Ash's Staraptor

Ash's Staraptor サトシのムクホーク Satoshi's Mukuhawk

Ash's Staraptor

Debuts in Two Degrees of Separation! Caught at Route 202 Evolves in A Staravia is Born! Pursuing a Lofty Goal! Gender Male Ability Unknown Current location At Professor Oak's Laboratory

→ → This Pokémon spent 11 episodes as Starly and 105 episodes as Staravia.

Voice actor Japanese English As Starly Kiyotaka Furushima Sarah Natochenny As Staravia Kiyotaka Furushima Sarah Natochenny As Staraptor Katsuyuki Konishi Sarah Natochenny

Ash's Staraptor (Japanese: サトシのムクホーク Satoshi's Mukuhawk) is the first Pokémon that Ash Ketchum caught in the Sinnoh region.

History

As a Starly

Ash caught him as a Starly in Two Degrees of Separation! while searching for Pikachu, who was missing due to the antics of Team Rocket. Aipom was swinging through the trees and accidentally bumped into Starly, so the two Pokémon battled. Weakened by Aipom, Starly was captured and immediately used in the search for Pikachu. In When Pokémon Worlds Collide, Starly had his first battle against another Starly belonging to Paul and lost.

In A Staravia is Born!, Starly evolved into a Staravia during a battle with Team Rocket. Immediately after his evolution, Staravia had perfectly learned Aerial Ace. Evolving has also allowed him to grow much stronger and become very useful in searches.

Staravia was the only one of Ash's Pokémon who didn't participate in Ash's first Sinnoh Gym battle against Roark; however, Staravia helped out in Ash's second Sinnoh Gym battle, defeating Gardenia's Cherubi. After seeing Reggie's Staraptor use the powerful Brave Bird attack, Ash was inspired to teach it to Staravia. In the third Sinnoh Gym battle, Staravia defeated Maylene's Machoke and Meditite, as well as successfully mastering Brave Bird.

As a Staravia

In Pursuing a Lofty Goal!, a PokéRinger competition was held in Squallville where Ash entered and won with Staravia, who evolved into a Staraptor in the process. Shortly after his evolution, Staraptor learned Close Combat and defeated Paul's Honchkrow, earning Ash his first victory over Paul.

In Sliding Into Seventh! he was used in the Gym battle against Candice, where he was easily defeated by her Abomasnow after winning against her Medicham.

Staraptor and Ash

He participated in Ash and Paul's Full Battle in Pedal to the Mettle! where he went up against Torterra and Weavile. He managed to defeat Weavile, despite the type-disadvantage. In Evolving Strategies! he also fought against Paul's Ursaring, but lost quickly.

Staraptor was used in League Unleashed! against Nando's Roserade. He was able to defeat it with a powerful Brave Bird attack, but was defeated by Nando's powerful Armaldo.

In Familiarity Breeds Strategy!, he was used against Paul's Gastrodon. Ash realized that Paul's Gastrodon could use Counter Shield, and Staraptor was hit by the technique. When Gastrodon slammed him on the ground, he managed to use Close Combat on the ground to get away, but was hit with an Ice Beam in the process. He started to show signs of tiring, so Ash decided to recall him in place of Buizel. Later on in A Real Rival Rouser!, after Buizel fell to Paul's Drapion Ash called him out again. However, he was unable to triumph against the superior power of Drapion's Cross Poison and Toxic Spikes.

Ash left Staraptor at Professor Oak's Laboratory when he decided to go to Unova.

Personality and Characteristics

Whilst a Starly he mostly performed duties done by Ash's other bird Pokémon such as scouting and bursting Team Rocket's balloon. As a Staravia, he was shown to love battling to the point of sulking when Ash didn't choose him to participate in his first Gym Battle. Staravia was very adamant about training evident in his determination to master Aerial Ace and Brave Bird. When Staravia evolved into Staraptor his personality changed to become fierce, fast, and proud, however always maintaining an undeterred loyalty to Ash.

Moves used

Using Aerial Ace Using Wing Attack as a Staravia	Move First Used In Whirlwind Two Degrees of Separation! Quick Attack † Two Degrees of Separation! Wing Attack Two Degrees of Separation! Aerial Ace † A Staravia is Born! Gust × Getting the Pre-Contest Titters! Brave Bird † Crossing the Battle Line! Close Combat † Pursuing a Lofty Goal!
An × shows that the move cannot be legitimately known by this Pokémon in the games.
A † shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves.

