Many Pokémon may be based on myths, the old stories people told about gods, monsters and magic animals. This page covers 37 Pokémon, grouped by where the story comes from: Japan, China, Greece, the Norse lands, Egypt, India and more.
Read this first
The people who design Pokémon rarely explain where their ideas came from. Most links below are fan readings: guesses made by fans and by writers on Bulbapedia, the Pokémon wiki. We mark each one. Two are better backed up, Hydreigon and Tornadus, and the Japanese section says why for Hydreigon.
A link can also be partial. Many Pokémon mix a real animal with a story. Gyarados looks like a koi carp and a dragon. For real-world animal inspirations, see Pokémon based on real animals.
Japanese stories
Japan has foxes with many tails, ogres called oni, and gods of wind and lightning.
| Pokémon | Type | Gen | What the idea is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ninetales | Fire | 1 | Ninetales seems modelled on the kyūbi no kitsune, a nine-tailed fox of Japanese legend that grows its ninth tail after a thousand years. (fan reading) |
| Electabuzz | Electric | 1 | Electabuzz looks modelled on the oni, a horned Japanese ogre who sometimes controls thunder. Raijin, the god of lightning, is often drawn as one. (fan reading) |
| Hydreigon | Dark/Dragon | 5 | Bulbapedia, citing Ken Sugimori interviews, says the Deino line was remade around Yamata no Orochi, the eight-headed serpent of Japanese myth. |
| Tornadus | Flying | 5 | The Incarnate Forme is based on Fūjin, the Japanese kami of wind. |
| Dialga | Steel/Dragon | 4 | Dialga and Palkia may echo the Shinto myth of Izanagi and Izanami raising the first island with a spear. (fan reading) |
Hydreigon is the best backed up. Its link comes from Ken Sugimori's interviews, as Bulbapedia reports them. Bulbapedia also says Hydreigon has fewer heads than the serpent so it looks less off-putting.
Chinese stories
Chinese myths gave Pokémon dragons, a phoenix and a beast that knew every monster.
| Pokémon | Type | Gen | What the idea is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gyarados | Water/Flying | 1 | Gyarados looks modelled on a Chinese dragon. (fan reading) |
| Magikarp | Water | 1 | The Chinese legend of carp leaping the Dragon Gate to become dragons may sit behind Magikarp turning into Gyarados. (fan reading) |
| Absol | Dark | 3 | Absol may be based on Bai Ze, a white, horned beast said to know the forms of supernatural creatures. (fan reading) |
| Ho-Oh | Fire/Flying | 2 | Ho-Oh may draw on the fenghuang, the Chinese phoenix. (fan reading) |
| Drampa | Normal/Dragon | 7 | Bulbapedia suggests the Zhulong, a mythical torch dragon with an old man's face. (fan reading) |
Greek stories
Greek myths are full of gods, nymphs and monsters.
| Pokémon | Type | Gen | What the idea is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mareep | Electric | 2 | Its pale yellow wool might nod to the Golden Fleece. (fan reading) |
| Empoleon | Water/Steel | 4 | Its beak looks like both a crown and a trident, the weapon of the sea god Poseidon. (fan reading) |
| Meloetta | Normal/Psychic | 5 | Meloetta may be a muse, the goddess who inspires artists. (fan reading) |
| Flabébé | Fairy | 6 | Flabébé seems modelled on nymphs, especially Antheia, a Greek spirit of flowers. (fan reading) |
| Cursola | Ghost | 8 | Cursola may nod to the Gorgons, whose look turned people to stone, perhaps through gorgonian corals. (fan reading) |
| Houndour | Dark/Fire | 2 | Houndour seems based on hellhounds and black dogs, and possibly Cerberus. (fan reading) |
| Arceus | Normal | 4 | Arceus reads as a creator god, and its look and temples echo Classical Greece. Its name may combine the Greek arkhē with Zeus. (fan reading) |
Norse stories
Norse myths are old Scandinavian tales with giant wolves, serpents and a World Tree.
| Pokémon | Type | Gen | What the idea is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zygarde | Dragon/Ground | 6 | The three formes may echo Loki's children: the wolf Fenrir, the serpent Jörmungandr and Hel. (fan reading) |
| Sawsbuck | Normal/Grass | 5 | Bulbapedia suggests the four stags of Yggdrasil, the World Tree. (fan reading) |
| Runerigus | Ground/Ghost | 8 | May be based on Viking runestones, many of which carry serpent designs, perhaps recalling Jörmungandr. (fan reading) |
Egyptian stories
Several spooky Pokémon may draw on ancient Egypt.
