10 Things You Didn’t Know about Sylveon

Sylveon is the latest evolution of Eevee to be introduced in Pokemon. It is the sole evolution of Eevee to be introduced in Generation VI. Moreover, Sylveon is interesting because it is a Fairy Pokemon, which is something that interested individuals won’t be familiar with if they stopped playing Pokemon games before Generation VI. Here are 10 things that you may or may not have known about Sylveon:

1. The Japanese Name Is Nymphia

Sylveon’s Japanese name is Nymphia. Of course, this is a reference to the nymphs of Greek mythology, who were minor nature goddesses associated with a wide range of natural landscapes and natural phenomenon. Generally speaking, most people will be most familiar with various kinds of tree nymphs, but it should be noted that other kinds of nymphs were associated with everything from meadows and mountains to stars and breezes.

2. English Name Could Be Referring to Either Sylphs or Sylvan

People have speculated about Sylveon’s name referring to either sylphs or sylvan. In short, sylphs are Paracelsus’s elementals of air but has since passed into more widespread use. Meanwhile, sylvan means something that is associated with the woods, which would make sense because fairies are often seen as woodland entities.

3. Might Have Been Inspired By the Moon Rabbit

Speaking of which, some people think that Sylveon might have been inspired by the Moon Rabbit of East Asian mythology. In short, the story started out in China, where it was supposed to be the moon goddess Chang’e’s companion who used a mortar and pestle to pound the elixir of immortality. Later, the story spread to Korea and Japan, where the elixir of immortality turned into rice cakes.

4. Needs to Know a Fairy Move

Eevees need to meet a couple of conditions to evolve into Sylveons. First, an Eevee needs to learn a Fairy move, which should be pretty simple because it learns Baby-Doll Eyes at Level 9 in Generation VII. Second, that same Eevee needs to have two levels of Affection in Pokémon-Amie before leveling up.

5. The Ribbons Are Feelers

The Sylveon’s ribbons might seem ornamental in nature, but they have very practical uses. After all, they are feelers, meaning that they play a very important role in the Pokemon’s sensory capabilities.

6. Likes to Hold Hands with Pokemon Trainers

Sylveons like to “hold hands” with their Pokemon trainers while walking by wrapping their ribbons around said individuals’ arms. Besides being cute, this kind of close contact enables them to sense their trainers’ feelings.

7. Uses Ribbons to Distract

Speaking of which, Sylveons can use their ribbons to distract their enemies in one of two ways. First, they can swirl the ribbons to create a visual spectacle that will take up their enemies’ attention. Second, they can use the ribbons to project a soothing aura that can ease their enemies’ hostility.

8. Is Either Carnivorous or Omnivorous

However, Sylveons don’t use the capabilities of their ribbons for escaping their enemies. Instead, they use those capabilities to get their enemies to lower their guard before launching a more substantial attack of some kind. In fact, one of the Pokedex entries for Sylveon suggests that this is how Sylveons hunt, meaning that they are either carnivorous or at least omnivorous in nature.

9. Has No Fear of Dragon Pokemon

Amusingly, Sylveons don’t seem to have much fear of Dragon Pokemon, seeing as how one of their other Pokedex entries state that they will charge Dragon Pokemon that are many times bigger than them. This is presumably a reference to how Fairy moves deal double damage to Dragon Pokemon while Fairy Pokemon take no damage from Dragon moves. However, being so nonchalant about such match-ups might not be a good idea in gameplay because Dragon Pokemon are capable of learning the Poison and Steel moves that Fairy Pokemon are weak against.

10. Shows Up in Extreme Evoboost

Sylveons don’t have an exclusive Z-Move of their own. However, they and the other Eeveelutions do show up in Eevee’s exclusive Z-Move Extreme Exoboost, which is notable because it is the one Z-Move that can be considered a status move. After all, Extreme Exoboost’s effect is to raise each of the user’s stats by two whole stages.

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