Ash's Gengar
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Ash's Gengar (Japanese: サトシのゲンガー Satoshi's Gangar) was the second Pokémon caught by Ash in Pokémon Journeys: The Series, and his fifty-sixth overall.
In animation
History
With another Trainer
As revealed in A Chilling Curse!, Gengar was originally caught by a Trainer living in Vermilion City, three years before the events of Pokémon Journeys: The Series. However, as he started losing battles and failing to catch other Pokémon in Gengar's presence, the Trainer attributed his misfortunes to a curse caused by Gengar and decided to get rid of it. Before he abandoned it, he instructed Gengar to wait for him at the place that would later become the Cerise Laboratory.
As a wild Pokémon
Not knowing its Trainer had no intention of returning for it, Gengar obediently waited for its Trainer, even staying at the building as it was being converted into Professor Cerise's research center. It tried to scare the Professor off by haunting the building, but as he only found its actions amusing, it eventually gave up trying to frighten him.
Gengar debuted in Best Friend...Worst Nightmare!, where it resumed its mischievous activity by scaring Ren, making its presence known for Ash and Goh in the process. The latter tried to catch it, but Gengar deflected all of the Poké Balls he threw at it. It eventually fled when Chloe commanded Yamper to use Spark on it. It was later seen at the end of the episode, perched atop the Laboratory.
At the end of Raid Battle in The Ruins!, Gengar phased through the wall and watched Ash, Goh, and their Pokémon as they returned from Unova.
In A Chilling Curse!, Gengar again began causing trouble at the Laboratory and hid in Ash's shadow. When Ash ran into Gengar's former Trainer, it overheard the latter bragging about how much he enjoyed being free from its curse. Angered by the revelation that its Trainer abandoned it, Gengar started attacking him. When the Trainer fled in fear, Gengar ran off as well. Team Rocket found Gengar and asked it to join them, but when it refused, they tried to capture it instead. Ash showed up, managed to free Gengar, and convinced it to fight Team Rocket alongside him. After Gengar defeated Team Rocket's two Dusclops, Ash collapsed from a fever he had unknowingly caught earlier. When Ash woke up at the laboratory, Gengar appeared and dropped a Poké Ball for him, indicating it wanted to join his team. Ash accepted the request and caught Gengar.
With Ash
In Destination: Coronation!, Ash used Gengar in his battle against Visquez so he could increase his World Coronation Series ranking. Gengar substituted for Pikachu while going up against Visquez's Raichu, and it managed to defeat him with Psychic. Gengar went up against Visquez's second Pokémon, Electrode, but was soon defeated, though not before dealing some damage on its opponent.
In A Festival Reunion!, Ash brought Gengar with him to Shalour City for a World Coronation Series Battle Festival Challenge. During Ash's match with Korrina, Gengar went up against her Mienshao and Lucario, getting defeated by the latter without managing to deal any damage on either.
In Sword and Shield: The Darkest Day!, Ash used Gengar to face a rampaging Gigantamax Coalossal alongside Leon's Dragapult. During the battle, Gengar saved the lives of a group of Workers who were nearby.
In Ultra Exciting from the Shocking Start!, Gengar was the second Pokémon Ash sent out during his World Coronation Series match against Volkner after withdrawing his Lucario from the battle against Volkner's Luxray. It managed to disorient and deal massive damage to Luxray, forcing Volkner to switch it out for his Fan Rotom, which was able to match Gengar's speed. Rotom gained the upper hand by paralyzing Gengar with Thunder Wave and subsequently defeated it with a powered-up super-effective Hex.
In Showdown at the Gates of Warp!, Gengar devolved into Haunter, then Gastly, and finally an Egg as a result of a clash between Dialga and Palkia distorting time. After Arceus stopped the fight between Dialga and Palkia, the Temporal and Spatial Pokémon repaired the distortions their fighting had caused and restored all the devolved Pokémon back to normal.
