Well, we’ve come to that time of the week again. Last week I talked about the four Legendary Pokemon that are the heroes of the next Pokemon movie set to air on Cartoon Network tonight. So for this week I’ll be talking about the Legendary Pokemon who will serve as the film’s antagonist. Presenting the third and once secret member of the Tao Trio, Kyurem.
I was quite excited when I heard there was going to be a Legendary Pokemon that was both a Dragon and Ice-type. How badass is that? Especially when you consider that Dragons are super weak against Ice-type attacks. Anyway, in the original Black and White, Kyurem was said to have arrived on the planet within a meteor, creating the Giant Chasm it calls home. It was also said that at night, Kyurem would come out and devour both humans and Pokemon alike. However, just by looking at Kyurem one could see that had a few physical similarities to Reshiram and Zekrom, leading one to think that perhaps Kyurem was somehow related to the other two dragons.
In Black 2 and White 2, that connection was confirmed, and the original legend behind Kyurem was revealed to be inaccurate, or at the very least incomplete. To understand Kyurem’s true origins, one must first understand the origins of Reshiram and Zekrom. In the beginning, both Reshiram and Zekrom were one dragon that served the two brothers that founded Unova. But when the brothers began to fight, their conflict caused the dragon to split. But when the split occurred, a remnant of the original dragon was left behind. That remnant was Kyurem, and one could say that since Reshiram is the embodiment of truth and Zekrom the embodiment of ideals, Kyurem could be considered the embodiment of nothingness. As for the part of the legend about Kyurem devouring humans and Pokemon, it could be that Kyurem does so in attempt to fill the void within itself (like the Hollows from Bleach).
Hangout: In both the original Black and White and their sequels, Kyurem can be found within the deepest part of the Giant Chasm. According to the original legend, the chasm was created when Kyurem fell to earth from space. Of course it could be that when the original dragon split, the violent force of the event hurled Kyurem away with such force that the impact created the chasm. Anyway, in both the originals and in Black 2/White 2, Kyurem is found within the deepest part of the chasm at level seventy. The chasm is also home to a lot of fairly high-level Pokemon, so it’s a good place to train after beating the Elite Four.
Signature Move: Kyurem actually now has three signature moves, thanks to Black 2 and White 2. But at the moment I’ll just cover its original. While in its normal form, Kyurem’s signature move is in the form of Glaciate. Glaciate is a powerful Ice-type move that launches a powerful freezing wind that can lower the opponent’s speed. Quite appropriate I suppose, though one could consider it to be just a powered up version of Icy Wind.
Freaky Form Change: In Black 2 and White 2, Kyurem was given two alternate forms, each with attributes of Reshiram and Zekrom. These forms are known as White Kyurem and Black Kyurem, respectively. Though in some circles they’re known simply as Kyurem-W and Kyurem-B. In the anime, Kyurem simply borrows power from its two counterparts in order to assume these forms, but in the games the transformation is much more bizarre. In order to assume those forms in Black 2 and White 2, Kyurem must physically merge with either Reshiram or Zekrom through a Team Plasma created device known as the DNA Splicers, which I think are obtained once Kyurem is captured. And while merging Kyurem with its two counterparts may raise a few ethical questions, the new forms do give Kyurem a much-needed stat boost.
Kyurem-W
As White Kyurem, Kyurem gains a boost to its Special Attack and Defense stats. It also gains a unique signature move.
Kyurem-W Signature Move: Using the power of Reshiram, Kyurem’s signature move takes the form of Ice Burn. Though Ice Burn is an Ice-type attack, it has the change of inflicting a burn. Not unlike frostbite and yes, freezer burns. The drawback of Ice Burn though is that it takes one turn to charge up.
Kyurem-B
After merging with Zekrom to become Black Kyurem, Kyurem gains more powerful physical Attack and Defense stats. And just like Kyurem-W, Kyurem-B has its own unique signature move.
Kyurem-B Signature Move: Using Zekrom’s vast electrical power, Kyurem’s signature move becomes the powerful signature move known as Freeze Shock. While Freeze Shock is also an Ice-type attack, the electricity stored in the icy blast has a chance of paralyzing the opponent. Like Ice Burn though, Freeze Shock takes one turn to charge up.
That more than covers it for this week. Next week, sort of in keeping with the holiday season, I’ll be covering another Legendary Ice-type Pokemon that’s a very old favorite of mine. So until then, stay tuned.