| Pokémon | Type | Gen | What the idea is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucario | Fighting/Steel | 4 | Appears to be based on a jackal, which with its mystical side suggests Anubis, the god who judged souls. (fan reading) |
| Rabsca | Bug/Psychic | 9 | Appears to be a sacred scarab beetle and may echo an Egyptian scarab-faced god of the rising sun. Its name may nod to Ra. (fan reading) |
| Yamask | Ghost | 5 | May be based on the Egyptian ba, a person's soul, and its mask is likely a death mask. (fan reading) |
| Cofagrigus | Ghost | 5 | May be based on Ancient Egyptian sarcophagi, especially Tutankhamun's coffins. (fan reading) |
Hindu stories
Hindu stories gave the idea of many-armed gods and a fish that was an avatar of a god.
| Pokémon | Type | Gen | What the idea is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machamp | Fighting | 1 | With extra arms and blue skin, it might draw on Hindu gods such as Shiva or Vishnu. (fan reading) |
| Goldeen | Water | 1 | Its horn may nod to Matsya, the giant horned fish avatar of the god Vishnu. (fan reading) |
Celtic and British stories
Celtic stories include horned gods, water horses and headless riders, and King Arthur is a legend from Britain.
| Pokémon | Type | Gen | What the idea is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xerneas | Fairy | 6 | Bulbapedia suggests Cernunnos, the Celtic horned god (and also the Norse stag Eikþyrnir). (fan reading) |
| Yveltal | Dark/Flying | 6 | Possible links such as the Celtic Morrigan or the Norse eagle Hræsvelgr are fan readings. (fan reading) |
| Keldeo | Water/Fighting | 5 | Most likely draws on the kelpie, a Celtic water horse. (fan reading) |
| Blacephalon | Fire/Ghost | 7 | Its removable head recalls the Dullahan of Celtic myth (and the Japanese yōkai Nukekubi). (fan reading) |
| Pokémon | Type | Gen | What the idea is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zacian | Fairy | 8 | May take after King Arthur's sword Excalibur. (fan reading) |
Hawaiian stories
Alola is based on Hawaii, and the guardian Pokémon (the Tapu) may nod to Hawaiian gods.
| Pokémon | Type | Gen | What the idea is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tapu Koko | Electric/Fairy | 7 | Bulbapedia suggests Kūkāʻilimoku, a Hawaiian god of war often shown as feathered idols. (fan reading) |
| Tapu Fini | Water/Fairy | 7 | Bulbapedia suggests Kanaloa, the Hawaiian god of the ocean. (fan reading) |
Aztec stories
| Pokémon | Type | Gen | What the idea is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rayquaza | Dragon/Flying | 3 | Fans compare it to Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec flying serpent. (fan reading) |
| Xatu | Psychic/Flying | 2 | Its sun-watching may echo sun gazing, a meditation the Aztec and Maya used. (fan reading) |
Hebrew legends
| Pokémon | Type | Gen | What the idea is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kyogre | Water | 3 | Its fight with Groudon echoes Leviathan and Behemoth, the sea and land beasts said to fight at the end of time. (fan reading) |
| Groudon | Ground | 3 | Its rivalry with Kyogre resembles that of Behemoth and Leviathan. (fan reading) |
Checking the big claims
We checked several of these against Bulbapedia.
Xerneas first. Bulbapedia says it may be based on the Norse stag Eikþyrnir and the four stags of Yggdrasil, or on Cernunnos, a Celtic horned god. It is also shaped like the letter X.
For Yveltal, Bulbapedia names the Celtic Morrigan, which can take the form of a raven, and the Norse eagle Hræsvelgr as possible links.
Bulbapedia ties the conflict of Kyogre and Groudon to Leviathan and Behemoth of Hebrew legend.
Sigilyph is often called Egyptian. Bulbapedia says its design appears to be inspired by the Nazca lines of Peru, which include bird-shaped figures, and by kachina dolls. Its name may join "sigil" and "glyph". So the Egyptian idea is a fan reading, and not a strong one.
Learn more about the Pokémon
Click any name to see its Pokédex page, with its type, moves and a sound clip. If you like the stories behind names, Pokémon names in other languages shows how names change between languages. Legendary and Mythical Pokémon explains the official groups, which are not the same thing as myths.