Jessie's Lickitung

Jessie's Lickitung ムサシのベロリンガ Musashi's Beroringa

Jessie's Lickitung

Debuts in Princess vs. Princess Caught at O-Hina Town Gender Unknown Ability Unknown Traded in Tricks of the Trade Original Trainer Jessie Traded for Benny's Wobbuffet Current location With Benny

This Pokémon has not evolved.

Voice actor Japanese English As Lickitung Chinami Nishimura Michael Haigney

Jessie's Lickitung (Japanese: ムサシのベロリンガ Musashi's Beroringa) was the second Pokémon Jessie appears with in Kanto. Lickitung was the first Pokémon Jessie was shown to catch, and is the first Pokémon to have been caught by a member of Team Rocket in the anime.

History

Original series

Kanto

Jessie catching Lickitung

In Princess vs. Princess, Team Rocket first encountered Lickitung while they were resting in a local park after Jessie's Princess Festival shopping spree. Lickitung quickly snatched up the food with its tongue, so Jessie sent out her Arbok to deal with the glutton, only for it to be stunned after being licked by Lickitung. In a fit of rage, Jessie threw a Poké Ball at the Lickitung, successfully catching it.

Later, Lickitung was Jessie's forgotten weapon in the finals of the Queen of the Princess Festival contest against Misty. After stunning and defeating a borrowed Pikachu, Bulbasaur, and Vulpix by licking them, Lickitung was defeated by Psyduck's Confusion after ignoring Jessie's command for Tackle due to hunger, resulting in Misty winning the contest. This was the only time Jessie used Lickitung in Kanto.

Orange Islands

Jessie used Lickitung rather sparingly for the rest of its time under her possession, making the pink Pokémon her second option after Arbok. Thus, it was one of the least used Pokémon that was owned by a main character. It most often appeared alongside all of the Rocket trio's other Pokémon in battles against the twerps.

In Pikachu Re-Volts, Lickitung was used for the first time since its capture, being used to try to nab the Pokémon Butch and Cassidy stole. Lickitung, along with the rest of Team Rocket's Pokémon, were hypnotized by Butch and Cassidy's Drowzee and forced to attack its Trainer. They were later freed by Ash and his Pikachu and joined together to battle Drowzee.

In In the Pink, Lickitung was called out to help lick up all the rare pink Pokémon on Pinkan Island. James declared that Lickitung was pink, but Jessie corrected him by admitting that Lickitung had always been pink. Lickitung chased two Nidoran into a cave, but it quickly ran out after angering a pink Nidoking. Later the Nidoking sent Lickitung and all the rest blasting off.

Lickitung had its first battle against Ash and his friends in Tracey Gets Bugged, where it joined forces with the rest of Team Rocket's Pokémon against Tracey's Scyther. The five ganged up on the elderly Pokémon, and its fatigue kicked in right as Arbok launched a Poison Sting. The new Scyther leader, unable to stand by, jumped in to protect it. Together, the two caused Team Rocket to flee.

Jessie called on Lickitung to take on Ash and the others in A Tent Situation. However, Ash's Muk stepped in and was unaffected by Lickitung's immobilizing licks. It was then defeated by Gary Oak and his Nidoqueen.

Johto

Jessie unaware that her Lickitung had been traded to Benny for his Wobbuffet

Benny with his new Lickitung

In A Farfetch'd Tale, Lickitung battled Ash and his friends for the final time. Lickitung used its tongue to keep Sylvester's Farfetch'd captive while the rest of Team Rocket's Pokémon took on Ash's team. During the battle Farfetch'd broke free and proceeded to beat up Lickitung and the others. Pikachu then blasted them off with Thunderbolt.

In Tricks of the Trade, Lickitung was accidentally traded by Jessie to a Trainer named Benny for his Wobbuffet during the commotion at the Pokémon Swap Meet. As Team Rocket's scheme to steal Pokémon with a rigged trading device was discovered by the crowd, Lickitung's Poké Ball was dropped into the trade machine when Jessie was knocked backwards by the fleeing Magikarp salesman, and was swapped with Benny's Poké Ball already in the machine; the person Benny had been planning to trade with had changed his mind at the last minute. Jessie soon realized the trade when she sent Lickitung out to battle Ash, and the passive Wobbuffet emerged instead.

Lickitung was later seen happily with Benny, who informed Ash and friends about the accidental trade. However, there was never any indication that Ash and his friends ever identified the Lickitung as Jessie's old Pokémon, nor that Jessie's new Wobbuffet was originally Benny's.

Pokémon Journeys: The Series

Lickitung appeared in a fantasy in Rocket Revengers! when Team Rocket reminisced about their old Pokémon.

Personality and characteristics

Jessie upset at Lickitung ignoring her orders

Lickitung using its tongue to paralyze Ash's Pikachu

Lickitung and Jessie had a tumultuous relationship right from the beginning, where Lickitung ate all of the food Jessie bought for the Boss, lasting all the way up to their last day together in Tricks of the Trade, where Jessie attacked Lickitung for licking her face just after she had washed up. Jessie used Lickitung infrequently in battle, namely because it ignored her instructions and was gluttonous. However, it was a strong battler, with its tongue capable of immobilizing an opponent with ease.

Over time, Lickitung did attempt to open up to its Trainer with affectionate licks to the face on several occasions, however Jessie found the habit to be disgusting and rejected it. As such it didn't appear to develop a deeper connection with Jessie, and it was seen happily licking its new Trainer, Benny after an accidental trade to him, who didn't seem to mind, all the while showing no outward distress from being traded away.

Moves used

Using Supersonic	Move First Used In Tackle † Pikachu Re-Volts* Wrap Snack Attack! Supersonic The Whistle Stop Stomp The Whistle Stop Slam † Ignorance is Blissey
A † shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves.

Trivia

• Lickitung was the first Pokémon belonging to a main character to be permanently traded, and the only one who hasn't physically appeared since.
• Lickitung is the only Pokémon obtained by Jessie and James in Kanto that was not released at some point in time.
• Despite being in Jessie's possession for 94 episodes, it made only 17 appearances total.
• Not including temporary Pokémon, Lickitung is the only Normal-type Pokémon owned by either Jessie or James.
• Lickitung is the only Pokémon that has traveled with Team Rocket to have not met Wobbuffet.
• Lickitung was mentioned by Jessie in So Near, Yet So Farfetch'd (while this episode aired before Princess vs. Princess in Japan, chronologically it occurs after it).

Related articles

For more information on this Pokémon's species, see Lickitung.

Team Rocket's Pokémon
Travel with:	Meowth	Rotom Phone
	Jessie			James
On hand:	Wobbuffet	Seviper	Yanmega	Mime Jr.	Carnivine	Yamask
	Woobat	Frillish	Gourgeist	Amoonguss	Inkay	Morpeko
In training:				Cacnea
At home:				Growlie	Chimecho
Released:	Arbok	Dustox	Mimikyu	Weezing	Gyarados	Mareanie
Traded away:	Lickitung			Victreebel
Lived with (all three):	Bewear	Stufful
Worked with (all three):	Delibird	Pelipper
Temporarily owned:	Porygon Zero	Shellder	Magikarp	Second Victreebel	Hoppip
	Mawile
Befriended:	Blissey
Status unknown:	Starmie			Pidgey	Numel
For a list of other Pokémon Team Rocket has commanded, see here and here

This article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of Pokémon animation.