Nihilego (Pokémon)

This article is about the species. For a specific instance of this species, see Nihilego.

**Nihilego** (Japanese: **ウツロイド** *Uturoid*) is a dual-type Rock/Poison Pokémon introduced in Generation VII.

It Evolves from Kwalido at Level 28.

It is one of the Ultra Beasts and is known by the code name **UB-01 Symbiont** (Japanese: **ＵＢ０１　Ｐａｒａｓｉｔｅ**). In Pokémon Starlight the number changes to 01β due to the introduction of Kwalido, however, it still uses the codename Symbiont.

## Biology

Nihilego is an Ultra Beast that resembles a jellyfish. The bell is semi-translucent and encircled with several white, star-shaped markings. The wavy rim of the bell flares outward and is bright blue. Its tentacles appear gelatinous and give it a vaguely humanoid shape. Several tentacles mesh together forming the appearance of cape or long hair, while four shorter tentacles resemble shorter hair and arms. Two long tentacles make up the legs of the human shape. In addition to its shape, it is sometimes seen acting like a young girl.

Nihilego is a parasitic organism and, by latching onto one's head, is capable of injecting a neurotoxin that subtly alters the thoughts and actions of any human or Pokémon that becomes its host. This neurotoxin stimulates intense feelings of excitement while causing a loss of inhibitions, which acts to forcibly bring out any latent potential within the host while wearing away at their minds. Nihilego's exact levels of intelligence are unknown, but according to Wicke, the Aether Foundation's research it seems to act mainly on a self-preservation instinct.

**Spoiler warning:** the following text contains major story details.

As shown with Lusamine, Nihilego is capable of physically merging with a host. In this "merged" state, the bell loses its stars, developing several iridescent spots across its surface. The host's body is visible within the bell with their legs dangling beneath it. Its eight tentacles become long and flattened and have numerous deep black spots with various colored diamond-shapes inside. Four of the tentacles are connected to the bell via frilly white structures; these tentacles have four spines protruding from them that can be used similarly to hands. This form may vary for different people, but this is yet to be confirmed. The remaining four tentacles each terminate in a single larger spine that, in the anime, injects its toxins into the ground while sharp rocks grow below. While the anime shows that Nihilego can willingly end this merger and it may be disrupted in other ways as well, the lingering toxins and the shock of the separation can leave the host in critical condition, both physically and psychologically.

## Game data

### Pokédex entries

 Ultra Moon  | It appeared in this world from an Ultra Wormhole. Nihilego appears to be a parasite that lives by feeding on people and Pokémon.

### Stats

#### Base stats

* Maximum stats are calculated with 252 EVs, IVs of 31, and (if applicable) a helpful nature.

### Learnset

#### By breeding

 * Moves marked with an asterisk (\*) must be chain bred onto Nihilego in Generation VIII
* Moves marked with a double dagger (‡) can only be bred from a Pokémon who learned the move in an earlier generation.
* Moves marked with a superscript game abbreviation can only be bred onto Nihilego in that game.
* **Bold** indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Nihilego
* *Italic* indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution of Nihilego

#### By tutoring

 * **Bold** indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Nihilego
* *Italic* indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution of Nihilego
* Click on the generation numbers at the top to see Move Tutor moves from other generations

### Sprites

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## Trivia

* In Pokémon Sun and Moon, Nihilego has a base experience yield of 114.
* No other Pokémon has the same type combination as Nihilego.

### Origin

Nihilego may be inspired by a jellyfish, especially *Aurelia aurita*. It may also draw inspiration from Myxozoa, a class of microscopic Cnidarian parasites, particularly the *Myxobolus cerebralis* that are known to cause the infectious "whirling disease" in various fish species. The disease causes the fish to develop bone and neurological abnormalities that cause them to swim in a corkscrew-like "whirling" motion. Visually, and due to its status as an Ultra Beast, it may derive inspiration from *Phyllorhiza punctata*, an invasive species in the waters surrounding Hawaii.

The merged form of Lusamine and Nihilego may be based on *Turritopsis dohrnii*, a species of jellyfish that is biologically immortal and can revert to a young, immature state if it is too old or stressed.

#### Name origin

Nihilego may be a combination of *nihil* (Latin for indefinite nothing) and *ego* (Latin for I), which together roughly translates to "I am nothing" or "I have nothing". *Ego* may also refer to the part of the psychic apparatus that governs rational decision-making, and together with *nihil* reflects how the creature may have no ego, and only have an id (the survival and instinctual part of the psyche). The former may reflect its victims' lack of will outside their focus on Nihilego, while the latter may represent Nihilego's role in dominating the desires of its victims.

Uturoid may be a combination of 虚ろ *utsuro* (void), *void*, and *id*. It might also refer to 鬱 *utsu* (depression), 移ろい *utsuroi* (transience), and the suffix *-oid* (meaning "of similar form").

## Related articles

* Ultra Beast
* Ultra Beasts (anime)

## Notes

1. ↑ https://www.pokemon-sunmoon.com/en-us/ultra-beasts/