Rayquaza (Japanese: レックウザ Rayquaza) is a dual-type Dragon/Flying Legendary Pokémon introduced in Generation III.
While it is not known to evolve into or from any other Pokémon, Rayquaza can Mega Evolve into Mega Rayquaza if it knows Dragon Ascent, but only if it is not holding a Z-Crystal.
(Specifics may differ in past games. Refer to Game data→Form data for these details.)
Rayquaza is the game mascot of Pokémon Emerald, appearing on the boxart of the game. It serves to end the conflict between Kyogre and Groudon when Team Magma's leader Maxie and Team Aqua's leader Archie awakened them.
Along with Kyogre and Groudon, Rayquaza is one of the super-ancient Pokémon, often viewed as their leader by fans. In Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, it plays an important role during the Delta Episode. It is associated with Deoxys.
Biology
Encountering Rayquaza 
Destroying a meteoroidRayquaza is a large, green, serpentine Pokémon that also resembles a missile. It has red-tipped, rudder-like wings on its shoulders and down its body, and similarly patterned fins on the tip of its tail. Yellow ring-like symbols run across the length of Rayquaza's body and it has an additional yellow ring on top of its head. Rayquaza has two limbs with three-clawed hands, and two long, flat, horn-like structures on its head, with two shorter horns along its jawline. It has small, yellow eyes with black pupils, prominent pink gums, and two discernible fangs in its upper jaw.
Rayquaza has a strong and endless desire to do heroic deeds for the Pokémon world.[1] Rayquaza can halt the endless battles of the other two super-ancient Pokémon, even in their Primal Forms.[2][3] Rayquaza is the only one who can stop the duo and restore order to nature. Rayquaza is said to have lived for hundreds of millions of years in the ozone layer, where it feeds on water and other particles. It also preys on the Minior above the Alola region and even feeds on meteoroids, particularly Mega Stones. Rayquaza is rarely seen by people; even in flight, its appearance is indistinguishable from that of a meteor. It can breathe in outer space. Rayquaza can be summoned by a Key Stone.
Rayquaza possesses some of the strongest attack power out of any Pokémon; it can easily summon cyclones to overwhelm its opponents. It can soar into the sky and droop out into its foes at high speeds, causing huge damage. Thanks to its weather-manipulation powers, it can eliminate weather effects. Rayquaza was worshiped by the Draconid people along with the people of Hoenn as the savior of the region. Thus, they built the Sky Pillar to honor it. In the manga, the Draconids referred to it as their "Dragon Lord". It is one of the longest-lived Pokémon species. Rayquaza loves Rayquaza Treats made by Snacksworth, who once encountered it in the past. Inside Rayquaza's body lies an organ that contains the same power as a Mega Stone. A Devon Corporation scientist named this organ the mikado organ (Japanese: ミカド器官). By consuming meteoroids as it flies through the stratosphere, the organ will be filled with enough energy to enable Rayquaza's Mega Evolution.
Rayquaza is bitter enemies with Deoxys, with the two often clashing with each other, as depicted in the movie Destiny Deoxys and the games Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire and Masters EX.
Rayquaza is the only known Pokémon capable of learning the move Dragon Ascent. It is also the only known Pokémon that can have Air Lock as an Ability.
Forms
Rayquaza can Mega Evolve into Mega Rayquaza.
