Rotom (Pokémon)

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

**Rotom** (Japanese: **ロトム** *Rotom*) is a dual-type Electric/Ghost Pokémon introduced in Generation IV.

While it is not known to evolve into or from any other Pokémon, Rotom has the ability to possess the motors of certain appliances and change forms.

* When it does not possess an appliance, it is Electric/Ghost-type.
* When it possesses a microwave oven, it becomes **Heat Rotom**, and is Electric/Fire-type.
* When it possesses a washing machine, it becomes **Wash Rotom**, and is Electric/Water-type.
* When it possesses a refrigerator, it becomes **Frost Rotom**, and is Electric/Ice-type.
* When it possesses an electric fan, it becomes **Fan Rotom**, and is Electric/Flying-type.
* When it possesses a lawnmower, it becomes **Mow Rotom**, and is Electric/Grass-type.

Additionally, in Generation VII, it has the ability to possess a special Pokédex and become the Rotom Pokédex. In Generation VIII, Rotom has the ability to possess a smartphone that doubles up as a Pokédex and becomes the Rotom Phone.

Depending on the game, its form can be changed at will in Rotom's Room in the Team Galactic Eterna Building, Rotom's Room in Silph Co., the storeroom in Shopping Mall Nine, on the second floor of Professor Sycamore's Lab in Lumiose City, in Professor Birch's Lab in Littleroot Town, in the basement of the Pokémon Research Lab on Alola's Route 1, or with a Rotom Catalog in Galar. In Generation IV, Rotom changes back to its normal form when taken into the Union Room or Wi-Fi Club, or when deposited in the Day Care.

In Generation IV, it is Electric/Ghost-type regardless of its form.

## Biology

Rotom is a Pokémon that has a body of plasma and is shaped like a lightning rod. There is a whitish blue aura of electricity around it that forms lightning bolt-shaped appendages. It has teeth, and its unique, blue eyes have a dividing line across them. As seen in the anime, Rotom will often pull pranks on unsuspecting people. As also seen in the anime, Rotom has the ability to time travel.

Rotom has the ability to enter and control appliances. Starting in Platinum, it also has five extra forms, each based on a household appliance, which can be accessed by possessing specific appliances. The possessed appliances are based on a microwave oven (Heat Rotom), washing machine (Wash Rotom), refrigerator (Frost Rotom), electric fan (Fan Rotom), and a lawnmower (Mow Rotom). When Rotom changes form, its eyes and electric aura change colors, and its aura appendages take on different shapes: red with oven mitts as Heat Rotom, blue with clothespins as Wash Rotom, purple with lightning bolts as Frost Rotom, yellow with air curls as Fan Rotom, and green with a ripped strip as Mow Rotom. According to the Rotom Catalog, Rotom in its base form is actually possessing a light bulb.

While Rotom typically uses their abilities to make mischief, some Rotom have taken to inhabiting electronics with the intent of helping others, as seen in Generations VII and VIII. The Rotom Pokédex, found in Alola; and the Rotom Phones, Rotomi, and Drone Rotoms found in Galar, are some examples. Some of these particular forms allow Rotom to speak human languages.

A Rotom PokédexA Rotom Phone
## Game data

### Game locations

#### In events

 **XY** | Tretta Rotom | All
 **USUM** | LINE Rotom | Japanese

### Stats

#### Base stats

##### Rotom

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

##### Heat, Wash, Frost, Fan, and Mow Rotom

* 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 Rotom 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 Rotom in that game.
* **Bold** indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Rotom
* *Italic* indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution or alternate form of Rotom
* Click on the generation numbers at the top to see Egg moves from other generations

#### By tutoring

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

#### Form change

When Rotom changes into an appliance form, it learns a new move in the same way that other Pokémon may learn new moves upon evolving; if Rotom would change from one appliance form to another and knows the special move of its current form, the old special move is automatically forgotten and Rotom learns the new one. If Rotom changes to its base form, it forgets the special move of the form it was in (if it still knows it); if the only move that Rotom knows right before reverting to its base form is the form's special move, then that move will be replaced with Thunder Shock.

