The Pokémon franchise has its fair share of spookiness, from lots of human ghosts to the infamous Lavender Town. But if you’re looking for the scariest that the series has to offer, look no further than the Pokémon themselves. You have your child-kidnapping Drifloon, Gengar that lurk in the shadows, and more that will keep you up at night. But perhaps the most terrifying of all these monsters is Mimikyu.
Mimikyu was designed by Megumi Mizutani, an illustrator for the Pokémon Trading Card Game and for the franchise as a whole. During her time withGameFreak, she has done artwork for and designed a handful of characters and Pokémon since Pokémon Black and White, the start of the fifth generation of games. More recently, you’ve likely seen some of her designs in the music collaboration between Pokémon and Vocaloid’s Hatsune Miku, Project VOLTAGE.
Mimikyu is a Ghost/Fairy-type Pokémon. At first glance, its design resembles that of the Pokémon franchise’s mascot, Pikachu. But of course, this is entirely a disguise. The face is badly drawn using crayons, with the mouth appearing squiggly, the eyes uneven and the cheek pouches partly scribbled in. Its “tail” is actually just a stick that resembles a lightning bolt.
The cloth itself is a pale yellow, giving the impression that it has either been dirtied or bleached out. Given Mimikyu’s Ghost typing, the pale color could also be seen as the “life” having been drained from it. The games do little to hide its false identity, with it being classified as the Disguise Pokémon. It also has a unique Disguise ability, allowing it to withstand the full damage of the first attack that hits it at the cost of the costume’s neck breaking once per battle, causing the head to loll to one side.
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Pokédex entries across various games offer some interesting insight into Mimikyu and its motives. It was only recently discovered to be a Pokémon, since it was previously believed to be a ghost wearing a cloth (which it technically still is). Entries for its Disguised Form in the Pokémon Moon and Pokémon Sword games state that it disguises itself the way it does to make friends and look less scary, since Pikachu is very popular among both people and other Pokémon. Reports shared in Pokémon Sun, Pokémon Ultra Moon, and Pokémon Shield say that anyone unfortunate or unwise enough to see what was under the cloth is ensured a painful death, either from shock or a mysterious disease. In the anime, Team Rocket’s Meowth has a near-death experience from just a fleeting glimpse. It’s also known to reside in places that don’t have much sunlight.
Despite everyone being aware of Mimikyu not really being a Pikachu, it’s desperate to uphold the facade. It will get sad if its disguise is busted, even going so far as to cry, since it has trouble fixing it on its own, as stated in the Ultra Sun Pokédex entry for its Busted Form. Mimikyu can also be very aggressive towards anyone that ruins its disguise. The entries in Ultra Moon, Sword, and Violet state that Mimikyu will never forgive or forget anyone that ruins its disguise, seeking revenge on them even at the cost of its own life. Despite this aggressiveness, Mimikyu is definitely a tragic Pokémon, doomed to either make friends under false pretenses or be forced to kill others due to its appearance, which it can’t control.
Mimikyu’s debut in the Pokémon games was definitely a scary one. The seventh generation of games did away with the traditional gyms and had your character go through island trials instead. The ghost trial had you using your 3DS camera along with the Poké Finder to look around and take pictures of Ghost-type Pokémon in an abandoned store. It ended with you following a Pikachu into a locked room that opened up on its own. Things were even creepier in the Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon games, where Trial Captain Acerola appears in front of the door with her face obscured, screaming at you to get out before disappearing once you try to take a picture of her.
Once you went inside the back room, you’d find yourself in a small space with Pikachu posters and drawings on the walls, and then you’d feel something’s eyes on you. Your Poké Finder would turn on by itself, and you’d hear the cries of a Pokémon in the room. By turning your 3DS around and looking down, you’ll see Mimikyu staring right at you. After you’d take its picture, it would rapidly phase between its disguised form and the illusion of an actual Pikachu before screaming the words “Seeeeee meee?!” and starting a battle.
After defeating Mimikyu and leaving the trial site, you’d try to explain to Acerola what had occurred, but she wouldn’t believe you, saying that there isn’t even a room in the back of the store to begin with. Afterward, she’d get a chill down her spine before leaving the site, with Mimikyu being seen sulking behind the building in the background.
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You’d probably look at Mimikyu and wonder what’s so scary about it. Unlike the outwardly unsettling appearance of those like Gengar and Banette, Mimikyu appears cute on the outside. What makes it so interesting and terrifying is how much we don’t know about it. Much like theLumiose City ghost girl, Mimikyu’s true appearance remains a mystery, and so does how it came to be a Pokémon in the first place. It’s those very things, along with its dilemma being relatable, that makes it such a likable (but clearly dangerous) monster in the community.
While we may not know what’s under Mimikyu’s cloth, the internet has come up with some really haunting stories and theories. Some speculate that it’s an octopus-like creature, due to its ability to swim underwater in the anime along with how it attacks with dark appendages while simultaneously holding up the head of its disguise. One that I remember from long ago that’s always stuck with me is that Mimikyu appears as a visual representation of the seer’s greatest sins. The idea that all the bad things you’ve ever done can kill you when you come face-to-face with them was one I found more interesting and unique than the typical ‘butt-ugly monster’ shtick.
Mimikyu is a very interestingly designed Pokémon. It doesn’t appear as scary as other ghost types do on the outside. But digging deeper into it, it’s definitely among the most creepy and tragic of all the creatures.
