It must be a tall task indeed for sound designers and engineers to create Pokémon cries that encompass what a Pokémon is all about. With 1-4-second clips, the noise emitted by each creature conveys a Pokémon’s personality, style, and even what type they are.
As opposed to Pokémon cries in the anime, with the games, sound designers don’t have the luxury of using human voices and have to rely on digital effects. Different combinations and manipulations of these effects create Pokémon cries, some of which are so distinct that they have long been etched in the memories of fans.
10 Togekiss’s Cry Is Sweeping & Sweet
There’s something decidedly alien about Togekiss’s cry. It also has a robotic quality, despite the Jubilee Pokémon being an organic creature. For all of this, the cry finishes with a cuteness that aligns with Togekiss’s appearance and personality.
It seems as if the sound designers attempted to create the sound of the Fairy/Flying-types large wings as it flies through the air, without losing the charm that’s associated with the Pokémon. It’s an unusual and unique sound that manages to contain both a sweeping magnitude and cuteness.
9 Hypno’s Disturbing Cry Indicates Its Psychic Typing
Back in the days of Pokémon Red & Blue, cry creators didn’t have as much technology at their disposal as they do today. The Game Boy was limited in terms of the sounds it could make, so sound teams had to get creative in order to create distinct sounds.
It’s a testament to them that they managed to create a cry for Hypno that is both scary and disturbing, which also indicates its Psychic typing. It was so good that it was also used for Jynx’s cry, although at half speed.
8 Parasect’s Disjointed Cry Suits Its Creepy Aura
It’s strange how digital sounds can be arranged in such a way as to sound like a bug, but that’s precisely the case with Parasect’s cry. The rising arpeggio of disordered notes suits the Bug/Grass-type perfectly, with its blank, pupilless eyes and creepy insectoid form.
The Mushroom Pokémon’s cry in the anime is also a sound to behold, so while it may not be everyone’s cup of tea in terms of battling, it sure makes some interesting sounds. Its cry is similar to that of Mewtwo and Starmie, but no one wears it better than the humble Parasect.
7 Delphox Has A Bizarre Human-Sounding Cry
Delphox’s cry is one of the only Pokémon cries that sounds like human speech. What the Fox Pokémon is saying is anybody’s guess, but it certainly sounds like a human’s voice. A female voice, to be exact, one that’s been altered heavily to sound like the high-pitched shriek of a creature.
The way Delphox’s cry matches the cadence of a particular phrase in English gives it a bizarre and slightly unsettling quality. Even among other Gen VI cries this one is rather experimental, but that’s what makes it unique.
6 Skeledirge’s Cry Is Powerful Yet Haunting
Introduced in Gen IX, Skeledirge hasn’t been around for long compared to the majority of Pokémon, but its cry is an instant classic. It sounds like a horn blast from a huge, haunted oil tanker. The ghostly quality it has makes sense, as the Singer Pokémon gains Ghost typing when it evolves from Crocalor.
Hearing Skeledirge’s cry when unleashing its signature move, Torch Song, makes it all the more impactful. It’s a real powerhouse of a Pokémon, weighing in at 720 lbs., and its intimidating yet desolate cry is befitting its stature.
5 Chansey’s Cry Is One Of The Sounds Of The First Gen
The vibrant trill of Chansey’s cry does a great job of getting the Egg Pokémon’s chirpy personality across. In just a few sprightly notes, Chansey’s joyful nature is conveyed to the player.
Even compared to more prominent Pokémon like Pikachu, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle, Chansey’s cry stands out as one of the sounds of the first Gen and the first Pokémon games. Perhaps the reason it’s so recognizable is that it sounds very similar to Pidgeot’s cry, but it suits Chansey a whole lot better.
4 Cetitan’s Prolonged Cry Is Complex & Creepy
The Terra Whale Pokémon’s cry is the longest of any Pokémon, clocking in at a massive 4.007 seconds long. Compare this to Pidgey’s, which is just 0.181 seconds. At first, it resembles a whale, then the creaking (or capsizing) of a ship, and there’s also what sounds like howling wind in the background.
There’s also a kind of “ratcheting up” sound that carries over from Cetoddle, Cetitan’s pre-evolution. This blend of sounds creates one of the most complex, eery, and unusual cries in Pokémon history.
3 Magnezone’s Cry Is Equal Parts Wacky & Cool
Given that most Pokémon cries are composed of digital sound effects, it must have been difficult to create sounds for organic creatures that didn’t sound robotic. The Gen IV Pokémon Magnezone, being a robot, doesn’t have that problem.
The sound developers could freely indulge in the most mechanical, computerized sounds, and that’s precisely what they did. The result is a sound that’s fairly wacky, like that of a mechanical dolphin laughing while potentially going haywire, but one that is nonetheless cool, distinct, and memorable.
2 Ninetales’s Melodic Cry Brings It To Life
As one of the original Pokémon, Ninetales’s cry has a nostalgic quality for those who played Red & Blue when they first came out. Due to the limitations of the Game Boy’s sound chip, a lot of cries sounded the same, but Ninetales had a vibrant and melodic cry that stood out.
Coupled with its elegant design, the Fire-type was one of the most prominent Pokémon in the games. It’s a cry that really helps bring the Pokémon to life, which is exactly what a good Pokémon cry does.
1 Kricketune’s Curious Cry Redeems Its Lack Of Other Qualities
It’s fair to say that Kricketune isn’t the most powerful Pokémon out there. Except for Shedinja, which has 1 HP, it has the lowest base stat total of any fully evolved Pokémon. It would most likely be forgotten about if it weren’t for its cry.
The bizarre, somehow delightful sound it makes somewhat redeems it. It sounds almost like the call of an exotic bird. Perhaps the sound designers thought Kricketune had gotten a raw deal in terms of stats, so they put some extra effort into its cry.
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