In The Spectral Express!, one of the spirits from a Spiritomb possessed Ash after he touched its Odd Keystone. After Allister had driven the spirit out of Ash's body, Gengar chased after it into Ash's shadow and grabbed it with Psychic. Working together with Goh's Absol, the two returned the lost spirit to Spiritomb, ending the Forbidden Pokémon's rampage.
In The Winding Path to Greatness!, Gengar was Dynamaxed by Ash at the Stow-on-Side Stadium. When Ash learned that Gengar couldn't achieve the Gigantamax form he had heard of simply by training, he followed Allister's advice. He set out to collect Max Mushrooms to make Max Soup, which could enable Gengar to Gigantamax. When getting the third cluster of Max Mushrooms, Gengar defended Ash from a Drakloak that had gone wild after being agitated by Goh's Grookey. Once the soup was done, Gengar ate it and was able to successfully Gigantamax.
In Battling Turned Up to Eleven!, Ash used Gengar in his World Coronation Series match against Marnie and her Grimmsnarl. A while into the battle, Marnie Gigantamaxed Grimmsnarl, but Gengar managed to survive his attacks and was Gigantamaxed as well soon after. Both Pokémon were still standing by the time their Gigantamax states ended, but ultimately, Gengar emerged victorious, increasing Ash's ranking.
In Aim For The Eight!, Ash used Gengar as his second Pokémon in his World Coronation Series match against Raihan. After a brief battle against Flygon, who used Sandstorm to hide from Gengar while landing some strong hits on it, Ash Gigantamaxed his Pokémon and used it to suck the sandstorm away, allowing it to defeat Flygon soon after. Gengar next fought against Goodra, who utilized rain-boosted moves to deal heavy damage on it. Gengar, however, stood firm, and eventually, both Pokémon knocked each other out simultaneously.
In Friends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit!, Ash visited Pallet Town and introduced his Pokémon to his new friends that he caught during his journey around the world, including Gengar. During the visit, Gengar trained with Ash's Fire-type Pokémon to learn Will-O-Wisp. Ash used Gengar as his last Pokémon in his battle against Paul, using it against his Metagross. Through its newly learned Will-O-Wisp, Gengar defeated Metagross, giving Ash the win. Before Ash left his hometown, it posed with the rest of Ash's Pokémon in a group photo with him.
In Battling as Hard as Stone!, Gengar was the second Pokémon Ash used during his Masters Eight Tournament match against Steven. It first fought Steven's Aggron and immediately landed a Will-O-Wisp, draining Aggron's strength and firing a Dazzling Gleam before Aggron fell to continuous damage from Will-O-Wisp. Gengar's next opponent was Cradily, whose tentacles and Ingrain proved troublesome for Gengar, and following a clash between Solar Beam and Dazzling Gleam, Gengar was ultimately defeated by the Barnacle Pokémon.
In Bewitch, Battle, and Bewilder!, Gengar was the second Pokémon Ash used during his Masters Eight Tournament match against Cynthia. It initially battled against her Roserade. It managed to burn it with Will-O-Wisp and landed a Shadow Ball, despite taking damage from Leaf Storm before Roserade was recalled in favor of Spiritomb. While Gengar managed to deal some super effective damage with Dazzling Gleam, it fell for a Sucker Punch in the process and was taken down as a result.
In A Flood of Torrential Gains!, Gengar was the second Pokémon Ash used in his Masters Eight Tournament match against Leon. It first faced against Inteleon, taking a few blows from its Counter Shield strategy with Aqua Jet before Gigantamaxing. Gengar proved to be a formidable opponent in its Gigantamax form and was able to successfully defeat the Secret Agent Pokémon, despite taking heavy hits in the process from its Snipe Shot and Dark Pulse, which resulted in Gengar losing its Gigantamax status earlier than expected. Next, it battled against Mr. Rime, who managed to freeze Gengar and defeat it soon afterward with a super effective terrain-boosted Expanding Force, although not without first getting its Freeze-Dry disabled by Cursed Body, much to Leon's surprise. In Partners in Time!, Gengar appeared as a vision to Pikachu during his battle against Leon's Charizard. After Ash had won the battle, Gengar joined him and the rest of his team for the awards ceremony.
