Gastly first appeared in Pokemon Red and Green in Japan in 1996, later released internationally as Red and Blue, as one of the original 151 Pokemon. Each species in the main games has a distinctive synthesized cry used in battle and in the Pokedex, and Gastly's fits its ghost type design. As Pokemon clips, soundboards and meme edits spread online, these short cries became easy reaction sounds, shared separately from gameplay. Gastly's wail remains popular because it is brief, recognisable to fans and instantly communicates a haunting presence.