Haunter facts for kids

Haunter, known as Ghost (ゴースト, Gōsuto) in Japan, is a spooky and cool Pokémon from the Pokémon games and shows. It was created by Game Freak and is part of the big Pokémon world made by Nintendo. Its name, "Haunter," comes from the word "to haunt," which means to visit a place as a ghost.

Haunter first appeared in the very first Pokémon games, Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue. Since then, it has shown up in many other games, like Pokémon Snap, and in the Pokémon TV shows, movies, and merchandise. It's known as the "Gas Pokémon" because it looks like a floating cloud of gas. In the TV show, Haunter's Japanese voice is done by Toshiyuki Morikawa, and its English voice is by Ted Lewis.

Many people like Haunter a lot! Gaming websites like IGN and GamesRadar have praised its cool style and special powers. Some even think it's better than its stronger form, Gengar. Haunter's personality in the games is also popular, making it a memorable part of the Pokémon series.

How Haunter Was Created and Designed

The Pokémon series began in Japan in 1996. It was developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo. In these games, players, called "trainers," catch and train creatures called Pokémon. They use them to battle other Pokémon or explore the game world.

Haunter was one of the many Pokémon designed by Game Freak's team. The final look was created by artist Ken Sugimori. In Japan, Haunter was called "Ghost." When the games came to Western countries, Nintendo decided to give Pokémon "clever and descriptive names" to help kids relate to them. So, "Ghost" became "Haunter," inspired by the idea of haunting.

Haunter is known as the "Gas Pokémon." It looks like a purple, floating triangle. It has three spikes on each side of its head that point backward and slightly up. Its lower back forms a cone-shaped tail with a jagged edge. Haunter's face has two white, triangular eyes and a wide, pink mouth with jagged teeth.

What's really unique about Haunter is that its body floats in the air, and its two hands float separately in front of it! Each hand has three fingers. In the Pokémon stories, Haunter likes to hide in very dark places. These include graveyards and abandoned caves, where it waits for unsuspecting prey.

Even though it looks like a ghost, Haunter is a serious threat to trainers and their Pokémon. If you see one, the best advice is to run away! Haunter is known to wave its hands at people and Pokémon. Then, it might lick them with its big tongue. This attack makes victims feel very weak and unable to move. Haunter can also become invisible or pass through solid objects. It can even disguise itself as a floating purple orb.

A Pokémon called Gastly can change, or "evolve," into Haunter. Then, Haunter can evolve into a powerful Gengar. In the games, Gastly evolves into Haunter when it reaches level 25. To get a Gengar, a Haunter needs to be traded to another player.

Where Haunter Appears

Haunter first appeared in the games Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue. You can find it in the Pokémon Tower, which is a memorial for Pokémon that have passed away. You need a special item called the "Silph Scope" to see it there.

Haunter has been in almost all the main Pokémon games since then. You can catch it in most of them, except for Pokémon Ruby and Pokémon Sapphire, and Pokémon Black and Pokémon White. In the games, other trainers also use Haunter. For example, "channeler" enemies in the Pokémon Tower use them. Also, Gym Leader Morty in Pokémon Gold and Pokémon Silver uses a Haunter.

Haunter has also appeared in many Pokémon spin-off games. These include Pokémon Snap, the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon games, the Pokémon Ranger games, and PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure.

Haunter in the TV Show and Movies

In the Pokémon TV show, Haunter first showed up in an episode called The Tower of Terror. In this episode, the main character, Ash, became friends with a Haunter. It followed him to Saffron City to help him battle Gym Leader Sabrina.

Instead of fighting, Haunter played around and made funny faces at Sabrina. It even pretended to blow itself up with a harmless bomb! This made Sabrina laugh so hard that she couldn't battle, and Ash won by accident. After that, Haunter decided to stay with Sabrina.

Later, Gym Leader Morty used a Haunter to battle Ash in an episode called From Ghost to Ghost. In another episode, Fear Factor Phony, a Haunter lived in an old mine with other Ghost Pokémon. They were having trouble with some noisy Psychic Pokémon nearby.

Haunter in the Comics

In the Pokémon Adventures comic series, a character named Agatha used a Haunter as part of her team. She even used a whole group of Haunter in an attack on the Kanto region. Another character, Eusine, was also seen with a Haunter in Volume 14 of the comics.

A giant Haunter called "The Black Fog" appeared in the The Electric Tale of Pikachu comic. This huge Haunter used its powers to try and steal the spirits of humans and Pokémon. Ash tried to catch it, but The Black Fog chose to disappear instead. It was later revealed that this Haunter was used to being treated like a god and preferred to vanish rather than be caught by a human.