Hoopa is a Psychic/Ghost Type Pokémon introduced in Generation VI. It is a Mythical Pokémon.
Forms[]
- Confined: The default form of Hoopa. It has a mischievous personality by stealing valuable items and treasure from numerous locations.
- Unbound: Considered by some to be the true form of Hoopa. It has grown massively in size and gained six arms with many different rings.
Origin[]
Hoopa draws inspiration from the djinn, or otherwise known as a "genie", a magical deity of Arabian mythology who can grant wishes and is commonly confined to a lamp in various depictions in pop culture, much like Hoopa's true power was sealed away in the Prison Bottle.
Hoopa-Unbound may have also drawn inspiration from Shakti of Hindu mythology, as well as Nezha, a deity worshipped in Taoism and Chinese folk religion, which is also known to be a trickster that has rings, very much like Hoopa itself.
Reception[]
Hoopa has received generally positive reception for it's unique Type combination before Generation VII. Although, it is frowned up competitively due to it's below average Speed stat, in spite of sporting a great Sp. Atk stat.
However, in Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire, Hoopa has gained a new form, which is even stronger and has a more usable Speed stat to back it up. It finally became favored competitively for it's sheer power and diverse power to make it a terrifying wall-breaker, although it proved to be a massive burden for OU, and thus, was eventually banned to Ubers.
Despite it's sheer power and diverse attacking options, Hoopa does have it's drawbacks in both forms. Hoopa-Confined has 2 4x weaknesses to Ghost and Dark Types, who have gained a noticeable buff in Generation VI due to changes in the Type chart, as well as a buff in moves like Knock Off, which has seen increased usage in competitive play lately.
Hoopa-Unbound also has a 4x weakness to Bug, and has relatively bad physical defense by powerhouse standards. It does not have many resistances, and Magician, an Ability both forms have, is not particularly useful most of the time. Despite these drawbacks, Hoopa-Unbound remains a viable team asset and a powerful threat that must not be underestimated in battle.
Hoopa-Unbound is reputable for being one of the largest and heaviest Dark Types so far, as well as being one of the strongest in terms of offensive power.