Thanks to Hamada for helping with edits.
It’s Halloween, a favorite holiday of mine. I always try to celebrate the occasion with a thematically appropriate article, two years ago covering the Ghost-type Pokémon Mimikyu. We’re revisiting the darker corners of the Pokémon world today, searching the dimly lit streets for unnaturally moving shadows…
Ken Sugimori artwork of Gengar (Image: Nintendo/The Pokémon Company)
Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar are the pioneering phantom Pokémon, debuting in the series’ first installments. As a kid attending elementary school back then, everyone my age was invested in the Pokémon “fad.” As TIME described it, Satoshi Tajiri’s creatures possessed “suspicious charms,” something certainly true of the three dual Ghost/Poison-types. And of those specimens, Gengar’s the uncontested strongest, rarest, and has led the most interesting life…
Gengar’s History
Long before Pokémon erupted into a global phenomenon, Game Freak pitched a humble, off-beat RPG called “Capsule Monsters” to Nintendo. Already a franchise fixture during this rudimentary phase, Gengar adorned the proposal’s cover and opening cinematic storyboards. Gengar was also among the first monsters programmed into the game, predating its kin and two of Pokémon’s defining mechanics, elemental types and Evolution. Its facade and sprite were refined throughout Pokémon’s maturation, and Gengar loaned a modified version of its cry to fellow Poison-type Muk in the final games. In Japan, the species was christened “Gangar,” a name Nintendo (following trademark complications that prevented it from being dubbed “Phantom”) localized for English-speaking territories.
Gengar’s introductory bout with Nidorino became an enduring part of Pokémon iconography. Numerous works – including spin-off Masters, the anime, and Origins mini-series – call back to it. (Image: Nintendo/The Pokémon Company)
Thus, Gengar is one of the 151 Pokémon in Pokémon Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow. Alongside Nidorino, it’s even one of the two Pokémon players first see. Whereas its younger counterparts can be caught in Lavender Town’s Pokémon Tower, Gengar is harder to obtain, only evolving from Haunter upon being traded away. Gengar remains available in every subsequent generation, with most games including it in their national Pokédex. Occasionally, Gengar’s given preferential treatment, gaining (“very difficult” to realize, in the former’s case) mid-battle enhanced forms through X and Y’s Mega Evolution and Sword and Shield’s Gigantamax mechanics. Notably, Gengar’s one of only four Pokémon blessed with both power-ups, an honor it shares with Kanto starters Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise.
Spin-offs and supplemental media regularly flaunt the phantom. All three Pokémon Stadiums, including the Japan-exclusive original, let players import their Gengar from the handheld titles, something also possible in Stadium successors Colosseum, XD, and Battle Revolution. Some side games utilize Gengar as a boss of sorts, from Pokémon Pinball to Detective Pikachu. A Gengar antagonizes wayward explorers in the first Mystery Dungeon and its remake, whereas Super Mystery Dungeon incorporates Gengar, presumably the same one, as a recruitable ally. 3D fighter Pokkén Tournament features Gengar amongst its roster, where it preys upon foes using its otherworldly powers. And Gengar finally made its Super Smash Bros. debut in Ultimate, appropriately appearing as a Spirit (oddly, it possesses the burly Donkey Kong). Meanwhile, Gengar‘s mug appears on droves of merchandise, from trading cards, to toys, to books, to clothing, to food, to cologne. Speaking to Gengar’s marketability, one battles in the live-action Detective Pikachu film, while countless more haunt Pokémon’s manga and animated publications. In the main anime, protagonist Ash Ketchum first meets a Gengar in its twenty-third episode (wherein he befriends a Haunter who briefly travels with him) and catches his own in the sixteenth episode of the current series, Journeys.
So, what’re my thoughts on Gengar?
Gengar and its pre-evolutions bear an arcane nature, walking a fine line between being mischievous and malicious, playful and petrifying. (Image: Nintendo/The Pokémon Company)
When I was a kid, my entire class was united in our love of Pokémon. We traded cards with each other, played with the action figures and games, and talked about the show. And though even then the franchise boasted a wealth of imaginative creatures, Gengar was reliably adored. With a less cultured gaming palette at the time, only a few works I experienced sported anything comparable to the Shadow Pokémon. Super Mario World’s cherubic Boos inefficiently stalked the mascot, shying away whenever he made eye contact, while Ocarina of Time and Apogee’s “classic” Monster Bash had several imposing grotesqueries. Gengar, however, was a compelling blend of those tones and refreshing counterpoint to its fellow Pokémon.
Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar held an almost mythical aura during Red and Blue. Whereas most Pokémon were based on animals, they were enigmatic eidolons. Their exclusive Ghost-typing informed their characterizations, setting them further apart from their mostly personality-less peers. Moreover, they bore supernatural qualities unique to them; the ethereal entities could possess unsuspecting people, and they materialized as unidentifiable aggressors whose unmasking required a special scope, meaning Red couldn’t get far upon first entering Pokémon Tower (subsequent titles, barring Kanto remakes FireRed, LeafGreen, and Let’s Go, eschew this tool and the need for it). Gengar was particularly lionized; one served as the ace on Elite Four veteran Agatha’s team, an example Gym Leaders Morty and Allister would later follow. Even Haunter’s evolutionary method, despite unfairly preventing some players (like Pokémon Sunday hostess Shoko Nakagawa) from getting a Gengar, reinforces how elusive the third-stage terror was. Similarly, Gengar seldom appeared during the original anime series (even Gastly was pedestalized in an early episode), and when it did, Ash’s Pokédex – a thorough encyclopedia of all things Pokémon – lacked pertinent information.
