Espeon and Umbreon
Encyclopedia
Espeon and Umbreon, known in Japan as and , are two Pokémon species in Nintendo
and Game Freak
's Pokémon
franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori
, they first appeared in the video games Pokémon Gold and Silver
and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise.
. It is a psychic type Pokémon. The appearance of Espeon is said to resemble the Japanese mythological creature known as Nekomata which also displays the feline body with forked tail tip
and solid colored eyes. An Espeon's fur is so sensitive it is used to sense air currents, allowing it to predict the weather, as well as the actions of its opponent in battle. Its forked tail quivers when this occurs. A red jewel
rests on its head and glows whenever Espeon uses its psychic abilities. Espeon are described as being very loyal to their trainers
once they consider them worthy. They are also said to develop precognitive
abilities in order to protect their trainers, Espeon become enabled to see into the future to identify potential threats. Eevee evolves into Espeon by having a high happiness level and leveling up during the day. A Sun Shard item can also be used in Pokémon XD, a Sun Ribbon in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue, Red
, Explorers of Time, and Explorers of Darkness
. According to IGN
, Espeon's English name is derived from "ESP" and the suffix "-eon", as with every evolution of Eevee.
Umbreon, known as the Moonlight
Pokémon, evolves from Eevee
when it has gained a complete trust of its trainer at night. Just like Espeon, Umbreon is also based on Japanese mythology, the moon rabbit
. It has the generic feline like body common for all the other evolutions of Eevee
, with a pair of crimson cat eyes and yellow bands on its ears and tail. Umbreon's forehead and legs have yellow rings on them, that resemble the symbol of eclipse, they are said to glow at night. Umbreon can spray a poisonous sweat whenever it gets agitated. Despite its appearance, Umbreon is a Pokémon of strong endurance. Umbreon tend to be found in dark areas such as thick forests, but are most commonly found under the care of people. Umbreons English name comes from UMBRA, the darkest part of an eclipse, followed by eon, as of all other eeveelutions. According to IGN, the origin for Umbreon's name comes from the Latin word for shadow, "umbral".
and later in their remake Pokémon Crystal. They were available only through evolving from Eevee
depending on its level of happiness; if it evolves during the day, it becomes Espeon, and if at night, it becomes Umbreon. It has since appeared in all main Pokémon titles. Outside of the main series, they appear in Pokémon Trozei!
, the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon
titles, the Pokémon Ranger
titles, Pokémon Colosseum
, and PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure. Outside of the main series, Espeon and Umbreon sometimes evolve using certain items. By itself, Espeon appears in Pokémon Channel
. In Pokémon Colosseum, Espeon and Umbreon are the two starter Pokémon.
, as a Pokémon owned by the film's villains.
In the anime, Ash Ketchum
's rival Gary Oak owns an Umbreon, which evolved sometime prior to the episode Power Play where it was shown to be battling an Alakazam, and had proved itself to be a strong battler. Umbreon was also seen with Gary during Putting the Air Back in Aerodactyl. It appeared again along with its Trainer in Ill-Will Hunting! where it helped Ash, Brock
and Dawn protect the herd of Shieldon from Pokémon Hunter J and her henchmen. Gary used Umbreon to battle Ash's Gligar in a practice match in Fighting Fear With Fear!. In Volume 14 of the Pokémon Adventures
manga, Karen is seen with an Umbreon. Karen also has an Umbreon in the game Pokémon Silver.
's Pokémon Chick wrote that Espeon was "beautiful" due to its "pair of haunting obsidian eyes" and while she preferred the original Eevee evolutions Jolteon, Flareon, and Vaporeon, Espeon has brought its "fare share of originality to the Pokemon pool". She did however describe Espeon as "basically just an Alakazam with horrendous move compatibility" in terms of its stats. She also wrote that the Pokémon Wynaut was good for being "less brittle" than Espeon. GameZone described Espeon and Umbreon as "powerful" and "cat-like" in Pokémon Colosseum
. Author Joanne O'Sullivan listed Espeon as a good video game-based name for a cat. In response to a series of Eevee line plushies, GamesRadar
's Raymond Padilla wrote "sadly, and rather inexplicably, Espeon gets shafted here".
