Lugia

Lugia
Pokémon series character
File:Pokémon Lugia art.png National Pokédex Tyranitar - Lugia (#249) - Ho-Oh
First appearance	Pokémon: The Movie 2000
First game	Pokémon Gold and Silver (1999)
Created by	Takeshi Shudo
Designed by	Ken Sugimori
Voiced by	Eric Rath (English) Kōichi Yamadera (Japanese)

Lugia (ルギア, Rugia, /ˈluːɡiə/) is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Takeshi Shudo and drawn by Ken Sugimori, Lugia was the central character of the film Pokémon: The Movie 2000. It later served as the version mascot of the video game Pokémon Silver and its remake, Pokémon SoulSilver, appearing both on the box art and in-game. It also appeared in the Pokémon anime, various merchandise, spin-off titles and printed adaptations of the franchise, such as Pokémon Adventures. In animated appearances, Lugia is voiced in Japanese by Koichi Yamadera, and by Eric Rath in the English dub.

In the Pokémon universe, Lugia is strongly associated with the sea, and the element of water, in contrast to Ho-Oh, the version mascot of Pokémon Gold and Pokémon HeartGold, which is associated with fire. As a Psychic-type and Flying-type Pokémon, Lugia possesses multiple psychic abilities, such as telepathy, and can fly, in addition to its water-based powers. While depicted as a male in the original film, it was originally envisioned as a "maternal" Pokémon that shared male and female traits. Lugia has received positive reception from critics, citing the creature's design.

Design and characteristics

Considered a legendary Pokémon within the setting of the games, Lugia is characterized as the "Diving Pokémon" in the Pokédex and the latter states that Lugia is known as "The Guardian of the Sea". It has been more often compared to a dragon, bird, wyvern or sea monster, 1UP.com calling it a "sleek, draconic creature". The Hartford Courant described Lugia as resembling a "flying white lizard", adding that its wings more closely resembled "huge cartoon paws". It is primarily pale silver-white, but has blue undersides with slightly varying tones. It has a somewhat beak-like, ridged mouth, although it has teeth on its lower jaw. Its head has a point to the back, and its eyes have pointed blue spikes on them. Lugia has a long slender necks and its bodiy is smooth and covered with streamlined feathers, with the exception of dark blue or black spike-like protrusions which run down the length of its back, and two smaller ones on the ends of its tail. It has large wings that resemble hands, similar to a personified bird wing. Lugia possess the ability to calm storms and are said to appear when storms start. It is also said to be able to spawn a storm lasting as long as 40 days by flapping its wings. A light flutter of a Lugia's wings is capable of causing winds powerful enough to blow apart regular houses. Lugia is highly intelligent, and isolates itself at the bottom of the sea, where it tends to slumber in solitude at the bottom of a deep oceanic trench, in order to avoid accidentally causing damage with the devastating power it packs.

Appearances

In Lugia's initial appearance for Pokémon: The Movie 2000, Lawrence III, an arrogant and rich man who calls himself "The Collector", captures the three legendary birds Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres, with the intent of summoning Lugia, the "beast of the sea", voiced by Eric Rath. Ash Ketchum joins forces with a begrudging Team Rocket to prevent the world's destruction by gathering three orbs in the Orange Islands and placating Lugia.

In the video games

In Pokémon Gold and Silver and Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, Lugia is a powerful legendary Pokémon that lives in a far-off location, and can be caught by the player. It is found in the depths of a sea cave located at the Whirl Islands, a group of isolated islands surrounded by whirlpools located off Route 41. In order to access Lugia, the player must obtain both HM 06 Whirlpool and the Silver Wing item.

A Lugia is one of the main characters of Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. The storyline of the game depicts an evil Lugia, known as "Shadow Lugia", terrorizing the locals and wreaking havoc. Among other things, this variant is said to be the ultimate shadow Pokémon. The player has to catch and purify it for it to return to its original, normal state. A Lugia is also featured in the Super Smash Bros. series from Melee onwards, where, when released from a Poké Ball, will fly up and unleash its signature Aeroblast attack. It may also periodically emit its signature cry.

Following connectivity issues at the first Pokemon Go Fest, all attendees were provided with a Lugia in game.

In other media

In the anime, a young Lugia named Silver makes an appearance when the protagonist, Ash, travels to the Whirl Islands where he meets a friend of his, named Ritchie, to help stop a Team Rocket scientist from separating Silver from its parent, another Lugia.

Lugia also appeared in Pokémon the Movie: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages.

In Pokémon Adventures, the Elite Four tried to exterminate humans using a Lugia in the Yellow chapter. The Masked Man apparently caught a Lugia twice to get an item called "Silver Wing", but both times Lugia went back to the wild, along with Ho-Oh.

Lugia most recently appeared in Pokémon the Movie: The Power of Us.

Development

Lugia was originally conceived by Takeshi Shudo, the head writer of the first Pokémon anime. He was given a large amount of creative freedom for Pokémon The First Movie due to the ongoing Dennō Senshi Porygon photosensitive epilepsy incident, also known as the "Pokémon Shock", leading to the first film being much darker than would otherwise have been allowed. The first movie's runaway blockbuster success made his creative freedom for the sequel, Pokémon The Movie 2000, "near-total". This also included the ability to create the film's main Pokémon, which was named Lugia by majority vote. Unlike most Pokémon, the name of Lugia has no apparent basis in any real word, although it may have stemmed from the Latin word "Lugeo", or "to lie dormant". Stating that Lugia had been designed solely for the movie, Shudo expressed surprise that the creature was later featured in the video games and TV show.

Lugia, who possessed a speaking role in the film, was given a masculine voice. However, Shudo intended Lugia as a creature that was simultaneously male and female. This dual nature was intended to embody one of the film's main messages, that people can be different and yet coexist without resorting to conflict. He showed "overwhelming regret that he allowed Lugia to be voiced by a man", considering Lugia, the "creator of all life on Earth", to be a "maternal Pokémon". Stating that "it was too late, we couldn’t suddenly change Lugia into a female", the change was so significant to him that it made him start "gulping down alcohol and drugs" and "feel like [he] wanted to die". During the final few years of his life, Shudo became "obsessed" with Lugia, writing numerous blog posts on the subject.

The Shadow Lugia variant first used in Pokémon XD was notably one of the first Pokémon to be designed by a Westerner, James Turner, who was later made the art director of Pokémon Sword and Shield due to the fact that it was based on his homeland.

Promotion and reception

The Telegram & Gazette stated that attempts to merchandise the character were poorly received, namely due to lack of familiarity on the part of consumers with the character. September 2000 saw Lugia-themed Chrysler PT Cruisers touring the United States and visiting IGN offices to promote the games Pokémon Gold and Silver, Hey You, Pikachu!, and Pokémon Puzzle League.

Lugia has had positive reception. 1UP.com's Jeremy Parish praised the design heavily, calling it a "sleek, draconic creature" similar to Final Fantasy VIII rendition of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, and attributing the preference consumers had for Pokémon Silver over Pokémon Gold reflected in sales to its role as the game's mascot. Authors Tracey West and Katherine Noll called Lugia the sixth best Legendary Pokémon and the fourth best Pokémon overall. They also called it a "gentle giant". IGN also ranked Lugia as the 4th best Pokémon, where the staff commented that" it's gone on to become one of the franchise's most iconic legendary creatures . In contrast, the Daily Texan criticized Lugia as lacking the "human personality that make the other Pokémon so endearing", further adding that while it had an animalistic grace, the effect was ruined in the animated film by its voice.

External links

• Lugia on Pokemon.com
• Lugia on Bulbapedia