Lapras (ラプラス)

Biology: Lapras is a marine reptilian Pokémon that resembles a plesiosaur. It has a blue hide with darker blue spots and a cream-colored underside. It has large brown eyes, a short horn on its forehead, and tightly curled ears. It has a long neck and four flippers. The foremost flippers are larger than the hind. On its back is a heavy, gray shell covered in blunt knobs.

Lapras is a gentle, helpful Pokémon that enjoys ferrying people across bodies of water. In the past, its docility made it an easy target for hunters, and it was driven to near extinction. Recent protection efforts have seen Lapras become overabundant instead, which is now affecting the fish Pokémon numbers in some areas. An intelligent Pokémon, it can understand human speech. As seen in the Pokémon the Series episode Viva Las Lapras, Lapras has been known to travel in large pods across the seas, spanning both polar and tropical areas. To keep in touch with others of its kind, it sings enchanting melodies. Lapras usually sing when it is in a good mood. In the episode Holiday Hi-Jynx, it's shown that Lapras can develop psychic abilities such as telepathy. In Alola, Lapras is used as a Ride Pokémon called Lapras Paddle, Alolan natives use Lapras to travel and fish for Pokémon in the water.

Forms: Lapras has a Gigantamax form.

As Gigantamax Lapras, it becomes larger in size and more armored. Its shell resembles a cruise ship or ocarina with four gray and red stripes surrounding it, and it has four spikes on top of its shell with one steel spike resembling a funnel, which has three red clouds surrounding it. The sclera in Lapras' eyes change colors to white, yellow, and blue. A light blue ring of fine thin lines resembling a musical sheet created from ice particles circles around its shell.

5,000 people can ride on the shell of Gigantamax Lapras for a very comfortable ride without any issues. Lapras can use its giant ring to break any icebergs that may prevent it from swimming. According to Oleana, Gigantamax Lapras's shell is not part of its body, as the shell has a logarithmic spiral structure.

Gigantamax Lapras is the only known Pokémon capable of using the G-Max Move G-Max Resonance.

Size: Lapras is 8'02" tall, and weighs 485.0 lbs.

Origins: In the Pokémon Red and Blue beta, Lapras was originally going to be called "Ness", a reference to the Loch Ness Monster. Lapras is one of two Pokémon to use telepathy to speak to humans in a regular episode of the animated series. The other is Ralts. In Generation II games, a Lapras icon represents Lapras, Seel, or Dewgong at the party screen. In Pokémon X and Y, Lapras has a unique 3D model when surfing, whereas all other surfing Pokémon are depicted as dark blobs. This may be an homage to the Generation II surfing sprites, or Lapras's role as a means of transport. A Shiny Lapras uses the same 3D model as a regular one while surfing. In photos taken at Azure Bay, the player is seen riding a Lapras even if no Lapras is in the party. Lapras is the only Ice-type to have a Gigantamax form. Lapras can learn the most one-hit knockout moves of any Pokémon (excluding Smeargle), being able to learn Sheer Cold, Fissure, and Horn Drill. The company logos for Surf Shipping and Lapras Shipwrights depict Lapras. Lapras's appearance has had minor alterations during the early years of the franchise. In the documents for the Capsule Monsters pitch, Lapras was drawn without its curly ears. Furthermore, it was depicted with teeth in its Generation I official artwork and in Pokémon Adventures. Lapras may be based on the fabled Loch Ness Monster in Scotland. The creature and this Pokémon resemble an extinct order of marine reptiles known as Plesiosauria, who lived between the Triassic and Cretaceous periods. Lapras's shell and horn may be inspired by placodonts (close relatives of plesiosaurs that lived during the Triassic period). Its intelligence, singing, and rarity is comparable to some cetaceans, especially blue whales and humpback whales. Its long neck and robust body may also be inspired by the mastheads and hulls of Viking ships. In addition, its shell, combined with its aquatic nature and history of being hunted to near extinction, may be based on sea turtles. As suggested in An Illustrated Book of POCKET MONSTERS, Lapras could be the turtle ridden by the folklore hero Taro Urashima. Its usage as a form of transport across water may also reference this. Gigantamax Lapras may be based on a cruise ship or possibly a music box or ocarina. Lapras may be derived from Laplace or lapis lazuli. Laplace may be a reference to Pierre-Simon Laplace, a mathematician who wrote several books on the mathematical properties of the sea and tides. Alternatively, Laplace may be derived from la place (French for seat), referring to how passengers sit on its back like a seat to be ferried across bodies of water.