In the Generation I and II games and their remakes, wild Snorlax can be found sleeping in inconvenient locations throughout Kanto. In order to catch one, a Trainer must first awaken it with music from either a Poké Flute or Pokégear set to the Poké Flute channel.
Snorlax's body is composed of mostly its belly, where most of its fat reserves accumulate. It wakes up only to eat and seldom exercises. Its head is also large, and it has two pointed teeth protruding from its mouth. It has two eyes that are rarely seen open, giving it the appearance that it is sleeping. Its two hind feet, with three claws and a circular brown paw pad, are extremely large compared to most Pokémon, assisting its balance when it chooses to stand. Its arms and fore claws are short, but are long enough for Snorlax to grab its food and eat it, and strong enough to deliver powerful blows. It is usually dark blue or green in color.
Gender differences
None
Special abilities
When trained and exercised properly, Snorlax can gain supreme strength and ability. They can throw incredibly powerful punches and cause immense earthquakes. Snorlax have a strong digestion system, allowing them to eat anything (even moldy food) without getting an upset stomach.
Behavior
Snorlax spend the majority of their time sleeping, surviving on their stored fat. Many Snorlax only awaken once a month, spending their waking time finding more food. A hungry Snorlax is not satisfied until it consumes 900 pounds of food, and then it goes back to sleep. If one ever sees a sleeping Snorlax, he or she should not wake it up, because these Pokémon become very grumpy if their peaceful dreams become interrupted. Several Psychic-type Pokémon using Dream Eater find this out the hard way. Aside from this, they are very docile and even allow children to bounce on their big bellies.
Snorlax are often in mountains and forests. However, they sometimes wander into towns and streets and sleep there. They have been documented in Kanto, and evidence suggests that they could be found in Sinnoh.
Snorlax are not picky, and will eat anything and everything that is edible---even other Pokémon. (as evidenced by a Snorlax's attempt to eat Misty's Goldeen in Snack Attack) They are fond of large, thorny vines or their diet may compose of bananas found in grasslands. Snorlax only wake up to eat. They need to eat about 900lbs (90% of their bodyweight) to be satisfied before falling back to sleep. Some Snorlax sleep for a month at a time, so 900lbs of food is enough to sustain them for at least one month whilst asleep.
Multiple alternately colored Snorlax appeared in Snorlax Snowman. These Snorlax were adapted to more frigid climates that were seen in the episode. One in particular was befriended by Pikachu and his friends.
In The Garden of Eatin', another Snorlax was causing trouble for a man named Marcel by eating the bananas in his Slakoth Banana Garden. Marcel's newly evolved Vigoroth defeated the Snorlax, allowing him to capture it. Afterwards, Marcel made an attraction around his new Snorlax: a relaxation room.
Training Daze featured a red Snorlax which Jessie, James, and Meowth, while competing with Butch, Cassidy, and TRRaticate ([[{{{2}}} (move)|{{{2}}}]]), were sent to steal in order to become official Team Rocket field agents. The Snorlax turned out to be Viper, the Team Rocket Academy Drill Sergeant in disguise.
When released from a Poké Ball, Snorlax will ascend into the air before descending over a large area of the screen with a Body Slam that sends any opponent underneath flying.
Snorlax does the same maneuver as it did in the previous game, but covers a smaller area.
Snorlax is also a Poké Float. It is lying down asleep and so fighting occurs on its head and belly.
Melee trophy information
Snorlax love to sleep and love to eat: these portly Pokémon get grumpy if they don't get 888 pounds of food per day. After snacking out, they always nap. They have cast-iron stomachs and can eat moldy and even rotten food with no digestion problems. They are the heaviest Pokémon on record, weighing in at over 1,000 pounds.
Snorlax once again performs the same maneuver as the previous games.
Brawl trophy information
"A Sleeping Pokémon. It's the ultimate loafer. Sometimes children like to play on top its big belly. Once in a slumber, not even the hardest rain or the fiercest wind will wake it. Snorlax recovers health and restores its physical state by sleeping, and it proves daunting with its damaging Snore attack. Snorlax is the king of Sleeping Pokémon."
Game data
NPC appearances
Pokémon Ranger: Snorlax will be seen sleeping throughout the game, effectively cutting off certain areas until later on. It will eventually remain in a cave in the Sekra Range. Once the rest of the Ranger Browser has been completed, it will wake up and can be captured.
Pokédex entries
This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation I.
Snorlax's typical day consists of nothing more than eating and sleeping. It is such a docile Pokémon that there are children who use its expansive belly as a place to play.
Snorlax's typical day consists of nothing more than eating and sleeping. It is such a docile Pokémon that there are children who use its big belly as a place to play.
Until Generation III, when it was out-massed by both Metagross and Groudon, Snorlax was the heaviest Pokémon. In Generation IV, Dialga and both forms of Giratina are heavier than it is as well, setting it back to its present state of the sixth-heaviest Pokémon known.
It is, however, the heaviest Pokémon that has a gender.
In GenerationsI to III, Snorlax could learn Hyper Beam by leveling up. However, in Generation IV, possibly due to the Physical/Special split, Snorlax can no longer learn it by leveling up and instead can learn Giga Impact, Hyper Beam's physical variant, possibly referencing its large body mass and higher Attack.
Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum are the only games in which Snorlax is in the regional Pokédex and is not encountered as an obstacle that is blocking a route.
In HeartGold and SoulSilver, if the player interacts with a Snorlax that is walking with them while at Mt. Silver, the message "SNORLAX is feeling very eager" will appear. This due to Red, who is also at Mt. Silver, owning a Snorlax as well. While on Mt. Silver, unique messages will also appear if the player's walking Pokémon is a Pikachu or Charizard.
Until Munchlax was introduced in Generation IV, Snorlax had the highest base stat total of any non-evolving Pokémon with 540.
It remains the most powerful non-legendary Pokémon that can legitimately hatch from an Egg in terms of base stat total.
Every game sprite of Snorlax so far has it sleeping.
Origin
Snorlax may be loosely based on hibernatingbears or teddy bears. It may also be based on the large, cave dwelling bears, Ursus spelaeus. It may also be based on a food coma, as it eats large quantities of food, then takes a nap (symptoms of a food coma).
Name origin
Snorlax is a combination of snore and lax or relax.
Kabigon is the nickname of Game Freak programmer Kōji Nishino. The nickname comes from the time he was so hungry he ate moldy (黴 kabi) food from the office fridge.[citation needed] This is referenced in Black 2 and White 2, where Nishino appears as a battleable NPC and his highest-leveled Pokémon is Snorlax.
In other languages
Language
Title
Meaning
Japanese
カビゴン Kabigon
Kabigon may come from an alternate reading of sleep, 寐 bi, and a corruption of 鼾酔 kansui or 憩う ikou.
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.
Leftovers (100%)
Chesto Berry (100%)
For other sprites and images, please see Snorlax images on Bulbagarden Archives.
