plesiosaur with a spiky tortoise shell on its back.[15] *Official Nintendo Magazine*'s Thomas East compared it to a plesiosaur as well as Loosha from *Professor Layton and the Last Specter*.[16] Game Revolution's Johnny Liu described it as a "subservient Loch Ness monster".[17] IGN named it the 27th best Pokémon.[18] *Game Informer* also included it in its list of Pokémon at #29.[19] *Official Nintendo Magazine*'s readers voted it the eighth best Water-type Pokémon.[16]

In 2019, Miyagi Prefecture in the Tōhoku region of Japan selected Lapras as its "official Pokémon".[20]

## References[edit]

1. **^**
2. **^**
3. ^ Jump up to:***a*** ***b*** Pokemon Blue Guide & Walkthrough - Game Boy - IGN
4. **^**
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10. **^** [http://faqs.ign.com/articles/376/376224p1.html Pokemon Crystal Version Pok�mon of the Day: Lapras (#131) - IGN FAQs]
11. **^** Most Unconventional Vehicles - Lapras - UGO.comArchived 2010-10-02 at the Wayback Machine
12. **^** Pokemusings, week 26 | GamesRadar
13. **^** Generazione Pokémon: i bambini e l'invasione planetaria dei nuovi ... - Loredana Lipperini - Google Boeken
14. **^** Pokemon Dash DS Game Index Page
15. **^** Dragonlore: From the Archives of the Grey School of Wizardry - Ash Dekirk - Google Boeken
16. ^ Jump up to:***a*** ***b***
17. **^** Pokemon Dash Review
18. **^**
19. **^**
20. **^** Dennison, Kara. "Lapras Is Now the Official Pokémon of Miyagi Prefecture". *Crunchyroll*. Archived from the original on 10 July 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2020.