As Mega Rayquaza, its body becomes longer and gains more features. Its head becomes longer with the Δ symbol appearing on its forehead. Rayquaza's eyes now contain yellow pupils with red irises, and black, shichishito-shaped markings trail behind its eyes. Its red lips and teeth become gold, and the gold lines connect to those on its lower horns, which take on a broad, triangular shape. At the outer edges of its lower horns are long, golden, glowing tendrils that each extend to a green, fin-like structure; these tendrils have ring patterns that strongly resemble the yellow markings running along the length of Rayquaza's normal form. While in flight, these tendrils give Mega Rayquaza a Δ-shaped profile. Its two upper horns become longer with a gold line running over them in a V shape, and each upper horn has another glowing tendril that ends in a circular shape with a spike. Along the length of its body are golden, glowing orbs placed where its ring patterns used to be. The chin, part of the neck, and parts of its serpentine body are changed to the color black. The fins running along its body are now marked with gold lines; the fins on its tail become entirely yellow and substantially longer. Particles stream from the long tendrils that extend from its jutting jaw; these particles can control the density and humidity of the air, allowing Mega Rayquaza to manipulate the weather. Its green hide sparkles with an emerald-like quality.[4]
Mega Rayquaza was said to have been born from humanity's wish for salvation, channeled through the Key Stone of a Draconid Lorekeeper. Rayquaza is the first recorded Pokémon to achieve Mega Evolution and is at its full power when in the Mega Evolved state. Thanks to its weather-manipulating powers, it can change the weather to eliminate all of the Flying type's weaknesses. As seen in Mega Evolution Special II, Rayquaza can Mega Evolve even without a Key Stone. Mega Rayquaza has the power to undo the primal forms of Groudon and Kyogre. It is capable of destroying meteors bigger than itself as seen with the Grand Meteor Delta.
Mega Rayquaza is the only known Pokémon that can have Delta Stream as an Ability.
Game data
NPC appearances
- Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire: Rayquaza is the focus of the third and final Bonus Field. It can only be challenged after capturing Groudon or Kyogre and will then join the circuit of bonus fields. Rayquaza will bounce along from left to right, allowing the ball to roll under it if it is up. It will sometimes use Thunder to paralyze the ball if it is not moving fast enough, though it does stay still while it is unleashing the attack. Rayquaza will also sometimes use ExtremeSpeed to create two tornadoes that cause the ball to fly up into the air for several seconds if contact is made. Rayquaza must be hit 15 times in three minutes to win. After beating the round twice, Rayquaza will be captured.
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rayquaza acts as the final boss, living on the Sky Tower. After it is defeated, Rayquaza helps save the world from a meteor. After the credits roll, the player can re-battle Rayquaza to recruit it.
- Pokémon Ranger: Rayquaza can be captured in a bonus mission after the credits.
- Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Darkness: Rayquaza is the guardian of the Sky Melodica.
- Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon: Rayquaza first appears early into the game, fleeing to space in fear of Dark Matter's influence. When Dark Matter attempts to take the Tree of Life to space, Rayquaza and Deoxys use their energy to try and slow its ascent from above, with Rayquaza even Mega Evolving. Ultimately, when Dark Matter regenerates itself for the first time, it unleashes even more energy, turning both Rayquaza and Deoxys to stone. At the conclusion of the event, Rayquaza turns back to normal and takes residence at Dragon Gate and guards the Wind Looplet.
Pokédex entries
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Game locations
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In side games
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In events
| Games | Event | Language/Region | Location | Level | Distribution period |
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| DP | Nintendo of Korea Rayquaza | Korean | South Korea | 70 | May 31 to July 17, 2008 |
| BW | 15th Anniversary Rayquaza | Japanese | Japan | 100 | February 10 to 27, 2012 |
| BW | Nobunaga's Black Rayquaza | Japanese | Japan Wi-Fi | 70 | March 17 to April 16, 2012 |
| XYORAS | Winter 2015 World Hobby Fair Rayquaza | All | Japan | 70 | January 18 to February 8, 2015 |
