is a Pokémon species in

Nintendo is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational video game company headquartered in Kyoto, Japan. It develops video games and video game consoles. Nintendo was founded in 1889 as by craftsman Fusajiro Yamauchi and originally produce ...

and

Game Freak is a Japanese video game developer, best known as the primary developer of the mainline ''Pokémon'' series of role-playing video games published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. History Predating the video game company, ''Game Freak'' ...

's ''

Pokémon (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures (company), Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of ...

'' franchise. Created by

Ken Sugimori is a Japanese video game designer, illustrator, manga artist, and director. He is best known as the primary character designer and art director for the ''Pokémon'' franchise. Sugimori is also credited with the art direction for other titles, inc ...

, Lapras first appeared in the video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'' and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise. Lapras is a water-type large Pokémon that resembles a

plesiosaur The Plesiosauria (; Greek: πλησίος, ''plesios'', meaning "near to" and ''sauros'', meaning "lizard") or plesiosaurs are an order or clade of extinct Mesozoic marine reptiles, belonging to the Sauropterygia. Plesiosaurs first appeared ...

. Lapras was voiced by Rikako Aikawa in both the Japanese and English-language versions of the

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

Concept and characteristics

Lapras was one of 151 different designs conceived by

's character development team and finalized by

for the first generation of ''Pocket Monsters'' games ''Red'' and ''Green'', which were localized outside Japan as ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue''. Its English name is a romanization of the Japanese name ''Rapurasu'', subsequently revealed to be the Japanese way of writing ''Laplace'', a name likely based after the mathematician

Pierre-Simon Laplace Pierre-Simon, marquis de Laplace (; ; 23 March 1749 – 5 March 1827) was a French scholar and polymath whose work was important to the development of engineering, mathematics, statistics, physics, astronomy, and philosophy. He summarized ...

.Description of the French translation of Pokémon names from the translator Julien Bardakoff
In the ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'' beta version, Lapras was named "Ness." Lapras, known as the

Transport Transport (in British English), or transportation (in American English), is the intentional movement of humans, animals, and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, land (rail and road), water, cable, pipeline, an ...

Pokémon, is a large sea creature which resembles a

. It may also be inspired by

placodont Placodonts ("Tablet teeth") are an extinct order of marine reptiles that lived during the Triassic period, becoming extinct at the end of the period. They were part of Sauropterygia, the group that includes plesiosaurs. Placodonts were generall ...

s. It has four flippers, however its front ones are notably larger than its hind flippers. It has a long neck, and large black eyes. Lapras has unusual curled ears and a short horn in the middle of its forehead. The majority of its body is blue, while its underside is a light cream-yellow color. Its most distinguishing feature is the gray shell on its back, which is largely dotted with blunt knobs. Lapras is most known for its fondness of moving people and Pokémon across bodies of water. Some Lapras are able to develop Psychic abilities such as

telepathy Telepathy () is the purported vicarious transmission of information from one person's mind to another's without using any known human sensory channels or physical interaction. The term was first coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Frederic W ...

, which makes them able to understand human speech. They keep track of their fellow pod members through use of high-pitched songs they constantly sing, much like whales. Unfortunately due to their docile nature they do not like to fight, and this has made them an easy target for hunters, which has made them very rare in the wild, due to being over hunted. In ''Pokémon Sword'' and ''Shield'', Lapras received a Gigantamax form with access to the unique G-Max Move G-Max Resonance, the only Ice-type G-Max Move.

Appearances

In the video games

Lapras first appears in ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'', and appearing in other Pokémon games such as ''

Pokémon Yellow (an abbreviation for in Japan) is a Japanese media franchise managed by The Pokémon Company, founded by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures (company), Creatures, the owners of the trademark and copyright of the franchise. In terms of ...

'', ''

Pokémon Stadium ''Pokémon Stadium'', known in Japan as is a strategy video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. First released in Japan on April 30, 1999, it was later released as the first ''Stadium'' title in Western regions the foll ...

'', ''

Pokémon Gold and Silver and are 1999 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color. They are the first installments in the second generation of the Pokémon (video game series), ''Pokémon'' video game series. The ...

'', ''

Pokémon Crystal is a role-playing video game developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color. It is the third version of second generation games after ''Pokémon Gold'' and ''Silver'', and it is also the final ''Pokémon'' game to ...

'', ''

Pokémon Stadium 2 ''Pokémon Stadium 2'', known in Japan as is a strategy video game developed by Nintendo EAD and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It features all 251 Pokémon from the first and second generations of the franchise. It was released in ...

'', ''

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire and are 2002 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. They are the first installments in the third generation of the ''Pokémon'' video game series, also kn ...

