Alpha Pokémon

This article is about the wild Pokémon variant. For other uses, see Alpha (disambiguation).

An alpha Pokémon (Japanese: オヤブン boss) is a variety of Pokémon that were introduced in Pokémon Legends: Arceus. They are larger-than-normal Pokémon that appear in the wild with increased combat capabilities. Alpha Pokémon can be identified with the icon in the Pokémon's summary screen and on their health bar in the wild (if transferred to Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, they have the Alpha Mark instead). Additionally, wild alpha Pokémon have glowing red eyes, with the exception of Zubat; this trait is not retained upon capture.

In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Pokémon who were previously identified as alpha Pokémon will have the title "Former Alpha" and with the Alpha Mark instead.

Alpha Pokémon are set to return in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, retaining the same traits and behavior as in Legends: Arceus^[1]

In the core series games

Pokémon Legends: Arceus

Shortly after the player joins the Survey Corps, an alpha Kricketune intrudes Deertrack Heights. Mai, the warden who oversees Wyrdeer, enlists Akari/Rei to help defeat the Kricketune, who in turn asks the player to aid Mai due to their skill in Pokémon battles.

While Ingo is leading the player through Wayward Cave, an alpha Crobat appears along the route. Ingo insists that the player not battle it due to the reduced visibility caused by the absence of the cave's torches, and leads them on a detour to avoid it. The player is unable to battle or catch this particular alpha Pokémon until Ingo reinstalls the torches in the cave.

During the three Trials of the Lake guardians, the player has to face an alpha Pokémon at each lake; Hisuian Goodra at Lake Verity, Overqwil at Lake Valor, and Hisuian Zoroark at Lake Acuity.

During the post-game, when the player goes to meet Volo at Grueling Grove, the two are ambushed by an alpha Vespiquen. After defeating the Pokémon, the player receives a Stone Plate from it.

Gameplay

In the wild, alpha Pokémon will be at a higher level than other species of the same kind that can be found in that area, will have at least three stats with individual values of 31 (expressed in this game as initial effort levels of 3) and will know and have mastered a move that cannot be learned by leveling up. Alpha Pokémon cannot be caught outside of battle if they are significantly higher level than the player's current obedience level. They can, however, be caught regardless of level during a battle with them. If caught, alpha Pokémon will count as heavy specimens and large specimens for research tasks. Regardless of the species' normal behavior, alpha Pokémon (except for Mantyke and Mantine) are always aggressive towards the player and will never run away, unless a space-time distortion appears around it or it is a species which only appears in the wild at certain times of day. If an alpha Pokémon spots the player, it will roar out a shockwave which, if close enough, will cause the player to be knocked to the ground; they are also forcibly dismounted from their Ride Pokémon if riding Wyrdeer, Ursaluna, or Sneasler.

Upon entering battle, wild alpha Pokémon are filled with Wild Might (Japanese: 野性の力 Wild Strength), as indicated by their glowing red eyes. This increases all of a Pokémon's stats, independently of in-battle stat boosts, and reduces damage from status conditions. Alpha Pokémon can also use agile style and strong style moves in battle.

There are three types of ways alpha Pokémon may spawn:

Fixed alpha Pokémon spawns will always be generated upon entering a given area of the Hisui region, and will be at a fixed level; for instance, the alpha Rapidash in the Obsidian Fieldlands is always Lv. 40. These alpha Pokémon will also automatically respawn after two full in-game days.
Random alpha Pokémon spawns may occur after the player has quelled the area's noble Pokémon. Alpha Pokémon, of the same species as the location's standard spawns, each have a small chance of appearing (between a 0.2% and 2% chance). Each location has its own rates for how likely each alpha Pokémon may spawn, including space-time distortions. Prior to the Daybreak update, during mass outbreaks, at most one alpha Pokémon could appear, however this limit was later lifted to account for the "exclusively alpha" bonus waves of massive mass outbreaks.
During a massive mass outbreak, clearing all Pokémon in a location may cause a second wave of Pokémon to appear in the same location; if this occurs, the second wave may be composed entirely of alpha Pokémon.

During the battle against Giratina at the Temple of Sinnoh, it will be filled with Terrible Might (Japanese: すさまじい力 Tremendous Strength), which has an identical effect to Wild Might.

In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, alpha Pokémon transferred from Legends: Arceus will gain the Alpha Mark. They will not retain their unique sizes in these games, but will return to their alpha size when brought back to Legends: Arceus. Instead, they will be at the largest non-alpha height value that the species can have.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A

Like in Legends: Arceus, alpha Pokémon are larger than is typical of their species, have red glowing eyes, and will chase and attack the player. They are powerful and difficult to catch. Unlike in Legends: Arceus, Alpha Pokemon always know one move that their species doesn't normally learn on its own.

Fixed alpha Pokémon

Fixed alpha Pokémon are specimens that always appear in their alpha form in a specific location. Some of these specimens do not spawn until after parts of the main story are completed, usually needing the region's frenzied Noble to be tamed before appearing in the overworld.

Species marked with an * can only be found as that single fixed alpha specimen, in rare or massive mass outbreaks, or a space-time distortion, but not anywhere else in the overworld.