Ash left Gengar, along with the rest of his Journeys team, at Professor Oak's Laboratory sometime prior to The Road Most Traveled!, as he decided he wanted to start rotating his team for his new journey.
In Getting to the Heart of it All!, Gengar was shown to have rejoined Ash's team. During the episode, it was sent out to help search for a Pokémon that stole heart-shaped objects from people's homes. It was quickly discovered to be a Banette, which escaped their multiple attempts to stop it. The next day, they were able to track it down and give it Misty's heart-shaped hairpiece, which resembled the one it had worn when it was still a substitute doll. They went out looking for its owner but could not find her by the end of the day. Banette flew off, and Gengar, frustrated, chased after it. It gave the Marionette Pokémon words of encouragement before it left for the next town to continue its search. Upon returning to Ash, it learned they had found its owner, Nurse Joy, and Gengar, Ash, and Dragonite chased after Banette to bring it back. Finally, together again, Banette and Nurse Joy shared a heartfelt reunion.
In The Rainbow and the Pokémon Master!, Gengar assisted Ash in looking for a missing Charmander around Oak's lab, but to no avail.
Personality and characteristics
Gengar was once loyal to its previous Trainer, obeying his instructions to remain at the future site of the Cerise Laboratory. Over time, however, Gengar became resentful of its old Trainer, even to the point of attacking him upon seeing him again and only calming down once he ran away. It grew bitter and developed a hostile nature against all humans, repeatedly attacking them with its powers. After it bonded with Ash and was caught, it became friendlier, though it still seems to have a mischievous streak, such as when it showed its concern for Ash by dumping a pile of apples on top of him, and when it scared Ren and Chloe in Memories of a Warming Kindness! by phasing through a wall. In Errand Endurance!, Gengar kept scaring Eevee, Grookey, and a Geodude by repeatedly phasing through walls while moving objects with Psychic.
Gengar dislikes being accused of something it didn't do, as seen in Panic in the Park!, when it appeared out of nowhere behind Ash and hit him with Shadow Ball after overhearing him accusing it of stealing Goh's Pokémon's food, and again in When a House is Not a Home!, when Gengar appeared out of nowhere behind Ren and began to hold onto him ominously after being accused of bringing Grookey to the lab, only letting him go after he apologized.
In battle, Gengar takes advantage of its Ghost-type abilities, allowing it to easily escape snares and confound opponents, as seen in Destination: Coronation!, where it was able to escape the tail hold of Visquez's Raichu simply by phasing through it. However, in the same episode, it was revealed to have trouble combating opponents that can match or exceed its speed such as her Electrode, and later Korrina's Mienshao and Lucario as well as Volkner's Fan Rotom. It also has a habit of getting close to its opponent and taunting them when starting a battle.
Gengar can also become invisible and to disappear and reappear. Like all of its species, Gengar can decrease the temperature of its surroundings, as seen in Best Friend...Worst Nightmare!, and hide in the shadows, as seen in A Chilling Curse!.
During the search for the Max Mushrooms, Gengar became very close to Allister. During that same night, Allister and Gengar talked about each other's feelings. When Gengar finally managed to Gigantamax, Gengar looked at Allister's reaction, seeing that the boy had taken pride in Gengar's progress. While training at Professor Oak's lab, Gengar quickly became friends with Ash's Fire types, who eagerly helped it to learn Will-O-Wisp.
