“Absol has the ability to foretell the coming of natural disasters. It lives in a harsh, rugged mountain environment. This Pokémon very rarely ventures down from the mountains”
Absol’s Game & Pokemon Series History
Absol debuted as Pokedex #359 in the Pokemon games Ruby and Sapphire in 2002 on the Game Boy Advance, it does not evolve from or into any other Pokemon (so far) but since Pokemon X & Y in 2013 for the Nintendo DS it can evolve into Mega Absol if the player uses the Absolite Mega Stone on it.
It was actually one of the first six Pokemon that received a Mega-Evolution. Absol appears in the 6th Pokemon movie, Pokémon: Jirachi Wish Maker (2003) and acts as a protector of Jirachi there that is helping Ash and his friends.
Background / Trivia
Absol has uncanny sharp senses that make it able to foresee natural disasters. While it is a calm and benevolent pokemon, that tries to warn people about them, it was falsely interpreted as Absol’s appearance being the ill omen that brought the disaster, labeling it as the “Disaster Pokemon”.
Due to hatred caused by those false beliefs, it was hunted by humans and driven deep into the mountains, where it resides. It’s disaster sensing ability is also interestingly reflected in areas one can catch it. In Diamond and Pearl it’s found on Route 213, which is next to Lake Valor that will be drained by Team Galactic, and in Platinum it’s found on Mt Coronet, in areas close to where Team Galactic releases Giratina. In Black and White, it’s found in the Giant Chasm, where Team Plasma makes it’s stand in the sequel games. In Sun and Moon it’s found in Tapu Village, which was destroyed earlier by Tapu Bulu. And finally, in Pokemon Ranger: Shadows Over Almia, it can be found in the Altru Building and Altru Tower, from which Team Dim Sun plans to take control of all Pokémon in the region.
Absol’s design and name are one of the more interesting in the series. On one hand, it’s body is that of a black cat, which are commonly seen as signs of bad luck, and on the other hand, it’s black body is covered in thick, white fur, much a Bai Ze, a creature from Chinese mythology described as a white-furred beast with one horn on it’s head, which predicts disasters and warns people about them.
And its name is a mix of two Jewish words/names, “Absalom” which is associated with bad luck, and “Solomon” which is associated with peace. It also has several other details that have sparked numerous speculation, like how it’s head is shaped like a yin-yang symbol, or how it’s humanized face and feline body make it look like a Sphinx (further alluded to by it’s winged Mega form), or how it’s scythe-shaped tail and horn suggest a resemblance to the Western personified depiction of Death, who is related to destiny and disaster.
Character Overview of Absol / Mega Absol from the Pokémon games
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| Character Name / Aliases |
Absol & Mega Absol |
| Gameseries |
Pokémon |
| First Game |
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire |
| Last Game |
Pokemon Gen VIII Games |
| Developed /Created by |
Game Freak |
| First seen on |
GBA |
| Year first seen in |
2002 |
| Usual Character Role |
Enemy & Obtainable Character |
| Pokémon Type |
Dark |
| Abilities |
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| Height & Weight |
1 m, 120 cm / 47 kg |
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Official Game Art like Illustrations and Concept Art of Absol & Mega Absol
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Pokemon X & Y (2013)
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Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire (2002)
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Absol in Game-Art-HQ Art Collaborations
Selected Fan Art of Absol from Pokémon
Updates and Additions in Absol’s Game Art Gallery and Character Overview in the Game Character DB on GA-HQ
02.11.2019 – Creation of Absol’s article