## Trivia

* When Rotom is encountered in the Old Chateau in Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, the music is Battle! (Legendary Pokémon), even though Rotom is not classified as a Legendary. Rotom is, to date, the only non-Legendary Pokémon to do this.
	+ While several non-Legendary Pokémon have been given unique encounter themes, such as the Ultra Beasts (who are of questionable Legendary status), these themes are not shared with or made for Legendary Pokémon.
* Rotom's alternate forms, along with Arceus's forms, were the only alternative forms of a Pokémon not featured in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky. However, despite being introduced a year before the game was released like Rotom, Shaymin and Giratina's alternate forms made an appearance in the game.
* Rotom is tied with Tynamo as the lightest Electric-type Pokémon.
* Rotom was the first Pokémon mentioned to have unknown gender in the anime.
* Rotom and each of its alternate forms were designed by different designers:
	+ Rotom's base form was designed by Ken Sugimori.
	+ Heat Rotom was designed by Lee HyunJung.
	+ Wash Rotom was designed by Hiroki Fuchino.
	+ Frost Rotom was designed by Hironobu Yoshida.
	+ Fan Rotom was designed by Motofumi Fujiwara.
	+ Mow Rotom was designed by Yusuke Ohmura.
* Ironically, despite appearing in Pokémon Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun, and Ultra Moon as the Rotom Pokédex, it is completely unobtainable in Sun and Moon, and is only obtainable through Island Scan in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. This makes it the only Pokémon to appear as an NPC in a main series Pokémon game that is not found in the regional Pokédex for that main series Pokémon game.
* Rotom has been in the most unobtainable alternate forms of any Pokémon, with two: Pokédex Rotom and Phone Rotom. The only other Pokémon with normally unobtainable alternate forms are Floette (in Generation VI-VII), Arceus (in Generation IV), and Eternatus (when the animation for Eternabeam is ignored, as Eternabeam does not use Eternamax Form stats), all of which have only one unobtainable alternate form.

### Generation V type change

* Rotom's alternate forms are the only Pokémon to have had their type changed without a new type being introduced.
* Despite becoming part Flying-type, Fan Rotom retains the Ability Levitate, being the only Flying-type Pokémon with this Ability. As its Flying-type already makes it immune to Ground-type moves, its Ability is effectively useless under normal conditions.
	+ In Inverse Battles, Fan Rotom is still protected from Ground moves due to Levitate, making it the only Flying-type Pokémon to not be affected by Ground-type moves in these battles.
* All of Rotom's appliance forms except Mow Rotom are tied for or have the fewest weaknesses of all Pokémon of their secondary types.
* All of Rotom's appliance forms are the lightest Pokémon of their secondary types.

### Origin

Rotom appears to be based on Pulseman, who was designed by Pokémon designer Ken Sugimori, although it may also be inspired by the unexplained phenomenon of ball lightning. Its Pokédex entry brings to mind gremlins. Its possession of other objects may be based on poltergeists or tsukumogami. Rotom may also be an embodiment of electronic "magic smoke". Additionally, it may be based on electrical energy. Finally, Rotom's general shape seems to be based on that of a light bulb.

#### Name origin

Rotom is *motor* backwards; this may refer to the fact that motors make many appliances function, while Rotom makes them fail.

In

## Rotom (Pokémon)

, an old notebook in Rotom's Room describes how a person discovered and named the first known Rotom. It appeared out of a lawn mower's motor, and the person named it Rotom due to this origin.

## Related articles

* Professor Oak's Rotom
* Diamond's Rotom
* Rotom Pokédex
* Rotom Pokédex (anime)
* Rotom Pokédex (Adventures)
* Rotom Phone
* Rotom Bike
* Rotomi
* List of Pokémon with form differences
* Rotom's Room