| XYORAS | CoroCoro Rayquaza | Japanese region | Online | 70 | March 14 to May 15, 2015 |
| ORAS | Pokémon Spring Carnival 2015 Rayquaza | All | South Korea | 70 | May 2 to 5, 2015 |
| XYORAS | Singapore Summer 2015 Rayquaza | Japanese region | Online | 70 | May 6 to July 31, 2015 |
| XYORAS | Singapore Summer 2015 Rayquaza | American region | Online | 70 | May 6 to July 31, 2015 |
| ORAS | Galileo Rayquaza | PAL region | Online | 70 | August 10, 2015 to January 27, 2016 |
| ORAS | Galileo Rayquaza | American region | Online | 70 | August 12 to September 14, 2015 |
| XYORAS | Nintendo Hong Kong Rayquaza | Japanese region | Online | 70 | September 11 to October 31, 2015 |
| XYORAS | Nintendo Hong Kong Rayquaza | PAL region | Online | 70 | September 11 to October 31, 2015 |
| XYORAS | Nintendo Hong Kong Rayquaza | Taiwanese region | Online | 70 | September 11 to October 31, 2015 |
| ORAS | Pokémon Center Hiroshima Rayquaza | All | Japan | 70 | February 1 to 29, 2016 |
| ORAS | Pokémon Center Skytree Town Rayquaza | All | Japan | 100 | July 5, 2016 July 6 to September 4, 2016 |
Pokémon Global Link promotions
Held items
Stats
Base stats
Rayquaza
Mega Rayquaza
Pokéathlon stats
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Learnset
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Side game data
Rayquaza
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Mega Rayquaza
Form data
Mega Evolution
Rayquaza can Mega Evolve into Mega Rayquaza if it knows Dragon Ascent, but only if it is not holding a Z-Crystal. In Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, the Rayquaza featured in the Delta Episode must be caught (which requires it to eat the Meteorite) before the player can Mega Evolve any Rayquaza.
Evolution data
Sprites
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In the anime
Mega Rayquaza in the anime 
Shiny Rayquaza in the anime 
Shiny Mega Rayquaza in the animeMain series
Major appearances
Rayquaza (M07)
Rayquaza debuted in Destiny Deoxys. It fought Deoxys, believing it was invading the Sky High Pokémon's territory when Deoxys was in fact looking for its friend, another Deoxys.
Rayquaza (Pokémon the Series: XY)
In Mega Evolution Special II, a Rayquaza showed up and Mega Evolved. Alain and Steven tried to battle it, but they were quickly defeated by the Sky High Pokémon. In Mega Evolution Special III, it tried to stop the destructive battle between Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre as both were trying to obtain the Giant Rock, and eventually succeeded.
Black Rayquaza
In The Ancient Poké Ball, a Shiny Rayquaza that once belonged to Lucius emerged from Roy's Ancient Poké Ball before flying away. Finding it again provided Roy with inspiration to start traveling with the Rising Volt Tacklers.
Other
In Malice In Wonderland!, Cynthia appeared to own a Rayquaza, but it was only an illusion created by Mismagius. Whenever Mismagius fuses with Rayquaza, it becomes the same color as the Mismagius, making it look like a Shiny Rayquaza.
Rayquaza made its physical main series debut in Where No Togepi Has Gone Before!. It used Hyper Beam on the rocket ship Ash, his friends, and Team Rocket were on, presumably in order to protect its territory from them.
In BWS02, Iris saw a Rayquaza and decided to follow it and see where it would go next.
In Hoopa and the Clash of Ages, a Shiny Rayquaza capable of Mega Evolving was summoned alongside Latios and Latias by Hoopa to protect it from the shadow Hoopa Unbound. The trio protected Hoopa from the shadow Hoopa and its reinforcements, Primal Groudon, Primal Kyogre, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, and Kyurem, in Dahara City. Eventually, the battle ended after the shadow Hoopa was sealed in a Prison Bottle, and Rayquaza departed for its home.
In Living on the Cutting Edge!, a Rayquaza was battling Deoxys in outer space. The battle accidentally caused one of the meteors to head towards Alola, though it was ultimately cut up by a Kartana, saving the region from harm.
Minor appearances
In the opening sequence of Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea, a Rayquaza was captured by Team Rocket operatives and experimented on.
A Rayquaza appeared in the opening sequence of Lucario and the Mystery of Mew.
In the opening sequence of The Rise of Darkrai, a Rayquaza fired a Hyper Beam at a Lucario.
A Rayquaza appeared in the opening sequence of Zoroark: Master of Illusions.
In Showering the World with Love!, Ash and his classmates saw a Rayquaza in the sky at Starfall Hill after saying goodbye to Minior.
A Rayquaza appeared in a fantasy in Time After Time!.
