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Haunter (Pokémon)

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For other uses, see Haunter.
Haunter
Pokémon character
Haunter artwork by Ken Sugimori
First gamePokémon Red and Blue
Designed byKen Sugimori (finalized)[1]
Voiced by
In-universe information
SpeciesPokémon
TypeGhost and Poison

Haunter (/ˈhɔːntər/ ⓘ), known in Japan as Ghost (ゴースト, Gōsuto), is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Designed by Game Freak and originally intended to be renamed Spectre for North American audiences, their name is a derivative of the verb "to haunt" and is both the singular and plural name of the species. First appearing in Pokémon Red and Blue, they later appeared in subsequent sequels, spin-off titles such as Pokémon Snap, merchandise related to the series, and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise. In animated appearances, Haunter are voiced in Japanese by Toshiyuki Morikawa and in English localizations by Ted Lewis and Casey Mongillo.

Haunter has received a primarily positive response since its debut, being highlighted for its design and appearance. Its appearance in the manga Pokémon: The Electric Tale of Pikachu has been highlighted for its unique take on Haunter and on Ghost-typed Pokémon as a whole.

Conception and design

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Haunter is a species of fictional creatures called Pokémon created for the Pokémon media franchise. Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, the Japanese franchise began in 1996 with the video games Pokémon Red and Green for the Game Boy, which were later released in North America as Pokémon Red and Blue in 1998.[4] In these games and their sequels, the player assumes the role of a Trainer whose goal is to capture and use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon. Some Pokémon can transform into stronger species through a process called evolution via various means, such as exposure to specific items.[5] Each Pokémon have one or two elemental types, which define its advantages and disadvantages when battling other Pokémon.[6] A major goal in each game is to complete the Pokédex, a comprehensive Pokémon encyclopedia, by capturing, evolving, and trading with other Trainers to obtain individuals from all Pokémon species.[5]

Introduced in Red and Blue, Haunter is part of a three-stage evolutionary line in the franchise consisting of Gastly, itself and Gengar. Gastly can evolve into Haunter after it has obtained enough experience,[7] while Haunter evolves into Gengar when traded to another Trainer.[8] When making the games, the design first started as pixel art sprites by the development team, created with a single color identity chosen to work within the Super Game Boy hardware limitations.[9] While conceived as a group effort by multiple developers at Game Freak,[10] once development was complete Sugimori re-drew the species along with the others in his own artstyle in order to give the game a unified look and finalize any design elements, while also trying to maintain the original sprite artist's unique style.[1] Called Ghost in Japanese, when the games were localized for English-speaking audiences, Nintendo of America gave the various Pokémon species descriptive names related to their appearance or features as a means to make them more relatable to American children.[11] The species' name was initially changed to Spectre, before later being changed to Haunter.[7]

Appearances

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Haunter was introduced in Pokémon Red and Blue. It later appeared in the games Pokémon Diamond and Pearl,[12] Pokémon X and Y,[13] Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon,[14] Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!,[15] Pokémon Sword and Shield,[16] Pokémon Legends: Arceus,[17] and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.[8] The character has also appeared in related spinoff titles, including Pokémon Snap[18] and Pokémon Go.[19]

In the anime, Haunter first appeared in The Tower of Terror, where protagonist Ash Ketchum befriended it, and it followed him to Saffron City to battle gym leader Sabrina.[20] Instead of fighting however, it first fled, and during a rematch resorted to making faces and other antics in front of Sabrina, including blowing itself up with a harmless bomb. The result sends her into a laughing fit, disabling her Pokémon and letting Ash win by default. Afterward, it chooses to remain with her as Ash carries on his way.[21]

A gigantic Haunter called "The Black Fog" was featured in the fourth chapter of the manga series The Electric Tale of Pikachu, using its abilities to steal the souls of humans and Pokémon alike. Although Ash attempted to capture it, the Black Fog instead self-destructed. It was later revealed the Black Fog had once become accustomed to being worshiped as a god, and chose to die instead of being captured by a human.[22][23]

