Nihilego is one of the Ultra Beasts found in the post-game adventure of Generation VII and is known by the code name UB-01 Symbiont. It is a rock and poison-type Pokemon that resembles a jellyfish with a human-esque shape. As an Ultra Beast, Nihilego can be caught after the events of the main game when the player is asked to assist the International Police, who have tracked Ultra Beasts under a secret division known as the UB Task Force.
This is because the first reported sighting of Nihilego occurs after the incident at Aether Paradise where President Lusamine forced Cosmog to create an Ultra Wormhole in order to travel to Ultra Space and then bonded with a Nihilego. Nihilego is the first Ultra Beast that the player is instructed to catch due to its previous bonding with President Lusamine. Although the Ultra Beasts are not Legendary, they share characteristics with Legendary Pokemon: they all have unknown genders, they are in the Undiscovered egg group, they are scripted encounters, they have special battle music, they have at least three IVs of 31 and they have special Rotom Pokedex pages.
About Nihilego
| First appearance in anime | Pokemon the Series: Sun and Moon |
| First appearance in game | Sun and Moon |
| Region | Alola |
| Evolution | N/A |
| 1st Evo level | N/A |
| 2nd Evo level | N/A |
| Pokedex Entry | One of the Ultra Beasts. It's unclear whether or not this Pokémon is sentient, but sometimes it can be observed behaving like a young girl. People on the street report observing those infested by it suddenly becoming violent. |
Nihilego Base stats
| HP | 109 |
| ATTACK | 53 |
| DEFENCE | 47 |
| SP. ATTACK | 127 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 131 |
| SPEED | 103 |
| TOTAL | 570 |
Appearance
Nihilego is a Pokemon that resembles a jellyfish with a semi-translucent bell encircled with several white, star-shaped markings. The bright blue wavy rim of the bell flares outward and it has gelatinous tentacles which serve to give Nihilego a vaguely human shape. Several of these tentacles mesh together to form the appearance of a cape or long hair, four shorter tentacles resemble shorter hair and arms, and two long tentacles resemble the legs of the humanoid shape. When merged with a hum, Nihilego’s bell loses its stars and develops several iridescent spots.
The host's body remains visible within its bell with their host’s legs dangling beneath it. Nihilego’s eight tentacles are longer and flatter with several deep black spots with various colored diamond-shapes inside of the gelatinous tentacles. Four of Nihilego’s tentacles are connected to the bell with frilly white structures. The tentacles connected to the bell have four spines protruding from them that can be used as hands. The final four tentacles Nihilego each terminate in a single large spine.
Behavior
As an Ultra Beast, Nihilego is known to possess power that transcends humans' understanding of the world due to its origins in Ultra Space. Like other Ultra Beasts, they are drawn to people who have passed through an Ultra Wormhole, due to the residual wormhole energy these people possessed. Ultra Beasts tend to be combative due to their entrance into Alola being unexpected for the Ultra Beasts themselves and Nihilego is known for behaving like a young girl.
Despite this seemingly innocent behavior, Nihilego is actually a parasitic organism, which latches onto a host’s head, allowing it to inject a neurotoxin that subtly alters the thoughts and actions. The neurotoxin Nihilego releases stimulates intense feelings of excitement and a loss of inhibitions, which forcibly brings out any latent potential within the host and wears down their minds.
It is believed to act mostly on self-preservation rather than actual intelligence although this is not confirmed. Nihilego is shown to inject its toxins into the ground while sharp rocks grow below in its merged forms. It can willingly end its fusion and can also be interrupted in other ways as well. While this is possible, the lingering toxins and the shock of the separation can leave Nihilego’s host in critical condition and damage them physically and psychologically.
Strengths and Weaknesses
As an Ultra Beast, Nihilego has high stats resembling those of a legendary Pokemon, with especially high special attack and special defence stats. Despite this, Nihilego’s attack and defence stats are very low in comparison. As a rock and poison-type Pokemon, Nihilego is weak to ground, steel, water, and psychic-types and is resistant to normal, flying, poison, bug, fire, and fairy-types.
Shiny Nihilego
Shiny Nihilego is a shiny version of Nihilego which has yellow accents instead of its usual blue accent and it is very rare, since it cannot be bred and is left completely up to chance. Like all shiny Pokemon, Shiny Nihilego gains a starry animation upon entering battle but its difference from a regular Nihilego is merely aesthetic.
