Entei


Entei is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Muneo Saitō, Entei first appeared in the video games Pokémon Gold and Silver and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles, animated adaptations, and printed adaptations of the franchise.
Known as the Volcano Pokémon, Entei is created during a volcanic eruption. It is one of the three "Legendary Beasts" featured in Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal. Entei was a main character in ', where it is an illusion created by Unown. It also appears in '. Since its appearance in the Pokémon series, Entei has received generally mixed reception. It has been featured in several forms of merchandise, including figures, plush toys, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, and others. Entei is part of the Legendary beasts Trio.

Design and characteristics

Entei is one of the three "Legendary Beasts" designed by manga artist Muneo Saitō that are featured in Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal. In an interview, Tsunekazu Ishihara, President of The Pokémon Company, described Entei as well as the other two Legendary Beasts Raikou and Suicune as appealing and exciting to both new and old players; he states that they would evoke memories for old players, while new players would be surprised by the random appearance of them. According to Pokémon legend, the Legendary Beasts were reincarnated by Ho-Oh from the spirits of three Pokémon which died in the fire that gave the Burned Tower its name. Entei is a Chinese guardian lion-like creature covered in brown fur with a long, thick mane covering its neck. It has gray plates surrounding the cape that makes it look as if smoke is coming out of a crater on its back. Entei has white paws, black cuff-like bands on its legs, and a red face with a white plate that resembles a Fu Manchu moustache on its face, and a three-pointed yellow crest on its forehead. Entei's head appears to resemble a kabuto, a samurai helmet. Myths say that it is born during a volcanic eruption, and that a new one is born along with each volcano. Entei is an embodiment of magma, and can launch searing fire from its mouth. Its roars can make volcanos erupt on another part of the globe. As a member of the legendary beast trio, Entei are constantly on the move with no set place to hang around in.

Appearances

In the video games

Entei first appears in the Game Boy Color video games Pokémon Gold and Silver. Upon being approached by the player's character, Entei, along with its counterparts Raikou and Suicune, flee, traveling at incredible speeds across Johto. The three of them will randomly appear on a certain route, fleeing from battle at the first opportunity. It also reprises its role in Pokémon Crystal, a special edition of Gold & Silver, by roaming the Johto region. In the Crystal Version, a special theme music will play if the player encounters one of these three legendary beasts. The three of them later appear in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen; however, only one of them appears in a single play through. If the player chooses Bulbasaur, Entei will appear in a similar fashion to how it appeared in Gold and Silver. In Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, Entei is encountered similarly to how it is in Gold and Silver. To promote the release of Pokémon Black and White, players could download the shiny Entei, Raikou, and Suicune from GameStop stores on various weeks in January and February 2011, which will activate the Zoroark event in the games. Entei is among the few Pokémon to learn Eruption or Extreme Speed, and is the only one besides Ho-Oh to learn Sacred Fire.
Entei, along with its counterparts, appears as the final boss of Pokémon Ranger. It also appears in the Super Smash Bros. series since Melee, using Fire Spin when summoned from a Poké Ball. It also appears in other spin-off titles, including Pokémon Trozei and all Pokémon Mystery Dungeon titles.

In other media

An illusionary Entei was a main character in '. After Molly Hale made a wish to the Unown, he served as a replacement father for her while her real father was trapped in the Unown dimension. He did everything Molly asked for, even kidnapping Ash's mother Delia Ketchum to be her mother. When Brock and Misty entered the tower Entei had created and placed Delia in, seeking to rescue her, Entei gave Molly Crystal Pokémon for her to battle them with. When Ash confronted him to rescue his mother, Entei quickly defeated his Totodile and Cyndaquil, and his Pikachu was only able to last longer without success. Even Ash's Charizard, who returned to him from the wild after learning of his distress, was only able to temporarily hold Entei off. However, when Entei was about to kill Charizard, Molly finally decided that she wanted to restore her life to how it was before. Accepting Molly's decision, Entei helped Pikachu and Charizard defeat the now out-of-control Unown before bidding Molly farewell, assuring her that he would always be in her dreams. Entei makes few appearances in the television series, with its only major appearance in the episode "Entei at Your Own Risk". Entei appears in the film ' along with its two counterparts, Raikou and Suicune, as well as Celebi.
In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Entei and its counterparts are awakened by the character Yellow. They then race across Kanto and Johto in order to find trainers to defeat the Masked Man, the leader of Team Rocket in this manga, and rescue Ho-Oh. Entei first teams up with Blaine, and later Silver, eventually rescuing the characters Gold and Silver from the Masked Man. After he is defeated, the three legendary dogs depart.

Promotion and reception

Since its appearance in the Pokémon series, Entei has a received mixed to positive-leaning reception. It has been featured in several forms of merchandise, including figures, plush toys, the Pokémon Trading Card Game, and others.
Entei's role in the film has been well-received; in his review of , Variety editor Robert Koehler stated that Entei was a "fine addition to the collection". In his review of Pokémon 3, USA Today editor Mike Clark described Entei as a "creature with a kind heart". Reviewer Eric D. Snider commented that while he does morally questionable acts during Pokémon 3: The Movie, he is not evil; merely attempting to fulfill the wishes of Pokémon 3 character Molly as a minister of the Unown. The Hollywood Reporter editor Michael Rechtshaffen compared Entei to the Beast from the Disney film Beauty and the Beast. IGN's "Pokémon of the Day Chick" stated that while it was somewhat cool in the film, Entei was the worst legendary Pokémon when it was released Pokémon Crystal. GamesRadar commented that they hated its appearance, describing it as a "mask-wearing mutt with garbage glued onto its back". Entei was included by MTV's Multiplayer Blog as one of the nominees in the "Greatest Canine In Video Game History" article, along with Raikou and Suicune. In the end however, none of them were chosen by readers or by the panel of judges. IGN also ranked Entei as the 18th best Pokémon.