When people think of weird Pokédex entries and strange, uncomfortable facts in the Pokémon world, they probably think first of Ghost-types, who have a lot of weird and unexplainable things related to them. But, strange lore and weird facts are not exclusive to this ethereal spirits.
Every type has its oddities, and the Water-type is no different. As the most populous type, it’s understandable that there’s some weird stuff there. From Pokédex entries to physiological quirks, here are some of the weirdest things about Water-type Pokémon that might surprise you.
Updated November 29th, 2020 by Michael Christopher: The world of Pokemon is a very weird one. Delve deep into any game’s Pokedex and you’ll find a wealth of strange oddities and bizarre facts about any given Pokemon. As such, we’ve decided to look at even more weird Water-types.
15 Araquanid’s Bubble
One interesting water-faring creature from the Alola region is the Water/Bug-type Araquanid, which is a funny-looking spider with a water bubble surrounding its head. It uses this bubble of water defensively and offensively, and seems to need it to breathe above water, kind of like when Spongebob and Patrick enter Sandy’s air-dome.
However, this bubble is used for a much more grim purpose. Araquanid is capable of pulling small creatures into the bubble and drowning them. Even worse, if an Araquanid’s trainer isn’t careful, they can get sucked into the bubble.
14 Clawitzer, Gunslinger-At-Large
Clawitzer, the Water-type shrimp Pokemon from Generation VI, is based on the already-weird real-life animal, the pistol shrimp. These shrimp are equipped with a huge claw that can fire bubbles like a gun. The blast is shockingly strong, producing a sound that has been measured at 210 decibles (an average gunshot from a gun is around 150).
The Pokemon version of this, Clawitzer, is equipped with a similar giant claw. The Pokedex states that Clawitzer’s claw shots are so strong that they can pierce a hole in a tanker.
13 Golduck’s Murders
A lot of Pokemon are uncomfortably murder-y. Many Pokedex entries tote the strength and prowess of different species by putting it in terms of their ability to kill or their tendency to be overprotective of different things. This is also true for Golduck, the Water-type duck Pokemon from Generation I.
According to the ‘dex, Golduck is fiercely protective of its river: “Old tales tell of Golduck punishing those that defiled its river. The guilty were dragged into the water and taken away.” Yikes.
12 Phione: Mythical or Not?
One of the most forgettable Water-types is also one that has produced quite a bit of debate. Phione, the Water-type that is obtained by breeding Manaphy, has inspired much argument over its Mythical status. Manaphy, the “parent” of Phione, is a Mythical Pokemon, but it’s unclear whether Phione is as well.
Several official sources contradict one another over its status, but there is more evidence to support it being part of the Mythical group.
11 Kingler’s Claws
Real-life crabs (at least some species) are known to have giant, unwieldly claws on one side, making them slightly lopsided. These claws are believed to be for mating selection, not combat or defense, since they are actually too heavy to use well and are a bit of a burden to the crab.
Kingler, the crab-like Water-type Pokemon, has the same problem. Its large claw is very heavy and not easy to use frequently. However, it has immense power that would make anyone probably run in fear. According to the Pokedex, Kingler’s large claw has a crushing power of 10,000 horsepower. Watch out!
10 Arctovish Might Starve
The newest fossil Pokémon to be introduced into the series are the abominations in Generation VIII. These criminal creatures are the horrific creation of Cara Liss, a researcher who should be thrown in jail for her crimes. This terrible scientist mismatches the different fossil pieces to create these horrible combinations that look awful.
Because of her carelessness, some of these fossil Pokémon have terrible Pokédex entries. Arctovish’s Sword entry states that it has trouble eating because its mouth is on top of its head. It says in Shield that it has trouble breathing. This poor creature.
9 Evolving Might Have Killed Omastar
On the topic of fossils that are suffering, research suggests that Omastar went extinct because of its evolutionary changes. Thought to be a distant ancestor of Octillery, Omastar existed tens of thousands of years ago. Apparently, its shell was too big for it to move properly, and the weight of it made it too slow.
If it had stayed an Omanyte, it might have survived. Its Pokédex information states that it weights 77.2 lbs (35 kg), so it’s no surprise it had trouble lugging itself after its traditional prey, the fast-swimming Shellder.
