Lapras facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lapras |
|
|---|---|
| Pokémon series character | |
|
|
| First game | Pokémon Red and Blue |
| Designed by | Ken Sugimori |
| Voiced by | Rikako Aikawa |
Lapras (ラプラス, Rapurasu, Laplace) is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Lapras first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise.
It is voiced by Rikako Aikawa in both the Japanese and English-language versions of the anime.
Concept and characteristics
Lapras was one of 151 different designs conceived by Game Freak's character development team and finalized by Ken Sugimori for the first generation of Pocket Monsters games Red and Green, which were localized outside Japan as Pokémon Red and Blue. Its English name is a romanization of the Japanese name Rapurasu, subsequently revealed to be the Japanese way of writing Laplace, a name likely based after the mathematician Pierre-Simon Laplace.
Lapras, known as the Transport Pokémon, is a large sea creature which resembles a plesiosaur. It may also be inspired by placodonts. It has four flippers, however its front ones are notably larger than its hind flippers. It has a long neck, and large black eyes. Lapras has unusual curled ears and a short horn in the middle of its forehead. The majority of its body is blue, while its underside is a light cream-yellow color. Its most distinguishing feature is the gray shell on its back, which is largely dotted with blunt knobs. Lapras is most known for its fondness of moving people and Pokémon across bodies of water. Some Lapras are able to develop Psychic abilities such as telepathy, which makes them able to understand human speech. They keep track of their fellow pod members through use of high-pitched songs they constantly sing, much like whales. Unfortunately due to their docile nature they do not like to fight, and this has made them an easy target for hunters, which has made them very rare in the wild, due to being over hunted. Despite this, wild Lapras are somewhat common in the Sinnoh region, appearing in Victory Road exclusively but at a fairly abundant rate.
In Pokémon Sword and Shield, Lapras received a Gigantamax form with access to the unique G-Max Move G-Max Resonance, the only Ice-type G-Max Move.
Appearances
In the video games
Lapras first appears in Pokémon Red and Blue and appears in the subsequent remakes Pokémon Yellow, FireRed, and LeafGreen. In it, players are given a Lapras in Saffron City. Lapras appears in every main Pokémon title following, most notably in Pokémon Gold and Silver as well as its remakes Crystal, Pokémon HeartGold, and SoulSilver, where it can be found in Union Cave every Friday until captured. In Pokémon Diamond and Pearl wild Lapras are a more common sight, but they still only appear in a single area. Lapras appears in other Pokémon titles, including Pokémon Conquest, Pokémon Snap, Pokémon Channel, Pokémon Pinball, Pokémon Trozei!, the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon titles, the Pokémon Ranger titles, Pokémon Rumble, PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure, and Pokémon Go.
It also appears in the crossover game Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, under the form of a spirit which can be ridden to cross water bodies within the "World of Light".
In other media
In the anime, Ash travels to the Orange Islands and finds a young Lapras which has been accidentally left behind by its pod. It joins him after he rescues it from some unscrupulous trainers and Team Rocket. It is mainly used for transportation between the various islands, but he uses it in some battles. Lapras eventually reunites with its pod and leaves Ash. They meet up again in Johto where Lapras rescues its entire pod from Team Rocket and becomes their leader.
Lapras also appears in the second part of the anime special Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Darkness where she takes Piplup and Chimchar on a ride.
In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Pryce lost two of his favorite Lapras in an avalanche, just as the egg born by them hatched. Unable to get over his loss, Pryce swore to save his Lapras and thus began researching into time travel, setting the events of the Johto saga in motion in which he tries to capture a Celebi in a GS Ball.
