Rayquaza
- This article is about the Pokémon. For the smasher, seeSmasher:Rayquaza07.
| Rayquaza | |
|---|---|
  Official artwork of Rayquaza fromPokémon Ruby and Sapphire. | |
| Universe | Pokémon |
| Debut | Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire Versions (2002) |
| Smash Bros. appearances | Brawl SSB4 (Wii U only) Ultimate |
| Most recent non-Smash appearance | Pokémon Legends: Z-A (2025) (via update) |
| Console/platform of origin | Game Boy Advance |
| Species | Rayquaza |
| Gender | Genderless |
| Place of origin | Hoenn |
| Created by | Hironobu Yoshida |
| Voice actor | Katsuyuki Konishi (Brawl) |
| Article on Bulbapedia | Rayquaza (Pokémon) |
Rayquaza (レックウザ,Rayquaza), stylized asRAYQUAZA in European versions ofBrawl, is a draconic creature from thePokémon media franchise.
Origin[edit]
Rayquaza is a dualDragon/Flying-type legendary Pokémon that debuted in the third generation ofPokémon games, serving as the version mascot forPokémon Emerald, the solitary third version ofPokémon Ruby and Sapphire and fifth main series game inGeneration III overall. It is categorized within the Pokédex at #384 as the "Sky High Pokémon". A green serpentine creature, it is part of a trio of legendary Pokémon commonly referred to as theSuper-ancient Pokémon along withGroudon andKyogre, and in its games is able to mediate the fights between those two. Symbolising this, it has the abilityAir Lock, which neutralises weather effects. It is considered very territorial and usually flies around in the ozone layer, often having battles withDeoxys.
Rayquaza first appeared inPokémon Ruby andSapphire as a legendary Pokémon residing inSky Pillar. However, it did not have a significant story role, with little even implying its existence. InPokémon Emerald, however, Rayquaza is the mascot and served a much bigger role, becoming the one who stops the fight betweenKyogre andGroudon. It also stays in Sky Pillar once the conflict is finished and can be obtained much earlier. Rayquaza later returned in the remakes,Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, playing a major role in the post-game's "Delta Episode", where it was shown to be capable ofMega Evolution. Uniquely, Mega Rayquaza is the only Mega Evolution accessible without the use of a Mega Stone, instead simply by having the moveDragon Ascent.
Rayquaza's distinctive metallic roars heard inBrawl are re-purposed from thePokémon anime film,Destiny Deoxys, where it was voiced by Katsuyuki Konishi.
InSuper Smash Bros. Brawl[edit]
Role inThe Subspace Emissary[edit]
| Rayquaza | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A boss in | Brawl |
| Universe | Pokémon |
| Location | The Lake |
Rayquaza is the secondboss ofSuper Smash Bros. Brawl's Adventure Mode: The Subspace Emissary. In the mode, Rayquaza first appears atThe Lake afterDiddy Kong goes to investigate a crashedArwing. Rayquaza bursts out of the water, destroys the Arwing with an energy blast from its mouth, and then seizes Diddy. Before the Pokémon can harm him,Fox ejects from the ruined Arwing and attacks Rayquaza usingFox Illusion, causing it to lose its grip on Diddy. Rayquaza then attacks Fox with another energy blast, but Fox reflects the attack back at Rayquaza using hisReflector, sending it tumbling back into the water. Both Diddy and Fox then face off against it.
Even though it was not working for theSubspace Army, Tabuu brings back Rayquaza to slow down the heroes inThe Great Maze.
Additionally, when Rayquaza is defeated, it twitches at the last second, suggesting it was only knocked out (a possible nod to thePokémon series, where a Pokémon that is defeated in battle is said to have fainted).
It can also be battled at any given time inBoss Battles mode.
