The Origins of 20 God Pokemon & the Greek Myths Behind Nine of Them

There aren't many god Pokemon. The Pokedex is full of animals and objects, and the games rarely call a Pokemon divine. The ones that qualify are all Legendary or Mythical. One is called the creator of all things, and another is called a guardian deity.

See all 20 god Pokemon in one list.

Here are the origins of the 20 god Pokemon:

All 20 God Pokemon

#249

Lugia

Lugia is the Diving Pokemon, and it may be based on Ryūjin, a dragon who lived on the ocean floor and was the Shinto god of the sea. Its Shiny form is pink and white, matching the red and white coral of Ryūjin's palace (a Shiny is a rare alternate coloring). It also resembles a wyvern, a dragon with one set of limbs that serve as wings, and its face markings suggest the grey heron.

A light fluttering of its wings can blow apart regular houses, so it chooses to live deep under the sea. It is 5.2 m tall and weighs 216 kg. Its Pressure ability makes any move aimed at it cost one extra PP. PP is how many times a move can be used. Living under the sea is a considerate choice for something that can flatten a house by flapping.

#480

Uxie

Uxie is the Knowledge Pokemon and one of three lake guardians that could have come from the Imperial Regalia of Japan, also called the Three Sacred Treasures. Uxie would be the Yata no Kagami, the mirror that embodies wisdom and honesty. It may also draw on the Greek goddess Hestia, since both belong to a trio tied to a larger and more famous one.

Uxie is feared but also respected for stealing away the memories of evildoers. (We have a short list of people we would send it after.) It is 0.3 m tall and weighs 0.3 kg. Its Defense and Special Defense are both 130, and its ability Levitate lets it evade Ground moves.

#481

Mesprit

Mesprit is the Emotion Pokemon. It would be the Yasakani no Magatama, the curved jewel that embodies benevolence. It may also draw on the Greek goddess Demeter, since both belong to a female trio that symbolizes kindness and peace, and on the Seraphim, a high class of angel known for its burning love of God.

In legend it was feared, as anyone who showed it disrespect would have their emotions thrown into disarray. Its Attack, Defense, Special Attack and Special Defense are all 105.

#482

Azelf

Azelf is the Willpower Pokemon and the third lake guardian. It would be the Kusanagi, the sword that embodies valor. The Greek goddess Hera may be behind it too, because her volatile temperament and power to inflict madness and curses are analogous to Azelf's willpower and its ability to possess people's bodies.

Legends tell of it manipulating the will of its adversaries and turning them into puppets of its own. Its Attack and Special Attack are both 125.

#483

Dialga

Dialga is the Temporal Pokemon, revered as a deity in Hisuian legend. Its birth is said to have started the flow of time. Dialga and Palkia may come from the Shinto story of Izanami and Izanagi, who created the islands of Japan.

Its Origin Forme, an alternate form, may be based on a qilin or Longma, since it has both horse and dragon qualities. It is 5.4 m tall and weighs 683 kg. Dialga has the Pressure ability, which raises the PP cost of moves aimed at it by one.

#484

Palkia

Palkia is the Spatial Pokemon, feared as a deity in Hisuian legend. Its birth is said to have made the walls of the world disappear and created a sky that spans infinity.

Its Origin Forme bears similarities to a centaur and Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology. Its Water type may come from its link to pearls or to the large space that oceans span. It is 4.2 m tall and weighs 336 kg, and like Dialga it has the Pressure ability.

#487

Giratina

Giratina is the Renegade Pokemon. One Hisuian verse tells of a powerful light creating a deep shadow, and that shadow is read as Giratina.

Its Origin Forme has a serpentine body that may be based on a Chinese dragon, an Amphiptere, the Oomukade, a giant centipede said to prey on dragons, or a hellgrammite. It may also be based on a Seraph, a class of angels known for its six wings. It is 4.5 m tall and weighs 750 kg, and it has the Pressure ability too.

#488

Cresselia

Cresselia is the Lunar Pokemon. It resembles a swan or a crane and a xiānnǚ, the Chinese heavenly maidens who are central figures in swan maiden stories, and its lunar motif could point to Chang'e, the Chinese goddess of the Moon. The scarves that trail from its wings resemble the hagoromo that let heavenly maidens fly.

Cresselia leaves a brilliant line of light in its wake as it flies across the night sky. It also resembles the heavenly maiden who created the Milky Way, a story that could also be the Estonian goddess Lindu, who is said to have created the Milky Way with her tears.