A Rayquaza appeared in Getting More Than You Battled For!.
A silhouetted Rayquaza appeared in a fantasy in Healing the Healer!.
A Rayquaza appears in a vision in In the Palms of our Hands!.
Pokédex entries
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Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire Animated Trailer
In the Pokémon Omega Ruby and Pokémon Alpha Sapphire Animated Trailer, a Rayquaza descended from the ozone layer and Mega Evolved.
Pokémon Generations
In The Scoop, a Trainer's Mega Rayquaza destroyed the Grand Meteor Delta. It later battled a wild Deoxys that appeared from inside the Meteor, allowing its Trainer to catch it.
GOTCHA!
A Rayquaza briefly appeared as a silhouette in GOTCHA!.
Pokémon Evolutions
Mega Rayquaza in Pokémon EvolutionsA Rayquaza appeared in The Wish. It first appeared in a fantasy told by Zinnia as she recounted the history of the Draconid people to May, and was later summoned by Zinnia to stop a meteorite. Understanding it chose May over her, Zinnia let May battle and catch it, allowing Rayquaza to Mega Evolve under her ownership in her battle against Zinnia.
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
Main article: Rayquaza (Adventures)Rayquaza debuted in Rayquaza Redemption I, where Norman sought it out to stop the battle between Groudon and Kyogre in Sootopolis City, using Wally's help to gain access to its sealed chamber inside Sky Pillar. While Rayquaza's power alone was insufficient to stop the battle, Ruby was able to combine it with the powers of the Red and Blue Orbs, successfully stopping the conflict. Afterwards, Rayquaza broke free of the weakened Norman's control and fled. In the Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire arc, Ruby and Norman once again sought to use Rayquaza to avert a crisis, this time to destroy a giant meteoroid that was threatening the planet. Zinnia also wanted to use Rayquaza for the same purpose, believing herself to be the one who should carry out the task. However, after Rayquaza rejected her, it befell to Ruby and Sapphire to ride Rayquaza to space and Mega Evolve it in order to destroy the meteoroid.
In this canon, Rayquaza was once captured by the Pokémon Association in order to study it and create an artificial Green Orb in order to control it, but the artifact was never fully completed before Rayquaza escaped its imprisonment.
Pokémon Pocket Monsters
A Rayquaza appears in Pokémon Task Force In Action!!, where Red, Clefairy, Pikachu, and Tyrogue try to stop it from destroying a city.
Let's Play the Pokémon Card Game XY!
Manabu was seen with a Rayquaza.
Movie adaptations
Main article: Rayquaza (M07)Rayquaza plays a major role in the manga adaptation of Destiny Deoxys.
A Shiny Rayquaza appears in Hoopa and the Clash of Ages.
Pocket Monsters DP
A Rayquaza appeared in PMDP29.
In the TCG
Main article: Rayquaza (TCG)Other appearances
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Rayquaza in Super Smash Bros. BrawlRayquaza appears in The Subspace Emissary mode as a boss. After Diddy Kong lands in The Lake, Rayquaza lunges out of the water and grabs him, angry at being disrupted. Before it can further attack, Fox ejects out of his ship, which had crashed and been destroyed by Rayquaza earlier, and rescues Diddy Kong. Enraged, Rayquaza attacks Fox with Dragon Pulse, but Fox reflects its attack back at it, sending it reeling back into the water. Rayquaza soon launches back out and engages in battle against Fox and Diddy Kong.
Like all other Subspace Emissary bosses, Rayquaza is later battled again in The Great Maze, and can be fought in the Boss Battles mode after the latter is unlocked. Its attacks in battle include ExtremeSpeed, Thunder, Dig*, Iron Tail, and Fly.
Trophy information
A Sky High Pokémon. It normally resides high up in the ozone layer where it flies endlessly, so it is rarely seen. However, when Groudon and Kyogre began to fight, it appeared to calm them down. It has the ability Air Lock, which blocks all weather-condition effects. It has exceedingly strong abilities, and its attack power is especially remarkable.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U
Rayquaza in Super Smash Bros. for Wii URayquaza appears as an occasional stage hazard in the Dragonmark Chamber of the Kalos Pokémon League stage. Appearing rarely, it flies across the stage at various angles, dealing damage to fighters. Its path is shown briefly by lightning before it appears, giving players time to avoid it.