Moveset[edit]
- Notes: The "d" below is a multiplier based on thedifficulty value. Final damage is rounded down to the nearest whole number. Boss Battles halves the final damage, rounding down again. The move names are fan-made in the absence of an official source.
| Name | Damage | Description | Move number |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iron Tail | 8 + 2.2d (early, mid body) 18 + 2.8d (middle, mid body) 20 + 3.0d (middle, tail) 16 + 1.6d (late, tail) | Rayquaza sweeps its tail across the ground. The middle of Rayquaza's length and its tail have a hitbox, with the mid-section hitbox coming out 1frame sooner and potentially leading into the tail hit; with the early hit having 16%shield damage and the middle hit having 18% shield damage, it can quite easily breakshields at higher difficulties. Its late hit is weaker and only hits behind it, but also deals 18% shield damage. | 1 |
| Fly | 22 + 2.2d (sweetspot) 16 + 1.8d (sourspot) | Rayquaza flies up slowly, then crashes into the player while burrowing into the ground, then appears on the other side. The attack has a sweetspot on Rayquaza's head and sourspots on its horns. The sweetspot has verticalknockback and deals 33% shield damage. The sourspot dealsslash damage, 20% shield damage, and the knockback is also vertical but not has much as the sweetspot. The lightning bolt attack is the substitute for this at lower HP. | 3 |
| Dash | 16 + 2.0d (head) 13 + 1.8d (mid body) | Rayquaza ducks down and rushes to the other side of the stage. All hitboxes are active from frames 59-80, roughly before Rayquaza's head reaches the ground to roughly after its mid-section touches the ground. The head deals slash damage and 18% shield damage. The mid-section deals 16% shield damage | 1 |
| Outrage | 12 + 0.8d (start) 24 + 2.6d (return) | Rayquaza twists and flies up, and then flies back and forth near the ground. When returning, only Rayquaza's head has a damaging hitbox, however it has the second highest base damage of its attacks and deals 33% shield damage. At lower HP, Rayquaza flies across two or three times. Its speed increases with difficulty. Small characters can evade this attack by ducking if they can fit between the "waves" of Rayquaza's wavy shape and the ground, but the move also produces a wind that can push characters around into a spot where they can be hit, makingcrawling an asset. | 3 |
| Diagonal Zap Cannon | 2 + 2.0d (mouth, charge) 20 + 2.5d (mouth, launch) 12 + 1.0d (mid body, launch) 2 + 1.6d (ball, charge) 2 + 1.4d (ball, launch) 14 + 2.4d (explosion) | Rayquaza sends a ball of electricity in front of itself diagonally, which can be reflected by various reflecting attacks but not absorbed byPSI Magnet orOil Panic. The ball explodes when it hits the ground. As it charges, Rayquaza's head deals weakelectric damage. Upon firing, it deals moderate damage in front of it and its mouth also deals damage that can potentially stack with the electric ball. All hitboxes deal 15% shield damage. | 2 |
| Horizontal Zap Cannon | 2 + 2.0d (ball, charge) 2 + 1.4d (ball, launched edge) 14 + 2.4d (ball, launched center) | Rayquaza lowers its head and sends the lightning orb in front of itself. Like its diagonal counterpart, it can be reflected but not absorbed. All hits deal 15% shield damage except for the center of the electric ball, which deals 20%. | 2 |
| Thunder | 2 + 1.6d (body) 2 + 1.8d (arm segment) 1 + 0.2d (lightning) | Rayquaza flies up in a tight circle and attacks with a multi-hit lightning bolt. The lightning is weak and has negligible knockback, but it hits every 2 frames and deals 2% shield damage, causing the damage to accumulate quickly and potentially break shields. During the time Rayquaza rises and spins, touching it will deal electric damage along with 10% shield damage. It's one of the few attacks that are easier to dodge on higher difficulties due to its much shorter duration. Rayquaza only uses at lower HP. Similar to Pikachu'sThunder | 3 |
| Dig | 10 + 2.0d (burrow) 25 + 2.4d (emerge, head) 18 + 2.1d (emerge, horns) | Rayquaza burrows underground, then bursts out of the ground where the player was standing. When burrowing its head deals 33% shield damage while its horns deal 20% shield damage. The burrowing head hitbox has the highest base damage of Rayquaza's attacks. After coming out of the ground, all of its hitboxes deal 10% shield damage. At lower HP, Rayquaza does this three times. When its HP is low enough that it can be captured with aTrophy Stand, it will perform this attack four times. | 2 |
| Explosion | 16 + 1.8d (head) 16 + 2.3d (explosion) | Rayquaza's eyes glow, and then it creates an explosion at the location where the character was at that time. While Rayquaza's eyes glow, fighters in contact with its head will be spiked to the ground, often a perfect setup for the explosion. The head hitbox deals 15% shield damage while the explosion itself deals 10% shield damage. | 3 |
Gallery[edit]
Rayquaza roars.