'', ''

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen and are 2004 remakes of the 1996 Game Boy role-playing video games ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue''. They were developed by Game Freak, published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. ''FireRed'' and ''LeafGreen'' were ...

'', ''

Pokémon Emerald is a 2004 role-playing video game developed by Game Freak, published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance. It was first released in Japan in 2004, and was later released internationally in 2005. It is a third version ...

'', ''

Pokémon Diamond and Pearl and are 2006 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. They are the first installments in the fourth generation of the Pokémon (video game series), ''Pokémon'' v ...

'', ''

Pokémon Platinum is a 2008 role-playing video game developed by Game Freak, published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. It is an enhanced version of ''Pokémon Diamond'' and ''Pearl'' and is part of the fourth g ...

'', ''

Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver and are 2009 remakes of the 1999 Game Boy Color role-playing video games ''Pokémon Gold'' and ''Silver'', also including features from ''Pokémon Crystal''. The games are part of the fourth generation of the ''Pokémon'' video game series ...

'', ''

Pokémon Black and White and are 2010 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. They are the first installments in the fifth generation of the Pokémon (video game series), ''Pokémon'' vid ...

'', ''

Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 and are 2012 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. Part of the fifth generation of the ''Pokémon'' video game series, the games are direct sequels to ''Pokémo ...

'', ''

Pokémon X and Y and are 2013 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. They are the first installments in the sixth generation of the main ''Pokémon'' video game series. First a ...

'', ''

Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire and are 2014 remakes of the 2002 Game Boy Advance role-playing video games ''Pokémon Ruby'' and ''Sapphire'', also including features from '' Pokémon Emerald''. The games are part of the sixth generation of the ''Pokémon'' video game ser ...

'', ''

Pokémon Sun and Moon and are 2016 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. They are the first installments in the seventh generation of the ''Pokémon'' video game series. First ...

'', ''

Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon and are 2017 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. Part of the seventh generation of the ''Pokémon'' video game series, the games are enhanced versions o ...

'', '' Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!'' and ''

Pokémon Sword and Shield and are 2019 role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by The Pokémon Company and Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch console. They are the first installments in the eighth generation of the Pokémon (video game series), '' ...

''. Outside of the main series, Lapras appears in ''

Pokémon Snap is a 1999 first-person photography game with rail shooter style gameplay mechanics developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was first released in Japan in March 1999 and was later released in July 1999 in N ...

'', ''

Pokémon Pinball is a pinball-based Pokémon spin-off video game for the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on April 14, 1999, and in North America on June 28, 1999. In it, the ball is a Poké Ball, and most of the objects on the table are Pokémon-relat ...

'', ''

Pokémon Channel ''Pokémon Channel'', released in Japan as , is a 2003 video game in the ''Pokémon'' series for the GameCube, developed by Ambrella, published by The Pokémon Company and distributed by Nintendo. The player's goal is to help Professor Oak refi ...

'', ''

Pokémon Trozei! is a Pokémon-themed puzzle video game for the Nintendo DS published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company. It was released in Japan on October 20, 2005, in North America on March 6, 2006, in Australia on April 28, 2006, and in Europe on May 5, 2 ...

'', '' Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team'', ''

Pokémon Ranger is an action role-playing video game developed by HAL Laboratory and Creatures Inc., published by The Pokémon Company and distributed by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS video game console. The game was released at various dates, varying between ...

'', '' Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness'', ''Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky'', '' Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia'', ''

Pokémon Rumble ''Pokémon Rumble'' (titled in Japan) is a beat 'em up video game in the ''Pokémon'' series for WiiWare. Gameplay The player controls Pokémon as they BOOM battle other Pokémon in a series of linear dungeons and enclosed arenas. The game feat ...

'', '' PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure'', ''

Pokémon Rumble Blast ''Pokémon Rumble Blast'', known in the PAL region as ''Super Pokémon Rumble'' and known in Japan as , is an action beat 'em up video game in the Pokémon series for the Nintendo 3DS. The game was released in Japan on August 11, 2011, in North Ame ...

'', '' PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond'', '' Pokémon Conquest'', ''

Pokémon Rumble U is a 2013 action video game in the ''Pokémon'' series available on the Wii U eShop. It is the successor to the 2011 3DS game '' Pokémon Rumble Blast''. It features all Pokémon from the first five generations. Up to 100 Pokémon and 4 players ...

'', ''

Pokémon Battle Trozei , released as ''Pokémon Link: Battle!'' in Europe and Australia, is a ''Pokémon''-themed puzzle video game for the Nintendo 3DS and is the sequel to the 2005 Nintendo DS title ''Pokémon Trozei!''. It was released in the Nintendo eShop in Japan ...

