| Series | Pokémon series |
|---|---|
| First game | Pokémon Red and Blue |
| Designed by | Ken Sugimori |
Abra, Kadabra, and Alakazam, known in Japan as Casey (ケーシィ Kēshī), Yungerer (ユンゲラー Yungerā), and Foodin (フーディン Fūdin) respectively, are three of the fictional species of Pokémon creatures from the multi-billion-dollar[1] Pokémon media franchise—a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards, and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. As do all Pokémon, Abra, Kadabra, and Alakazam fight other Pokémon in battles central to the anime, manga, and games of the series.[2] The names "Abra", "Kadabra", and "Alakazam" are used as both a singular and a plural noun when referring to the species. They made their video game debut in 1996 with the Japanese release of Pokémon Red and Blue.[3]
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Abra, Kadabra, and Alakazam are bipedal Pokémon characterized by their human-like body structure and somewhat fox-like appearance. They look like they are wearing armor, as they have two pauldron-shaped pieces on their shoulders and a fauld-like piece around their chest. Abra, Kadabra, and Alakazam have three fingers on each hand, and three toes, two in the front on either side, and one in the back near the ankle. It also has a thick tail the same gold color as the rest of its body, except for abrown band located near the top. Kadabra and Alakazam have relatively large mustaches, which are shorter in female species. Kadabra has a red star-shaped symbol of its forehead, and three red wavy lines on its fauld-like torso. As an Alakazam, it has lost the Zener markings and its tail which it had as a Kadabra, while its head has become much larger, giving it extremely powerful mental powers. Abra and Kadabra were initially intended to be named Hocus and Pocus for American audiences.[4][5]
Possessing the ability to read minds, Abra can sense danger,[6] teleporting when it does and can do so quickly enough to create visual doubles.[6][7] Using self-hypnosis,Abra spend 18 hours a day sleeping, unable to utilize its abilities unless rested.[8][9][10] This behavior ceases once it evolves into Kadabra, a strong psychic that emits alpha waves affected by its current mental state.[11][12] These waves can trigger headaches in nearby people and cause machines to malfunction.[11][13][14][15] Once it evolves into Alakazam, it has mastered every type and form of psychic ability, and its brain continually grows,[16] causing its head to become too heavy for its neck and requiring psychokinesis to hold it upright.[17] Able to remember everything, its IQ is around 5000 and can outperform a supercomputer.[16][18] Both Kadabra and Alakazam utilize spoons generated mentally to enhance their abilities, two for the latter, and can increase them further by closing their eyes.[19][20][21]
Abra, Kadabra, and Alakazam appear in most Pokémon games either by being caught in the wild, or evolving. Abra evolves into Kadabra at level 16, and Kadabra evolves into Alakazam after trading it. Kadabra and Alakazam are the only known Pokémon that learn Kinesis, which decreases the target's accuracy. In Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal, before the Elite Four are defeated for the first time, an Abra appears as an NPC at the Indigo Plateau will teleport the player back to New Bark Town.[22] In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon Alakazam is the leader of a Gold Rank rescue team. He is already a great leader but strives to better himself further to be like his hero, Lucario. He plays a large supporting role in the plot of the game.
The Saffron City Gym Leader, Sabrina, uses a Kadabra and Alakazam in Pokémon Red and Blue, and their remakes, while she just uses an Alakazam in Pokémon Gold and Silver and their remakes. In Pokémon Yellow, Sabrina uses Abra, Kadabra, and Alakazam in her team. In every Kanto-based game except Yellow, the player's rival, Blue catches an Abra while in Cerulean City and battles the player with an evolved Kadabra on the S.S Anne and later in the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town. Blue uses his evolved Alakazam for the rest of the game. In Pokémon Yellow Blue battles the player with a Kadabra in Silph Co. in Saffron City, and uses an Alakazam the rest of the game.
