Though it is not often shown in the Pokémon franchise, there are rare occasions where Pokémon actually die. As the series is aimed at children when Pokémon fall in battle, they faint and need to rest rather than die; however, especially early on in the series, there were a few occasions where Pokémon died of illness, age, or accident. In response to this, the franchise has come up with a handful of ways to treat their dearly departed Pokémon.

The most in-game evidence for what happens to Pokémon after death comes from the first four generations, as recent generations have been more lighthearted. The anime and manga have touched on Pokémon death more often than the games, but those two media follow different rules from the games, making information from them somewhat untransferable. Pokèdex entries, like in Scarlet and Violet, are some of the best sources for the heavier topics of the franchise but often can give more questions than answers.

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The Circle Of Life In Pokémon

Haunter frightens Ash coming up behind him in the Pokémon anime

Throughout the series, there have been four things that happen when a Pokémon dies. The first is nothing, the Pokémon is simply gone and lived out the entirety of its life. The second outcome has been reincarnation, often in the form of a Ghost Type. A third way dead Pokémon have come back is as spirits that haunt areas like Lavender Tower or Mt. Pyre; and the final option has been in the form of Fossil Pokémon.

What We Know About Each Pokémon Death Type

Pokemon logo overlaid on earth background with fossil pngs

The first three options are relatively tied together, but not much is known about how which is decided. When a Pokémon dies, sometimes they will become spirits, and other times they won't. The one clear example of this, however, is in Pokémon Red and Blue's Lavender Town where a Marowak's angry spirit remains until calmed by the player. The third option, becoming a Ghost Type, is the one that is predictable, but is usually niche and only occurs under specific circumstances. Generation 9's Greavard is a great example of this, as its Pokèdex entry describes it as a dog Pokémon who died before ever meeting a human.

The fourth option is unrelated to the spiritual and also gets different explanations between the anime and the games. In the games, Fossil Pokémon are dead and with the use of science are brought back to life through the DNA in their fossils. This method is also challenging and lengthy, as the often underrated Fossil Pokémon have been long dead and preserved in the earth. This makes the likelihood of current Pokémon being brought back through this process minimal.

Death in the franchise is a topic Game Freak has rarely and will likely never put too much attention toward. The more complex areas of the lore do touch on these topics, but are harder to find and don't reveal as many answers as fans would want. Pokémon has never heavily relied on the lore or deeper workings for success, making the answer to what happens to Pokémon after death interesting, but not crucial to the series.

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