#0249 · Johto · Generation 2 · legendary

Lugia

Diving Pokémon · Psychic/Flying-type

Lugia is a Psychic/Flying-type Pokémon, the Diving Pokémon, number 249 (#0249) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 2 and comes from the Johto region. It is 5.2 m tall and weighs 216 kg.

Lugia is the Diving Pokémon, the silver-white guardian of the seas, so powerful that the Pokédex says it hides at the bottom of the ocean. One flap of its wings is said to cause a storm lasting 40 days.

How to pronounce Lugia

Lugia is pronounced LOO-jee-uh. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.

Listen to Lugia said out loud:

In Japanese it is ルギア.

Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.

Lore

Biology

Lugia is a huge Pokémon that looks like a mix of dragon, plesiosaur and bird, 5.2 m tall and 216 kg. It is mostly silver-white with blue undersides, a long slender neck and hand-like wings, and dark blue plates run down its back and can fold flat to boost its speed. The Pokédex says a light flutter of those wings can blow regular houses apart.

Behaviour

Bulbapedia calls Lugia highly intelligent: because of the damage it could cause by accident, it isolates itself and sleeps alone. It is extremely rare and hardly ever seen, and Crystal's Pokédex says it can calm raging storms and appears when they start. Bulbapedia adds that it once perched on the Brass Tower in Ecruteak City and moved to the Whirl Islands after the tower's destruction 150 years ago.

Habitat

The Pokédex places it deep in a sea trench, and it is said to guard the seas. In Scarlet and Violet it arrives by Pokémon HOME transfer or trade, or in The Indigo Disk by luring it to North Province Area One with a snack from Snacksworth.

Powers

Lugia's signature move is Aeroblast, which only Lugia can learn, and it also uses Hydro Pump, Future Sight, Extrasensory and Weather Ball while healing with Recover and boosting with Calm Mind. Its Ability is Pressure, or hidden Multiscale, which halves damage taken at full HP. Base Defense 130 and Special Defense 154 make it one of the toughest defenders in the games.

Name origin

Lugia may come from the Greek árguros ('silver'), and may also nod to beluga, deluge, luna and Lutīyā, an early name for the sea monster Bahamut. The Japanese name is Lugia (ルギア).

Design inspiration

The idea began with chief writer Takeshi Shudo's script for the second film, where a 'Pokémon X', a maternal creator of life symbolising ocean currents, was planned. Lugia's name and final design were made by someone else. Fan readings link it to plesiosaurs, the grey heron, the beluga whale and Ryūjin, the Shinto sea dragon god.

In the games

Lugia is the box Pokémon of Silver and SoulSilver, where you find it in the Whirl Islands with the help of a Silver Wing. Its Shadow form, Shadow Lugia, is the mascot of Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness and has a major role in its story. It is not available in Legends: Z-A.

In the anime

Lugia debuted in the second film, The Power of One, as a key figure in the legend of Shamouti Island, and it can talk to humans by telepathy. In the series, a silhouetted Lugia saves Ash, Misty and Brock in 'Around the Whirlpool', and 'The Mystery is History' reveals it as the fiercely protective parent of a young Lugia named Silver.

Fun facts

• Lugia is absent from the 1997 Space World demo of Gold and Silver; by the 1999 demo it had Aeroblast, and Shigeki Morimoto later said it was made a Psychic type to make a stronger impression.
• A Ken Sugimori concept sketch for the second film shows an earlier Lugia with an X-shaped mark on its belly and just six back plates.
• Pokémon GO gave players a costume Lugia that looks identical to a normal one, released once as an apology for problems at GO Fest 2017 in Chicago.
• Bulbapedia suggests the Pokédex's 40-day storm could echo the Bible's story of Noah's Ark.

Sources: Bulbapedia: Lugia · Serebii: Lugia (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex)

Base stats

• HP: 106
• Attack: 90
• Defense: 130
• Sp. Atk: 90
• Sp. Def: 154
• Speed: 110

Lugia’s base stat total is 680. Its highest stat is Sp. Def.

Type matchups

What is Lugia weak to?

Lugia takes extra damage from Electric (2×), Ice (2×), Rock (2×), Ghost (2×), Dark (2×) moves.

It resists Fighting (¼×), Grass (½×), Psychic (½×).

It is immune to Ground moves.

Evolution

Lugia does not evolve, and it does not evolve from any other Pokémon.

Abilities

• Pressure: Increases the PP cost of moves targetting the Pokémon by one.
• Multiscale (hidden ability): Halves damage taken from full HP.

