Lucario
Pokémon character
A bipedal blue and black jackal with tan fur on its torso. It has a spike on its chest(When hugged will poke through your heart), and on the end of its two arms(Which it uses to fire of steel moves). Similar to Kicks from the animal crossing series.
Lucario artwork by Ken Sugimori
First appearancePokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew (2005)
First gamePokémon Diamond and Pearl (2006)
Designed byKen Sugimori (finalized)[1]
Voiced by
In-universe information
SpeciesPokémon
TypeFighting/Steel

Lucario (ルカリオ, Rukario, /luːˈkɑːrioʊ, lʊ-/) is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Game Freak and finalized by Ken Sugimori, Lucario first appeared as a central character in the film Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, then a cameo in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team, and later appeared in the video games Pokémon Diamond and Pearl and subsequent sequels, also appearing in various merchandise, spin-off titles and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise. Lucario is voiced by Daisuke Namikawa, Daisuke Sakaguchi, Rikako Aikawa and Kiyotaka Furushima in Japanese, and Bill Rogers and Sean Schemmel in English.

Known as the Aura Pokémon, Lucario can sense and manipulate Aura (波導, Hadō), a special kind of energy emitted by Ash in the anime, and some special Lucario users who have a special and strong bond with their Lucario creatures. Since its debut, Lucario has received critical acclaim, and has been featured in several forms of merchandise, including figurines, plush toys, and the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Lucario has also been featured as a playable character in the Super Smash Bros. series since Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Concept and creation

Lucario is a fictional species of Pokémon created for the Pokémon franchise. Developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo, the series began in Japan in 1996 with the release of the video games Pokémon Red and Blue for the Game Boy.[3] In these games, the player assumes the role of a Pokémon Trainer whose goal is to capture and train creatures called Pokémon. Players use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon, and some can transform into stronger species through a process called evolution.[4]

When developing Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, design lead Ken Sugimori noted that the team wanted to "show new Pokémon that people have never seen before" and find ways to surprise people. He wanted the new designs to be able to "grow" on players, and were intentionally made to feel "a little awkward at first". Director Junichi Masuda noted that when they started, they focused on "the strongest Pokemon" in each typing first.[5] After the planning team was done, design was finalized by Sugimori, who drew the species in multiple poses and defined smaller aspects such as its paws and face for the development team to work with afterward.[1] Masuda noted Lucario's name as one of the most difficult to create, due to an effort to make it appeal to all audiences.[6] The film Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, released during the game's development, affected the how they approached Lucario's game counterpart, with Matsuda noting he exclaimed "Let's do this!!" and excited to avoid the issues that arose with another Pokémon, Lugia, after the release of its own film.[7]

Lucario is a canid-like Pokémon partly based on Anubis, the jackalheaded god of death from Egyptian mythology that is a bipedal digitigrade with finger-like digits on its forepaws. Its chest and the exterior of its wrists each feature a single, white spike. It also has a large snout and ears, red irises with vertical slit pupils, an "hourglass"-shaped figure with nubile thighs significantly thicker than the rest of its body, iron rings incorporated into its shoulders and waist, and a raccoon's "mask" that loosely resembles a khakkhara with four small dreadlock-like appendages on the back of its head that are used to sense Aura. The coloration of Lucario's fur is predominantly blue and black, although its torso features buff-colored fur slightly shaggier than the rest of its body. When it opens its mouth wide enough, sharp fangs can be seen.[8]