#493

Arceus

Arceus is the Alpha Pokemon and is based on a creator deity. Its name is close to Zeus, and its gold ring resembles a halo, the icon used to mark holy or divine figures. The three Pokemon that rule time, space and distortion parallel the division of realms among Zeus, Poseidon and Hades.

Arceus is the heavenly fount from which pours the light that shines across Hisui. It is 3.2 m tall and weighs 320 kg. It has 120 in every stat. Its Multitype ability changes its type to match the Plate it holds.

#641

Tornadus

Tornadus is the Cyclone Pokemon. In its Incarnate Forme it may draw on the djinn or the Anemoi, and specifically on Boreas, the north wind who brings winter, which shows in its signature move Bleakwind Storm. Its Therian Forme resembles a bird of prey, and the Aztec god Huītzilōpōchtli, who resembles a hummingbird, may be part of it.

Tornadus makes the seasons turn by whipping up the air, and there is a suspicion that its humanlike form is a false one. (We would also keep an eye on anything that controls the weather.) A Forme is an alternate form of the same Pokemon. Its Prankster ability raises the priority of its non-damaging moves by one stage. A move with higher priority goes first.

#643

Reshiram

Reshiram is the Vast White Pokemon, and with Zekrom it is based on yin and yang in Taoism, which its Japanese category name spells out as the White Yang Pokémon. It also resembles Ahura Mazda, the Zoroastrian god of light and truth, who was associated with fire.

If people ignore truth and let greed consume them, it will arrive to burn their kingdoms down. It is 3.2 m tall and weighs 330 kg. Its Turboblaze ability lets its moves ignore abilities that could hinder or stop them.

#644

Zekrom

Zekrom is the Deep Black Pokemon, the other half of the yin and yang pair. Its Japanese category is the Black Yin Pokémon. It can be read as Angra Mainyu, the Zoroastrian opposite of Ahura Mazda, although Zekrom is not evil. The legend of how the pair came about, with two brothers fighting, resembles Romulus and Remus or Cain and Abel.

If people lose the righteousness in their hearts, its lightning will raze their kingdoms. It is 2.9 m tall and weighs 345 kg. Its Teravolt ability lets its moves ignore abilities that could hinder or stop them.

#645

Landorus

Landorus is the Abundance Pokemon. In its Incarnate Forme it may draw on the Anemoi too, specifically Eurus, the east wind who is sometimes shown with crops and said to bring dry winds. Its Therian Forme resembles a tiger, and Pokémon Legends: Arceus links it to the White Tiger, which represents the west and autumn. It may also draw on Tezcatlipoca, an Aztec god who resembles a jaguar.

When the incarnations of wind and lightning clash, it arrives to quell the conflict and the land is blessed with bountiful harvests. It stands 1.5 m tall and weighs 68 kg. Its Sand Force ability strengthens Rock, Ground and Steel moves to 1.3× their power during a sandstorm.

#648

Meloetta

Meloetta is the Melody Pokemon, and it may be based on a muse, a Greek goddess who inspires artistic creation. Its design is full of musical notation, with a headpiece like a treble clef and hair like staff lines. Its Pirouette Forme resembles a ballerina in a tutu.

Its melodies are sung with a special vocalization method that can control the feelings of those who hear it. (We would book it for karaoke night, and nobody else would get a turn.) It stands 0.6 m tall and weighs 6.5 kg. Its Special Attack and Special Defense are both 128, and its Serene Grace ability doubles the chance of its moves' extra effects.

#716

Xerneas

Xerneas is the Life Pokemon, and it is shaped like the letter X. It resembles a deer, specifically the extinct Eucladoceros, and the god behind it is probably Cernunnos of Celtic mythology, a life-giving deity known as the horned god and associated with antlers. Norse myth adds Eikþyrnir and four stags that lived in the trunk of the World Tree, Yggdrasil.

When the horns on its head shine in seven colors, it is said to be sharing everlasting life. It stands 3 m tall and weighs 215 kg. Its Attack and Special Attack are both 131, and its Fairy Aura ability strengthens Fairy moves to 1.33× their power for every Pokemon in the battle.

#785

Tapu Koko

Tapu Koko is the Land Spirit Pokemon and the guardian deity of Melemele Island. Its mask is a stylized rooster, and its overall design is similar to a tiki statue. It may be inspired by Kūkaʻilimoku, one of the four major Hawaiian gods and the god of war, who is often shown as a feathered idol.