Trophy information
This Dragon- and Flying-type Pokemon usually dwells high in the ozone layer, so it can't be seen from the ground. In the Kalos Pokemon League stage, it occasionally flies at great speed through the Elite Four's Dragon-type chamber, where any fighters in its path will be damaged and launched with great force.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Rayquaza appears as a Spirit, as well as retaining its rare appearance in the Dragonmark Chamber on the Kalos Pokémon League stage.
Music
This is a list of music associated with Rayquaza in the Pokémon games.
Trivia
- Mega Rayquaza has the highest base Attack and Special Attack stats and the highest base stat total of all Dragon-type and Flying-type Pokémon.
- Mega Rayquaza is the tallest Mega Evolved Pokémon.
- Rayquaza's catch rate was raised from its original value of 3 to 45 in Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. This is likely due to it being a required capture during the Delta Episode storyline of that game. Its catch rate was later reverted from 45 back to 3 in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.
- Rayquaza was the most voted Pokémon of all pre-Generation V Pokémon in the Korean Pokémon Global Link promotion poll.
- Rayquaza is misspelled as "Rayquayza" at the player select screen of Pokémon Team Turbo.
- Rayquaza is the only Pokémon capable of Mega Evolving that does not require a Mega Stone to do so in the games.
- It is, therefore, the only Pokémon that can have a different held item (apart from Z-Crystals) while Mega Evolved, since Mega Stones cannot be taken off their proper holder during battle.
- It is also the only Pokémon not to have the message "(The opposing) <Pokémon>'s <Mega Stone> is reacting to its Key Stone!" when it Mega Evolves. Instead, it has the message "<player>'s fervent wish has reached Rayquaza!".
- Mega Rayquaza is tied with Mewtwo's Mega Evolutions for the highest base stat total of all Pokémon, with 780, excluding non-playable Eternamax Eternatus.
- This makes it the only Pokémon with a base stat total above 720 that doesn't require a specific held item.
- Rayquaza was designed by Hironobu Yoshida.[7]
- In the Pokémon of the Year poll held by The Pokémon Company in 2020, Rayquaza was voted the most popular Generation III Pokémon, receiving 60,939 votes. It was also the eighth-most popular Pokémon overall.
- It was also voted as the most popular Legendary Pokémon, as well as being the only Legendary to make the top ten results.
Origin
Rayquaza's design is probably based on the Chinese dragon and the Lindworm. Its role is similar to that of Ziz in Hebrew legends. It matches the description of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl, who was depicted as a flying serpent and created the boundary between the earth (including the oceans) and the sky. The markings on its body may be inspired from The Nazca Lines. Its trait of being capable of inhabiting the skies, and living there while subsisting on nothing but dew and particles for centuries, also bears aspects of the legendary Chinese xian hermit sages and East Asian dragons, specifically Japanese dragons, who are commonly depicted with three claws, as opposed to four in Chinese dragons.
Rayquaza being a dragon coming from the cosmic space on earth might take inspiration from meteorites, the Draconids meteor shower named after Draco constellation, or the comet that gave the name Pendragon to the legendary King of the Britons. The yellow marking on Mega Rayquaza's head appear similar to the Greek letter delta what might allude to the Delta Episode from Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire.
Name origin
Rayquaza may be derived from 裂空 rekkū (sky-rending), a word appearing in various media and merchandise that featured Rayquaza. The latter half may be derived from 座 za (seat), relating to compounds such as 星座 seiza (constellation) and 王座 ōza (throne). It may also involve רָקִיעַ rāqī́aʿ (Hebrew for firmament), ray, and quasar.
Rayquaza's mikado organ refers to 帝 mikado (emperor), another name for the Emperor of Japan.
In other languages
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See also
References
External links
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