Critical reception

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Since its debut, Haunter has been well received both in the context of the Pokémon franchise and gaming in general.[24] In a retrospective of Pokémon from Red and Blue by Nintendo Life, Alex Olney called Haunter "one of the best ghost designs we've ever seen", further calling it simple but effective and rated it highly amongst the game's cast. Fellow staff members staff members Jon Cartwright and Zion Grassl agreed, with the later emphasizing the fear generated by its appearance, specifically citing its disembodied hands as a factor.[25] IGN staff editor Jack DeVries felt Haunter was "the real Ghost-Type Pokémon that sticks out in gamer memory" compared to its series counterparts due to its resemblance to common depictions of ghosts.[26] Madeline Virtue of DualShockers described it as one of the best designed Pokémon in the franchise, stating that "so much of Haunter is a suggestion" due to it consisting of just a head and disembodied hands, adding that the roundness of said head coupled with its sharp spikes "makes it unsettling, but still appealing." She further felt of its entire evolutionary line Haunter fared best as the games progressed from using 2D sprites to 3D models, stating that its design retained much of its charm.[27]

Other comparisons have been made between it and Gengar in terms of design. In Nintendo Life's aforementioned retrospective, Olney's felt that it was a better design than Gengar's "in many ways", with Cartwright stated that Gengar was far less intimidating by comparison.[25] IGN in their "Pokémon of the Day Chick" series of articles also shared these sentiments, stating its design "looks infinitely cooler" than Gengar, feeling that it had built "quite a loyal following for itself over the years" and encouraged players to utilize it over its evolved form.[28] James Osborn of Pocket Tactics stated Haunter's "crooked smile, spiky teeth, and detached hands" made it look "genuinely evil", but felt that much of that impact was lost when evolving into Gengar due to its grounded design, adding "We all want our ghost Pokémon to be spooky."[29] Cian Maher in an article for TheGamer meanwhile argued that while he felt Haunter's design was superior, the anime's recurring depiction of the character as a playful prankster also helped set it apart from Gengar and furthermore helped contrast its descriptions within the game's lore.[30]

Perceived horror aspects of Haunter's appearance and abilities have also been a frequent subject of discussion, with author Loredana Lipperini in the book Generazione Pókemon describing the latter as one of the franchise's more intense aspects.[31] Both Zack Zwiezen of Kotaku and Audrey Drake of IGN noted the disparity he implied maliciousness of its character in the game's Pokédex descriptions regarding its lick ability compared its personification in the anime, with Drake still voicing praise for Haunter as "one of the game's most eerily awesome monsters" despite that.[32] Ashley Darrow in the book Death, Culture, & Leisure argued that while while elements such as Haunter's Pokédex descriptions offered "little-to-no mechanical purpose" within the game itself, it helped paint that the setting was not sterilized contrary to popular perception due to the contemplations of death they implied.[33]

Carlyle Edmundson of Screen Rant cited Haunter's depiction as the Black Fog as an example of how much the Pokémon manga differed from the anime particularly in regard to its more mature themes, and described the Black Fog's characterization and willingness to die rather than be captured by a trainer serving as a "stark contrast from the goofy, prank-loving Haunter seen in the anime".[22] Edmundson elaborated further in a later article, describing the Black Fog as a "realistic take on Ghost-Type Pokémon". He added that while it was still recognizable as Haunter it was also quite different, serving as one of the franchise's scariest interpretations of a Pokémon. He felt the Black Fog not only set expectations how stronger Pokémon would be depicted in the media, but also found it "impressive what the manga was able to accomplish with so little to work with".[23]

