Unown (Japanese: アンノーン Unknown) is a Psychic-type Pokémon introduced in Generation II.

While it is not known to evolve into or from any other Pokémon, Unown has 28 different forms. All of them are known as One form, as seen in the Pokédex.

In Generation II, there were 26 Unown forms based on Latin alphabet characters. In Generation III, two new forms were introduced as well: ? (question mark) and ! (exclamation mark). The Unown forms are chronicled in the Unown Mode and the Unown Report.

In Generation II, its shape is determined by its individual values; in Generation III, it is determined by its personality value; from Generation IV onwards, it is determined by a separate form identifier.

Table of Contents

Biology

The Unown wallpaper in Pokémon HOME

Unown is a flat, thin Pokémon shaped like an eye with appendages that make it resemble a letter or a punctuation mark. It is entirely black, except for its white sclerae. All 26 alphabetic forms of Unown have fully open eyes, while the two punctuation forms have half-closed eyes. Though each of its forms has a counterpart in the Latin alphabet, Unown is said to resemble ancient writing and hieroglyphs called Unown symbols. It is a mystery whether Unown predates or postdates written language, and therefore which one is based on the other. Unown can move its appendages independently like tentacles or fingers.

The Pokédex and Professor Oak's research disagree on whether Unown communicates using electromagnetic waves or telepathy. Either way, it can be detected by the Pokégear radio, which interprets it as the melody of the Azure Flute. Unown has an unknown connection to Arceus. It is said that an "odd power" emerges when more than one Unown come together. In Generation VIII, Hidden Power is Unown's signature move. Certain Unown loose in the Hisui region were capable of repelling Poké Balls that contained Pokémon, preventing them from being battled. Professor Laventon's research observed that Unown resemble human writing from other lands, though no one took him seriously. In the anime, it is shown to be capable of reading the thoughts of other life forms. Great numbers of Unown are capable of distorting reality to suit the dreams and wishes of whoever is in control of the Unown. However, they can only do this when more Unown are present, so it could be a shared effort rather than an ability unique to each Unown.

Unown is an extremely rare Pokémon that lives in its own dimension and rarely ventures outside. When it moves to the Pokémon world, Unown tends to stick to walls like engravings of ancient texts, or orbit other Unown, usually in ruins.

Forms

Unown has 28 separate forms, all referred to as "One form". Pokédex 3D Pro, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, and other supplemental materials such as official guidebooks refer to each form by the letter or symbol they represent.

Game data

Pokédex entries

This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation II.
Generation II Johto#061
Gold Their shapes look like hieroglyphs on ancient tablets. It is said that the two are somehow related.
Silver Its flat, thin body is always stuck on walls. Its shape appears to have some meaning.
Crystal Because different types of Unown exist, it is said that they must have a variety of abilities.
Stadium 2 Their shapes look like hieroglyphs on ancient tablets. It is said that the two are somehow related.
Generation III Hoenn#— Kanto#—
Ruby This Pokémon is shaped like ancient writing. It is a mystery as to which came first, the ancient writings or the various Unown. Research into this topic is ongoing but nothing is known.
Sapphire
Emerald This Pokémon is shaped like ancient text characters. Although research is ongoing, it is a mystery as to which came first, the ancient writings or the various Unown.
FireRed Its flat, thin body is always stuck on walls. Its shape appears to have some meaning.
LeafGreen Their shapes look like hieroglyphs on ancient tablets. It is said that the two are somehow related.
Generation IV Sinnoh#114 Johto#061
Diamond Shaped like ancient writing, it is a huge mystery whether language or Unown came first.
Pearl They seem to communicate among each other telepathically. They are always found stuck on walls.
Platinum When alone, nothing happens. However, if there are two or more, an odd power is said to emerge.
HeartGold Their shapes look like hieroglyphs on ancient tablets. It is said that the two are somehow related.
SoulSilver Its flat, thin body is always stuck on walls. Its shape appears to have some meaning.
Generation V Unova#—
Black When alone, nothing happens. However, if there are two or more, an odd power is said to emerge.
White
Black 2 When alone, nothing happens. However, if there are two or more, an odd power is said to emerge.
White 2
Generation VI Kalos#— Hoenn#—
X Its flat, thin body is always stuck on walls. Its shape appears to have some meaning.
Y Shaped like ancient writing, it is a huge mystery whether language or Unown came first.
Omega Ruby This Pokémon is shaped like ancient writing. It is a mystery as to which came first, the ancient writings or the various Unown. Research into this topic is ongoing but nothing is known.
Alpha Sapphire
Generation VIII Galar#— Sinnoh#114 Hisui#142
This Pokémon has no Pokédex entries in Sword and Shield.
Brilliant Diamond Because the Pokémon is shaped like ancient writing, it is a huge mystery whether written language or Unown came first.
Shining Pearl They seem to communicate among each other telepathically. They are always found stuck on walls.
Legends: Arceus It is hard to believe these strangely shaped Pokémon are truly living creatures. I've pointed out that the species' many forms resemble writing from other lands; no one will take me seriously.

