Gender unknown - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokmon encyclopedia

From Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia.

Gender unknown (Japanese: 性別不明 sex unknown) is a gender designation that species of Pokémon can have. Pokémon such as Voltorb, Staryu, and Mew that display neither a ♂ nor ♀ symbol in battle or on their summary screen are gender-unknown Pokémon.

In-universe, no one has been able to determine the gender of these Pokémon, including scientists.[1]

Terminology

In English-language official media, these Pokémon are generally referred to as being gender unknown,[2] as having or being of unknown gender,[3] or simply by stating that their gender is unknown.[4] As a prenominal adjective, it is generally hyphenated, such as in "gender-unknown Pokémon",[5] though it has also appeared without being hyphenated.[6]

Alternate terms that have been used officially include:

In Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Brilliant Diamond, and Shining Pearl, Picnicker Siena on Route 205 mentions that there are some Pokémon whose gender can't be toldDPBDSP or that are neither male nor femalePt; both of these merely correspond to usages of 「性別不明」 "sex unknown" in Japanese.[11]

The Japanese versions of the games also refer to gender-unknown Pokémon as having (Japanese: せいべつなし no gender, formatted in kanji as 性別なし no gender in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! and Pokémon HOME on the Nintendo Switch) in the search feature of the Pokémon Storage System and Pokémon HOME.[12]

As an Egg Group

In Pokémon Stadium 2 and in official Japanese and Chinese guidebooks for the Generation II and III games, Gender unknown also refers to an Egg Group consisting of gender-unknown Pokémon that are able to breed with Ditto, but this Egg Group has never actually existed in the coding of the games. In these sources, gender-unknown Pokémon are listed in this Egg Group rather than in their actual Egg Groups. While Pokémon Diamond and Pearl: Official Nintendo Player's Guide also lists Gender Unknown as an Egg Group, it lists the Pokémon with their actual Egg Groups in the data section.

In Pokémon Emerald: Prima's Official Strategy Guide, Pokémon 10th Anniversary Collector's Edition Complete Pokédex, and early Japanese official guidebooks for Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, gender-unknown Pokémon are instead listed in the No Eggs group, likely due to Ditto not being available without tradingRS/until after obtaining the National Pokédex in the Desert UnderpassE. Official guidebooks since Generation IV consistently list gender-unknown Pokémon in their actual Egg Groups.

Mechanics

Gender-unknown Pokémon (except Ditto) can only breed with Ditto. However, many gender-unknown Pokémon are in the No Eggs Discovered group, meaning that those Pokémon cannot breed at all. Ditto itself can be bred with any Pokémon that can breed (except Ditto), but the Eggs produced are always based on the other Pokémon's species.

In battle, gender-unknown Pokémon are immune to gender-based effects. They cannot become infatuated nor infatuate other Pokémon. The moves Attract and Captivate fail if used by or on these Pokémon. The Abilities Cute Charm and Rivalry do not affect gender-unknown Pokémon and have no effect if possessed by them.

Pokémon

Breedable

Unbreedable

In the anime

In To Catch a Rotom!, after Iris tries to have her Emolga use Attract on three Rotom, Professor Oak remarks that Rotom are neither male nor female.[13]

In other languages

Gender unknown

Unknown/Gender unknown[12]

References

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