Tapu Koko is the lightning-wielding guardian deity of Melemele that is brimming with curiosity and appears before people from time to time. It stands 1.8 m tall and weighs 20.5 kg. Its Electric Surge ability changes the terrain to Electric Terrain when it enters battle. A terrain is an effect that covers the whole battlefield.

#788

Tapu Fini

Tapu Fini is the guardian deity of the ocean. With its shell closed it resembles a billfish such as a swordfish or a marlin, and with the shell open it resembles a mermaid or a siren. It may also be inspired by Kanaloa, one of the four major Hawaiian gods and the god of the ocean, and Kanaloa's link to the underworld may explain why its shrine, the Ruins of Hope, is called the Ruins of the Other Side in Japanese.

Although it is called a guardian deity, terrible calamities sometimes befall those who recklessly approach it. (We would walk around that shell very slowly.) It stands 1.3 m tall. Its Misty Surge ability changes the terrain to Misty Terrain when it enters battle.

#791

Solgaleo

Solgaleo is the Sunne Pokemon. It is a lion with a sun motif, possibly the alchemical lion described as devouring the sun. Its Hawaiian-flavored cry, La-liona, may combine lā, the Hawaiian word for sun, with liona, the Hawaiian word for lion. Its role as the sun's emissary and its trips between dimensions may also borrow from the eye of Ra, a lion goddess who protects the sun as it travels through the underworld.

Solgaleo was once known as the Beast That Devours the Sun. It stands 3.4 m tall and weighs 230 kg. Its HP and Attack are both 137, and its Full Metal Body ability stops other Pokemon from lowering its stats.

#792

Lunala

Lunala is the Moone Pokemon, the moon-side counterpart of Solgaleo. It is a bat with a Moon motif, possibly the Hawaiian hoary bat. Its cry, Mahina-pea, may combine mahina, the Hawaiian word for moon, with ʻōpeʻapeʻa, the Hawaiian word for bat. It may also draw on Camazotz, a Mayan bat god of the night, death and sacrifice, and on Ītzpāpālōtl, a skeletal Aztec goddess with bladed bat wings.

Lunala steals the light from its surroundings and then becomes the full moon. It stands 4 m tall and weighs 120 kg. Its Shadow Shield ability halves the damage it takes while it is at full HP.

#905

Enamorus

Enamorus is the Love-Hate Pokemon. In its Incarnate Forme it may be based on Ugajin, a harvest and fertility kami shown with the body of a snake and the head of a man or woman, a figure that merged with Benzaiten, a Japanese Buddhist deity who came from the Hindu goddess Saraswati. Its spring theme also fits Zephyrus, the Greek west wind linked to flowers and the springtime.

When it flies to this land from across the sea, the bitter winter comes to an end. It stands 1.6 m tall and weighs 48 kg. Its hidden ability, Contrary, inverts stat changes, so a move that would lower its stats raises them. A hidden ability is a rarer ability that only some of a species have.

Nine of the 20 Borrow From Greek Myth

Nine of the 20 draw on Greek figures. Arceus has a name close to Zeus, and the three lake guardians match the Greek goddesses Hestia, Demeter and Hera. Meloetta may be a muse. Cresselia's moon side may come from China, from the moon goddess Chang'e.

The three wind Pokemon on this list match Greek wind gods, with Tornadus as the north wind Boreas, Landorus as the east wind Eurus and Enamorus as the west wind Zephyrus. The two Tapu on the list point to Hawaii instead, to Kūkaʻilimoku and Kanaloa, two of the four major Hawaiian gods.

Dialga's Steel type, Palkia's Water type and Giratina's Ghost type may stand for the solid, liquid and gas states of matter.

God Pokemon FAQ

How many god Pokemon are there?

There are 20 god Pokemon, all based on gods or divine figures, and every one of them is Legendary or Mythical.

What is the strongest god Pokemon?

Arceus, with a base stat total of 720. Lugia, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Reshiram, Zekrom, Xerneas, Solgaleo and Lunala follow at 680.

Is Arceus a god?

Yes. Arceus is based on a creator deity, and it is the creator of all things.

Is Tapu Fini a god?

Yes. Tapu Fini is called a guardian deity, and its design may draw on Kanaloa, the Hawaiian god of the ocean.