Game locations

This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation II.
Generation II
Generation III
Generation IV
Generation V
Generation VI
Generation VII
Generation VIII
Generation IX

In side games

This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation II.
Generation II
This Pokémon is unavailable in Generation II side games.
Generation III
Generation IV
Generation V
Generation VI
Battle Trozei
Safari Jungle Stage 1 (AMo, ETu, IWe, JWe, MTh, QFr, RFr, USa, YSu Forms)Safari Jungle Stage 2 (BMo, FTu, GTu, KWe, NTh, OTh, SFr, VSa, ZSu Forms)Safari Jungle Stage 3 (CMo, DMo, HTu, LWe, PTh, TFr, WSa, XSa, !Su, ?Su Forms)
Rumble World
Picross
Generation VII
Rumble Rush
(See main pages for details)Entei Sea, Lugia Sea, Butterfree Sea, Charizard Sea2020, Charizard SeaFinal, Jirachi SeaFinal, Celebi SeaFinal, Garchomp SeaFinal, Entei SeaFinal, Mimikyu SeaFinal, Mewtwo SeaFinal, Rowlet SeaFinal, Buzzwole SeaFinal, Zygarde SeaFinal
Generation VIII
MD DX
Unown Relic (1F-10F) (All 28 Forms; see main page for details)Fainted Pokémon: Unown Relic (E, H, L, P, !, ? Forms; see main page for details)
Cross-Generation

Stats

Base stats

Pokéathlon stats

A-Z
Jump
2/5 ★★☆☆☆
! and ?
Skill
2/5 ★★☆☆☆
Jump
2/5 ★★☆☆☆

Type effectiveness

Under normal battle conditions in Generation IX, this Pokémon is:
Damagednormally by:
Immune to:
Resistant to:

Learnset

Unown is available in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.

By leveling up

BDSP

Generation VIII
  • Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Unown
  • Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution of Unown
  • Click on the generation numbers at the top to see level-up moves from other generations

LA

Generation VIII
  • Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Unown
  • Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution of Unown
  • Click on the generation numbers at the top to see level-up moves from other generations

By TM

Generation VIII
  • Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Unown
  • Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution of Unown
  • Click on the generation numbers at the top to see TM moves from other generations

By breeding

Generation VIII
  • Moves marked with an asterisk (*) must be chain bred onto Unown in Generation VIII
  • Moves marked with a double dagger (‡) can only be bred from a Pokémon who learned the move in an earlier generation.
  • Moves marked with a superscript game abbreviation can only be bred onto Unown in that game.
  • Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Unown
  • Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution of Unown
  • Click on the generation numbers at the top to see Egg moves from other generations

By tutoring

Generation VIII
  • Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Unown
  • Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution of Unown
  • Click on the generation numbers at the top to see Move Tutor moves from other generations

Anime-only moves

Side game data

Pokémon Rumble Rush
Walking Speed: 2.08 seconds Base HP: 47
Base Attack: 71 Base Defense: 47 Base Speed: 60
Pokémon GO
Base HP: 134 Base Attack: 136 Base Defense: 91
Egg Distance: N/A Buddy Distance: 5 km Evolution Requirement: N/A
Fast Attacks: Hidden Power
Charged Attacks: Struggle

In Pokémon GO, Unown can be obtained by completing 1/4 of the Special Research, Level 50 Challenge.