'', ''

Pokémon Shuffle is a freemium puzzle video game developed by Genius Sonority and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for the Nintendo 3DS. The game, which is a spin-off of the ''Pokémon'' series and is similar in gameplay to '' Pokémon Battle Tro ...

'', ''

Pokémon Rumble World is a freemium action game, action video game in the ''Pokémon'' series developed by Ambrella, published by The Pokémon Company and distributed by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the fourth game in the ''Pokémon Rumble'' subseries, and feat ...

'', ''

Pokémon Picross is a freemium puzzle game, puzzle video game featuring ''Pokémon'' characters developed by Jupiter (company), Jupiter Corporation and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for the Nintendo 3DS. The title is part of the "''Picross''" n ...

'', '' Detective Pikachu'', ''

Pokémon Rumble Rush was a formerly-active free-to-play mobile game developed by Ambrella and published by The Pokémon Company. It is the fifth entry in the ''Pokémon Rumble'' series. It was available from its release in Spring 2019 until its termination on July 22, ...

'', '' Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team DX'', ''

Pokémon Go ''Pokémon Go'' (stylized as ''Pokémon GO'') is a 2016 augmented reality (AR) mobile game, part of the ''Pokémon'' franchise, developed and published by Niantic in collaboration with Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for iOS and Android ...

'' and ''

New Pokémon Snap ''New Pokémon Snap'' is an on-rails first-person photography game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company for the Nintendo Switch. It is a sequel to the 1999 Nintendo 64 game ''Pokémon Snap.'' Ann ...

''. It also appears in the crossover game ''

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ''Super Smash Bros. Ultimate'' is a 2018 crossover fighting video game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the fifth installment in the '' Super Smash Bros.'' series, succeed ...

'', under the form of a spirit which can be ridden to cross water bodies within the "World of Light".

In other media

In the

Ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

travels to the Orange Islands and finds a young Lapras which has been accidentally left behind by its pod. It joins him after he rescues it from three abusive trainers and

Team Rocket A team is a group of individuals (human or non-human) working together to achieve their goal. As defined by Professor Leigh Thompson of the Kellogg School of Management, " team is a group of people who are interdependent with respect to infor ...

. It is mainly used for transportation between the various islands, but he uses it in some battles. Lapras eventually reunites with its pod and leaves Ash. They meet up again in Johto where Lapras rescues its entire pod from Team Rocket and becomes their leader. Lapras also appears in the second part of the anime special ''Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Darkness'' where she takes Piplup and Chimchar on a ride. In the ''

Pokémon Adventures is a Japanese manga series based on the '' Pokémon'' media franchise created by video game designer Satoshi Tajiri and managed by The Pokémon Company. Tajiri once stated that the series is closest to how he imagined the universe of ''Po ...

'' manga, Pryce lost two of his favorite Lapras in an avalanche, just as the egg born by them hatched. Unable to get over his loss, Pryce swore to save his Lapras and thus began researching into time travel, setting the events of the Johto saga in motion in which he tries to capture a Celebi in a GS Ball. In ''

The Electric Tale of Pikachu ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'', Ash catches a Lapras and uses it for transport through the Orange Islands saga.

Reception

IGN's Pokémon Chick wrote that Lapras was "amazing" and has "won the heart of many a trainer, including yours truly" due to its "great beauty, grace and gentleness."

UGO Networks UGO Entertainment, Inc. was a website that provided coverage of online media in entertainment, targeting males aged 18–34. The company was based in New York, New York, United States. History The company started in 1997 as Unified Gamers Onlin ...

' Chris Plante named Lapras one of the "most unconventional vehicles in games".

GamesRadar ''GamesRadar+'' (formerly ''GamesRadar'') is an entertainment website for video game-related news, previews, and reviews. It is owned by Future plc. In late 2014, Future Publishing-owned sites ''Total Film'', '' SFX'', ''Edge'' and '' Computer ...

's Raymond Padilla wrote that it is "one of our favorite Pokémon from the original game." Author Loredana Lipperini wrote that Lapras was "reliable", "placid", and "gentle". Lapras has been compared to several creatures both real and mythological.

IGN ''IGN'' (formerly ''Imagine Games Network'') is an American video game and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa distri ...

wrote that it was "loosely based on a

, crossed with a

tortoise Tortoises () are reptiles of the family Testudinidae of the order Testudines (Latin: ''tortoise''). Like other turtles, tortoises have a turtle shell, shell to protect from predation and other threats. The shell in tortoises is generally hard, ...

". Gamershell's David Jenkins compared Lapras to the

Loch Ness Monster The Loch Ness Monster ( gd, Uilebheist Loch Nis), affectionately known as Nessie, is a creature in Scottish folklore that is said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is often described as large, long-necked, and with one or mor ...

