Hypno
Encyclopedia
Hypno, known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species in Nintendo
and Game Freak
's Pokémon
franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori
, Hypno first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue
and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise.
for the first generation of Pocket Monsters games Red and Green, which were localized outside of Japan as Pokémon Red and Blue
. Originally called "Sleeper" in Japanese, Nintendo decided to give the various Pokémon species "clever and descriptive names" related to their appearance or features when translating the game for western audiences as a means to make the characters more relatable to American children. As a result they were renamed Hypno which IGN states is derived from the word "hypnosis
".
Hypno is a humanoid creature resembling a bipedal, wingless griffin
. It always carries its favorite pendulum
in its hand, which it uses to put others to sleep. Hypno is a curiously sinister Pokémon that puts other Pokémon and people to sleep. It does so by swinging the pendulum, which it carries in its hand all the time. When hunting for prey, it will polish the mysterious pendulum. Eating the dreams of its foes is another sinister ability of Hypno. However, stomach pains will ail Hypno if it eats a nightmare
. At dusk, some Hypno will appear near schools and less-traveled roads. This may be to scare children and travelers at night and hypnotize them. In fact, there was once an incident where Hypno hypnotized and kidnapped
a child. It is possible that Hypno never sleeps, as evident by its Insomnia ability. Instead of sleeping, it probably energizes itself with meditation and by eating the dreams of those it puts to sleep. Hypno's menacing and semi-parted eyelids look sleep deprived.
and later in its remakes Pokémon Yellow and Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
. It evolves from Drowzee
by leveling up. It appears in each subsequent main Pokémon title since. Outside of the main series, Hypno appears in Pokémon Pinball
, Pokémon Trozei!
, the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon
titles, the Pokémon Ranger
titles, and Pokémon Rumble
.
's JC Fletcher wrote had an "interesting silhouette style" and that it was creepy because it depicted Hypno kidnapping children. IGN
commented that players may prefer Hypno to Alakazam, due to its heightened Defense statistics. IGN's Pokémon Chick wrote that "Hypno always has been and always will be my favorite Psychic type" and attributed it possibly due to its "luxurious white ruff and shiny pendulum". She added that it is the "only two-legged Pokemon I can stand to this day, really". She added that Hypno has "ungodly defense". GamesRadar
's Brett Elston wrote that due to learning moves so late players will "have something to look forward to". 1UP.com
's Richard Li called its appearance in Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness
"super weak and super boring". Destructoid
's Jim Sterling included it in his list of 30 "rubbish Pokémon" in Red and Blue. He wrote that it was "a disappointing evolution when compared to what they start out as" and "severely ugly-looking, with its Gonzo nose and nasty, slitty little eyes". Authors Jeffrey Nelson and Tim Bogenn called it the third best Psychic type Pokémon along with Alakazam.
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...
, Hypno first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue
Pokémon Red and Blue
Pokémon Red Version and Blue Version, originally released in Japan as , are role-playing games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. They are the first installments to the Pokémon series. They were first released in Japan in 1996 as Red and Green, with Blue being...
and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise.
Concept and characteristics
Hypno was one of several different designs conceived by Game Freak's character development team and finalized by Ken SugimoriKen 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...
for the first generation of Pocket Monsters games Red and Green, which were localized outside of Japan as Pokémon Red and Blue
Pokémon Red and Blue
Pokémon Red Version and Blue Version, originally released in Japan as , are role-playing games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. They are the first installments to the Pokémon series. They were first released in Japan in 1996 as Red and Green, with Blue being...
. Originally called "Sleeper" in Japanese, Nintendo decided to give the various Pokémon species "clever and descriptive names" related to their appearance or features when translating the game for western audiences as a means to make the characters more relatable to American children. As a result they were renamed Hypno which IGN states is derived from the word "hypnosis
Hypnosis
Hypnosis is "a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, relaxation and heightened imagination."It is a mental state or imaginative role-enactment . It is usually induced by a procedure known as a hypnotic induction, which is commonly composed of a long series of preliminary...
".
Hypno is a humanoid creature resembling a bipedal, wingless griffin
Griffin
The griffin, griffon, or gryphon is a legendary creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle...