Form data

Unown has 28 non-interchangeable forms, each corresponding to a typographic character. All Unown forms are known as "One form", as seen in the Pokédex.

Unown was the first Pokémon to have multiple forms in the games. In its debut in Generation II, there were 26 forms of Unown, corresponding to each of the 26 letters of the Latin alphabet. In the Generation III games, Unown gained two additional forms, corresponding to the question mark and exclamation mark.

In the Generation II games, Unown's form is determined by its IVs, which results in some strange phenomena; for example, in Generation II, only Unown I and V can be Shiny due to Shininess also being determined by IVs in these games. In the Generation III games, Unown's form is determined by its personality value. From the Generation IV games onward, Unown's letter is determined by a separate form identifier, unrelated to the personality value.

While Unown's form has no bearing on base stats, punctuation Unown have different performance stats than alphabetical Unown.

Various games have special catalogs for documenting Unown's forms: in Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, the Unown Mode is an upgrade to the Pokédex obtained at the Ruins of Alph; in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, the Unown Report is obtainable instead. In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the Unown Research Notes serves this purpose.

Evolution data

Sprites

This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation II.
Generation II
Generation III
Generation IV
Generation V
Generation VI
Generation VII
Generation VIII
This Pokémon is unavailable in Generation IX.
Cross-Generation

In the anime

Major appearances

Unown (M03)

Unown played a large role in Spell of the Unown: Entei, creating the illusions that drive the plot.

Notes about Unown can be seen on Professor Oak's computer at the beginning of the movie. The information (as presented in the Japanese version) has been cleaned up and transcribed here:

Other

In Address Unown!, an Unown G fell out of the Unown Dimension. After it was healed by the group, it helped defend them against Team Rocket, and its mind merged with that of Ash's Larvitar so that the group could help it address its inner pain.

The tablet

Markings of Unown were observed on a tablet in Top-Down Training!.

In Journey to the Unown!, Saturn had his Bronzor use Confuse Ray on multiple Unown, causing trouble for Ash and his friends. The tablet from Top-Down Training also appeared in this episode. The Unown reappeared in a flashback in Enter Galactic!.

In PK21, an Unown F fell out of the Unown Dimension following an unspecified incident, and Pikachu and his friends had to help it return to the Unown Dimension so it could reunite with the other Unown.

In Star Night, Star Flight!, five Unown covered a town in Johto with an endless night in order to help Tiara accept parting ways with her Cleffa. Once she finally realized it was time to say goodbye, the Unown returned day to the town and departed.

Minor appearances

In The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon, a Mirage Unown G was created by the Mirage Master.

In The Rise of Darkrai, multiple Unown fled from Dialga and Palkia in the Unown Dimension. Others appeared during the opening sequence.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky - Beyond Time & Darkness featured a stone tablet written in Unown.

Pokédex entries

Episode Pokémon Source Entry
EP263 Unown Ash's Pokédex Unown, the Symbol Pokémon. Unown are said to have existed since ancient times. They are many in form and shape, but little is known about this mysterious Pokémon.
Episode Pokémon Source Entry
DP060 Unown Dawn's Pokédex Unown, the Symbol Pokémon. Unown use telepathy to communicate with each other. Many different shapes of Unown have been discovered.
Episode Pokémon Source Entry
JN083 Unown Goh's Rotom Phone Unown, the Symbol Pokémon. A Psychic type. Unown can't do much on its own. When two or more gather, they can produce a mysterious kind of power.