Appearances

In the video games

Lucario's debut and video game appearance is in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team, though it only appears as a Statue Cameo when the player gets 15,000 points and the Lucario rank (the highest rank in the game). It then appeared in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, where its pre-evolved form, Riolu, can be obtained as an egg from Riley. Riolu evolves into Lucario when it reaches a sufficiently high level of happiness. Lucario is used by notable trainers Maylene, the third Sinnoh Gym Leader; a tag team partner known as Riley; Cynthia, Sinnoh's Elite Four Champion;[9] and by Bruno, an Elite Four member of Johto.[10] In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Lucario is perceived as the greatest rescue leader of all time, and his adventures have become legendary. After reaching a certain number of points, a Lucario statue will be displayed outside the rescue base. While the player never meets Lucario, Alakazam tells the player that his goal is to become closer to Lucario's greatness.[11] Lucario can be found and befriended in Lost Wilderness dungeon in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Time and Darkness, but it has no particular main role. However, in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Explorers of Sky and Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon, its pre-evolution form Riolu may be played as the main character or be chosen as the partner Pokémon. Lucario appears as a boss Pokémon in Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia, as the guardian of the Blue Gem.[12] Lucario is one of the few Pokémon in Pokémon X and Y that can use the new Mega Evolution mechanic. While holding Lucarionite, its Mega Stone, it can Mega Evolve into Mega Lucario during battle.[13][14] Lucario also appears as an NPC in PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure and its sequel, PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond.[15]

Due to an unintentional leak on Nintendo's official Super Smash Bros. website, which detailed how certain stickers could only be applied to certain characters, Lucario was indirectly confirmed as a playable character for Super Smash Bros. Brawl.[16] In Brawl, Lucario is unlocked upon being encountered in the story mode at The Glacial Peak, or through other special means.[17] Lucario's special moveset consists of Aura Sphere, Force Palm, ExtremeSpeed, and Double Team, each of which it can learn within the Pokémon games. Its "Final Smash", Aura Storm, consists of launching a powerful beam of Aura, which the player can adjust in a slow, fanning motion.[18] Lucario's fighting style revolves around a mixture of martial arts, predominately Shaolin Kung Fu, and Aura manipulation. Aura itself is also a game mechanic unique to Lucario: its attacks become stronger as it continues to receive damage.[17]

Lucario returned as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U and again in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, now being voiced by Sean Schemmel as in Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. Additionally, its Aura mechanic now affects the entirety of its moveset and has made Lucario's attacks riskier, yet more rewarding, due to the mechanic's damage multipliers being adjusted. In Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, Lucario's Mega Evolution, Mega Lucario, replaced Aura Storm as its Final Smash, reflecting the form change introduced in Pokémon X and Y.[19][8] In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, its Final Smash consists of it Mega Evolving into Mega Lucario before performing Aura Storm. In addition to the Super Smash Bros. series, Lucario appears as a playable character in Pokkén Tournament,[20] Pokémon Go, New Pokémon Snap and Pokémon Unite. He also appears as a usable Pokémon in Pokémon Masters as the personal partner of Korrina. In the game, the player gets access to using Korrina as they progress through the story, with her Lucario being able to Mega Evolve. When the 6-Star EX rarity was introduced, Korrina was one of the very first characters to able to be raised to 6-Star EX, which lets her Sync Move target all opponents, and makes her clothes blue to match her Lucario. Then, during the game’s third year anniversary event, Cynthia got a new alt with a Lucario called Sygna Suit Aura Cynthia, who is a Fighting Support Sync Pair that released alongside Sygna Suit Thunderbolt Red’s Pikachu and Ash Ketchum’s Pikachu to introduce the concept of Buddy Moves, which are special moves that only be used when specific things happen in battle. For Cynthia, if her Lucario is hit by three attacks, she can use B Aura Sphere, which provides plenty of buffs after use. Just like Korrina’s Lucario, Cynthia’s can also Mega Evolve.

In anime

Lucario's main role in the anime is his appearance in the eighth Pokémon movie, Pokémon: Lucario and the Mystery of Mew. In the movie, Lucario is a servant to a nobleman named Sir Aaron in a Renaissance-themed city called Cameron Palace. Lucario thinks of Sir Aaron as both his master and close friend, although after Aaron traps him in a magic staff, Lucario begins questioning any Pokémon-human relationship. The Lucario in the movie, voiced in English by Sean Schemmel, can speak human languages with telepathy. Lucario sacrifices himself to save the Tree of Beginning, though the credits showed him with Sir Aaron in the afterlife, where they happily eat a chocolate bar.[21]