Best moveset
Due to Nihilego’s unique typing, great special attack and speed, and vast movepool, Nihilego serves as a customizable offensive force whose tools can be tailored to its team. Due to this intensive movepool, Nihilego does not have an actual best moveset, since it is fully dependent on the team. The move Sludge Wave serves as a powerful STAB (same-type attack bonus) for Nihilego, with Power Gem serving as an additional STAB move in its fourth slot. The moves Thunderbolt and Grass Knot provide coverage against troublesome bulky water-types and ground-types. Either Stealth Rock or Toxic Spikes can allow Nihilego to function as a reliable offensive entry hazard setter, since it can use its typing and coverage to threaten out many common entry hazard removers.
| Sludge Wave | Thunderbolt |
| Stealth Rock/ Toxic Spikes | Grass Knot/ Power Gem |
How to catch Nihilego in Pokemon Go?
Nihilego is not yet available in Pokemon Go.
Trivia
- Nihilego has a base experience yield of 114 in Pokemon Sword and Shield
- No other Pokemon has the same type combination as Nihilego
- Nihilego may be inspired by a jellyfish, especially Aurelia aurita and Phyllorhiza punctata, an invasive species in the waters surrounding Hawaii
- The merged form of Lusamine and Nihilego specifically resembles Turritopsis dohrnii (a species of jellyfish that is biologically immortal and can revert to a young, immature state if it is too old or stressed)
- Nihilego may also be inspired Myxozoa, a class of microscopic Cnidarian parasites, specifically Myxobolus cerebralis that cause the infectious "whirling disease" (causes the fish to develop bone and neurological abnormalities that cause them to swim in a corkscrew-like "whirling" motion) in various fish species
- Nihilego may be a combination of nihil (Latin word for indefinite nothing) and ego (Latin word for I or the psychic apparatus that governs rational decision-making), which reflects Nihilego’s victims' lack of will outside their focus on Nihilego or Nihilego’s role in dominating the desires of its victims
- The base stats of the Ultra Beasts, and the levels at which they learn moves (except level 1) are all prime numbers and all Ultra Beasts except Poipole and Naganadel have a base stat total of 570
- The Ultra Beasts, along with the light trio (plus their pre-evolved forms Cosmog and Cosmoem) all share a unique sound frequency found within or after their cries, which is approximately 1.250 seconds in duration
- The Ultra Beasts are based on the idea of invasive species, according to Shigeru Ohmori in an interview in Pokemon Sun & Pokemon Moon: The Official Alola Region Pokedex & Postgame Adventure Guide
- Although the Ultra Beasts are not Legendary, they share characteristics with Legendary Pokemon: they all have unknown genders, they are in the Undiscovered egg group, they are scripted encounters, they have special battle music, they have at least three IVs of 31, and they have special Rotom Pokedex pages
- According to Pokemon Daisuki Club's Mystery File feature website, some researchers theorize that the Pokemon Unown may be related to Ultra Beasts
FAQs
Is Nihilego in Pokemon Sword and Shield?
Nihilego was introduced in the Pokemon Sword and Shield: Crown Tundra Expansion Pass. Nihilego can be found in Pokemon Sword and Shield by playing through the Dynamax Adventures and encountering it as the boss after you complete Peony’s clues which allows Ultra Beasts to appear as bosses in the den.
What is Nihilego made of?
Nihilego is likely made up of a glassy/crystalline substance with gelatinous tentacles, though its exact structure isn’t really known.
Why does Nihilego look like Lillie?
It is implied within Pokemon Sword and Shield that Lillie was encouraged by her mother, President Lusamine to resemble Nihilego due to Lusamine’s obsession with it. In the game, Lillie mentions that she doesn't pick her own clothing, her mother, Lusamine does. Lusamine also makes the remark that Lillie changed and became “ugly” after her style changed.
Can Nihilego be caught?
As an Ultra Beast, Nihilego can be caught after the events of the main game when the player is asked to assist the International Police, who have tracked Ultra Beasts under a secret division known as the UB Task Force after the incident at Aether Paradise where President Lusamine traveled to Ultra Space and then bonded with a Nihilego. Nihilego is the first Ultra Beast that the player is instructed to catch due to its previous bonding with President Lusamine under the code name UB-01 Symbiont.
Conclusion
Notable for its bonding with President Lusamine in the climax of Pokemon Sword and Shield, Nihilego’s unique typing, great special attack and speed, and vast movepool, allow it to serve as a customizable offensive force whose moves can be tailored to its team. Nihilego and the other Ultra Beasts are based on the idea of invasive species, with Nihilego being based around various jellyfish and parasites.
