A Slowbro participated in a baseball match in ''[[PM021|Fierce Competition at the Pokémon Baseball Tournament!]]''.
A Slowbro participated in a baseball match in ''[[PM021|Fierce Competition at the Pokémon Baseball Tournament!]]''.
===In The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga===
{{OBP|Ash Ketchum|EToP|Ash}} captures a {{pkmn2|giant}} Slowpoke in the {{pkmn|manga}} series [[The Electric Tale of Pikachu]] in ''[[ET19|Ash vs. Gary]]''. He later trades it to [[Gary Oak]] for a photo of his sister, [[Daisy Oak|May Oak]]. After this, they found out that Slowpoke had evolved into a Slowbro.
Slowbro are physically slightly different Slowpoke. It now has striped, tan belly, three claws on its forepaws, and two claws on its hind paws. It has a Shellder latched to its tail in a symbiotic, almost parasitic relationship. The extra weight on its tail has caused the Slowpoke to become bipedal. As a result of carrying this burden, its special abilities have developed greatly. Through the symbiotic relationship, the latched Shellder grows in a spiral shell instead of a bivalve. If for any reason it loses its Shellder, it will result in the Slowbro returning to its former Slowpoke self.
Gender differences
None.
Special abilities
Since it cannot fish anymore, it now has to catch prey. It is therefore, slightly faster than an ordinary Slowpoke, and is significantly more powerful. The most notable changes in Slowbro's movepool is the addition of physical moves, such as Brick Break, Ice Punch, and Seismic Toss.
Behavior
Used to dozing off at shorelines and lakesides waiting for fish to bite the tip of its tail, the extra burden of a Shellder turned this Pokémon fisher into a hunter, against its own will.
Lorelei uses a Slowbro as part of her team in Pokémon Adventures. With the Shellder clamped onto its tail, Lorelei explains that her Slowbro has sharpened senses and is capable of looking in all directions, thanks to the extra pair of eyes, allowing it to discover Green's ploy using Horsea.
Slowbro's tail has a Shellder firmly attached with a bite. As a result, the tail can't be used for fishing anymore. This causes Slowbro to grudgingly swim and catch prey instead.
Its tail has a Shellder firmly attached with a bite. As a result, the tail can't be used for fishing anymore. This forces it to reluctantly swim and catch prey.
Despite it being a commonly known and accepted fact that Shellder triggers the evolution, mentioned in most of its Pokédex entries, Slowbro's evolution from Slowpoke has nothing to do with Shellder in the games, unlike how the evolution of Mantyke requires a Remoraid.
Slowbro's Pokédex entries state that if the Shellder is removed, it will revert to its Slowpoke form.
This is the only mentioning of a Pokémon possibly devolving anywhere in the Pokémon games, aside from a card in the gameversions of the TCG.
Many Pokémon are noted to evolve by two or more Pokémon combining, such as Metang being formed by two Beldum. However, the anime does not show this and simply spawns the second Pokémon out of nowhere: an example is Morrison's Beldum, which simply evolved into Metang without the need of joining to another Beldum. The evolution of Slowpoke into Slowbro or Slowking is the only time that evolution by two Pokémon physically merging is shown.
In Pokémon Snap, however, three Magnemite do merge to become a Magneton.
Slowbro's Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald Pokédex entry conflicts with its FireRed one; the former says Slowbro only starts hunting because the Shellder on its tail means it can't fish, but the latter states it evolved whilst hunting.
Origin
Slowbro's shell and lifestyle are somewhat similar to hermit crabs, though it is physically similar to giant otters, giant salamanders, and hippopotamuses. Slowbro's appearance may also be a reference to the mythical sazae-oni, a magical sea demon of Japanese folklore distinguished by its spiny "sazae" or "turban shaped" snail shell.
Name origin
Slowbro is a combination of slow and bro (short for brother). It may just be used in a general sense, or it could refer to the brotherly/symbiotic relationship shared by the combined form of Slowpoke and Shellder.
Yadoran may be taken to mean 宿らん (to not lodge/dwell). It may also reference 宿借り yadokari (hermit crab) or 宿主 yadonushi ([parasitic] host).
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.