1UP.com
's Michael Vreeland called Umbreon a "popular favorite". Pokémon Chick wrote that Umbreon was the only Eevee evolution that was not lacking in defense. She also wrote that Jolteon was given "steep competition" with its introduction. She added that she missed Umbreon in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire
. She described it as "beautiful" and a "ringed ebony tank". She also called it an "annoyer", a type of Pokémon who lacks "attacking moves". She compared it to other Dark-type Pokémon, such as Poochyena, Houndoom, and Absol. Early fan translations of Gold and Silver translated Umbreon's type to be "evil", which IGN's Pokémon of the Day Guy countered through the description of the Latin word "eon" which is a part of its name to mean "emanations sent forth by God from the depths of His grand solitude to fulfill various functions in the material and spiritual universe". Authors of The official pokémon handbook wrote that Umbreon was a "very useful Pokémon with great defensive skills".
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
and Game Freak
Game Freak
is a Japanese video game developer that currently creates games exclusively for Nintendo. It has developed the Pokémon series of role-playing games and several other games.-History:...
's Pokémon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori
Ken Sugimori
is a Japanese video game designer, illustrator, manga artist, and director. He is most famous as the character designer and art director for the Pokémon franchise. Sugimori is also credited with the art direction for other titles, including Pulseman. Sugimori drew all of the original 151 Pokémon...
, they first appeared in the video games Pokémon Gold and Silver
Pokémon Gold and Silver
are the second installments of the Pokémon series of role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color. The games have dual-mode capabilities allowing them to also be played on earlier Game Boy models. They were first released in Japan in 1999 and to...
and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise.
Concept and characteristics
Espeon is an evolved, lavender-colored, cat-like form of Eevee that became available with the Japanese release of Pokémon Gold and SilverPokémon Gold and Silver
are the second installments of the Pokémon series of role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color. The games have dual-mode capabilities allowing them to also be played on earlier Game Boy models. They were first released in Japan in 1999 and to...
. It is a psychic type Pokémon. The appearance of Espeon is said to resemble the Japanese mythological creature known as Nekomata which also displays the feline body with forked tail tip
Bakeneko
A is, in Japanese folklore, a cat with supernatural abilities akin to those of the fox or raccoon dog. A cat may become a bakeneko in a number of ways: it may reach a certain age, be kept for a certain number of years, grow to a certain size, or be allowed to keep a long tail. In the last case,...
and solid colored eyes. An Espeon's fur is so sensitive it is used to sense air currents, allowing it to predict the weather, as well as the actions of its opponent in battle. Its forked tail quivers when this occurs. A red jewel
Gemstone
A gemstone or gem is a piece of mineral, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments...
rests on its head and glows whenever Espeon uses its psychic abilities. Espeon are described as being very loyal to their trainers
Pokémon trainer
People with at least one Pokémon creature can be considered a Pokémon Trainer. In this sense, people in related Pokémon occupations, such as Pokémon coordinators or Pokémon breeders, can also be considered to be Pokémon Trainers....
once they consider them worthy. They are also said to develop precognitive
Precognition
In parapsychology, precognition , also called future sight, and second sight, is a type of extrasensory perception that would involve the acquisition or effect of future information that cannot be deduced from presently available and normally acquired sense-based information or laws of physics...
abilities in order to protect their trainers, Espeon become enabled to see into the future to identify potential threats. Eevee evolves into Espeon by having a high happiness level and leveling up during the day. A Sun Shard item can also be used in Pokémon XD, a Sun Ribbon in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue, Red
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team
and are a matched pair of Pokémon games for the Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance, respectively. These two games were developed by Chunsoft and were published by Nintendo....
