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Scyther

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Scyther
Scyther
National Pokédex
Mr. Mime - Scyther (#123) - Jynx
Johto Pokédex
Venomoth - Scyther (#110) - Scizor
Japanese nameStrike
Evolves fromNone
Evolves intoScizor (from Pokémon Gold and Silver onwards)
GenerationFirst
SpeciesMantis Pokémon
TypeBug / Flying
Height4 ft 11 in (1.5 m)
Weight123.5 pounds (56.0 kg)
AbilitySwarm/Technician(the latter from Pokemon Diamond and Pearl onwards)

Scyther, known in Japan as Strike (ストライク, Sutoraiku) are one of the Template:Pokenum fictional species of Pokémon creatures from the multi-billion-dollar[1] Pokémon media franchise – a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. The purpose of Scyther in the games, anime and manga, as with all other Pokémon, is to battle both wild Pokémon, untamed creatures encountered while the player passes through various environments, and tamed Pokémon owned by Pokémon trainers.[2]

Scyther comes from the word scythe, which refers to the scythe-like blades of its arms. "Scyther" thus sounds like "one who uses a scythe." Its English name was originally going to be Stryke.[citation needed]

Biology

Scyther is an omnivore. It may be diurnal or nocturnal. They are usually found in grasslands, although some have been found in large cave systems.

Scyther's most impressive feature is its blade-like arms. These arms can cut through logs (and, in the anime, metal I-beams).

Scyther is also noted for its agility. While hunting in the wild or in a battle between trainers, it relies on its speed to strike quickly and to avoid being struck in return by its foe. If angered, it can boost its agility, allowing it to quickly tear down any opponent. Its nigh-supernatural speed can make it seem to be in more place at once, or to seem invisible as it moves in, strikes, and leaves the opponent before he can feel the blow. For this reason, Scyther is sometimes known as "the ninja pokémon".

Scyther's wings are capable of flight, but this is rare; it is not a fast or an agile flier, and it is a better hunter on its own feet. It is possible Scythers lighten their feet by flapping their wings quickly while running, resulting in higher speed on foot.

Scyther's carapace can be used to camouflage itself, making it hard to see even when it is not moving. Scyther is often said to resemble a velociraptor in its appearance , although it looks and behaves like a human-size Praying Mantis and it is called the Mantis Pokemon.

Although it is the pre-evolved form of Scizor, Scyther is faster, as Scizor has its steel type components to weigh it down. Scyther is seen as one of the most frightening and more powerful first generation Pokémon. Some consider it to be more powerful than Scizor as Scyther retains its flying abilities.

In the video games

In Pokémon Red and Yellow, Scyther can be found in the Safari Zone. It is also available at the Game Corner for 5,500 coins in Red and 6,500 coins in Yellow. Scyther is not available in Blue. In Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal, it can be caught during the Bug Catching Contest. In Pokémon FireRed, which is a remake of the original Pokémon Red, Scyther can once again be caught at the Safari Zone, and is also available at the game corner for 5,800 coins.

In the original generation of Pokémon games (Red, Blue and Yellow), Scyther has no evolution. However, in Pokémon Gold and Silver (and their sequels), if Scyther is traded to another player while it is holding a "Metal Coat", it evolves into Scizor. In the earlier games, evolving Scyther or teaching it TM moves is usually a wise decision, since it learns few damaging moves. In the Ruby and Sapphire series however, Scyther could learn a powerful new attack, "Silver Wind", as an Egg Move, which has a decent base attack (60 Bug-Type) and also has a 10% chance of boosting all of the users stats. In addition, it learns "Fury Cutter" naturally at level 46 which gets stronger with each hit, which was previously only available through a TM. Another important technique that Scyther can learn is "False Swipe". This move always leaves the opponent with at least 1 HP but will never cause a KO if used again. While it is useless in trainer battles, this technique is extremely valuable when weakening a Pokémon in order to catch it. In most games, Scyther can also learn "Quick Attack" and the Flying-type move "Wing Attack". With its sharp blades, Scyther is a natural candidate to learn the HM move "Cut". In Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, Scyther has access to the powerful new Bug-type move Scissor Cross, available at level 41, giving him a better option for a STAB attack. He also learns the Dark-type attack Blade Test (a physical Dark version of Slash), Double Attack, and Air Slash (a Flying-type move, but Special in nature meaning Scyther can't use it well).

Scyther's stats are overall very good. As befitting a mantid, its Attack and Speed are very high, 110 base for Attack and 105 base for Speed, making it a fast physical sweeper. Special Attack is very low, and its defenses are average at 80 each. Given these average defenses a simple offensive tactic may be a Scyther user's bet choice. A favorite is a combination of double team(raises the users evasiveness) and fury cutter a move that becomes stronger with each successful strike, or toxic. Scyther is also a good candidate for the endure/reversal combo.(which is only attainable through breeding)

Being a bug/flying type, Scyther is weak to Fire, Flying, Ice, and Electric attacks. Scyther is especially weak (quadruple damage) against Rock attacks. It is extra resistant to both Grass and Fighting attacks(quadruple resistance). As a Flying-type, Ground attacks do not affect Scyther.

