Yveltal #717: the red bird that drains life away

Five point eight meters of outstretched wings, and life draining away. Yveltal is the Legendary mascot of Pokémon Y and the exact mirror image of Xerneas: where the stag gives life energy, the red bird takes it — before sealing itself inside a cocoon.

Contents

• Who is Yveltal?
• Dark/Flying type and the Dark Aura Ability
• The cocoon: what it becomes at the end of its life
• Evolution: none, and Oblivion Wing as its signature
• Kalos, the Ultimate Weapon and the legendary trio
• Yveltal Fact Sheet
• Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Yveltal?

Listed as #717 in the National Pokédex, Yveltal is the "Destruction Pokémon" of the sixth generation, the Kalos generation. At 5.8 meters and 203 kilos, it is much taller than Xerneas while weighing twelve kilos less — and it's a Legendary, not a Mythical.

Its silhouette forms a perfect Y, with its wings and tail spread. Its very slender red body is streaked with branching black lines, its small head bears four horns — two large ones pointing forward, two small ones pointing back — and a collar of gray fur rings its neck.

Its very broad wings and tail each end in five large claws. The Pokédex warns that when the feathers of its tail and wings spread out and turn red, it absorbs the life energy of everything around it. The species is genderless.

Dark/Flying type and the Dark Aura Ability

Yveltal is Dark and Flying type. That brings two full immunities — Ground can't touch it because it flies, and neither can Psychic, since Dark types are immune to it — but also four weaknesses: Rock, Electric, Ice and Fairy deal double damage to it, and none of them hits for quadruple damage.

On the other hand, it takes half damage from Ghost, Grass and Dark. Its only Ability is Dark Aura, with no hidden Ability, and it is the only Pokémon in the Pokédex to have it : as soon as it enters the field, the power of Dark-type moves used by every Pokémon present goes up by a third, opponents included.

Its stats are 126 HP, 131 Attack, 95 Defense, 131 Special Attack, 98 Special Defense and 99 Speed, for 680 points in total : line for line, the same spread as Xerneas.

The cocoon: what it becomes at the end of its life

When it senses its end approaching, Yveltal drains the life force of every living thing around it, then returns to a cocoon: its wings and tail fold around its body and it sinks into a deep sleep.

In this form, it is immortal and remains able to defend itself : a Team Flare unit sent to capture it for the Ultimate Weapon was almost entirely wiped out, while it was still asleep.

This cocoon isn't a playable form, unlike Xerneas's two Modes: Yveltal has only one form in the games. The name "Cocoon of Destruction" comes from the seventeenth movie, echoing its category name.

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Evolution: none, and Oblivion Wing as its signature

Yveltal does not evolve and isn't evolved from any Pokémon: it belongs to the Undiscovered Egg Group and cannot breed.

Its signature move is Oblivion Wing, which no other Pokémon can learn. A special Flying-type move, it has 80 power, 100 accuracy and 10 PP, and heals the user for 75% of the damage dealt — not half, as the in-game description suggests.

With Big Root, that healing climbs to 97.5% of the damage dealt. A small naming trap: in French, the move was spelled "Mort-Ailes," with a hyphen, until Pokémon Sword and Shield, when it gained its apostrophe.

Kalos, the Ultimate Weapon and the legendary trio

Yveltal forms a legendary trio with Xerneas and Zygarde : three Pokémon built on the letters X, Y and Z, each with an aura Ability. Xerneas embodies life, Yveltal death, and Zygarde the balance between the two.

The link is mechanical, too: Zygarde's Aura Break Ability reverses Dark Aura as well as Fairy Aura, and both then lower the power of the affected moves instead of boosting it. The referee disarms both sides in a single stroke.

In Pokémon Y, reactivating the Ultimate Weapon that AZ built 3,000 years ago requires three things : electricity from the Kalos Power Plant, the old man's bronze key, and the energy of one of the region's Legendaries. Capturing it nearly drains the machine.

Does it have a Mega Evolution? No : the list of Mega Pokémon, up to date with Pokémon Legends: Z-A and its expansion, doesn't mention it anywhere, even though it does include Mega Zygarde and its Zygardite. No regional form or Gigantamax form either.

Still, it sits at the heart of the Mega story: according to a theory from Professor Sycamore, certain stones became Mega Stones by soaking up the energy of the two Legendaries, spread by the Ultimate Weapon — which puts a new spin on Mega Pokémon figures and the Legendary Pokémon plushies.

Pokémon Legends: Z-A brings it back as #229 in the Lumiose Pokédex : main mission 41 ("Celui qui prend" in the French version) has you catch it on the roof of the "Galerie Clair de Lune," in the "Maurouge" district, as a one-time encounter at level 75.

Yveltal Fact Sheet

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is Yveltal the mascot of Pokémon X or Pokémon Y?
  Pokémon Y. Xerneas is the mascot of Pokémon X. The two Legendaries were revealed on the same day and are caught at the same point in the story, in the Team Flare Secret HQ, but each in its own version: Yveltal in Y, Xerneas in X. With its wings spread, its silhouette also traces the letter Y.
• What is Oblivion Wing?
  It's Yveltal's signature move, and no other Pokémon can learn it. A special Flying-type move, it has 80 power, 100 accuracy and 10 PP, and it heals the user for 75% of the damage dealt, which rises to 97.5% if it holds a Big Root. Its French name was spelled "Mort-Ailes" before Pokémon Sword and Shield.
• Does Yveltal have multiple forms?
  No, it only has one form in the games, unlike Xerneas, which has two. The cocoon it seals itself in when it senses its end approaching belongs to the lore and the artwork, not to the game mechanics: it's neither a playable form nor a Mega Evolution. The name "Cocoon of Destruction" comes from the seventeenth movie in the series.
• Does Yveltal have a Mega Evolution?
  No. No Mega Evolution, no regional form and no Gigantamax form. Yet it does appear in Pokémon Legends: Z-A, the game built around Mega Evolution, where its Pokédex neighbor Zygarde gets Mega Zygarde thanks to the Zygardite. No Mega Stone bears Yveltal's name, however, any more than Xerneas's.
• What are Yveltal's weaknesses?
  As a Dark and Flying type, it takes double damage from Rock, Electric, Ice and Fairy attacks. None of its weaknesses goes as far as quadruple. On the other hand, it takes half damage from Ghost, Grass and Dark, and it is completely immune to Ground- and Psychic-type attacks.
• What is the connection between Yveltal, Xerneas and Zygarde?
  The three form the legendary trio of the Kalos region, built on the letters X, Y and Z. Xerneas embodies life, Yveltal death, and Zygarde the balance of ecosystems. Their Abilities answer one another: Fairy Aura and Dark Aura boost moves of their respective types, while Zygarde's Aura Break reverses both and makes them lower that power instead of raising it. In Pokémon Legends: Z-A, they are caught during three consecutive main missions.

In short

A 5.8-meter Y, five claws per wing and a cocoon as the final full stop: Yveltal is the most downright unsettling Legendary in Kalos. Yet without it and Xerneas, Kalos would never have known Mega Evolution.