, Explorers of Time, and Explorers of Darkness
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness
and are a matched pair of Pokémon games for the Nintendo DS. The two games were released in Japan on September 13, 2007, and were released in North America on April 20, 2008...
. According to IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
, Espeon's English name is derived from "ESP" and the suffix "-eon", as with every evolution of Eevee.
Umbreon, known as the Moonlight
Moonlight
Moonlight is the light that reaches Earth from the Moon. This light does not originate from the Moon, but from sunlight. The Moon does not, however, reflect sunlight like a mirror, but it reflects light from those portions of its surface which the Sun's light strikes. See diffuse reflection.In...
Pokémon, evolves from Eevee
Eevee
is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Eevee first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and subsequent sequels...
when it has gained a complete trust of its trainer at night. Just like Espeon, Umbreon is also based on Japanese mythology, the moon rabbit
Moon rabbit
The Moon rabbit, also called the Jade Rabbit, in folklore is a rabbit that lives on the moon, based on pareidolia that identifies the markings of the moon as a rabbit. The story exists in many cultures, particularly in East Asian folklore, where it is seen pounding in a mortar and pestle...
. It has the generic feline like body common for all the other evolutions of Eevee
Eevee
is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Eevee first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and subsequent sequels...
, with a pair of crimson cat eyes and yellow bands on its ears and tail. Umbreon's forehead and legs have yellow rings on them, that resemble the symbol of eclipse, they are said to glow at night. Umbreon can spray a poisonous sweat whenever it gets agitated. Despite its appearance, Umbreon is a Pokémon of strong endurance. Umbreon tend to be found in dark areas such as thick forests, but are most commonly found under the care of people. Umbreons English name comes from UMBRA, the darkest part of an eclipse, followed by eon, as of all other eeveelutions. According to IGN, the origin for Umbreon's name comes from the Latin word for shadow, "umbral".
In the video games
Espeon and Umbreon first appear in Pokémon Gold and SilverPokémon Gold and Silver
are the second installments of the Pokémon series of role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color. The games have dual-mode capabilities allowing them to also be played on earlier Game Boy models. They were first released in Japan in 1999 and to...
and later in their remake Pokémon Crystal. They were available only through evolving from Eevee
Eevee
is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Eevee first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and subsequent sequels...
depending on its level of happiness; if it evolves during the day, it becomes Espeon, and if at night, it becomes Umbreon. It has since appeared in all main Pokémon titles. Outside of the main series, they appear in Pokémon Trozei!
Pokémon Trozei!
, released as Pokémon Link! in Europe, is a Pokémon-themed puzzle video game for the Nintendo DS. It was released in Japan on October 20, 2005, in North America on March 6, 2006, in Australia on March 30, 2006, and in Europe on May 5, 2006.-Gameplay:...
, the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon
- Manga :*Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Ginji's Rescue Team, manga adaption of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team*Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blazing Exploration Team, manga adaption of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time, Explorers of Darkness, and Explorers of Sky.-...
titles, the Pokémon Ranger
Pokémon Ranger
is an action/role-playing video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS video game console. The game was released at various dates, varying between continents. The game was first released in Japan on March 22, 2006 and was later released in North America and...
titles, Pokémon Colosseum
Pokémon Colosseum
is a role-playing video game developed by Genius Sonority and published by Nintendo as part of the Pokémon series. It was released exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube on November 21, 2003 in Japan; March 22, 2004 in North America; and May 14, 2004 in Europe...
, and PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure. Outside of the main series, Espeon and Umbreon sometimes evolve using certain items. By itself, Espeon appears in Pokémon Channel
Pokémon Channel
Pokémon Channel, released in Japan as is a virtual pet video game for the GameCube, developed by Ambrella. Its focus is the adventures the player has with Pikachu, most of them involving a new television network...
. In Pokémon Colosseum, Espeon and Umbreon are the two starter Pokémon.