In the manga

Pokémon Adventures

Gold, Silver & Crystal arc

Unown first appeared in Into the Unown at the Ruins of Alph. During a battle with the Team Rocket Elite Trio, Gold had his Sunbo use Flash, accidentally awakening the Unown from their slumber. Angered, the Unown retaliated on Team Rocket, defeating them.

Bugsy later returned to study the ruins further in Hurray for Heracross, where he caught an Unown G and gave it to one of his colleagues. Later, as he searched for Suicune, he found two chambers with Unown symbols.

Three Unown appeared in a flashback in Raising Raichu, being the N, G, and U forms.

FireRed & LeafGreen arc

In Some Things Are Better Left Unown, Sird gained control of a small army of Unown after awakening them in the Tanoby Ruins. She initially used them as a distraction against Lorelei, allowing her to defeat the Elite Four member. Sird later used them to impede the progress of Red, Blue, and Green as they headed to the Trainer Tower, but they were defeated by Mewtwo. Also, two Unown of the ! and ? forms followed Giovanni to Birth Island to relay his successful capture of Deoxys back to the Team Rocket Warehouse.

Diamond & Pearl arc

In Knowledge of the Unown I, a D and P Unown befriended Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum in Solaceon Town. The two enlisted the help of the Pokédex holders to free their friends from a chamber in the Solaceon Ruins. Later, they helped to defeat the Team Galactic Grunt blocking Pearl's path to Veilstone City.

Multiple Unown appeared in Halting Honchkrow and Chancing Upon Chingling.

HeartGold & SoulSilver arc

In All About Arceus IV, a massive group of Unown were spawned at the Sinjoh Ruins when Arceus created Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina.

Pokémon Gotta Catch 'Em All

Multiple Unown appeared in GDZ58.

An Unown appeared in GDZ59.

Pokémon Pocket Monsters

Multiple Unown appeared in all of the species' forms in Rampage at the Ruins of Alph!!.

In the TCG

Main article: Unown (TCG)

The English Pokédex data for Unown cards in the Neo Destiny expansion say that it is believed that the variety of types of Unown is a result of evolutionary adaptation, but this is not present in the original Japanese text.

Other appearances

Super Smash Bros. Melee

When one Unown is released from a Poké Ball, it will fly off the screen. It then returns with a large swarm, similar to what Beedrill did in the original Super Smash Bros. The only difference is that Beedrill only attacks from left or right while Unown can come from any direction. Any opponent caught in this barrage is damaged and juggled.

There are also a number of Unown Poké Floats featured in the Poké Floats stage. In the second half of the stage's cycle, numerous Unown fly across the screen. Towards the end of the cycle, staying on the stage relies on hopping between the Unown.

Trophy information

These Psychic-type symbol Pokémon resemble ancient hieroglyphics found on rocks, a resemblance that's said to be more than superficial. Quite a few different shapes of Unown have been confirmed, and it's believed that each type has unique abilities. These enigmatic Pokémon can be found in the Ruins of Alph.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Unown does not return as a Poké Ball Pokémon, though it is a Spirit, appearing in its F form.

Music

This is a list of music associated with Unown in the Pokémon games.

Trivia

Origin

Unown's appearances are eyes and corruptions of the 26 letters of the modern Latin alphabet, as well as the exclamation and question marks. Unown's G form specifically may be based on a double-story lowercase G. The shapes of the Unown are used like graphic symbols in the Pokémon world, although in Hoenn and the Sevii Islands, their place is taken by Braille. Unown being weak alone and strong together may be inspired by the idea that a single letter cannot convey much information, but many letters forming a sentence can communicate a hypothetically infinite number of interpretations and ideas.

Unown may also be inspired by the Brahmi or Siddham scripts, used in Japan to mark the graves of important Buddhist figures since at least the 8th century. Because not many people could read Siddham at the time, the script came to be regarded as a mysterious language associated with gods and the Buddha, and several characters (especially in Brahmi) either appear or can be modified to appear as very similar to various Unown.

Name origin

Unown may be derived from unknown.

Unknown is literally unknown.

In other languages

One form

See also

References