The Pokémon Company has confirmed that players have been saying Rayquaza’s name incorrectly for years. During the Pokémon World Championship, Game Freak revealed the correct way to pronounce the Hoenn Legendary Pokémon’s name.
The Pokémon Company Confirms Rayquaza Pronunciation
Despite making its debut over 22 years ago in Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire, many players have been saying the name of Rayquaza wrong. During the final day of the Pokémon World Championship on August 17, Game Freak posted an announcement that confirmed the accurate way to say the Gen 3 Legendary’s name based on the game’s official lore.
According to the Pokémon Company, the correct way to pronounce Rayquaza’s name is “ray-KWAY-zuh.” Apparently, many players have been saying “ray-KWAH-zah” for decades. Based on all the replies The Pokémon Company received on social media following their post, this seems to be true!
I can personally attest to this, as all my friends and family members have always said it the incorrect way.
Following the viral moment at the live tournament, the Pokémon Company made an official post on their social media reaffirming this fact. “RAY, KWAY, ZUH,” they wrote on X, while also posting a GIF of the Dragon-type Pokémon.
The correct pronunciation actually makes sense, given it’s a combination of “Ray” and “Quasar.” This is also why the Legendary is often seen in the games and anime flying across the night stars like a galactic beam of light.
Game Freak Has Technically corrected Rayquaza’s Name Before
Technically speaking, this isn’t the first time that Rayquaza’s name has been sort of confirmed. In the 2021 Pokémon Evolutions anime episode The Wish, they actually use the proper pronunciation. And in fact, the correct name has also been said in older episodes of the animated series as well.
However, some fans chalked this up to translation liberties and didn’t take it as concrete confirmation. And despite millions of players saying the name wrong for decades now, the Pokémon Company has been pretty tight-lipped about Rayquaza’s name over the years. That is why their official confirmation at this year’s Pokémon World Championships is kind of a big deal.
It’s one of the only times the Nintendo developer has outright confirmed that players are just plain wrong about something. And of course, those who have been saying the name correctly all along finally feel vindicated. If that’s you, then give yourself a pat on the back! I, for one, hope they continue to do facts like this. The lore of the Game Freak series is so expansive at this point that it’s neat to see official trivia that confirms the creators’ actual intentions.
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