In the manga

Ash's Staravia in Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl

In the Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl manga

Ash's Staraptor appears as a Staravia in Pocket Monsters Diamond & Pearl. In Friendship Power, Ash used him in battle against a powerful Garchomp. Unlike the anime, it was not shown if he caught it as a Starly or not.

In the TCG

Ash's Staraptor is featured in the Pokémon Trading Card Game as a Pokémon . The following is a list of related cards.

Ash's Staraptor Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format. Cards listed with a green background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats.
Card	Type	English Expansion	Rarity	#	Japanese Expansion	Rarity	#
Staraptor					Movie Commemoration Random Pack		018/022

Trivia

• Despite the fact Ash's Staraptor and other members of his evolution family know Gust, it is impossible for Starly, Staravia, or Staraptor to learn it in the games. This error was also present in the Japanese version. The dub changed it to Whirlwind in Starly's initial appearance, but left it as Gust until Getting the Pre-Contest Titters!, after Starly had evolved into Staravia, when it was dubbed as Whirlwind again, and has been since.
• For Shapes of Things to Come!, Professor Oak's lecture is about Ash's Staravia. He writes this Pokémon senryū about it: ムックルが　ムクムクしんか　ムクバード Mukkuru ga, mukumuku shinka, Mukubird "Mukkuru evolves abruptly, Mukubird."
• Though Staraptor is confirmed to be male, the Czech dub refers to him as female. The same happens in the Latin American Spanish dub.
• Upon evolution into Staravia, he was the 40th Pokémon species Ash has owned, counting the technically unofficial Larvitar and Haunter.
• Upon his final evolution, Staraptor became the 50th Pokémon that Ash has obtained, including evolutions and counting Seaking and Haunter. However, Haunter was not officially his and Seaking was released as part of contest rules.
• Staravia's evolution to Staraptor was first revealed in a Japanese movie poster for Arceus and the Jewel of Life.
• Out of all of Ash's Bird Pokémon, Staraptor took the longest amount of episodes to reach his final form with 116. Pidgeot taking 78, Noctowl being fully evolved upon its capture, Swellow taking 76 episodes and Unfezant taking 66 episodes to fully evolve.
• When he entered as a Staravia, Staraptor was the second of Ash's Pokémon to evolve during a PokéRinger tournament. The first was Swellow, who entered as a Taillow.

Related articles

For more information on this Pokémon's species, see Starly, Staravia, and Staraptor.

Ash's Pokémon
On hand:	Pikachu
Traveling with:	Rotom Phone
At Oak's/In rotation:	Pidgeot	Bulbasaur	Charizard	Kingler	Muk	Tauros (×30)
	Snorlax	Heracross	Bayleef	Quilava	Totodile	Noctowl
	Donphan	Swellow	Sceptile	Corphish	Torkoal	Glalie
	Staraptor	Torterra	Infernape	Buizel	Gliscor	Gible
	Unfezant	Oshawott	Pignite	Snivy	Scraggy	Leavanny
	Palpitoad	Boldore	Krookodile	Talonflame	Hawlucha	Noivern
	Dragonite	Gengar	Lucario	Sirfetch'd	Dracovish
With Kukui/In rotation:	Rowlet	Lycanroc	Incineroar	Melmetal
At home:	Mr. Mime
In training:	Squirtle	Primeape
Released:	Butterfree	Lapras	Larvitar	Greninja	Goodra	Nebby
	Naganadel
Temporarily owned:	Seaking	Buzzwole	Stakataka	Pheromosa	Rowlet
Traded away:	Raticate	Aipom
Given away:	Beedrill
Traveled with:	Haunter	Azelf	Meowth	Meloetta	Rotom Pokédex	Latias
The Power of Us only:	Ekans	Sentret
EToP only:	Fearow	Oddish	Mankey	Slowpoke
Newspaper Strip only:	Starmie	Clefairy
For a list of Pokémon Ash has temporarily owned, used, or commanded, see here

Brock's Pokémon
On hand:	Steelix	Forretress	Ludicolo	Marshtomp	Croagunk	Blissey
At Pewter Gym / Home:	Geodude	Crobat	Sudowoodo	Comfey
Returned:	Vulpix
Caught for someone else:	Tauros
Temporary:	Hoothoot	Totodile	Ninetales	Shiftry	Staravia	Torterra
	Aipom	Magnemite	Onix	Feraligatr
Befriended:	Uxie
Ride Pokémon:	Charizard
Adventures only:	Kabutops	Graveler
Electric Tale only:	Golem	Vileplume
Pocket Monsters only:	Pikachu

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