Poliwag (Pokémon)

← #059: Arcanine

Pokémon

#061: Poliwhirl →

Poliwag ニョロモ Nyoromo #060
Artwork from FR/LG
Type Water ' Unknown Unknown Blue-Striped Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown	Category Tadpole Pokémon
Abilities Water Absorb or Damp Damp Blue-Striped -----	Exp. at Lv. 100 1,059,860
Regional Pokédex numbers Kanto #060 Johto #072 Hoenn #247 Sinnoh — Unova Not in any regional Pokédex
Regional Browser numbers Fiore R— Almia R— Oblivia
Height 2'00" Imperial 0.6 m Metric 2'00"/0.6 m Red-Striped 0'0"/0.0 m Blue-Striped 0'0"/0.0 m
Weight 27.3 lbs. Imperial 12.4 kg Metric 27.3 lbs./12.4 kg Red-Striped 0.0 lbs./0.0 kg Blue-Striped 0.0 lbs./0.0 kg
Dex color Blue	Catch rate 255 (33.3%)
Body style Blue-Striped	Footprint      Blue-Striped
Gender ratio Gender unknown Unknown 50% male, 50% female
Breeding Water 1 group 21 cycles (5355 minimum steps)
EV yield HP 0 Atk 0 Def 0 Sp.Atk 0 Sp.Def 0 Speed 1 Base Exp.: 77 Battle Exp.: 771*
External links On Smogon Pokédex: Generation I Generation II Generation III Generation IV Generation V Generation VI Generation VII Generation VIII Generation IX Artwork on Bulbagarden Archives

Poliwag (Japanese: ニョロモ Nyoromo) is a Template:Type2 Pokémon.

It evolves into Poliwhirl starting at level 25, who evolves into Poliwrath via Template:Stone, or into Politoed via trade with King's Rock.

Biology

Physiology

Poliwag resembles a blue, spherical tadpole. It has large eyes, a pink mouth, and a long, mostly transparent tail. It has newly developed legs that still are not used to walking. Poliwag's most famous feature is the black and white swirl on its abdomen, which is actually its innards showing through its semitransparent skin. This skin is also very elastic so that it won't break if the Pokémon is bitten.

Gender differences

None.

Special abilities

Along with the standard Water-related abilities, it is capable of making its opponent drowsy with Hypnosis. It is also much more at home in the water, as it can be healed by water using Water Absorb. Its skin is also very Damp, making it very slippery and therefore difficult to get hold of. Their Speed stat is above average, allowing them to evade shots of electricity quickly.

Behavior

They are most likely found swimming than on dry land. If they are startled, they immediately run away.

Habitat

Poliwag can be found in small freshwater ponds and lakes that have an abundance of lily pads, as well as along the banks of tropical rivers.

Diet

Main article: Pokémon food

In the anime, Poliwag feed on salveyo weed, which can only be found on clear lake bottoms.

In the anime

Misty had a Poliwag that eventually evolved into a Poliwhirl and then a Politoed.

One of the Pokémon used at the Pokémon Trainer's School in Gonna Rule The School was a Poliwag. Max used it in a battle but lost to a Magby. However, it did help defeat Team Rocket.

A Poliwag appeared in Up Close and Personable!.

In the manga

In the Pokémon Special manga

Poliwag makes a cameo in Bulbasaur, Come Home! as one of the Pokémon that escapes from Professor Oak's Laboratory and in Danger: High Voltorb in a Red's flashback remembering his journey with his Poliwhirl.

Gold has a Poliwag as of Template:PSV. It was lost when Team Rocket stole Gold's backpack and its Poké Ball fell into the water. Gold eventually retrieved Poliwag at the Famous Fishing Zone. It evolved into Poliwhirl in Template:PSV.

In the TCG

Main article: Poliwag (TCG)

Game data

Pokédex entries

Game locations

In side games

Held items

Base stats

Type effectiveness

Template:DP type effectiveness

Learnset

Template:Learnset introMoves in Italics aren't STAB for Poliwag, but are for some/all evolutions.

By leveling up

|- style="text-align:center" | style="text-align:left" | water | style="background:#2980EF" |  water 

| style=" background:#FFF" | 4 | style=" background:#FFF" | 1 | style=" background:#FFF" | Poliwag | style="display:none; background:#FFF" | {{{6}}} Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Movelist/note

By TM/HM

Template:Movelisttm Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Movelist/note

By breeding

Template:Eggmoves Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Mlentry4 Template:Eggmoves/note

By tutoring

Template:Tutor Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4 Template:Mtentry4

|- style="background:#74ACF5" | colspan="13" | Bold indicates a move that gets STAB
Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only from an evolution of this Pokémon
A colored initial indicates that the move is not available to be tutored in this game,
while a colored background indicates that the move is available. |} |}

TCG-only Moves

• Rollout
• Tackle

Side game data

Template:Side game

Evolution

Unevolved Unknown  Unknown	Unknown →	First evolution Unknown  Unknown	Unknown ↗	Second evolution Unknown  Unknown
			Unknown ↘	Second evolution Unknown  Unknown

Sprites

Gen	Game
I	Red	Blue	Yellow		Red (Ja)	Green	Back
II	Gold	Silver	Crystal				Back
III	Ruby	Sapphire	Emerald		FireRed	LeafGreen	Back
IV	Diamond	Pearl	Platinum		HeartGold	SoulSilver	Back
V	Black	White	Black 2	White 2			Back

For other sprites and images, please see Poliwag images on Bulbagarden Archives.

Trivia

• Curiously, the swirl on Poliwag's stomach is in the opposite direction to Poliwhirl's and Poliwrath's, but in the same direction of the light green swirl on the stomach of Politoed.
• In its FireRed Pokédex entry, it is stated Poliwag has black skin. The Ruby and Sapphire Pokédex entry for Poliwhirl states that Poliwhirl's skin is covered in oily fluid - if the same applies to Poliwag, it might be a case similar to common bilberry: the berry itself is black but covered in a wax-like coating that makes it look blue.
• Despite having a visible tail, it cannot learn any moves that require a tail.
• Poliwag's eyes, nose and the swirl on its stomach are visible in Generation I and IV's backsprites, but the tail is not. The opposite is true for the Generation II and III backsprites.
• In The Official Pokémon Handbook, published by Scholastic Corporation, the back cover says "Did you know that the swirls on Poliwhirl's stomach changes direction when it evolves into Poliwag?" However, Poliwhirl evolves from, not into, Poliwag.

Origin

Poliwag has the appearance of a tadpole. The spiral pattern on its belly is supposed to represent how the intestines of tadpoles are sometimes seen through their transparent skin.

Name origin

Poliwag appears to be a misspelling of polliwog, outdated English for tadpole. The wag may refer to its tail, although it is worth noting that polliwog literally means head-wiggle. Its Japanese name may come in part from ニョロニョロ nyoronyoro, the sound of slithering, and 子供 kodomo, child.

In other languages

• German: Quapsel - From Kaulquappe (tadpole).
• French: Ptitard - From petit (small) and têtard (tadpole).
• Korean: 발챙이 Balchaengi
• Chinese (Taiwan and Hong Kong): 蚊香蝌蚪 - 蚊香 is a kind of mosquito repellent used in China that is shaped like a spiral (like Poliwag's belly). Literally "mosquito repellent tadpole".

Related articles

• Misty's Poliwag

External links

Notes

← #059: Arcanine

Pokémon

#061: Poliwhirl →

This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon as a species.