In thePokemonuniverse, ‘mons are capable of great power that can be used in battles and to help people in their day-to-day lives. Most of these powers are elemental; however, some Pokemon go a step further. These Pokemon can control time itself, whether they have to use a tool to do so or have an innate affinity with time.
Related:Pokemon That Appear In Nearly Every Game
While some Pokemon are commonly associated with time, other ‘mons’ connections to it are less obvious without researching further.Pokemon Legends: Arceusexpanded upon the concept most widely by sending you back in time tothe ancient Hisui region, but it has also appeared in other media across the franchise. While these Pokemon being able to control time is interesting in itself, it would be fun to see this explored more deeply in the series too.
6Possessing Time: Rotom
Rotom is an Electric and Ghost-type Pokemon that has the ability to change forms by possessing inanimate objects. It can alsoinhabit mobile phonesand the Pokedex, such as inScarlet & VioletandSun & Moon. According to various Pokedex entries, Rotom can use its electronic abilities to “wreak havoc” and “make mischief,” with Scarlet’s entry saying that it “smirks with satisfaction over a prank well pulled.” However, in the anime, Rotom’s ability is much more useful.
In Rotom’s Wish, Rotom uses its abilities to possess an elevator to send Ash and his friends back in time, hoping to change an event in the past. It’s interesting to see how Rotom’s abilities can be used with different appliances - if it can control time by simply possessing an elevator, what else can it do?
5Ancient Traveler: Baltoy
Known as the Clay Doll Pokemon, Baltoy resembles pottery from the Jōmon period. In fact, Baltoy “was discovered in ancient ruins” according to multiple of its Pokedex entries. Although its connections to these ancient ruins haven’t been explored much in the game series, the Pokemon anime discusses not only the ancient civilization Baltoy was a part of, but also how its abilities were used in conjunction with their creations.
Related:Pokemon: Fun Facts And Trivia You Need To Know About Misty
In Me, Myself, and Time Baltoy traveled to the past alongside its trainer, Callista, using an ancient artifact, in the hopes of encouraging Callista’s younger self to continue researching the ruins associated with Baltoy. To travel through time, Baltoy positions itself in the center of the artifact and spins to activate it, taking others and itself to different time periods.
4Rift In Time: Giratina
The Legendary PokemonGiratina was banished by Arceusfor its violence, and took to residing in the Distortion World, a strange parallel universe. In Pokemon Legends: Arceus, Volo sought out Giratina, and then used their shared interest in Arceus to encourage it to create the space-time rift above Hisui.
This rift caused smaller space-time distortions to appear across the region, which transport Pokemon from the future to ancient Hisui. Giratina has the power to tear the fabric of time itself, displacing Pokemon in the process.
3Traveler Of The Forest: Celebi
Celebi is known as the Time Travel Pokemon and resides in Ilex Forest in the Johto region. In multiple of Celebi’s Pokedex entries, it says that it “has the power to travel across time.” However, it will only come “in peaceful times,” meaning that seeing Celebi is guaranteed to be a good omen. In terms of appearance, Celebi resembles a fairy with a plant-bulb-like head, highlighting its connection to the forest and nature.
Related:Plant Pokemon Ranked By How Likely I’d Be To Display Them In My Home
Celebi’s ability to time travel has been explored in other Pokemon media, most notably the movie, Celebi: The Voice of the Forest. In the movie, Celebi uses its power to escape a Pokemon poacher who was hunting it, traveling to the future. It would be interesting if Celebi’s time travel abilities were explored in a mainline installment, allowing you to time travel with it, similar to the movie.
2Time Itself: Dialga
In the Pokemon universe, Dialga is the embodiment of time and is known as the Temporal Pokemon. In various of Dialga’s Pokedex entries, it’s said that it has “the power to control time” and that “time began moving when Dialga was born.” It’s an important Pokemon in Sinnoh’s creation story alongside Arceus, Palkia, and Giratina because of its role as the guardian of time.
Dialga’s design and name are perhaps references to sundials, a device used to tell the time using sunlight. It’s also the only Pokemon capable of learning the move Roar of Time, a Dragon-type move that “distorts even time,” showings its mastery over the domain of time. Rather than simply manipulating time, Dialga, in Sinnoh lore, is the equivalent of time itself with incomprehensible power.
1The Creator: Arceus
Arceus is the Pokemon universe’s closest thing to a god, as it’s believed to have “shaped the universe” according to various Pokedex entries. In Sinnoh mythology, Arceus is the creator of all things, including Dialga; as a result, it created time itself, too. It’s unsurprising that Arceus can control time, considering that it supposedly existed before anything else.
Arceus’ connection to time was showcased in Pokemon Legends: Arceus, as it appears at the beginning of the game to send you back in time to the Hisui region to “seek out all Pokemon.” Despite this, its Pokedex entries don’t mention its ability to control time at all - this power is just a footnote in all the things it can do.
Next:Pokemon Games With The Best Story Outside Of The Gyms, Ranked