In other media
Espeon appears in the anime film, Pokémon HeroesPokémon Heroes
Pokémon Heroes: Latios and Latias, originally released in Japan as , is a 2002 Japanese animated film directed by Kunihiko Yuyama. It is the fifth film in the Pokémon series, complimenting Pokémon: Master Quest...
, as a Pokémon owned by the film's villains.
In the anime, Ash Ketchum
Ash Ketchum
Ash Ketchum, known as for all appearances in Japan, is a fictional character in the Pokémon franchise owned by Nintendo. He was created by, and named after, Satoshi Tajiri as the protagonist of the anime and manga series, as well as on various merchandise related to the franchise...
's rival Gary Oak owns an Umbreon, which evolved sometime prior to the episode Power Play where it was shown to be battling an Alakazam, and had proved itself to be a strong battler. Umbreon was also seen with Gary during Putting the Air Back in Aerodactyl. It appeared again along with its Trainer in Ill-Will Hunting! where it helped Ash, Brock
Brock (Pokémon)
Brock, known as in Japanese versions, is a video game character in the Pokémon franchise. In the Pokémon video games, he is the Gym Leader of Pewter City and mainly uses Rock -type Pokémon; in the anime series, he left his position as a Gym Leader to travel alongside Ash Ketchum and become a...
and Dawn protect the herd of Shieldon from Pokémon Hunter J and her henchmen. Gary used Umbreon to battle Ash's Gligar in a practice match in Fighting Fear With Fear!. In Volume 14 of the Pokémon Adventures
Pokémon Adventures
Pokémon Adventures, released in Japan as , is a Pokémon-related manga based on the video games. Satoshi Tajiri once stated that the Pocket Monsters Special series is closest to what he imagined the Pokémon world to be:...
manga, Karen is seen with an Umbreon. Karen also has an Umbreon in the game Pokémon Silver.
Reception
IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Pokémon Chick wrote that Espeon was "beautiful" due to its "pair of haunting obsidian eyes" and while she preferred the original Eevee evolutions Jolteon, Flareon, and Vaporeon, Espeon has brought its "fare share of originality to the Pokemon pool". She did however describe Espeon as "basically just an Alakazam with horrendous move compatibility" in terms of its stats. She also wrote that the Pokémon Wynaut was good for being "less brittle" than Espeon. GameZone described Espeon and Umbreon as "powerful" and "cat-like" in Pokémon Colosseum
Pokémon Colosseum
is a role-playing video game developed by Genius Sonority and published by Nintendo as part of the Pokémon series. It was released exclusively for the Nintendo GameCube on November 21, 2003 in Japan; March 22, 2004 in North America; and May 14, 2004 in Europe...
. Author Joanne O'Sullivan listed Espeon as a good video game-based name for a cat. In response to a series of Eevee line plushies, GamesRadar
GamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
's Raymond Padilla wrote "sadly, and rather inexplicably, Espeon gets shafted here".
1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
's Michael Vreeland called Umbreon a "popular favorite". Pokémon Chick wrote that Umbreon was the only Eevee evolution that was not lacking in defense. She also wrote that Jolteon was given "steep competition" with its introduction. She added that she missed Umbreon in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire
Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire
are the third installments of the Pokémon series of role-playing games, developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. The games were first released in Japan in late 2002 and later released to the rest of the world in 2003 . Pokémon Emerald, a special edition version,...
. She described it as "beautiful" and a "ringed ebony tank". She also called it an "annoyer", a type of Pokémon who lacks "attacking moves". She compared it to other Dark-type Pokémon, such as Poochyena, Houndoom, and Absol. Early fan translations of Gold and Silver translated Umbreon's type to be "evil", which IGN's Pokémon of the Day Guy countered through the description of the Latin word "eon" which is a part of its name to mean "emanations sent forth by God from the depths of His grand solitude to fulfill various functions in the material and spiritual universe". Authors of The official pokémon handbook wrote that Umbreon was a "very useful Pokémon with great defensive skills".