Obsidian Fieldlands

#		Level	Sub-Location	Time of Day	Weather
0042	Golbat	35	Near Oreburrow Tunnel	Nighttime	All
0047	Parasect	30	Nature's Pantry	All	All
0065	Alakazam*	60	Sandgem Flats	All	All
0075	Graveler	30	Near Obsidian Falls	All	All
0078	Rapidash*	40	Horseshoe Plains	All	Sunny
0123	Scyther	42	Near Grandtree Arena	All	All
0129	Magikarp	55	Near Oreburrow Tunnel	All	All
0130	Gyarados	60	Lake Verity	All	All
0143	Snorlax	45	Near Sandgem Flats	All	All
0214	Heracross	45	Grueling Grove	All	All
0234	Stantler	42	Deertrack Heights	All	All
0242	Blissey	62	Near Obsidian Falls	All	All
0392	Infernape*	65	Ramanas Island	All	All
0397	Staravia	32	Windswept Run	All	All
0400	Bibarel	16	Tidewater Dam	All	All
0402	Kricketune	30	Near Tidewater Dam	All	All
0404	Luxio	40	Floaro Gardens	All	All
0419	Floatzel	31	Near Worn Bridge	All	All
0428	Lopunny	40	Near The Heartwood	All	All

Crimson Mirelands

#		Level	Sub-Location	Time of Day	Weather
0026	Raichu*	52	Near Golden Lowlands	All	All
0095	Onix	50	Near Diamond Settlement	All	All
0111	Rhyhorn	45	Diamond Heath	All	All
0217	Ursaring	55	Near Gapejaw Bog	All	All
0217	Ursaring	41	Ursa's Ring	All	All
0340	Whiscash	64	Lake Valor	All	All
0389	Torterra*	65	Holm of Trials	All	All
0407	Roserade*	50	Cloudpool Ridge	Daytime	All
0416	Vespiquen	61	Near Cottonsedge Prairie	All	All
0417	Pachirisu	40	Near Gapejaw Bog	All	All
0430	Honchkrow	55	Cloudpool Ridge	Nighttime	All
0435	Skuntank	45	Scarlet Bog	All	All
0450	Hippowdon	46	Gapejaw Bog	All	All
0454	Toxicroak	47	Holm of Trials	All	All
0455	Carnivine	43	Near Cottonsedge Prairie	All	All
0463	Lickilicky	52	Shrouded Ruins	All	All
0465	Tangrowth*	45	Gapejaw Bog	All	All
0469	Yanmega	58	Droning Meadow	All	All
0705	Sliggoo Hisuian Form	50	Holm of Trials	All	All

Cobalt Coastlands

#		Level	Sub-Location	Time of Day	Weather
0038	Ninetales*	61	Firespit Island	All	All
0055	Golduck	50	Bathers' Lagoon	All	All
0067	Machoke	40	Ginkgo Landing	All	All
0073	Tentacruel	50	Near Lunker's Lair	All	All
0113	Chansey	51	Tombolo Walk	All	All
0130	Gyarados	58	Near Sand's Reach	All	All
0211	Qwilfish Hisuian Form	55	Near Islespy Shore	All	All
0224	Octillery	46	Castaway Shore	All	All
0226	Mantine	50	Tranquility Cove	All	All
0365	Walrein	50	Ginkgo Landing	All	All
0395	Empoleon*	69	Islespy Shore	All	All
0414	Mothim	56	Spring Path	All	All
0423	Gastrodon	61	Seagrass Haven	All	All
0424	Ambipom	50	Near Hideaway Bay	All	All
0432	Purugly	45	Veilstone Cape	All	All
0452	Drapion*	45	Near Ginkgo Landing	All	All
0457	Lumineon	60	Seagrass Haven	All	All
0477	Dusknoir*	65	Deadwood Haunt	Nighttime	All

Coronet Highlands

#		Level	Sub-Location	Time of Day	Weather
0036	Clefable*	62	Fabled Spring	Nighttime	All
0076	Golem*	60	Bolderoll Ravine	All	All
0169	Crobat	60	Wayward Cave	All	All
0207	Gligar	52	Near Celestica Ruins	All	All
0208	Steelix*	60	Celestica Trail	All	All
0405	Luxray	55	Sacred Plaza	All	All
0414	Mothim	55	Wayward Wood	All	All
0429	Mismagius*	61	Stonetooth Rows	Nighttime	All
0437	Bronzong	55	Near Clamberclaw Cliffs	All	All
0444	Gabite	56	Near Clamberclaw Cliffs	All	All
0455	Carnivine	52	Lonely Spring	All	All
0464	Rhyperior*	74	Near Sacred Plaza	All	All
0466	Electivire*	69	Cloudcap Pass	All	All
0472	Gliscor*	77	Near Primeval Grotto	All	All
0476	Probopass*	73	Near Primeval Grotto	All	All
0706	Goodra* Hisuian Form	70	Near Ancient Quarry	All	All

