Treasures of ruin
Thetreasures of ruin[a] (Japanese:災いの宝Wazawai no Takara, "treasures of calamity"), also known asRuinous Pokémon[b] andCalamity Pokémon[c] (Japanese:災厄ポケモンSaiyaku Pokemon, "Calamity Pokémon"), are aquartet ofLegendary Pokémon consisting ofWo-Chien,Chien-Pao,Ting-Lu, andChi-Yu. The four Pokémon are individually referred to by the same names as theirsignature Abilities: theTablets of Ruin,Sword of Ruin,Vessel of Ruin, andBeads of Ruin, respectively.[d] They originated inan unknown land, but currently reside in thePaldea region.
Shared design
The four treasures of ruin share a primary type,Dark; acategory, "Ruinous Pokémon"; and a signature move,Ruination. Theirsignature Abilities are all variations of each other, sharing the effect of lowering a certainstat by 25% for allPokémon on the field except themselves when they are in battle. Their names are all derived from Chinese.
Origin
Each Pokémon appears to draw prominent inspiration from ancient Chinese artifacts originating fromthe era prior to the establishment of theQin dynasty in 221 BC, particularlybamboo and wooden slips, double-edgedjian sword, bronzeding cauldron, andjade ware. The appearance of thetreasures of ruin may also reference early modern cultural and commercial exchanges of the West with China during the period, such as thePortuguese establishment of trading activities in southern China in the early 16th century with the founding ofMacau, followed bySpanish contacts with China starting at the latter part of the century.
They may also be partly inspired by the concept of theFour Perils, four malevolent beings that exist inChinese mythology.
History
The four treasures of ruin were once normal objects originated froma distant land in the east ofPaldea. These four treasures were a set of wooden tablets, a sword, a vessel, and a set of beads. As time passed, each of the treasures were corrupted by negative human emotions: grudge, hatred, fear, and envy respectively, gaining life and cladding themselves in dead leaves, snow and ice, dirt and rocks, and fire to create their respective bodies, becoming theLegendary PokémonWo-Chien,Chien-Pao,Ting-Lu, andChi-Yu.
One day, in the ancient times of Paldea, a merchant came from the east in possession of these four treasures, traveled to the Paldea region, and presented them to the Paldean king. In excitement, the treasure-obsessed king quickly bought them all, keeping them in his castle with his other treasures. The king's greed, however, eventually caused the four treasures to awaken, transforming into their Pokémon forms. The four Legendary Pokémon went berserk and caused a disaster that completely destroyed the castle and almost the entire kingdom afterwards.
Eventually though, the four of them were defeated and sealed away in different shrines scattered across the Paldea region by Pokémon wielders called out by the Paldean king. Wo-Chien was sealed within theGrasswither Shrine, Chien-Pao within theIcerend Shrine, Ting-Lu within theGroundblight Shrine, and Chi-Yu within theFirescourge Shrine.
Moveset comparison
Base stat comparison
| Pokémon | HP | Atk | Def | Sp. Atk | Sp. Def | Spd | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | 85 | 85 | 100 | 95 | 135 | 70 | 570 |
 | 80 | 120 | 80 | 90 | 65 | 135 | 570 |
 | 155 | 110 | 125 | 55 | 80 | 45 | 570 |
 | 55 | 80 | 80 | 135 | 120 | 100 | 570 |
In the games
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet
The four treasures of ruin are scattered across Paldea, sealed in special shrines. Wo-Chien's can be found inSouth Province (Area One), Chien-Pao's can be found inWest Province (Area One), Ting-Lu's can be found in theSocarrat Trail, and Chi-Yu's can be found inNorth Province (Area Two). Their shrines are usually locked, but can be unlocked after pulling out eight different stakes scattered across their respective areas. Upon pulling out all stakes, their shrines will unlock and the respective Pokémon can be called out to battle by interacting with their shrines.