. Author Ash Dekirk described it as a combination of a

sea turtle Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhead, ...

and a

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

. He also described it as resembling a

with a spiky tortoise shell on its back. ''Official Nintendo Magazine''s Thomas East compared it to a plesiosaur as well as Loosha from ''

Professor Layton and the Last Specter ''Professor Layton and the Last Specter'', known in Europe as ''Professor Layton and the Spectre's Call'', is a puzzle adventure video game produced by Level-5 for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. ''Last Specter'' is the fourth game in ...

''. Game Revolution's Johnny Liu described it as a "subservient Loch Ness monster". IGN named it the 27th best Pokémon. ''

Game Informer ''Game Informer'' (''GI'', most often stylized ''gameinformer'' from the 2010s onward) is an American monthly video game magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of video games and associated consoles. It debuted in August 1991 w ...

'' also included it in its list of Pokémon at #29. ''

Official Nintendo Magazine ''Official Nintendo Magazine'', or ''ONM'', was a British video game magazine that ran from 2006 to 2014 that covered the Nintendo DS, Nintendo 3DS, Wii, and Wii U video game consoles released by Nintendo. Originally published by EMAP as ''N ...

''s readers voted it the eighth best Water-type Pokémon. Lapras was ranked 23rd in ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

''s "The 50 Best Pokemon Up to ''Pokemon Crystal''", with Elijah Watson saying Lapras is " Lapras is still an incredible Pokemon." Steven Bogos of '' The Escapist'' listed Lapras as his favorite Pokémon, stating that based on the infamous Loch Ness Monster, it also has a pretty sweet design. Lyra Hale of ''

The Mary Sue Daniel Abrams (born May 20, 1966) is an American media entrepreneur, television host, legal commentator, and author. He is currently the host of the prime-time show ''Dan Abrams Live'' on NewsNation, ''On Patrol: Live'' on Reelz and ''The Dan Ab ...

'' claimed that "it got absolutely wild Lapras was a swan boat ride." In the ''Pokémon of the Year'' poll held by

The Pokémon Company The Pokémon Company (株式会社ポケモン, ''Kabushiki gaisha Pokemon'') is a Japanese company responsible for brand management, production, publishing, marketing, and licensing of the ''Pokémon'' franchise, which consists of video game s ...

, Lapras was voted the tenth most popular Generation I Pokémon, receiving 23,411 votes. A Lapras-themed

parfait Parfait (, also , ; meaning "perfect") is either of two types of dessert. In France, where the dish originated, parfait is made by boiling cream, egg, sugar and syrup to create a custard-like puree. The American version consists of layers ...

was launched at the Pokémon Café in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

in 2018. In 2019,

Miyagi Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Miyagi Prefecture has a population of 2,305,596 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Miyagi Prefecture borders Iwate Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefecture to the nort ...

in the

Tōhoku region The , Northeast region, or consists of the northeastern portion of Honshu, the largest island of Japan. This traditional region consists of six prefectures (''ken''): Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata. Tōhoku retains a ...

of Japan selected Lapras as its "official Pokémon" as a tourism ambassador. Lapras was later used on ''

'' to revive tourism near the coast of

Iwate Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. It is the second-largest Japanese prefecture at , with a population of 1,210,534 (as of October 1, 2020). Iwate Prefecture borders Aomori Prefecture to the north, Akita Prefectur ...

and

Fukushima Prefecture Fukushima Prefecture (; ja, 福島県, Fukushima-ken, ) is a prefecture of Japan located in the Tōhoku region of Honshu. Fukushima Prefecture has a population of 1,810,286 () and has a geographic area of . Fukushima Prefecture borders Miya ...

after the impact of

2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six minutes ...

. A mascot of Lapras has already appeared Miyagi as part of new tourism ambassador role. In 2020, people can now travel with Lapras on Miyagi. Lapras was a subject of the ''Pokémon Go'' Incident. In 2016, a man crashed his car after seeing a Lapras that he hadn’t encountered before and some Bosnian players wandering close to landmines after encountering Lapras. In 2017, a Singaporean player named Liang Weiming died from a heart attack after a capturing rare Lapras at Marina Bay Sands.

Merchandise

A variety of merchandise depicting Lapras have been produced such as the gigantic plush, float, hoody water bottle and tank top, stationery, T-shirt, and mascot.

References

External links

Lapras on BulbapediaLapras on Pokemon.com
{{Pokémon directory Pokémon species Video game characters introduced in 1996 Video game characters with water abilities Video game characters with ice or cold abilities Loch Ness Monster in fiction Fictional undersea characters Fictional dinosaurs Fictional monsters Nintendo protagonists Video game bosses Fictional characters who can change size es:Anexo:Pokémon de la primera generación#Lapras fi:Luettelo Pokémon-lajeista (121–151)#Lapras