Onix (Pokémon)

Onix
National Pokédex Gengar - Onix (#095) - Drowzee
Series	Pokémon series
First game	Pokémon Red and Blue
Designed by	Ken Sugimori
Voiced by (English)	Unsho Ishizuka
Voiced by (Japanese)	Unsho Ishizuka

Onix, known in Japan as Iwark (イワーク, Iwāku^?), is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Onix first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and in subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise. Unsho Ishizuka, a Japanese seiyū, voices Onix and its evolved form Steelix in both the Japanese and English versions of the Pokemon anime.

Concept and characteristics

Onix was one of several 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 of Japan as Pokémon Red and Blue.^[1][2] Originally called "Iwark" in Japanese, Nintendo decided to give the various Pokémon species "clever and descriptive names" related to their appearance or features when translating the game for western audiences as a means to make the characters more relatable to American children.^[3] Its name was eventually changed to Onix in English. According to IGN, its name is based on the semi-precious stone onyx.^[4]

Onix, known as the Rock Snake Pokémon, is a giant chain of gray boulders, with a rocky spine on its head. The Pokémon has a magnet in its brain that serves as an internal compass, which helps it keep direction while burrowing.^[5] Onix's body becomes more rounded and smoother as it grows with age, as well as getting harder,^[5][6] as it absorbs many of the hard objects it encounters while digging.^[7] It tunnels under the ground at over fifty miles per hour,^[8] in search of food.^[9] Onix can commonly be found in mountains and caves because the Onix can camoflauge itself in them.

Appearances

In the video games

Onix first appears in Pokémon Red and Blue and its subsequent remakes Pokémon Yellow, FireRed, and LeafGreen. It cannot evolve into another Pokémon until Pokémon Gold and Silver where it can evolve into Steelix by being traded to another copy of Gold, Silver, or any main Pokémon title released afterward. It has appeared in each subsequent main title. Outside of the main series, Onix has appeared in Pokémon Trozei!, the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon titles, Pokémon Rumble, and Pokémon Pinball. Onix appears in the franchise fighting game Super Smash Bros as a Pokémon summoned from a Poké Ball by players. It makes a minor appearance in Super Smash Bros. Melee as a part of a Pokémon-themed level.

In other media

In the anime, Onix first appeared in Showdown in Pewter City under the ownership of Brock. He used it in his journeys in Kanto and Johto before giving it to his little brother, Forrest, in A Family That Battles Together, Stays Together. At some time before Grating Spaces, it evolved into a Steelix. Ash and co. encountered a giant Onix in To Master the Onixpected. It was on a rampage until Bruno managed to get a Sandslash from under the Rock Snake Pokémon's "skin". Bruno captured the Onix afterward. The Crystal Onix featured a Crystal Onix. Ash and co. helped a glass sculptor named Mateo search for it because Mateo believed it would help inspire him to be better at his craft. In Hello Pummelo, Drake of the Orange Crew owns an Onix and he used it to fight Ash's Squirtle in the second round in the Orange League Champion match. A "King Onix" was featured in Hooked on Onix. Team Rocket tricked King Onix into thinking Ash and co. were going to destroy his kingdom. When Ash managed to convince King Onix that he and his friends weren't bad by defeating it in a battle, Team Rocket tried to steal the royal Rock Snake Pokémon, but their plan was foiled. Roark's Onix was first seen in Shapes of Things to Come where it was used against Paul's Elekid and Chimchar. In A Gruff Act to Follow, it defeated Ash's Turtwig, followed by Ash's Pikachu but Pikachu managed to defeat it in a rematch in O'er the Rampardos we Watched.

In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Onix debuts in Onix is On! as Brock's main Pokémon, however a picture of it is shown on a leaflet in Wanted: Pikachu!. Onix later continues to make appearances with Brock in various volumes onwards. Bruno owns an Onix, on which he battles Bill, Lt. Surge and Red on Cerise Island. The Onix later manages to carry Bruno and Koga off the collapsing island. Another wild Onix was also seen on Cerise Island.

Reception

IGN wrote that Onix was an "interesting creature" but that it was difficult to recommend it over other Rock or Ground types such as Golem or Aerodactyl due in part to its lack of an evolution at the time.^[4] IGN's Pokémon Chick wrote that Onix was inferior to Golem and Rhydon as a Rock type.^[10] She wrote that while she "doesn't like Onix in general", Onix was her favourite Pokémon that the character Brock possessed in the anime and called it "cool".^[11] GamesRadar's Brett Elston similarly found it cool but found its usefulness to be "quite low".^[12] Author Ash Dekirk wrote that Onix resembles a "great wurm of rock".^[13] Author Mark Allen Peterson made reference to an anti-Pokémon flyer posted in Cairo which argued that Pokémon names such as Onix were sending "encoded blasphemous meanings"; specifically, this poster argued that Onix meant "Say no to God".^[14] Authors Tracey West and Katherine Noll ranked Onix the best Rock type Pokémon and that it is "tremendously strong".^[15]

References

1. ^ Staff. "2. 一新されたポケモンの世界" (in Japanese). Nintendo.com. Nintendo. p. 2. http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ds/interview/irbj/vol1/index2.html. Retrieved 2010-09-10. 
2. ^ Stuart Bishop (2003-05-30). "Game Freak on Pokémon!". CVG. Archived from the original on 2008-02-08. http://www.webcitation.org/5VSJaR6xT. Retrieved 2008-02-07. 
3. ^ Chua-Euan, Howard (November 22, 1999). "PokéMania". TIME. http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/99/1122/cover2.html. Retrieved 2008-09-15. 
4. ^ ^{a b} http://guides.ign.com/guides/16708/page_112.html
5. ^ ^{a b} Game Freak. Pokémon Ruby. (Nintendo). Game Boy Advance. (2003-03-17) "Onix has a magnet in its brain. It acts as a compass so that this Pokémon does not lose direction while it is tunneling. As it grows older, its body becomes increasingly rounder and smoother."
6. ^ Game Freak. Pokémon Red and Blue. (Nintendo). Game Boy. (1998-09-30) "As it grows, the stone portions of its body harden to become similar to a diamond, but colored black."
7. ^ Game Freak. Pokémon Crystal. (Nintendo). Game Boy Color. (2001-07-29) "As it digs through the ground, it absorbs many hard objects. This is what makes its body so solid."
8. ^ Game Freak. Pokémon Silver. (Nintendo). Game Boy Color. (2000-10-15) "It rapidly bores through the ground at 50 mph by squirming and twisting its massive, rugged body."
9. ^ Game Freak. Pokémon Yellow. (Nintendo). Game Boy. (1999-10-19) "Game Freak. Pokémon Yellow. (Nintendo). Game Boy. (1999-10-19) "Burrows at high speed in search of food. The tunnels it leaves are used as homes by Diglett.""
10. ^ http://faqs.ign.com/articles/388/388801p1.html
11. ^ http://faqs.ign.com/articles/379/379699p1.html
12. ^ http://www.gamesradar.com/ps2/f/the-complete-pokemon-rby-pokedex-part-9/a-2007082295639479041/g-2006100415372930075/p-7
13. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=Gkn0fkhiwS0C
14. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=hF8_3ATn6cIC
15. ^ http://books.google.com/books?id=L9dz4A6HLmYC