Alabaster Icelands

#		Level	Sub-Location	Time of Day	Weather
0068	Machamp*	70	Arena's Approach	All	All
0125	Electabuzz	65	Icebound Falls	All	All
0215	Sneasel	61	Near Avalugg's Legacy	All	All
0220	Swinub	62	Near Bonechill Wastes	All	All
0221	Piloswine	65	Arena's Approach	All	All
0282	Gardevoir*	70	Heart's Crag	Daytime	All
0358	Chimecho	65	Near Lake Acuity	All	All
0362	Glalie	62	Bonechill Wastes	All	All
0445	Garchomp*	85	Avalanche Slopes	All	All
0448	Lucario	70	Icebound Falls	All	All
0460	Abomasnow	68	Bonechill Wastes	All	All
0473	Mamoswine*	68	Avalugg's Legacy	All	All
0475	Gallade*	70	Snowpoint Temple	All	All
0478	Froslass	72	Ice Column Chamber	All	All

Unique alpha Pokémon

These unique alpha Pokémon can only be found once during the storyline. With the exception of Vespiquen, they do not have the usual guarantee of any stats with individual values of 31 (starting effort levels of 3). The alpha Pokémon found in Acuity, Verity, and Valor Caverns are prevented from being Shiny, and have Scale values of 128 instead of 255. Hisuian Zoroark and Overqwil do not have other fixed alpha spawns on the map.

#		Level	Sub-Location	Mission/Request	Tutor move
0362	Glalie	64	Arena's Approach	Request 86: "Gone Astray...in the Icelands"	Iron Head
0402	Kricketune	12	Deertrack Heights	Mission 5: "A Request from Mai"	False Swipe
0416	Vespiquen	60	Grueling Grove	Mission 20: "The Researcher of Myths"	Sludge Bomb
0571	Zoroark Hisuian Form	58	Acuity Cavern	Mission 16: "The Trial of Lake Acuity"	None
0706	Goodra Hisuian Form	58	Verity Cavern	Mission 14: "The Trial of Lake Verity"	Iron Tail
0904	Overqwil	58	Valor Cavern	Mission 15: "The Trial of Lake Valor"	Ice Ball

In animation

Pokémon: Hisuian Snow

In Two Hues, an alpha Garchomp attacked Alec and the Galaxy Team, but it was driven away by a Hisuian Zoroark that Alec had befriended in his youth as a Zorua.

Trivia

There is a third variant of the Wild Might effect in game data, called Terrific Might (Japanese: 偉大な力), which is a version of Wild Might without the stat boosts. Its usage within the game is unknown.
When alpha Combee and Gastrodon appear in the wild, only two of their eyes glow red.
When alpha Spiritomb appears in the wild, the lines in its Odd Keystone also glow red.
Interestingly, Arceus itself is also known as the Alpha Pokémon, though this similarity does not hold in Japanese.
Alpha Pokémon are guaranteed to have 31 in at least 3 of their IV stats, a trait that Legendary and Mythical Pokémon have also had since Generation VI.
Alpha Pokémon have a slightly different music track in battle. If the player starts a battle with an alpha Pokémon and one or more non-alpha Pokémon at the same time, then catches or defeats the alpha Pokémon, the music will transition back into the standard wild battle track.

Origin

Alpha Pokémon might be based on the concept of dominance hierarchy in biology. Amongst animal groups, an alpha is a member of the species that has a higher rank in the group's hierarchy, contrary to the beta members who are the more submissive ones. Alpha animals often employ aggression tactics to assert dominance and leadership over their specific groups. This concept may be seen in gameplay, where alpha Pokémon display an aggressive disposition even when members of said species typically would not. They also serve as leaders of the pack, as alpha Pokémon are regularly found in places where unevolved members of their species gather, and even show signs of territorialism, as some alpha Pokémon tend to come to the aid of the lesser members when alerted. Their Japanese name "boss" seems to reinforce this idea of hierarchical leadership.

In other languages

Alpha Pokémon

Language		Title
Chinese	Cantonese	頭目 Tàuhmuhk
Chinese	Mandarin	頭目 / 头目 Tóumù
French		Pokémon Barons
German		Elite-Pokémon
Italian		Pokémon alfa
Korean		우두머리 Udumeori
Spanish		Espécimenes alfa

Wild Might

Language		Title
Chinese	Cantonese	野性之力 Yéhsing jī Lihk
Chinese	Mandarin	野性之力 Yěxìng zhī Lì
French		Force sauvage
German		Kraft der Wildnis
Italian		Potenza selvatica
Korean		야성의힘이 Yaseong-ui Himi
Spanish		Poder salvaje

Terrible Might

Language		Title
Chinese	Cantonese	驚駭之力 Gīngháaih jī Lihk
Chinese	Mandarin	驚駭之力 / 惊骇之力 Jīnghài zhī Lì
French		Force effroyable
German		Unheilvolle Kraft
Italian		Potenza spaventosa
Korean		무시무시한힘 Musimusihan Himi
Spanish		Poder tremebundo

References

↑ TPCi Official Press Site Pokémon Unveils New Details for Pokémon Legends: Z-A, Pokémon Champions, and More