Sinistcha

Species          Quote “It prefers cool, dark places, such as the back of a shelf or the space beneath a home's floorboards. It wanders in search of prey after sunset.” — Sinistcha's Pokédex entry[src]     C Sinistcha   [Edit]   [Talk]

Sinistcha <sup>(JPJapanese: ヤバソチャ

Romaji: Yabasocha)</sup> is a Grass/Ghost type Pokémon introduced in Ninth generation games Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, in the Teal Mask DLC.

It evolves from Poltchageist when exposed to a specific item, depending on its form: Counterfeit Form Poltchageist, which lacks a stamp of authenticity, evolves into Unremarkable Form Sinistcha when exposed to an Unremarkable Teacup, while Artisan Form Poltchageist, which has a stamp of authenticity, evolves into Masterpiece Form Sinistcha when exposed to a Masterpiece Teacup.

It shares many similarities with Polteageist. However, the two are biologically separate species.

Physiology and Behavior[]

Sinistcha is a Pokémon made of matcha tea. As such, its main body is entirely green, except for its mouth and swirly eyes, which are yellow in color. Its arms are thin and its hands have three digits, and it has two small legs. It inhabits a 茶碗 chawan, a tea bowl used in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. The chawan it inhabits is black and white, with a few cracks sealed with green all over it, and a swirling, face-like pattern on its side. Atop its head, Sinistcha wears a 茶筅 chasen (a bamboo whisk used to prepare and stir matcha tea), which is broken and missing a few of its teeth. Despite appearances, Sinistcha is not biologically related to Polteageist.

Sinistcha lives in cool, dark areas such as the back of a shelf or beneath a house's floorboards. It pretends to be tea in order to trick people into drinking it, so it can absorb their life-force. However, this act is rarely successful. Sinistcha is generally active after sunset. In order to prepare itself for battle, Sinistcha builds up its energy by using the chasen on its head to stir itself.

Sinistcha has two separate forms: Unremarkable Form and Masterpiece Form. Telling either of these forms apart requires careful inspection; a Masterpiece Form Sinistcha bears a stamp of authenticity on the base of its chawan, while an Unremarkable Form Sinistcha lacks it.

Appearances[]

Main Pokémon games[]

Other Pokémon games[]

In the anime[]

In the manga[]

Origin[]

Sinistcha appears to be based on matcha tea that has been prepared into a drink in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Its design incorporates several utensils used in the aforementioned ceremony, namely the chawan (tea bowl) and chasen (tea whisk). It may also be based on a tsukumogami, being an inanimate household object come to life — in this case, equipment used in a Japanese tea ceremony.

Sinistcha's overall design resembles Polteageist, having similar eyes and a similar body. This may be a reference to convergent evolution or parallel evolution, which can lead to separate organisms independently developing similar or identical characteristics and body plans.

Sinistcha's forms may be based on stoneware forgeries. One historical way to combat stoneware forgeries was to create a stamp of authenticity on products, hence the stamp under Masterpiece Form Sinistcha. It may also be a reference to the difference between unremarkable household objects and rare variants of them which are seen as antiques or masterpieces. Another origin for Sinistcha's forms may be the different grades of matcha, or matcha imitations.

In-game Information[]

Pokédex Entries[]

Game Locations[]

Base Stats[]

Moveset[]

Main article: Sinistcha/moveset

Evolution[]

Poltchageist	Unremarkable/Masterpiece Teacup	Sinistcha

Gallery[]

Teal Mask Pokédex image

Menu icon for Scarlet and Violet

Renders[]

Renders
Scarlet Violet File:PKMNSV1013-S.png

Trivia[]

• Despite being an apparent counterpart of Polteageist, Sinistcha's name resembles that of Polteageist's pre-evolution, Sinistea.
• The Sinistcha and Polteageist families are the only ecologically similar Pokémon that share a type.
  • Additionally, Sinistcha and Polteageist have similar evolution methods, as they both require being exposed to a specific item to evolve into a specific form of their evolved counterparts.
• Sinistcha and its pre-evolution are the only ecologically similar Pokémon to have multiple forms.