#442: Spiritomb

Every year more Dutch people celebrate Halloween, which is the influence of American culture on our down-to-earth society. I personally hate Halloween, mainly because it reminds me of a certain Dutch event that is celebrated in the southern part of my country five days in a fucking row. Honestly, I think both carnaval and Halloween are dumb and should be done away with (at least in the Netherlands), but I admit today's Pokémon fits the Halloween theme perfectly. Plus, if there's one thing I'm good at, it's writing, so I guess the least I could give you today is a goddamn review of one of the creepiest-looking Pokémon in existence. It's better than leaving my apartment and socializing, right?

There's a lot of creepy fan art of Spiritomb to be found on Google
Images, but this is by far the creepiest!

Spiritomb is formed by the collection of 108 spirits trapped in an Odd Keystone 500 years ago as a punishment for their misdeeds. This is not the only affiliation of Spiritomb to the number 108; it also weighs exactly 108 kilograms (which is roughly 238 pounds), its number in the Sinnoh Pokédex is 108, both its defense and special defense base values are 108, and in ORAS it is found at Sea Mauville - which lies wrecked on Route 108. This has everything to do with a Buddhist tradition performed on New Year's Eve in Japan, when a bell is rung 108 times to chase away the 108 temptations one must overcome in order to achieve Nirvana. Another inspiration for Spiritomb may be one of the Four Great Classical Novels in Chinese literature, Water Margin, which is also very well-known in Japan and tells the story of a group of 108 outlaws forming a sizable army before they are eventually granted amnesty by the government and sent on campaigns to resist foreign invaders and suppress rebel forces. In the first chapter of the novel, an army lieutenant orders the removal of a stone monument that had been guarded by monks for many generations, and by doing so he releases the spirits of 108 demons sealed therein. Having atoned for their sins, the souls become the 108 Stars of Destiny and are reincarnated centuries later as the outlaws mentioned earlier.

TCG art of Spiritomb.

Finally, Spiritomb isn't just based on myths and stories; the fact that it is bound to a fissure in the Odd Keystone due to a mysterious spell makes it likely it is based on a jibakurei, a spirit bound to a single place. It's an interesting concept, and I am surprised Game Freak actually managed to make this Pokémon so comprehensive. The little details, like everything that has to do with the number 108 and only one eye having a swirl in its official art, really make Spiritomb complete as a Pokémon to some extent. It isn't just there; a lot of thought was put in this thing, even in later generations, and I can only praise Nintendo and Game Freak for that. They even made Spiritomb somewhat difficult to obtain in Diamond and Pearl: you have to place the Odd Keystone you received from an NPC on Route 208 in the Hallowed Tower on Route 209, enter the Underground to talk to other people a total of 32 times (that's the only flaw I can find here, honestly; Game Freak could have made that a total of 36, as a reference to the 36 Heavenly Spirits among the 108 Stars of Destiny - the other 72 being the Earthly Fiends) and then interact with the Hallowed Tower - which is basically just a heap of stones - in order to encounter Spiritomb at level 25. You'd almost think you weren't supposed to get Spiritomb that easily in the first place, and sure enough, its Pokédex classification is the 'Forbidden Pokémon'. Neat.

Pretty quirky fan art of shiny Spiritomb.

But is Spiritomb worth the hassle battle-wise? The answer is yes, as its base 108 defense and special defense stats make it a bulky Pokémon mainly used for... mixed movesets! Yeah, while its base 50 HP doesn't really back up its excellent defenses, said defenses are good enough that Spiritomb can take a few hits before it goes down, so it's best to look at offensive moves alongside support moves. It can be used as a physical attacker, rocking moves like Sucker Punch, Pursuit and Shadow Sneak, but its options are limited in that regard. Foul Play, a move that uses the opposing Pokémon's attack stat rather than Spiritomb's, is an option as well, but it's tricky to use: you could end up attacking the wrong Pokémon if the opponent decides to switch out. A Nasty Plot set with Dark Pulse, Shadow Ball and Psychic is generally better, although I think Calm Mind will be more useful than Nasty Plot because it also raises Spiritomb's special defense instead of only its special attack. Just keep in mind that those moves are its only special-attacking options. Therefore, a combination of offensive, support and set-up moves isn't unheard of: Will-O-Wisp, Pain Split and Taunt are often used next to moves like Shadow Sneak, Pursuit and Foul Play, while Rest and Sleep Talk complement Calm Mind and Dark Pulse very well. Additionally, Infestation is a move that prevents the opponent from switching as long as Spiritomb is in play, if that's your style. Secretly, Spiritomb is very versatile without actually being overly versatile, if you know what I mean. The moves mentioned above definitely indicate that it is supposed to be a sneaky Pokémon capable of pulling off a couple of suprise attacks.

To let it hit as hard as possible, you could give Spiritomb an Adamant or Modest nature, depending on whether you want to go physical or special. However, a defensive nature (Bold or Calm if Spiritomb has special moves, Impish or Careful if it has physical moves, and Relaxed or Sassy if you decide to use a mix) is generally a better idea, as are the Leftovers, just to ensure its longevity on the battlefield. It's entirely up to you, but I do recommend the latter. At least give it its hidden ability Infiltrator, which ignores the effect of Reflect, Light Screen, Mist, Safeguard and Aurora Veil and allows it to bypass Substitute.

Hey Spiritomb, leave my darling Pikachu alone!

I think I said everything I wanted to say about Spiritomb. While I think its design, concept and origins are fascinating, it is not one of my absolute favorite Pokémon... yet. I've honestly never used it, and the only time I caught this thing was on Sea Mauville in Alpha Sapphire - I didn't even take the trouble to go back to that place in Omega Ruby and catch it on that game. I'll give it 4.5 stars for now, but who knows what'll happen when I actually get to know this thing a bit better...

P.S.: Happy Halloween to whoever might be interested in getting Halloween wishes from someone who hates the fucking holiday.

Rating: 4.5/5