Maylene, the third Sinnoh Gym Leader, has a Lucario and it was seen in four different episodes of the Diamond and Pearl: Battle Dimension series. It was first seen battling with Maylene in their training. Lucario uses Aura Sphere to stop the battle of Electabuzz, Piplup, and Pikachu, and is seen battling Paul's Pokémon in a flashback.[22] Lucario was seen again where it battles in Dawn's gym battle with Maylene, where it defeats Dawn's Piplup.[23] Then, in the next episode, it battles in Ash's gym battle against Maylene. It defeats Ash's Staravia and Chimchar, but gets knocked out along with Ash's Buizel, resulting in a tie.[24] Finally, Lucario was seen when it helps Ash and the others defeat Saturn and Team Galactic.[25] A different Lucario appears on Iron Island, owned by a trainer named Riley. Lucario protects Ash from Pokémon on the island that are fighting against each other.[26]

In the Black and White series, during the Unova League, a trainer named Cameron had his Riolu evolve into Lucario and easily pulverized Ash's Snivy and Pikachu winning Cameron the match, despite bringing only five Pokémon into battle (His Riolu turned Lucario being the last member of his team, after Hydreigon, Samurott, Ferrothorn, and Swanna). Cameron did use his Lucario against Virgil only for it to lose to Virgil's Flareon, because of Lucario's weakness to Fire-types and Cameron's poor strategy.

In the XY series, Ash meets Korrina, the Fighting-type Gym Leader, who owns a Lucario capable of Mega-Evolution. However, because Korrina acted arrogant and failed to notice that her Lucario was too obsessed with battle, it goes berserk whenever Lucario goes into its Mega-evolved form. As a result, Korrina and Lucario have to train under Mabel and her Mega-Mawile in order to learn to be in sync with each other through floral designs. Korrina was later successful in calming Lucario's rage; she used it in battle against Ash for the third Kalos Gym badge but lost. In the Journeys series, Korrina used her Mega-Lucario against Ash in the Battle Festival only to again lose to him and his newly obtained Dragonite.

In Sun and Moon series, Professor Kukui/Masked Royal was revealed to own a Lucario to help drive back the three Guzzlord that were attacking Alola, shortly after Ash was crowned Champion of Alola. Kukui later used Lucario in his full exhibition match against Ash only to lose to Ash's Naganadel.

In Pokémon Journeys, Ash was able to obtain a Lucario himself when his Riolu evolved to fight against and defeat Chairman Rose's Ferrothorn and Copperajah. Ash later gets his Keystone from Korrina and heads to Mega Island to obtain a Lucarionite. He was able to succeed in Mega-evolving his Lucario and used it to knock out Bea's Gigantamax Machamp. Ash's Mega Lucario would later be used to defeat Cynthia's Togekiss and Garchomp and Leon's Mr. Rime.

In other media

In the Pokémon Adventures manga, like in games, it appears under the ownership of Riley who was on a boat heading to the Battle Frontier.[27] Diamond meets Riley at Iron Island, and Byron asks Riley to help Diamond sharpen his Pokémon battle skills before Diamond goes to Lake Verity.[28] In Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure! the main character, Hareta, gains an egg from Riley which hatches into a Riolu; it later evolves into Lucario. Phantom Thief Pokémon 7 is centered on a boy and his Lucario who take back stolen items from thieves. The name Lucario itself appeared also in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team saga where, after the end of the main scenario, the player can talk to Alakazam who tells them the story of a Lucario being a legendary Pokémon rescuer.

Promotion and reception

In Japan, Lucario has been used to promote fitness programs, such as radio calisthenics.[29]

Lucario has been featured in several forms of merchandise, including figurines, plush toys, and the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Copies of Pokémon White sold at Target stores including a promotional code to acquire Lucario early in the game.[30] Lucario has also been a part of the third wave of amiibo, with its figure having been released on January 22, 2015, in Japan, and as a Toys "R" Us-exclusive beginning in February 2015 in North America.[31] Nanoblock kits,[32] and gallery figures have been also made.[33] As part of a partnership with Nintendo, Japan Post Insurance has used Lucario as an ambassador to promote radio calisthenics to children.[29] Described in a press release as being used due to its characteristics of "Futsu no Kokoro" and "Seishinryoku",[34] Lucario has been since used in similar promotions across Japan to promote fitness.[35][36]

