The Paradox PokémonGreat Tusk and Iron Treads are said to be ancient and future relatives of Donphan, respectively, or counterparts of it from parallel timelines.
Donphan is a gray, proboscidPokémon with a thick, black band of hide running down the length of its back and extending to the tip of its long trunk. When this Pokémon curls up, the band resembles a car tire. This tough hide prevents regular attacks from inflicting even a scratch. A pair of white tusks, which are smaller on the female, extend from the corners of its mouth. It has thin, elongated ears held out almost perpendicular to its body. Its four short legs are each encircled with a broken, black band and have three toes.
Donphan has the ability to curl up into a ball and violently roll around like a wheel. These rolling tackles are strong enough to knock down a house. While normally calm, Donphan can become enraged and start a rampage. Once it starts its rampage, it will be almost unstoppable. Donphan will chase after anyone who angers it. The Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire episode Date Expectations showed that this ability is further used as a form of courtship. The male Donphan have rolling competitions to demonstrate their toughness to the females. A Donphan's tough hide is so strong, not even a car can scratch it. Despite this, the armor is extremely vulnerable to rain.
In the Pokémon the Series episode Roll On, Pokémon!, it is shown that Donphan has a keen sense of smell, capable of sniffing out a gem known as amberite (Agate in the Japanese version). Donphan travels in herds with a ranking system. The larger its tusks, the higher its rank in the herd. It lives in rough, mountainous terrain.
Both Great Tusk and Iron Treads share a resemblance to Donphan. Great Tusk is theorized to be Donphan's ancestor from the dinosaur era, while Iron Treads is believed to be a descendant of Donphan or a scientific weapon sent to the Pokémon world by aliens, but according to a version of Professor SadaS/TuroV that appeared at the Crystal Pool, both Pokémon are counterparts of Donphan from parallel timelines.
It has sharp, hard tusks and a rugged hide. Its Tackle is strong enough to knock down a house. (Pokémon Red, Silver, or Crystal inserted) The longer and bigger its tusks, the higher its rank in its herd. The tusks take long to grow. (Pokémon Blue, Gold, or Yellow inserted)
Donphan's favorite attack is curling its body into a ball, then charging at its foe while rolling at high speed. Once it starts rolling, this Pokémon can't stop very easily.
If Donphan were to tackle with its hard body, even a house could be destroyed. Using its massive strength, the Pokémon helps clear rock and mud slides that block mountain trails.
A Donphan is so strong it can easily haul a dump truck. Its hide has toughened to a rock-hard state. An ordinary sort of attack won't even leave a scratch.
Donphan's favorite attack is curling its body into a ball, then charging at its foe while rolling at high speed. Once it starts rolling, this Pokémon can't stop very easily.
If Donphan were to tackle with its hard body, even a house could be destroyed. Using its massive strength, the Pokémon helps clear rock and mud slides that block mountain trails.
Four Donphan made their animated series debut in Roll On, Pokémon!, under the ownership of Rochelle. She would use them to find amberite.
In Date Expectations, a ShinyDonphan was the center of romantic attention for multiple male Donphan. Ash and his friends eventually helped one such Donphan to succeed and mate with the Shiny Donphan.
Donphan, the Armor Pokémon. With its strong tusks and tough skin, Donphan is known for its powerful Tackle attack. The length of Donphan's tusks indicates its level.
Donphan shares its category with Tyranitar. They are both known as the Armor Pokémon.
Donphan and Ursaring, along with their pre-evolved forms, are the only Pokémon to swap version-exclusive status between localizations. While Phanpy and Donphan are found only in the Japanese and Korean Gold, they are not found in Gold in other languages, being found in the Silver Version of those languages instead, with Teddiursa and Ursaring getting the opposite treatment. This is changed in the remakes HeartGold and SoulSilver, where they follow the Japanese and Korean Gold and Silver.
Donphan, Volcarona, and Cyclizar are the only Pokémon to have both a past and future Paradox counterpart.
Origin
Donphan seems to be based on an adult elephant, possibly the pygmy elephant or the extinct dwarf elephant due to its small size. Donphan's hardened hide and Pokémon Category may also hint at it being an armored war elephant.
The ridges on Donphan's dark gray backside are similar to tire treads found on heavy equipment and off-road vehicles, notably the treads of paddle tires. This similarity with tires can also be observed when Donphan performs its rolling attacks, making it resemble a spinning wheel.
Donphan's Ground type likely comes from the fact that elephants wallow in mud and take sand baths to protect their skin and thermoregulate. It may also come from the fact heavy equipment and off-road vehicles' tires are adapted to muddy and sandy terrains.
Name origin
Donphan and Donfan may be a combination of don (Spanish honorific, similar to sir) or -don (common suffix in names of prehistoric animals, e.g. mastodon, from the Ancient Greek word for tooth) and elephant.
This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon species, as well as Pokémon groups and forms.