Moves

Moves Lugia learns by level up in Scarlet / Violet

TM moves (64)

Lugia can learn 64 moves from TMs in Scarlet / Violet: Take Down, Scary Face, Protect, Water Pulse, Acrobatics, Chilling Water, Charge Beam, Facade, Aerial Ace, Swift, Icy Wind, Air Cutter, Dragon Tail, Avalanche, Endure, Sunny Day, Rain Dance, Sandstorm, Psyshock, Zen Headbutt, Air Slash, Body Slam, Sleep Talk, Reflect, Light Screen, Waterfall, Rest, Imprison, Fly, Skill Swap, Iron Head, Substitute, Trick, Liquidation, Giga Drain, Tailwind, Shadow Ball, Dragon Pulse, Hyper Voice, Psychic, Surf, Thunderbolt, Calm Mind, Helping Hand, Earth Power, Ice Beam, Hydro Pump, Blizzard, Earthquake, Giga Impact, Hurricane, Hyper Beam, Brave Bird, Thunder, Tera Blast, Weather Ball, Dual Wingbeat, Scale Shot, Psych Up, Double-Edge, Whirlpool, Future Sight, Curse, Psychic Noise.

Egg moves (1):Dragon Rush.

Breeding & training

• Gender: genderless.
• Egg groups: Undiscovered.
• Egg cycles: 120 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 15,360).
• Catch rate: 3 out of 255.
• Base friendship (Gen 8 onward): 0.
• Growth rate: Slow (1,250,000 experience points to reach level 100).
• Defeating it gives 3 Sp. Def effort values.
• Base experience yield: 306.

Pokédex entries

Lugia's wings pack devastating power - a light fluttering of its wings can blow apart regular houses. As a result, this Pokémon chooses to live out of sight deep under the sea. (Ruby, Sapphire, Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire)

It is said to be the guardian of the seas. It is rumored to have been seen on the night of a storm. (Silver, FireRed, SoulSilver, Y)

It sleeps in a deep-sea trench. If it flaps its wings, it is said to cause a 40-day storm. (Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Black, White, Black 2, White 2, X)

It is said that it quietly spends its time deep at the bottom of the sea because its powers are too strong. (Gold, LeafGreen, HeartGold)

Lugia is so powerful even a light fluttering of its wings can blow apart houses. As a result, it chooses to live out of sight deep under the sea. (Emerald)

It has an incredible ability to calm raging storms. It is said that Lugia appears when storms start. (Crystal)

Names around the world

Trivia

• Highest Sp. Def among Flying types: 154, shared with 1 other.
• Tallest Psychic type: 5.2 m.
• Highest Sp. Def among Psychic types: 154.
• Highest base stat total among Gen 2 Pokémon: 680, shared with 1 other.
• Tallest Flying type in Gen 2: 5.2 m.
• Highest HP among Flying types in Gen 2: 106, shared with 1 other.
• Highest Sp. Def among Flying types in Gen 2: 154, shared with 1 other.
• Highest base stat total among Flying types in Gen 2: 680, shared with 1 other.
• Heaviest Psychic type in Gen 2: 216 kg.
• Tallest Psychic type in Gen 2: 5.2 m.
• Fastest Psychic type in Gen 2: 110 Speed, shared with 1 other.
• Highest Defense among Psychic types in Gen 2: 130.
• Highest Sp. Def among Psychic types in Gen 2: 154.
• Highest base stat total among Psychic types in Gen 2: 680.
• Taller than 99% of all Pokémon (5.2 m).
• Heavier than 93% of all Pokémon (216 kg).
• Base stat total 680, ranked #3 of 1,025.
• Its best stat is Sp. Def, ranked #3 of 1,025.
• One of 6 Pokémon that are both Psychic and Flying.
• One of 88 white Pokémon.
• Number 98 of 100 Pokémon introduced in Generation 2 (Johto).
• Can learn 74 different moves in Scarlet / Violet.
• Catch rate 3: about 0.4% per Poké Ball at full health.
• Appears in 6 distinct Pokédex entries.

Sources and fact-checking

• Stats, types, abilities, moves, evolutions, forms and Pokédex entries: PokéAPI open game data.
• Lore: written by pokee.si in our own words, researched from Bulbapedia: Lugia, Serebii: Lugia (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex).
• Pronunciation (LOO-jee-uh): it follows how the English anime, games or official videos say it.

Last checked: 20 October 2026. Every sentence of the lore was checked against Bulbapedia, Serebii and the game data.

Explore

Psychic-type Pokémon · Flying-type Pokémon · Psychic/Flying weaknesses and matchups · Lugia vs Ho-Oh · Lugia vs Mewtwo · Lugia vs Kyogre · Lugia vs Arceus · Johto region guide · Pressure ability · Multiscale ability · Compare Lugia · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves

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