8 Slowbro and Slowking Can Devolve
While Shellder might have been too quick for the heavy Omastar to chase after, it does help another species move a little quicker. That species is the Slowpoke family, where the base stage, Slowpoke itself, evolves when a Shellder bites its tail (into Slowbro) or its head (into Slowking).
What many people don’t know is that Slowbro and Slowking will actually devolve if the Shellder lets go or falls off. This is the only known case in lore where a Pokémon can devolve. Interestingly, Shellder’s venom is what makes Slowking so intelligent, and if it loses the Shellder, it’ll forget all the knowledge it gained.
7 Slowbro’s Forms
Speaking of Slowbro and its forms, it’s surprisingly the only Pokémon to have both a Mega Evolution and regional variant. Introduced in Generation VI, Slowbro’s Mega Evolution appears to be taken over completely by the Sheller, which is now consuming almost its entire body.
With the announcement of the Sword & Shield DLC packs, it was shown that Slowpoke and its evolutionary relatives will now have a Galarian form alongside Darumaka, Ponyta, and others. Now, Slowbro is the only Pokémon that can Mega Evolve and has a regional form. It’ll be interesting to see what that regional form looks like, in relation to Shellder’s placement.
6 Barraskewda is Fast
Pokémon who take the top spots in base stats often make sense. Blissey has the highest HP stat, Mega Mewtwo Y has the highest special attack, and so on. Some of these top spots are actually kind of surprising, though. Many people don’t realize Electrode is the fastest Electric-type Pokémon, for example.
Another surprise comes in the form of Barraskewda, a Generation VIII Water-type. With a base speed stat of 136, Barraskewda is the fastest Water-type Pokémon and the 18th fastest Pokémon overall. It takes a higher spot on the speed list than the titans of agility like Tapu Koko, Ash-Greninja, and Jolteon.
5 Wartortle Is Old
We all know that sea turtles can live for a very long time, sometimes upward of a hundred years. Apparently Game Freak wanted to include this bit of trivia in the Pokémon world. Wartortle, the evolution of Squirtle, is said to live up to 10,000 years.
How any human has lived long enough to track that is unclear, but people see Wartortle as a symbol of long life and longevity because of its ability to live so long. It’s unclear if Blastoise can live that long, so it might be more prudent to keep your Wartortle unevolved so it lives longer.
4 Jellicent Is A Murderer
While Wartortle is a symbol of long life, Jellicent could be a symbol of a short one. This is because the jellyfish-looking Water/Ghost-type is widely said to be a murderer. Many of its Pokédex entries state that it likes to hang around “fancy cruise ships” and sea tankers, looking for prey to drag to the depths.
Ships that find themselves in Jellicent’s territory often go missing without a trace, and it’s believed there’s a “castle of ships” on the seafloor that were sunk by Jellicent. Also, their favorite food is “life energy.”
3 Gorebyss Kills People
You can try to stay away from Jellicent if you fear for your life, but just like real life, the Pokémon world’s oceans are also full of uncountable horrors. One of these is Gorebyss, one of Clamperl’s evolutions, who is also fond of killing things.
Thanks to its long, slender mouth, it likes to “siphon the body fluids” of its prey. It does this by injecting its mouth into their bodies and sucking out their life force. From there, it lets their carcass sink to the ocean floor for other Pokémon to eat.
2 People Eat Basculin and Other Water-types
Don’t worry about the numerous Pokémon that will eat or kill you though, because it seems the human world has exacted revenge on the ocean’s monsters. The franchise typically likes to shy away from answering this age-old question, but there exists proof here and there that people do in fact eat Pokémon. Basculin is said to be rather delicious, described as “remarkably tasty.”
Other Water-types are consumed, too. There’s the infamous Slowpoke Tails, while people are also said to eat Crabrawler, Crawdaunt, Clauncher, Seadra, and Sharpedo.
1 Dracovish Suffers
Coming full circle to the terrible Generation VIII fossils, it seems that the other Water-type Pokémon among them, Dracovish, is probably suffering alongside Arctovish. According to its Pokédex entry in Shield, it can run at an insane speed of 40 mph (about 64 km/h). However, it can only breathe when it’s underwater.
This may be due to the fact that it is a mismatch between the Fossilized Drake, which provides for its legs and body, and the Fossilized Fish, which supplies its head. This poor thing doesn’t seem to belong above or below water.
NEXT: 10 Unresolved Mysteries & Plot Holes Left Hanging In The Pokémon Games
