Dragapult is a floating, teal, salamander-esque Pokémon. Dragapult's appearance is reminiscent of ancient lepospondyls, such as the Diplocaulus . Its head is large, triangular, and flat, resembling a stealth bomber pointing forwards. Its head is mostly a dark charcoal gray, with the front ends of the “wings” being a bright pinkish-red. On top of its head are four triangular “ports” resembling missile barrels that extend out the back of its head into a point. They are placed in groups of two on each wing, with the outside ports being slightly smaller than the inside ones. The front of these ports is bright pinkish-red, and the back is charcoal gray. The ports are equipped to launch out the Dreepy resting in them at top speeds. Its eyes are towards the front of its head. They are thin and yellow, with small black slit pupils and no irises. Its eyelids are red, and its eye sockets extend backwards in small hill-shapes on the top of its head. Its jaw on the underside is a pale yellow, with the color extending down the front side of its neck, chest, and belly. There are three upward-pointing pinkish-red boomerang shaped patterns on top of the yellow, resembling arrows on a runway or landing strip. It has a relatively short, pear-shaped body that fades from charcoal gray to bright teal the further down it goes. Its arms are charcoal gray held in a t-rex shape with four long pinkish-red fingers hanging down. It has two short teal legs with upturned feet and four long, pointed toes. Dragapult’s tail is the longest part of its design, being longer than the length of its head and body put together. It is long and salamander-esque, with a very thick base trailing into an invisible tail tip, likely in reference to its Ghost-typing.
Dragapult carries a pair of Dreepy inside its horns, which it can fire out at its opponents like supersonic missiles by puffing up its cheeks with air. Apparently, these Dreepy eagerly look forward to being launched out at Mach speeds. This is evident by the fact that Dreepy always gather around the fastest Dragapult in their group to to fly at sonic speed. By clearing its mind and focusing, Dragapult can turn itself, as well as the Dreepy in its horns, invisible. As shown in the Pokémon Journeys: The Series episode Toying with your Motions!, its tail is capable of stretching out to great length when it uses moves like Dragon Tail.
Dragapult is playable through obtaining a Unite License. It is a ranged attacker.
Trivia
Dragapult's type combination is the only type combination to be weak to both of its types, as Ghost and Dragon are the only types to be weak to themselves. This also applies to Giratina.
Dragapult and its evolutionary line are the only Pokémon that are in the Dragon and AmorphousEgg Groups, and the only Dragon-type Pokémon in the Amorphous Egg Group.
According to Bandai's Pokémon Scale World series of figures, Dragapult's height is actually its length measured from the muzzle to the tip of the tail.[1]
Dragapult has the highest base Speed stat of all pseudo-legendary Pokémon.
When Dragapult Dynamaxes, it has a unique animation quirk in which it temporarily disappears before reaching its largest size.
Cultural impact
In the Pokémon of the Year poll held by the Pokémon Company in 2020, Dragapult was voted the most popular Generation VIII Pokémon, receiving 57,973 votes. It was also the eleventh-most popular Pokémon overall.
Dragapult may be based on the Diplocaulus, Gerrothorax, or other extinct amphibians with a similarly-shaped skull. A complete tail has never been found in a Diplocaulus fossil, which may explain Dragapult's ghostly, translucent tail. Its head also resembles a B-2 Spirit, a stealth bomber aircraft. Its category being the Stealth Pokémon further supports this. Its propensity for holding and firing Dreepy may be a reference to crossbows, while its stomach pattern and aircraft origins are likely nods to aircraft catapults, which is seemingly reflected in its name.
It may also be a reference to the paternal care behavior present in many amphibian species. The Dragon typing may be a reference to the Olm, a type of salamander native to central and southeastern Europe that was believed to be a dragon offspring by locals. However, its posture and body stature are closer to crocodilians supporting themselves with their hind legs and tails while underwater and are also known to hold their young on their heads.
Name origin
Dragapult and Dorapult may be combinations of dragon and catapult. It may also come from poltergeist or sepultura (Spanish and Portuguese for "grave").
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.
For other sprites and images, please see Dragapult images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