Appearance
See also: Dynamax and Gigantamax
| As an Egg (right) | As a Gastly | As a Haunter | As a Dynamax Gengar | As a Gigantamax Gengar |
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Moves used
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| A † shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves. | |||||||
Max Moves and G-Max Moves used
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Artwork
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| Artwork for Find the difference | Fourth poster for the Japanese version of Pokémon Journeys: The Series |
Artwork from "After the story" [1] |
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| Official poster from Pokémon Journeys: The Series |
Poster for Pokémon: To Be a Pokémon Master |
In the manga
Daisuki ♥ Pocket Monsters
Gengar appeared in Daisuki ♥ Pocket Monsters as a wild Gengar. It unintentionally scared away Ash's Pikachu, Goh's Scorbunny, and Professor Cerise's Yamper. It was later comforted by Mika.
Pokémon Journeys
Gengar debuted in Caring for a Mystery!. It reappeared in Destination: Coronation!, where Ash used it during his battle with Visquez.
Moves used
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| A † shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves. | |||||||||||||
In the games
Core series games
Gengar, along with the rest of Ash's Journeys series team, was made available in Pokémon Sword and Shield through Pokémon Journeys: The Series broadcasts in Japan. These Pokémon utilize a common password which was revealed during the Japanese TV broadcasts. Players could claim Gengar with the password GENNGER0GE94, a reference both to Gengar's voice in the animated series and National Pokédex number. He has 31 IVs in Special Attack, Special Defense, and Speed, as well as 30 IVs in HP, Attack, and Defense. Like in Pokémon Journeys: The Series, this Gengar can Gigantamax.
| Wonder Card 148 | サトシ's Gengar Gift | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| This Pokémon may only be redeemed once per save file. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Date received is the date on the system when the gift is redeemed. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| This Pokémon is Japanese in origin, regardless of the language of the game. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Spin-off games
Pokémon Masters EX
Gengar, along with the rest of Ash's Pokémon Journeys: The Series team, appears during the special events The Classic Thunderbolt and Blazing Battle with Ash in Pokémon Masters EX.
Pokémon Mezastar
Gengar appears in Pokémon Mezastar as one of Ash's Pokémon. It appears as an opponent during the first Super Tag set and in the first Double Chain set. Upon beating Ash during the first Super Tag set, the player can receive a Support Pokémon Ticket based on Ash's Lucario, with Gengar as its tag partner. Gengar also appeared as an opponent in an event that recreated the Masters Eight Tournament that ran from October 27 to November 21, 2022. Upon beating Ash during the first Double Chain set, the player can receive a Support Pokémon Ticket based on Gengar, which can Gigantamax.
As an opponent
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Disks
| Tag No. | Name | Type | Grade |
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| 2-1-011 | Lucario |  
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| 3-1-022 | Gengar |  
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| P | Gengar |
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Trivia
- Gengar is the only one of Ash's Pokémon to:
- Be an officially owned Ghost type.
- Use a Ghost- or Fairy-type move.
- Be seen doing a standard Dynamax.
- Gengar is the only non-first partner Pokémon or fully evolved Pokémon caught by Ash to have been abandoned by a previous Trainer.
- It also is the only Pokémon to have been abandoned by a previous Trainer and remain a wild Pokémon for years before being caught by Ash.
- Gengar is the first member of its species in the animated series to have a color scheme that more matches its core series coloration. This would go on to become a standard coloration for all Gengar and Haunter in the animated series starting from Pokémon Horizons: The Series.
- Gengar is the only Pokémon in the animated series seen doing both a standard Dynamax and Gigantamaxing.
- Out of all Pokémon that Ash caught in Pokémon Journeys: The Series, Gengar is the only one not to have been caught in its debut episode.
- Gengar is the last recurring wild Pokémon to be caught by Ash.
- In JN128, the announcer of the World Coronation Series identified Gengar as (Japanese: 神出鬼没の黒い悪魔 The elusive black demon) when discussing Ash's team.
- Gengar is referred to as male in the Brazilian Portuguese dub.
References
Related articles
For more information on this Pokémon's species, see Gastly, Haunter, and Gengar.
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This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation. |