The Shiny version of the treasures of ruin were encounterable in four limitedPoké Portal News events as 5 Star Tera Raids. During theTera Raid Battle event, neither of the four can be captured and said events ends on September 30, 2025 respectively.Challenge the Shiny Tablets of Ruin event lasts from Friday, August 8, 2025 to Tuesday, September 30, 2025.Challenge the Shiny Sword of Ruin event lasts from August 22, 2025 to Tuesday, September 30, 2025.Challenge the Shiny Vessel of Ruin event lasts from September 5, 2025, to September 30, 2025.Challenge the Shiny Beads of Ruin event lasts from September 19, 2025 to September 30, 2025. Defeating any of this battles one million times will grant players the respective Shiny Pokémon to be obtained thoughMystery Gift rewards at the following times.
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
Scarlet & Violet arc
While none of the treasures of ruin have appeared inPokémon Adventures so far,Scarlet, who is a treasure hunter, is battlingPaldea'sGym Leaders in search of information about them. InPASV10, it's revealed that Scarlet is seeking the treasures for one of her clients. Later on, it's revealed that her client isUva Academy's history teacherRaifort, who wants to capture them and bring them under control so they can't spread ruin in case they're released into the world. She also reveals that to unseal the treasure, Scarlet will need another Pokémon with a special power, theIron Serpent.
Gallery
 |
| S V Shrines concept art |
Music
| Games | Location | Track Title (Japanese) | Track Title (Japanese) | Composer | Arranger | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S V | When battling the treasures of ruin | 戦闘！災厄ポケモン | Battle! (Calamity Pokémon) | Gō Ichinose | Gō Ichinose | 03:39 |
| Song names marked with an asterisk are unofficial, as they have not received a soundtrack release. | ||||||
Trivia
- The treasures of ruin share similarities to theguardian deities:
- They are a quartet of Legendary Pokémon situated in a particular region.
- Both quartets share a base stat total of 570.
- Each quartet has a sharedtype: the treasures of ruin share theDark type, while the guardian deities share theFairy type.
- The respective quartets'signature moves,Ruination andNature's Madness, are differently typed variations of each other, both being moves that deal damage equivalent to half the target's remaining HP.
- Both quartets also share variations of givenAbilities: the treasures of ruin all have variations of Abilities that lower a stat of all other Pokémon on the field when they are present, while the guardian deities all share Abilities that summon a different type ofterrain upon entering battle.
- Wo-Chien, Chien-Pao, Ting-Lu, and Chi-Yu all have their names romanized in theWade–Giles format in English, Spanish, and Italian. In French and German, their names are instead romanized in the HanyuPinyin format, with their respective names being Chongjian, Baojian, Dinglu, and Yuyu in those languages.
- The treasures of ruin are the first Pokémon whosebase stats were adjusted via apatch to the game, with each receiving a decrease of 10 points.
In other languages
- Treasures of ruin
| Language | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| Chinese | Cantonese | 災禍之寶Jōiwoh jī Bóu |
| Mandarin | 災禍之寶 / 灾祸之宝Zāihuò zhī Bǎo | |
| French | Trésors du fléau | |
| German | Schätze des Unheils | |
| Italian | Tesori portatori di sciagura | |
| Korean | 재앙의 보물Jaeang-ui Bomul | |
| Brazilian Portuguese | Tesouros da Ruína | |
| Spanish | Tesoros funestos | |
- Ruinous Legends
| Language | Title | |
|---|---|---|
| French | Légendes du fléau | |
| German | Unheilvolle Legende | |
| Italian | Leggenda rovinosa | |
| Spanish | Leyendas funestas | |
Notes
- ↑These Pokémon are consistently referred to as the "treasures of ruin" byRaifort inPokémon Scarlet and Violet. The term is also used in a description inPokémon HOME. "Pokémon known as thetreasures of ruin, sealed away with sacred stakes."
- ↑The four Pokémon collectively share thecategory "Ruinous Pokémon".
- ↑From the name of their battle theme inNintendo Music, "Battle! (Calamity Pokémon)".
- ↑Referred to in-game as well as in promotional material for events, e.g. "Challenge the Shiny Tablets of Ruin!"
Related articles
 | This Pokémon article is part ofProject Pokédex, aBulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon species, as well as Pokémon groups and forms. |