Rayquaza uses Iron Tail.
Rayquaza sweeps to the other side of the stage.
Rayquaza charges Zap Cannon.
Rayquaza releases Zap Cannon along the ground.
Rayquaza shoots Zap Cannon diagonally downwards.
Rayquaza soars into the sky before using Fly.
Rayquaza diving after Fly.
Rayquaza flashes its eyes before creating an explosion.
Rayquaza creates said explosion.
Rayquaza releases Thunder.
Rayquaza uses Outrage from the side of the screen.
Rayquaza prepares to use Dig.
Rayquaza's model as viewed through BrawlBox.
HP and damage taken[edit]
| HP Values |  |  |  |  |  | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Lake | 185.68 | 208.4 | 225.44 | 253.84 | 282.24 | ||||||||||
| The Great Maze | 151 | 173 | 188 | 211 | 235 | ||||||||||
| Round | 1-3 | 4-6 | 7-9 | 1-3 | 4-6 | 7-9 | 1-3 | 4-6 | 7-9 | 1-3 | 4-6 | 7-9 | 1-3 | 4-6 | 7-9 |
| Boss Battles | 115.4 | 121 | 133.2 | 128 | 135 | 148.6 | 141.5 | 150 | 164 | 155 | 165 | 182.7 | 191 | 205 | 224.5 |
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damage taken | ×0.7 | ×0.7 | ×0.5 | ×1.0 | ×0.7 | ×0.5 | ×0.5 | ×0.7 | ×0.7 | ×0.7 | ×0.3 |
| Unused weak point | ×1.0 | ×1.0 | ×0.7 | ×1.5 | ×1.0 | ×0.7 | ×0.7 | ×1.0 | ×1.0 | ×1.0 | ×0.8 |
| Phase changes | Phase 2 | Phase 1 set | Phase 2 set |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Lake | 45% | 1 | 3 |
| The Great Maze | 50% | 2 | 4 |
| Boss Battles (round 1-3) | 35% | 1 | 2 |
| Boss Battles (round 4-6) | 40% | 1 | 3 |
| Boss Battles (round 7-9) | 45% | 2 | 4 |
| Note: When HP% is checked it is rounded down, causing the phase changes to occur 1% sooner. | |||
While Rayquaza technically has less health than later bosses, its massive battery of resistances practically gives it a very large amount of health. In fact, the only moves which it does not resist are those withfreezing hitboxes, which is a nod to thePokémon games, where Rayquaza's typing makes it 4x weak to Ice-type moves. However with there being only a few moves in the game with hitboxes of the freezing type, only possessed by theIce Climbers,Lucas andMr. Game & Watch, this lone relative weakness can rarely be exploited. Even then, most of those few freezing moves are projectiles, meaning Rayquaza will still resist them, while also being low-damaging and laggy moves that would make them ineffective for using against bosses. With this inability to use moves that Rayquaza does not possess an at least x0.7 resistance to, it is effectively about as or even more durable thanDuon, the most durable boss outside ofTabuu.
None of Rayquaza's hurtboxes are programmed to be a weak point, though it notably has weak point numbers programmed in that are not the default ×2.0 like they are for other enemies that lack a weak point. This may indicate that Rayquaza originally had a weak point to counterbalance its massive resistances, which was scrapped late in development.
Like all bosses inBrawl, Rayquaza gains an additional ×0.6 damage resistance modifier when fought in co-op mode, effectively gaining 67% more health. This modifier is applied whenever the second player is in-game, and is no longer applied if the second player loses all theirstocks.
As a playable character[edit]
- For Rayquaza as a playable character via hacks, seeRayquaza (SSBB).
Trophy[edit]
Rayquaza's trophy must be obtained by using aTrophy Stand on it during its Subspace Emissary fight.
- Rayquaza
- A Sky High Pokémon. It normally resides high up in the ozone layer where it flies endlessly, so it is rarely seen. However, when Groudon and Kyogre began to fight, it appeared to calm them down. It has the ability Air Lock, which blocks all weather-condition effects. It has exceedingly strong abilities, and its attack power is especially remarkable.
:Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire- :Pokémon Emerald
Sticker[edit]
| Name | Game | Effect | Fighter(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rayquaza | Pokémon series |  Attack +24 |  |
.png) Rayquaza (Pokémon series) |
InSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U[edit]
As a stage element[edit]
Rayquaza appears in theKalos Pokémon League stage as a stage element. Appearing rarely in the Dragonmark Chamber, it performs Outrage from itsThe Subspace Emissary boss fight by flying across the stage at various angles, dealing damage to fighters. Its path is shown briefly by lightning before it appears, giving players time to avoid it.
Trophy[edit]
Rayquaza's trophy is exclusive toSuper Smash Bros. for Wii U, where it is part of theLegend of Pokémon Ruby & Pokémon SapphireTrophy Box.
- Rayquaza
This Dragon/Flying-type Pokémon usually dwells high in the ozone layer, so it can't be seen from the ground. In the Kalos Pokémon League stage, it occasionally flies at great speed through the Elite Four's Dragon-type chamber, where any fighters in its path will be damaged and launched with great force.- :Pokémon Ruby & Pokémon Sapphire (03/2003)
:Pokémon HeartGold & Pokémon SoulSilver (03/2010)
This Dragon- and Flying-type Pokémon usually dwells high in the ozone layer, so it can't be seen from the ground. In the Kalos Pokémon League stage, it occasionally flies at great speed through the Elite Four's Dragon-type chamber, where any fighters in its path will be damaged and launched with great force.- :Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire (07/2003)
- :Pokémon HeartGold/SoulSilver (03/2010)
InSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate[edit]
As a stage element[edit]
Rayquaza returns in its role on Kalos Pokémon League.
Spirit[edit]
Rayquaza appears inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate as an Ace-classprimary spirit.
Rayquaza's Spirit Battle uses aRidley puppet fighter and is fought on theKalos Pokémon League stage's Dragonmark Chamber, which features Rayquaza as a stage element. During the battle, heavy winds are immediately in effect, referencing Mega Rayquaza's ability,Delta Stream, which creates strong winds.
| No. | Image | Name | Type | Class | Slots | Base | Max | Base | Max | Base | Max | Ability | Series |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 500 |  | Rayquaza |  | ★★★ | 3 | 2920 | 8760 | 1653 | 4959 | 1102 | 3306 | Jump ↑ | Pokémon Series |
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
 Japanese | レックウザ,Rayquaza |
 English | Rayquaza |
 French | Rayquaza |
 German | Rayquaza |
 Spanish | Rayquaza |
 Italian | Rayquaza |
 Chinese | 烈空坐 |
 Korean | 레쿠쟈,Rayquaza |
 Dutch | Rayquaza |
 Russian | Райкваза |
Trivia[edit]
- Despite being the "Sky High" Pokémon which lives high in the ozone layer, this iteration of Rayquaza seems to be able to live at The Lake (although in its origin series, it is capable of learning the moveDive) and burrowing underground for an attack (via the move,Dig, which it cannot learn). The Pokédex says that Rayquaza never touches the ground, however, unlessGroudon andKyogre were to fight.
- A glitch can happen when facing Rayquaza. It is unknown how this happens, but it can leave some of the playable character's model stuck frozen in the immediate foreground, moving with the camera. Any attack Rayquaza performs that targets the player's location go offscreen, failing to hit the almost-KO'ed player. This glitch lasts until the player quits the battle.[1]
- Rayquaza is the only boss fought at the beginning of a stage whose fight is not the entire stage.
- Rayquaza is the only boss inThe Subspace Emissary known to have a specific voice actor (Katsuyuki Konishi), with said voice actor having voiced the Pokémon inPokémon: Destiny Deoxys, as well as several other Pokémon throughout the anime as well.
- Aside from freezing attacks being the most effective, many of Rayquaza's weaknesses and resistances do not match its properties in thePokémon games: it resists electric, grass, water and dark attacks more than flame attacks, whereas its Pokémon typing dictates it takes regular damage from electric, ghost and dark, half damage from fire and water and quarter damage from grass.