A minigame in Pokémon Stadium 2 features Scyther, as well as Scizor and Pinsir. The game involves trying to time Cut attacks in order to slice falling logs in half. Points are awarded based on accuracy.

Scyther can be found as a Shadow Pokémon in the final section of Pokémon XD.

Scyther also appears in Pokémon Snap on the Beach course. At two points in the course, tall grasses hide a Scyther. Throwing a Pester Ball into the grass causes Scyther to fly out, cry and flail its arms, then fly away.

In the animé

Scyther first appeared in episode 42, Showdown at Dark City. In this episode (in which he appeared opposite Electabuzz), Ash, Brock, and Misty come upon a town that is threatened by sparring dojos. One dojo possesses a Scyther as its mascot, the other an Electabuzz. Throughout the course of the show, it is revealed that both Pokémon in question react strongly to certain colors, especially red. The conflict is ended when both Scyther and Electabuzz are doused in ketchup during a face off, and the result is that the two knock each other out. (In later episodes, no Scyther or Electabuzz showed the same weakness to red and this was probably just a referance to the fact that both were exclusive to the Red version of the video games at the time.)

Later, Tracey Sketchit catches his Scyther in episode 99, "Tracey Gets Bugged". Tracey's Scyther is somewhat special - it is aged and was recently removed from its clan by a younger, stronger Scyther. The bug Pokémon reconcile their differences through the interference of Team Rocket, and Tracey's Scyther is allowed to leave with him with its conflicts fully resolved. In the episodes leading up to Tracey's separation from Ash and Misty (when he decides to stay as an aide to Professor Oak), Scyther shows fierce competition with Ash's Charizard, before it, too, leaves the main group. Tracey's Scyther is incredibly strong-willed, preferring to keep watch over the travellers while they sleep, as opposed to staying in its Pokeball.

Excluding minor appearances, Scyther has played a role in numerous episodes: episodes 75 (Bad to the Bone), 79 (The Fourth Round Rumble), 80 (A Friend In Deed), 90 (In The Pink), 95 (Navel Maneuvers), 100 (A Way Off Day Off), 108 (Pokémon Water War), 113 (Hello Pumello), 118 (The Rivalry Revival), 142 (Wired Out For Battle), 146 (Gettin' The Bugs Out), 148 (Tricks of the Trade), 163 (The Bug Stops Here), 166 (Carrying On), 178 (Ariados Amigos), 186 (All That Glitters), 225 (Throwing In The Noctowl), 227 (Bulbasaur the Ambassador), 230 (Extreme Pokémon), 257 (Why? Wynaut!), 267 (Pop Goes The Sneasel), and 290 (Gonna Rule The School!) as well as the movies Pokémon 2000, Pokémon 4Ever, the short film Pikachu's Rescue Adventure, and three television specials. Most notably, in the movie Pokémon 4Ever, Scyther was one of the pokémon used to try to capture the movie's star, Celebi. It appears one more time in an episode of Pokemon Chronicles, in which it battles a Mightyena.

In the trading card game

Scyther has made many appearances as a Basic Grass-type Pokémon (unless noted otherwise):

  • Jungle
  • Gym Heroes (as Rocket’s Scyther)
  • Neo Discovery
  • Neo Destiny
  • Aquapolis
  • Aquapolis
  • EX Ruby & Sapphire (as Scyther EX)
  • EX Firered & Leafgreen
  • EX Team Rocket Returns (Dark-type, as Rocket’s Scyther EX)
  • EX Unseen Forces

Scyther also appeared as the 45th promotional card.

Rocket’s Scyther EX is the first EX Pokémon to evolve into another EX Pokémon, Rocket’s Scizor EX.

In the early days of the card game’s history, the Jungle version of Scyther was a staple in many Grass-type decks, boasting a direct Slash attack that could be doubled in power by the move Swords Dance. It was effective even against the few Pokémon resistant to grass in print at the time.

References

Publications
  • Barbo, Maria. The Official Pokémon Handbook. Scholastic Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-439-15404-9.
  • Loe, Casey, ed. Pokémon Special Pikachu Edition Official Perfect Guide. Sunnydale, CA: Empire 21 Publishing, 1999. ISBN 1-930206-15-1.
  • Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon FireRed & Pokémon LeafGreen Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., August 2004. ISBN 1-930206-50-X
  • Mylonas, Eric. Pokémon Pokédex Collector’s Edition: Prima’s Official Pokémon Guide. Prima Games, September 21 2004. ISBN 0-7615-4761-4
  • Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Emerald Version Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., April 2005. ISBN 1-930206-58-5

External links

  1. ^ "Pokemon Franchise Approaches 150 Million Games Sold". PR Newswire. Retrieved 2006-02-28.
  2. ^ Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire Review (page 1) Ign.com. URL Accessed June 1, 2006.
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