References

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  1. ^ a b Ken Sugimori Works (in Japanese). Tankobon Softcover. January 2014. pp. 342–343. ISBN 9784198638061.
  2. ^ "Voice actor Ted Lewis is coming to HDCC!". Heroes Dutch Comic Con. 2024-05-28. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  3. ^ "Casey Mongillo". Zenkaikon. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  4. ^ Hilliard, Kyle (December 25, 2016). "Pokémon Red & Blue – A Look Back At The 20-Year Journey To Catch 'Em All". Game Informer. Archived from the original on October 1, 2023. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Allison, Anne (May 2006). Millennial Monsters: Japanese Toys and the Global Imagination. University of California Press. pp. 192–197. ISBN 9780520938991.
  6. ^ Pokémon Deluxe Essential Handbook. Scholastic Inc. July 28, 2015. p. 5. ISBN 9780545795661.
  7. ^ a b "Pokémon Details #093 Haunter". IGN. Archived from the original on 2012-04-03. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  8. ^ a b "How to evolve Haunter into Gengar easily in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet with a solo Haunter trade location". Eurogamer.net. 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  9. ^ Morrissy, Kim. "Pokémon Designers Reflect on History of Eevee's Design". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on 2022-11-26. Retrieved 18 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Creator Profile: The Creators of Pikachu". Pokemon.com. 26 July 2018. Archived from the original on April 9, 2022. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  11. ^ Chua-Euan, Howard (November 22, 1999). "PokéMania". Time. Archived from the original on February 20, 2001. Retrieved September 15, 2008.
  12. ^ Sledge, Ben (2021-11-27). "I Am The Only Person In The World Who Has Mindy's Gengar". TheGamer. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  13. ^ Carter, Chris (2013-11-13). "Very Quick Tips: Pokemon X & Y post-game". Destructoid. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  14. ^ "Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon - Abandoned Thrifty Megamart, Captain Acerola's Trial against Totem Mimikyu for Ghostium Z". Eurogamer.net. 2017-12-15. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  15. ^ Radulovic, Petrana (2018-11-27). "The best and most unexpected Pokémon you can ride in Pokémon: Let's Go!". Polygon. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  16. ^ Ramos, Jeff (2019-11-21). "Pokémon Sword and Shield guide: Special evolution methods and requirements". Polygon. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  17. ^ Donaldson, Alex (2022-02-03). "Pokemon Legends Arceus: How to evolve Haunter to get Gengar". VG247. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  18. ^ Littlechild, Chris (2020-06-29). "N64: 10 Classic Pokémon That Were Missing From The Original Pokemon Snap". TheGamer. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  19. ^ Lee, Julia (2022-10-11). "Pokémon Go Spotlight Hour: Can Haunter be Shiny?". Polygon. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  20. ^ Hideki Sonoda (writer) (October 7, 1998). "The Tower of Terror". Pokémon. Season Indigo League. Episode 23. Various.
  21. ^ Junki Takegami (writer) (October 8, 1998). "Haunter versus Kadabra". Pokémon. Season Indigo League. Episode 24. Various.
  22. ^ a b Edmundson, Carlyle (2021-01-27). "Pokémon's Most Insane Monsters Aren't In The Games Or Shows". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 2024-09-16. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  23. ^ a b Edmundson, Carlyle (2023-06-25). "Pure Nightmare Fuel - Pokémon's Scariest Ghost Was Worshiped as a God". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 2024-09-16. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  24. ^ Turi, Tim (October 2013). "Top Ten Ghosts". Game Informer. No. 246. p. 26. ISSN 1067-6392.
  25. ^ a b Olney, Alex (2021-12-25). "Feature: We've Ranked All 151 Gen 1 Pokémon And It Nearly Killed Us". NintendoLife. Event occurs at 1:13:40. Archived from the original on 13 December 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-05.
  26. ^ DeVries, Jack (2011-04-27). "Haunter #56 Top Pokémon". IGN. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  27. ^ Virtue, Madeline (2022-08-27). "10 Best Designed Pokémon, Ranked". DualShockers. Archived from the original on 2023-07-29. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  28. ^ "Pokemon Crystal Version - Pokémon of the Day: Haunter (#93)". IGN. 2002-10-13. Archived from the original on 2013-03-24. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  29. ^ Osborn, James (2023-03-27). "Ten Pokémon Evolutions which are a definite downgrade". Pocket Tactics. Archived from the original on 2024-09-16. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  30. ^ Maher, Cian (2021-10-30). "Pokemon's Greatest Ghost Will Always Be Haunter". TheGamer. Archived from the original on 2024-09-16. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  31. ^ Lipperini, Loredana (2000). Generazione Pókemon: I Bambini e L'invasione Planetaria Dei Nuovi 'Giocattoli di Ruolo' [Pokémon Generation: Children and the Planetary Invasion of New 'Role-Playing Toys'] (in Italian). Castelvecchi. pp. 146, 230. ISBN 88-8210-249-1.
  32. ^ Zwiezen, Zack (2019-10-26). "Haunter Has A Very Deadly Tongue". Kotaku. Archived from the original on 2024-09-16. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
  33. ^ Matt Coward-Gibbs, ed. (2020-08-20). "Chapter 2 - Peaceful in Death: Encountering Death in the Pokémon Universe". Death, Culture & Leisure: Playing Dead. Emerald Publishing Limited. p. 33. ISBN 9781839090370.
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