Malamar

Malamar ( ), known in Japan as Calamanero (Japanese: カラマネロ, Hepburn: Karamanero), is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. First appearing in the 2013 games Pokémon X and Y, Malamar was designed by artist Hitoshi Ariga, was designed to resemble how squids appear in scientific textbooks, often with their tentacles facing upwards; Ariga believed this would also give a clue to players on how to obtain Malamar, as the game console being used must be flipped upside-down in order to evolve Malamar from its pre-evolved form, Inkay. Ariga made flipping a part of Inkay and Malamar's visual identity to further this connection. Malamar is classified as a Dark and Psychic type Pokémon. In the franchise's fictional universe, Malamar have strong hypnotism abilities, which they use to lure in prey to feed on them. Since its introduction, Malamar has appeared in numerous games within the series, with a group of them serving as recurring antagonists in the Pokémon anime series. An additional form of Malamar, dubbed Mega Malamar, was introduced in the 2025 game Pokémon Legends: Z-A. To promote this inclusion, a marketing campaign dubbed "My Friend Malamar" was held, depicting characters being hypnotized by Mega Malamar into admiring and praising it. Since its inception, Malamar has been considered an interesting inclusion due to its unique method of evolution. Other critics have commented on its more malicious nature within the franchise, as well as aspects of its visual design, including the design of Mega Malamar.