Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s new ghost-type Gimmighoul, revealed

After a Pokémon Go data miner leaked a new coin Pokémon on Friday, and the mysterious Pokémon debuted in the mobile game on Saturday, The Pokémon Company shared actual details on the creature ahead of Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet’s release. The new Pokémon, called Gimmighoul, is more complex than previously expected — it’s not only the form, as seen in Pokémon Go. Instead, Gimmighoul is also part treasure chest, where it hides in a big pile of gold.

Gimmighoul’s chest form is what players can expect to catch in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet; according to its lore, the roaming form, sans treasure chest, has been seen in the games’ Paldea region, but never caught. That form, however, is behaving differently in Pokémon Go, The Pokémon Company explained in a new video published on YouTube Sunday. The Pokémon Company said more information on catching Gimmighoul in Pokémon Go (and maybe elsewhere?) is coming in “future announcements.”

Gimmighoul, like a lot of ghost Pokémon (including the recently revealed Greavard), seem to have it out for humans: “When Gimmighoul senses a person or Pokémon draw near, it ambushes them. It then uses ghost energy to control its target, forcing them to collect coins.”

Here’s The Pokémon Company’s official description of Gimmighoul, also known as the Coin Chest Pokémon:

It Hides inside a Treasure Chest and Moves Slowly

These Gimmighoul hide inside sturdy treasure chests. While this provides them with a solid defense, the treasure chest’s weight causes Gimmighoul to move slowly, making travel difficult. It is not uncommon for Chest Form Gimmighoul to be mistaken for an antique and taken home or sold to an antique store.​

Gimmighoul Controls People and Pokémon, Making Them Collect Coins​

When Gimmighoul senses a person or Pokémon draw near, it ambushes them. It then uses ghost energy to control its target, forcing them to collect coins. Because it often hides in warehouses, shop corners, and other places people and Pokémon don’t frequent, it tends to keep persistent control of those it does manage to encounter.

Image: Game Freak/The Pokémon Company, Nintendo

Gimmighoul’s Roaming Form​

It seems that Gimmighoul has a second form called Roaming Form Gimmighoul. This kind of Gimmighoul doesn’t hide in a treasure chest. It’s small, carries a single coin on its back, and can be found hiding all over Paldea. However, since they run away as soon as a person approaches, it seems not a single Trainer in Paldea has ever managed to catch one.

Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet are coming to Nintendo Switch on Nov. 18. A link between those games and Pokémon Go is expected to arrive sometime in 2023 that will enable Gimmighoul catching. The connectivity may be similar to how Pokémon Go players could catch the Pokémon Meltan, which relied on connectivity with Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let’s Go, Eevee on Switch, though neither Niantic nor The Pokémon Company have shared specifics on Gimmighoul’s roaming form rollout.