Arceus is thought of by Pokémon fans as being the Pokémon universe's equivalent to God. That's a heavy title for a Pokemon. But this mythical monster of the Sinnoh region has remained a staple of the franchise. It's set to be headlining the upcoming Pokémon Legends: Arceus game for the Switch, which is possibly going to be a major change for the franchise.
Arceus is a mythical Pokémon, which means it is difficult to obtain. As such, despite its significance to lore, not much is known about it. It's apparently the creator deity, and it rules over the other three legendaries of Sinnoh, but that's where commonly known facts end. Given Arceus' upcoming headlining role, it's time to learn what hardcore die-hard Pokémon fans know about this Normal-type titan.
Arceus May Be Based On The Qilin
Arceus has a somewhat abstract design. This makes sense, as it's supposed to be completely alien to modern life as the creator of everything. It's definitely an animal shape though. It has an equine shape that evokes horses, but it's likely based on the Qilin.
The Qilin is a chinese mythological creature commonly referred to as the "Chinese Unicorn." Those who saw Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings will recognize the Qilin from its appearance in the magical world of that film. The tall neck and detailing along the body of Arceus calls to mind the Qilin. Qilin frequently herald the arrival of a great sage, which the player trainer could possibly be.
Arceus Originally Was Supposed To Be Found In The Hall Of Origin
Due to its status of a Mythical Pokémon, Arceus was only available through events for a long time. But there was originally going to be an extra step. An item was going to be used in the Hall Of Origin to summon Arceus. But this Azure Flute was actually never distributed, making it a piece of unreleased Pokémon game paraphernalia.
There were three other items found through events in the Sinnoh games. All of them can be used to access content, even the never-distributed Azure Flute. Fans discovered via hacking that the game still prompts Arceus to appear even though the Flute was unreleased. Oddly, official sources later claim that Arceus debuted by being summoned by the Azure Flute.
Arceus Was A Villain In Pokémon Adventures
Pokémon Adventures is a manga adaptation of the games, and one of the longest-running Pokémon products. The franchise is praised for being more accurate to the games and for its dark tone. And there's not much darker than having a God as an antagonist. In the chapters adapting HeartGold & SoulSilver, Arceus appeared attempting to destroy humanity.
Arceus has become jaded by the evils of humanity. Given that the other major antagonist of the arc is Team Rocket, it's not hard to see why. Its Plate held items from the games are portrayed as being split from it unwillingly by humans looking to use its power for their own. Thankfully, the protagonists are able to bond with Arceus and convince it to spare humanity.
Arceus' Type Can Change
Speaking of the Plates, they're critical to Arceus' central ability in the game, Multitype. The Plates are useful Pokémon battle items to be held, each corresponding with one of the types and can change Arceus' type. There's a finite amount of them in every game, with the exception of the later addition Fairy Type Plate. These changes even extend to Arceus' color.
But that's not the only typing that changes. Arceus has a signature attack called Judgment, which also changes based on plate equipped. It's usually described as shooting beams of light like meteors at opponents, and is a quite powerful attack. It also can't be changed by effects that change other Pokemon's types, giving it a upper hand against those kinds of strategies.
Arceus' Name Is Consistent Between Languages
Pokémon is known for its different changes for different countries. The localization process for text-heavy RPG's is always extremely difficult. Pokémon is no different, as plenty of characters have had their names changed to make puns make sense in different languages. Arceus, however, is Arceus in every language it appears in.
Even the Chinese versions of Arceus' name, which may appear different at first, are still the same. They're merely somewhat corrupted versions of the Japanese spellings for Arceus. Arceus' name is set to be important in the upcoming game as well. Fans are theorizing that the modern Sinnoh region will take its name from an ancient description of Arceus itself.
Arceus Never Received A Gen 4 Pokédex Number
As Arceus is a mythical Pokémon, it wasn't originally revealed during promotion for the games. While its data had always been present in the game, players couldn't encounter it. They were waiting for the anime film Arceus and the Jewel of Life to officially announce it.
Nowadays, regional Dex numbers aren't as big of a deal as they used to be. But for players with living dexes who have caught 'em all, it is noteworthy. Of its generation, Arceus is the only Pokémon to not have this number associated with them (besides Kadabra, but they likely fit in between Abra and Alkazam). While an oddity of classification , it does help them stand out.
Arceus Doesn't Have A Consistent Pronunciation
Even going back to Arceus' first appearance in the anime film, there have been disagreements over how to pronounce its name. There are two generally accepted pronunciations for Arceus. Fans typically prefer a soft C , as in"ar-see-us," while official sources usually (but not always) go with "ar-key-us."
But that's not the only source of confusion over this name. The "eus" is often subject to variation as well. Some may pronounce the E longer or not at all.
Arceus' Name Has Greek and Latin Origins
While some Pokémon may be maligned for their lazy names, Arceus is not one of them. While the pronunciation is dubious, the meaning of the name is filled with grandeur. The "arch" prefix is usually used to refer to the highest of any cast. The "eus" is probably from "deus," meaning god in Latin.
But in addition to those more obvious derivations, there's a couple of over possible origins. Archaic, archon, and arkhe to name a few, meaning ancient, ruler, and origin respectively. The "eus" could also reference Zeus rather than deus. Curiously, the most common pronunciation doesn't quite match up with any of these origins.
Arceus Is Unrestricted In The Pokémon Card Game
Arceus is an extremely common archetype of cards in the Pokémon Trading Card Game. It can be found in every type except dragon and fairy. It can also be found paired alongside multiple other legendaries as well. This is probably because players can have as many Arceus cards as they want in their deck.
Just like basic energy cards, there's no limit to the amount of Arceus cards a player can have. This is probably due to its status as a primordial entity. There are 20 different types of Arceus cards, so there's plenty of choices. All of the Arceus Pokémon trading cards in the game are colorless, which makes them some of the most versatile for any good deck.
Arceus Has 1,000 Arms
The Pokédex can be a treasure trove of strange knowledge. The encyclopedia of Pokémon is known for some out-there information, and it even has some for Arceus. Most of the entries simply claim the Pokémon emerged from an egg before the universe existed. But a few of them claim it created the universe with 1,000 arms.
This visual of 1000 arms is indeed impressive, but the actual design of the Pokémon does not have any arms. This detail is probably inspired by the various creator deities Arceus is based on, such of those in Buddhism, Shintoism, and Hinduism. These gods usually had multiple arms, but also metaphorical "arms" in the form of angels and servants. In any case, fans agree that if Arceus does have 1,000 arms, they're likely invisible.