Arceus is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. First featuring in the 2009 film , Arceus is a mythical Pokémon which can first be obtained in the games Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. Within the lore of the Pokémon series, Arceus is the creator deity which created the games' universe. Following its release, Arceus was received relatively favorably, being voted the most favorite Pokémon in a poll of Japanese fans by The Pokémon Company.
Design and characteristics
Referred to as the "Alpha Pokémon" in the in-game Pokédex, Arceus is a largely white, quadrupedal creature with a black-toned underbelly. A prominent feature of the physical form is a round, wheel-like cross attached to its torso. The wheel is yellow in its default Normal-type form, but it changes color when Arceus is given special items which also change its type. In the lore of the Pokémon series, Arceus created the universe. The Pokémon has a "signature" move that is not learnable by other species called "Judgment". Arceus is a "mythical" Pokémon, one of four released in the fourth generation of the series.
Arceus was first obtainable in the gamePokémon Diamond and Pearl through distribution events by Nintendo. It also appeared as a statue, although not obtainable, in the spin-off game . In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, transferring Arceus into the game allows a special event to be triggered in which the player visits an altar and Arceus generates a legendary Pokémon - either Dialga, Palkia and Giratina dependent on player choice - with the game showing real life photographs. Prior to the introduction of Mega Evolution in Pokémon X and Y, Arceus had the highest base stats of any Pokémon. Arceus is also featured in the spin-off Pokémon Conquest, being awakened after the player unites the region the game is set in - which is shaped like Arceus. Figures of Arceus were given out as pre-order bonuses in Japan for HeartGold and SoulSilver. Nintendo had held multiple official distributions for Arceus - which, being a Mythical Pokémon, is not obtainable through normal gameplay - including events in 2016 and 2018.
In a 2010 Japanese fan survey conducted by The Pokémon Company before the release of Pokémon Black and White, Arceus placed first as "most favorite Pokémon", ahead of franchise mascot Pikachu which was fourth. Arceus placed second in a 2016 The Pokémon Company poll. In a separate poll conducted by IGN, Arceus placed as the sixty-first top, with IGN's staff commenting that Arceus was "kind of funny looking". Several writers noted the in-lore strangeness of obtaining Arceus, noting that it would be equivalent to "a kid catching a deity". Official Nintendo Magazines Chris Scullion ranked Arceus among the 10 best Pokémon due to its versatility, strength, and rarity that makes Arceus "potentially strong against any Pokémon". Destructoid's Jonathan Holmes called it a "bad cross between a Yu-Gi-Oh monster and the spirit of the forest from The Princess Mononoke".