Widely believed to be partially based off the Egyptian god Anubis,[37] since their introduction they have been well received, placing 2nd on The Pokémon Company's Pokémon of the Year poll which featured all Pokémon from throughout the franchise.[38] In 2023, Centennial Media's The Ultimate Guide to Pokémon noted that after compiling monthly search histories of Google, Yahoo and Microsoft Bing, Lucario was the fourth highest searched Pokémon among internet users with an approximate total of 126,200 average searches per month.[39] Patricia Hernandez, in an examination of the furry fandom, noted that Lucario was the most popular Pokémon for the subset dedicated to the franchise's characters.[40] Meanwhile, the Pokémon has also been cited as one of the most frequently utilized in erotic works by the fandom,[41] with a June 2023 study of such content on Rule 34 websites such as Rule 34.xxx and Sankaku Channel noting a significantly higher volume of material compared to characters from most other franchises, and the highest of characters from the Pokémon franchise as a whole.[42]

Called the "unofficial poster child" for Pokémon from Diamond and Pearl by IGN's Dale Bashir, he further called it one of the best designs in the franchise, describing its design as "striking" and noting its similarity to characters from the Digimon franchise.[43] In another article, Bashir described it as one of the Pokémon that impacted the franchise the most due to its appearance in the Smash Bros. franchise, elevated to "Legendary" status by fans of the species.[44] Game Informer writer John Carson regarded it as "arguably one of the most popular Pokémon" in the series.[45] Den of Geek's Alec Bojalad argued that due to the frequent usage of them by Nintendo they "sometimes felt like a de facto franchise mascot in its own right", noting that while they didn't have Pikachu's "family friendly cuteness", they already had "the clear blessing of Nintendo and most fans."[46] Ryan Woodrow in an article for Sports Illustrated noted that while Nintendo heavily pushed the species, he acknowledged its "brilliant design", calling it a " nice blend of the humanoid body but animalistic features that stop it from feeling uncanny", and adding that the lore around the species' abilities gave them an "anime-protagonist" mystery element.[47]

Robert Grosso of Tech Raptor called then "the perfect representation of the transition of Pokémon designs", noting that while they were an example of how right fans were that by Diamond and Pearl Game Freak had appeared to run out of ideas for character design, at the same time they not only emerged as a successful and popular mascot but also one of the most recognizable for the series as a whole. He further cited various elements as responsible for their popularity, namely their anthropomorphized appearance, the impact of their debut film, color scheme, and mix of "Jackal and Egyptian Boxer" aesthetic created a "perfect storm" of a design. He further added that while he was fascinated by how easily the species could fit into the Digimon franchise, and felt they were a tad bit overrated, "in the end, it is a near perfect design."[48]

While sources such as Paste and Den of Geek voiced praise for Lucario particularly for its appearance in Smash Bros.,[49][50] Isaiah McCall of The Gamer on the other hand heavily criticized it. Noting that while Nintendo's frequent use of the species had made it a "fan-favorite", he felt it was too similar to another Pokémon, Mewtwo, and an inferior copy at that. Pointing out several shared elements between them, even down to abilities and tone of facial mannerisms, he added "Lucario’s stardom piggybacked off of the nostalgia people had for Mewtwo", and that Lucario's replacement of the latter in Smash Bros. left players wanting to "cling to" a character in the same vein. He closed with noting that despite his disdain Lucario wasn't "terrible, but terribly overrated."[51] In an article for USgamer, Nadia Oxford acknowledged this sentiment, but argued it's unique design and traits helped it stand apart from Mewtwo, leaving it "not lacking for fans".[52]

Dario Capelli and Roberto Luigi Pagani in a paper for SCANDIA likened Lucario's portrayal in Lucario and the Mystery of Mew to medieval tales of a knight and its familiar, where in such tales the knight would complete his quest and die, while the familiar mourned at his grave. They felt too the character's death fulfilled its own knightly narrative, likening it and his reunion with Sir Aaron to the story of Yvain, the Knight of the Lion.[53]

References

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