. It always carries its favorite pendulum
Pendulum
A pendulum is a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely. When a pendulum is displaced from its resting equilibrium position, it is subject to a restoring force due to gravity that will accelerate it back toward the equilibrium position...
in its hand, which it uses to put others to sleep. Hypno is a curiously sinister Pokémon that puts other Pokémon and people to sleep. It does so by swinging the pendulum, which it carries in its hand all the time. When hunting for prey, it will polish the mysterious pendulum. Eating the dreams of its foes is another sinister ability of Hypno. However, stomach pains will ail Hypno if it eats a nightmare
Nightmare
A nightmare is an unpleasant dream that can cause a strong negative emotional response from the mind, typically fear or horror, but also despair, anxiety and great sadness. The dream may contain situations of danger, discomfort, psychological or physical terror...
. At dusk, some Hypno will appear near schools and less-traveled roads. This may be to scare children and travelers at night and hypnotize them. In fact, there was once an incident where Hypno hypnotized and kidnapped
Kidnapping
In criminal law, kidnapping is the taking away or transportation of a person against that person's will, usually to hold the person in false imprisonment, a confinement without legal authority...
a child. It is possible that Hypno never sleeps, as evident by its Insomnia ability. Instead of sleeping, it probably energizes itself with meditation and by eating the dreams of those it puts to sleep. Hypno's menacing and semi-parted eyelids look sleep deprived.
In the video games
Hypno first appears in the video games Pokémon Red and BluePokémon Red and Blue
Pokémon Red Version and Blue Version, originally released in Japan as , are role-playing games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. They are the first installments to the Pokémon series. They were first released in Japan in 1996 as Red and Green, with Blue being...
and later in its remakes Pokémon Yellow and Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
are enhanced remakes of the original Pokémon Red and Blue video games, which were released in 1996. The new titles were developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance and have compatibility with the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter, which originally came bundled with...
. It evolves from Drowzee
Drowzee
Drowzee, known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Drowzee first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed...
by leveling up. It appears in each subsequent main Pokémon title since. Outside of the main series, Hypno appears in Pokémon Pinball
Pokémon Pinball
is a pinball-based Pokémon spin-off video game for the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on April 14, 1999, and in North America on June 28, 1999. In it, the ball is a Poké Ball, and most of the objects on the table are Pokémon-related....
, 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, and Pokémon Rumble
Pokémon Rumble
Pokémon Rumble is a Pokémon video game for WiiWare. It was developed by Ambrella. Pokémon Rumble was rated "E10+" by the ESRB, making it the first Pokémon video game to be given an ESRB rating higher than "E" for Everyone...
.
Reception
Hypno has appeared in several pieces of promotional material including a t-shirt which JoystiqJoystiq
Joystiq is a video gaming blog founded in June 2004 that has since become one of the most successful sites within the Weblogs, Inc. family of weblogs. It is the centerpiece of WIN's own network of video gaming blogs, which also includes a blog dealing specifically with the popular MMORPG World of...
's JC Fletcher wrote had an "interesting silhouette style" and that it was creepy because it depicted Hypno kidnapping children. 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...
commented that players may prefer Hypno to Alakazam, due to its heightened Defense statistics. IGN's Pokémon Chick wrote that "Hypno always has been and always will be my favorite Psychic type" and attributed it possibly due to its "luxurious white ruff and shiny pendulum". She added that it is the "only two-legged Pokemon I can stand to this day, really". She added that Hypno has "ungodly defense". 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 Brett Elston wrote that due to learning moves so late players will "have something to look forward to". 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 Richard Li called its appearance in Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness
Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness
Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, released in Japan as , is the second console role-playing game from Nintendo's Pokémon franchise for the Nintendo GameCube. It is the successor of the GameCube game Pokémon Colosseum. The game takes place in Orre, the setting of Pokémon Colosseums adventure mode...
"super weak and super boring". Destructoid
Destructoid
Destructoid is an independent video game-focused blog based in San Francisco, California that was founded in March 2006. It has since grown into one of the most widely read video game sites on the Internet, reaching more than 3 million unique visitors per month...
's Jim Sterling included it in his list of 30 "rubbish Pokémon" in Red and Blue. He wrote that it was "a disappointing evolution when compared to what they start out as" and "severely ugly-looking, with its Gonzo nose and nasty, slitty little eyes". Authors Jeffrey Nelson and Tim Bogenn called it the third best Psychic type Pokémon along with Alakazam.