Rotom

Rotom (Japanese: ロトム Rotomu) is an /-type Pokémon. Rotom can transform into various forms which resembles household appliances.

Physiology
Rotom is a small, round, ghostly creature with a plasma-based body. Its vibrant, orange body mass is spherical with a long, spike-shaped, antenna-like feature atop its head, and a small, round orb on its underside. It is enveloped in a glowing aura of cyan-bluish plasma, with lightning bolt-shaped appendages on either side of its lower body. Rotom has two ovular, blue eyes and a small, grinning mouth on its face.

Behavior
Rotom is very clever and mischievous. It enjoys teasing and frightening people and Pokémon. It often invades appliances and takes control of machines, allowing it to change its form.

Natural abilities
Rotom is able to infiltrate electronic devices, namely appliances, and take control of machines, allowing it to change form, as well as its Ghost type. It can enter a lawn mower to assume its Mow Form, a toaster oven to assume its Heat Form, a refrigerator to assume its Frost Form, a washing machine to assume its Wash Form, and a fan to assume its Fan Form.

Evolution
Rotom does not evolve.

Game Info
Rotom is a Generation IV Pokémon, first appearing in the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl games. With the release of Pokémon Platinum, Rotom was given the ability to transform into 5 other forms with the aid of a special item. In Generation V, to change Rotom's form, you need to go to the basement of Shopping Mall Nine and interact with one of the many boxes of electronics, and choose a form. You will be asked to allow Rotom to forget a move and learn a move the type of the form it takes.

Level Up

 * Base Thundershock
 * Base Thunder Wave
 * Base Confuse Ray
 * Base Trick
 * Base Astonish
 * Level 8 Uproar
 * Level 15 Double Team
 * Level 22 Shock Wave
 * Level 29 Ominous Wind
 * Level 36 Substitute
 * Level 43 Charge
 * Level 50 Discharge

TM/HM

 * TM06 Toxic
 * TM10 Hidden Power
 * TM11 Sunny Day
 * TM16 Light Screen
 * TM17 Protect
 * TM18 Rain Dance
 * TM21 Frustration
 * TM24 Thunderbolt
 * TM25 Thunder
 * TM27 Return
 * TM30 Shadow Ball
 * TM32 Double Team
 * TM33 Reflect
 * TM34 Shock Wave
 * TM42 Facade
 * TM43 Secret Power
 * TM44 Rest
 * TM46 Thief
 * TM49 Snatch
 * TM57 Charge Beam
 * TM58 Endure
 * TM61 Will-O-Wisp
 * TM70 Flash
 * TM73 Thunder Wave
 * TM77 Psych Up
 * TM79 Dark Pulse
 * TM82 Sleep Talk
 * TM83 Natural Gift
 * TM85 Dream Eater
 * TM87 Swagger
 * TM90 Substitute

Other Formes

 * Wash Rotom (washing machine)
 * Heat Rotom (oven)
 * Mow Rotom (lawnmower)
 * Frost Rotom (refrigerator)
 * Fan Rotom (fan)

Forme Exclusive Attacks

 * Wash Rotom - Hydro Pump
 * Heat Rotom - Overheat
 * Mow Rotom - Leaf Storm
 * Frost Rotom - Blizzard
 * Fan Rotom - Air Slash

Anime
Rotom first appeared in the episode Get Your Rotom Running! and it was tricking and toying around with Ash and his friends.

In To Catch a Rotom!, Professor Oak caught a Rotom after saving it from Team Rocket and healing it.


 * Rotom (DP105)
 * Rotom (BW130)
 * Professor Oak's Rotom
 * Weston's Rotom

Manga

 * Diamond's Rotom

Trivia

 * Strangely, whenever Rotom makes its special sound in the manga, it actually sounds like a motor.
 * Rotom, Ekans and Arbok have their names reversed.
 * In Frost Rotom's artwork, it is pictured frowning when in all the others it is smiling.
 * Next to the type-changes when it takes other forms, its eyes and the plasma around it change color too (Frost-purple, Fan-orange, Mow-green, Wash-blue, Heat-red).
 * Rotom is the only Pokémon that is /-type.
 * It is the only one to be Electric/Grass (Mow Forme), Electric/Ice (Frost Forme) and Electric/Fire (Heat Forme).
 * Rotom changes its forms in a similar fashion to Deoxys in the Generation IV games.
 * Rotom is the only Pokémon with the ability to change its form by will that must possess another object in order to do so.
 * Rotom is the only Pokémon whose alternate forms have a different base stat total than that of the original form. Other Pokémon with alternate forms may have different distributions, however.
 * In Pokémon Battle Revolution, its "arms" are almost clear and are tinted a gentle blue.
 * Fan Rotom is the only form with a special move whose base power isn't over 100.
 * Before the Generation V games, many of Rotom's Formes were the only Pokémon that could learn their special attacks, but weren't that attack's type.
 * As of the official Japanese tournament held in 2008, all of Rotom forms have been banned from official tournaments. This is due to the special status of the alternate forms as event-exclusive Pokémon.
 * From Pokémon Black and White on, when it changes to Fan Rotom, it becomes a Flying type, which is immune to Ground type attacks, and yet it still has the ability Levitate, making the ability useless.
 * Rotom is the only -type Pokémon with multiple forms.

Origins
It may be based on a Poltergeist or related to the phrase "ghost in the machine". As Banette originated from a castaway doll, Rotom may have originated from a toy robot. It may also come from a species of Obake, which are objects that become animate when reaching their 100th year of existence, and a Bakemono, which is referring to a state of transformation or shape-shifting.

Rotom may also be based on ball lightning and its mysterious and seemingly mischievous behavior. Ball lightning was once described as a living mythological "species of fire" known as ignis fatuus, which loosely translates to "foolish/mischievous fire".

Etymology
Pokémon Platinum reveals Charon named Rotom. Rotom's name is actually the word "motor", spelled backwards, due to the fact that all of the household appliances it can turn into have motors. It is one of the few Pokémon that is an actual word spelled backwards. It may also come from rotor and phantom.