In the Pokémon anime, Abra appears several times, first in Abra and the Psychic showdown, where it is used by the Saffron City Gym Leader and evolves into Kadabra.[23] An Abra appears under the ownership of Mira, who offers to teleport everyone to Hearthome city using her Abra, but instead teleports them to a flooded city to find an object that was lost in the newly-flooded lake.[24]
The most notable Kadabra is Sabrina's which evolved from an Abra during the match, and with its Psychic-type attacks, it eventually caused Ash to forfeit the match to save Pikachu from being hurt anymore. It was shown that Sabrina and Kadabra share a strong psychic bond.[23] Ash later returned for a rematch, and Ash's Haunter made Sabrina laugh, which caused Kadabra to laugh due to the psychic bond it has with Sabrina.[25] Kadabra has since then made few appearances, one being a Kadabra that was living in an abandoned mining colony with several other Psychic-type Pokémon.[26]
Alakazam's first appearance was as a giant Alakazam was awakened near the site of the Pokémopolis ruins in The Ancient Puzzle of Pokémopolis.[27] Alakazam has also been owned by many notable trainers, such as Luana, the Gym Leader of Kumquat Island, in a double battle against Ash.[28] Alakazam appeared under the ownership of Eusine in For Ho-Oh the Bells Toll and The Legend of Thunder!.[29] Anabel owns an Alakazam that appeared in Talking a Good Game,[30] and Second Time's the Charm.[31] Kenny uses his Alakazam in the first round of the Floaroma Pokémon Contest in Settling a Not-So-Old Score!.[32]
In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Abra makes a cameo as the stolen Pokémon of the Pokémon Fan Club President.[33] Later when Red frees the Pokémon kidnapped by Lt. Surge; instead of his beloved Abra, the President of the Pokémon Fan Club finds himself with a not-so-cute Alakazam.[34] Like her anime counterpart, Sabrina also owns a Kadabra.[35] After Red's aptitude test to be the Gym Leader of Viridian City, a swarm of wild Pokémon suddenly appear outside the Gym after being attracted by Pokémon March music, one of which is an Alakazam. Blue captures all of them with his Scizor.[36] Alakazam is seen again as part of Blue's team for the Gym Leader faceoff,[37] and again as one of the Pokémon in Viridian Gym. It defeated Yellow's Pikachu easily using a combination of Role Play and ThunderPunch.[38] Green is seen to have an Abra, using its Teleport move to transport Silver away to a safer location.[39]
IGN described Abra's evolutionary line as "losing most of its charm" as it progressed, calling Abra cute, describing Kadabra as having "a bit of that personality", but Alakazam appearing as a "distinctly grim, foreboding character".[40] They further described Alakazam as "arguably the single most popular non-legendary Psychic type in any of the current games", also calling it a "brilliant yet brittle braniac".[41] 1UP FM praised the characters; design, with the hosts noting them as some of their favorite Pokémon in the series and that they were impressed with their appearance.[42] Boys' Life named Abra one of the five "coolest" Pokémon from Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, placing fourth on their list.[43] The St. Petersburg Times also praised the characters, describing their names as "clever".[44] IGN editor "Pokémon of the Day Chick" praised Alakazam, calling it the "single most popular non-legendary Psychic type in any of the current games".[45]
Conservative Christian groups have targeted the trio as representing anti-Christian aspects of the franchise. In Palm Beach, Florida, Pastor Eugene Walton distributed pamphlets describing the symbols on their heads as "a pentagram" and claimed the symbols on their chests were representative of Nazi Germany's Waffen-SS.[46] In the book It's a Dark World, Roger Boehm argued that due to their psychic-status and the symbols on the body of the latter, Abra and Kadabra represented the occult, further arguing that the etymology of their name tied directly to them.[47]
In November 2000 it was reported that Uri Geller, an Israeli "psychic"-magician who claims to bend spoons with his mind, sued Nintendo over the Pokémon Kadabra, due to its Japanese name which he claimed was an unauthorized appropriation of his identity.[48] Geller learned of the similarity after fans of both himself and Pokémon had noted a resemblance to the character's Japanese name, behavior and face, and presented him with cards of the character to autograph after he had finished taping a television special in Japan.[49][50] He further claimed that the star on Kadabra's forehead, and the lightning patterns on its abdomen, were symbols popular with the Waffen-SS of Nazi Germany, and further claimed that through the character Nintendo had "turned [him] into an evil, occult Pokémon character".[51] Nintendo countered by stating there was no connection between the two and that they had not named any of the Pokémon after actual people to the knowledge of their staff.[52] Geller sued for the equivalent of $100 million, but lost.[48]
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