Gigantamax Gengar was designed by James Turner, Sword and Shield‘s art director. (Image: Nintendo/The Pokémon Company)
According to series artist Ken Sugimori, there’s a duality to Pokémon designs, where they must “seem ferocious enough to be potent in combat, while also looking endearing enough that you’d want it as a friend.” Yu-Gi-Oh! creator Kazuki Takahashi, in his notes for the anniversary film Dark Side of Dimensions, expressed his belief that a “simple design is the most beautiful design.” Although “beautiful” isn’t an apt descriptor for the snickering specter, Gengar answers both of those sentiments with aplomb. With glaring red eyes and a Cheshire cat-esque grin flashing white teeth, Gengar’s malleable face is ambiguous – is it friend or foe? – and expressive. At times, the ghoul unsheathes its awkwardly long pink tongue (something horror mangaka Junji Ito’s take on it underscores). Gengar’s facial features are highlighted by a sharp contrast with its round, purple body. A rare color in nature, purple is associated with spirituality, with its deeper shades evoking “sad feelings and frustrations,” qualities befitting of Gengar. Meanwhile, its backside is given texture through spikes and a small tail, while two larger spikes rest atop its head positioned similarly to devil horns. Gengar (unlike another purple paranormality we discussed) speaks to the strength in simplicity, conveying its essence with a striking, approachable design – values cementing it as Sugimori’s favorite Pokémon.
Starting with Gold and Silver, the Ghost-type coterie expanded substantially in number and variety, meaning the Gengar family doesn’t quite carry the same mystique today. Nevertheless, the purple pranksters persist as the Ghost-type’s shining exemplars. Shades of them can be seen in their contemporaries, like in Banette’s toothy smirk. A constant in the competitive scene, Gengar was actually stripped of its Levitate ability in Sun and Moon, rendering it vulnerable to Ground-type attacks. And Gengar’s universal appeal was proven through its tenth place ranking in the 2020 “Pokémon of the Year” poll. Droves of Pocket Monsters continue to emerge with and during each generation, yet Gengar is, and will always be, one of my favorites… even if it took me until Platinum to acquire one.
Congratulations, Gengar! Against the ghostly Gengar, the battle’s real tough!
Ash scoring a Gengar felt like a rectification of sorts for not doing so two decades ago, and it’s fitting that his first Ghost-type is the first Ghost-type. (Image: Nintendo/The Pokémon Company)
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Gengar was one of my fan-favorites way back when I was still into Pokemon, and even now it still remains as one of my favorites in terms of designs and personality. Love the little fella. ^^
Hey, Greatsong!
Yeah, same – Gengar was always one of my favorites. It’s immaculately designed and bursting with personality, the latter being a fairly rare trait for Pokémon of its generation. Since I couldn’t obtain a Gengar of my own in Blue, Yellow, or Gold, it was the anime that fully helped sell me on it. I’m thrilled Ash caught one in Journeys; it’s my favorite of his captures therein thus far, having played both antagonist and ally with class.
…Y’know, of all the characters I cover in this series, nothing makes me feel older than when I discuss those hailing from Pokémon‘s first generation. I’m looking forward to feeling like a fossil again on February 27, 2021!
Ghost types and Poison types have never really found a home on my teams, so I’ve always had to admire Gengar from afar, but I’ve always thought he and his evolutionary line had some of the most memorable designs in the entire series. Here’s hoping he pops up in haunted house level or somesuch in the New Snap so we can grab some ghoulish glamor shots.
Hey, Fox!
Yeah, absolutely – the Gengar family is among the best in all of Pokémon. And their visual simplicity certainly helps that; they’re immediately recognizable, memorable, and easy to draw. When I was a kid, everyone could enjoy doodling the expressive Gengar, something that, along with the anime, helped affirm its place as a personal favorite. Dr. Eggman, another round figure, was explicitly designed to be easy for kids to draw, and that quality likewise helped endear him to me too.
And I echo your wish, I’d love a haunted house level in New Pokémon Snap. The original Snap was at one point seemingly slated to have a horror-themed stage, so hopefully that gets realized this time, especially since there are several more ghosts they can utilize now.
“Dr. Eggman, another round figure, was explicitly designed to be easy for kids to draw, and that quality likewise helped endear him to me too.”
I’m guessing it was the ‘classic’ Eggman? Cause ‘modern’ Eggman can be a pain to draw sometimes, atleast he was for me (still is actually, lol).^^
Yup, I was referring to Dr. Eggman’s – or for us old-timers, Dr. Robotnik’s – classic design. In an old interview, Yuji Naka mentions how Naoto Ohshima wanted Sonic‘s characters to be easy to draw, which informed Eggman’s round shape.