Rhydon is a large, gray, bipedal Pokémon with many features of dinosaurs and rhinoceroses. It has a cream-colored, drill-like horn on its snout. The female's drill-horn is smaller than the male's. There are other protrusions on the head as well, including a front-pointing crest extending from the middle of its head, two triangular, ear-like features to the sides of the crest, a wavy-shaped, also ear-like extension further down its head, and spiky ridges on the sides of its mouth. Rhydon has a long tail with skinny, black stripes. It has a cream-colored stomach and a ridged back.
Rhydon is a large, gray, {{DL|List of Pokémon by body style|Pokémon with a bipedal, tailed form|bipedal}} Pokémon with an amalgam of features from dinosaurs and rhinoceroses. Rhydon's most famous feature is the cream-colored, drill-like horn on its snout, although there are other protrusions on the head as well. These include the front-pointing crest extending from the middle of its head, two triangular, ear-like features to the sides of the crest, a wavy-shaped, also ear-like extension further down its head, and the spiky ridges on the sides of its mouth. It has a long tail with skinny, black stripes. Rhydon has a cream-colored stomach and a ridged back.
====Gender differences====
[[File:EP204.png|thumb|left|Rhydon surfing]]
The female's drill-horn is smaller than the male's.
===Special abilities===
Rhydon is a physically powerful Pokémon. It is recorded as being able to topple buildings with a sweeping blow of its tail and its horn is able to bore through solid rock and shatter diamonds. Rhydon is protected from heat and physical blows by its armor-like hide. It is stated to be capable of passing unscathed through streams of magma and withstanding a direct blow from a cannonball without being harmed. However, because of this tough hide, it is insensitive to pain. Rhydon has a well developed brain but is also very forgetful. It lives in {{DL|List of Pokémon by habitat|rough terrain}}.
[[File:EP204.png|thumb|Rhydon surfing]]
Rhydon is a powerfully built Pokémon based on physical strength. This massive Pokémon is well protected by its near indestructible armor-like hide, capable of passing unscathed through streams of magma, and supposedly even capable of absorbing a direct blow from a cannonball without being harmed. However, because of this tough hide, it is insensitive to pain. Though forgetful, Rhydon is somewhat intelligent, its brain having developed well after it started walking upright on its two back legs. Erecting in stature also freed its forelegs for better utilization in combat. Rhydon is recorded as being able to topple buildings with a sweeping blow of its tail or by charging with the spinning drill horn on its face. With its horn, Rhydon is able to bore holes in solid rock, and even shatter diamonds. Additionally to all of this, Rhydon is tremendously versatile and can be taught via technical machines {{t|Fire}}, {{t|Ice}} and {{type|Electric}}. This Pokémon’s range even extends to certain {{t|Fighting}}, {{t|Poison}}, {{t|Dragon}}, {{type|Ghost}} and {{type|Water}} moves.
===Behavior===
Rhydon are apparently much smarter than their {{p|Rhyhorn|pre-evolution}}, evidenced by their ability to stand on its hind-legs. Despite this, they are still very forgetful.
===Habitat===
[[File:Rough-terrain Habitat.png|thumb|{{DL|List of Pokémon by habitat|Rough-terrain Pokémon}}]]
Rhydon are mainly found in cavernous areas, although its rugged hide also enables it to live in lava. One is likely to encounter a wild one in [[Kanto]] or [[Sinnoh]].
Rhydon is a large, gray, bipedal Pokémon with many features of dinosaurs and rhinoceroses. It has a cream-colored, drill-like horn on its snout. The female's drill-horn is smaller than the male's. There are other protrusions on the head as well, including a front-pointing crest extending from the middle of its head, two triangular, ear-like features to the sides of the crest, a wavy-shaped, also ear-like extension further down its head, and spiky ridges on the sides of its mouth. Rhydon has a long tail with skinny, black stripes. It has a cream-colored stomach and a ridged back.
Rhydon surfing
Rhydon is a physically powerful Pokémon. It is recorded as being able to topple buildings with a sweeping blow of its tail and its horn is able to bore through solid rock and shatter diamonds. Rhydon is protected from heat and physical blows by its armor-like hide. It is stated to be capable of passing unscathed through streams of magma and withstanding a direct blow from a cannonball without being harmed. However, because of this tough hide, it is insensitive to pain. Rhydon has a well developed brain but is also very forgetful. It lives in rough terrain.
In the anime
Rhydon in the anime
Major appearances
Rhydon's first major role was in Riddle Me This, being one of Blaine's Pokémon. Blaine used a Rhydon against Ash during the first battle for Ash's Volcano Badge. While normally tough against electric attacks, Rhydon was defeated when Ash's Pikachu struck Rhydon's horn, which acted like a lightning rod. It reappeared in a flashback in Volcanic Panic and Bad to the Bone.
Rhydon debuts in the Red, Green & Blue arc in its own round, Raging Rhydon, as Koga's Pokémon that is forced to evolve by its Trainer with a mysterious injection, being the first evolution shown in the manga due to Red's Poliwhirl and Blue's Charmeleon evolving off-screen at the time.
Rhydon is later seen as one of Giovanni's Pokémon, but is not seen battling.
In Rock, Paper...Scizor, Blue captures a Rhydon outside the Viridian Gym. He uses it to defeat Chuck in Heckled by Hitmontop, as well as Orm in PS279. Near the end of the FireRed and LeafGreen saga, Blue remarks on a footnote Giovanni included in his handbook: Rhydon possibly possessed a stronger form. This is a reference to Rhydon's new evolution, Rhyperior, an evolution that succeeded in occurring thanks to Silver's knowledge of Pokémon trading, resulting in the same Rhydon, as Rhyperior, on hand with him.
In How Do You Do, Sudowoodo?Gold encounters a wild Rhydon during his race with Whitney. The Rhydon in question was hunting down a Sudowoodo hiding from it, and kidnapped Whitney when she interfered with her Miltank, breaking her arm in the process. Gold tells Sudowoodo to stand up for itself and, with assistance from his billiard cue, helps Sudowoodo defeat the Rhydon with a strong punch to the gut. The Sudowoodo happily joined his team afterwards.
In the Pokémon Zensho manga
Giovanni's Rhydon was Satoshi's opponent for his final Gym battle. It went up against his Charizard and was defeated.
Rhydon's horn can crush even uncut diamonds. One sweeping blow of its tail can topple a building. This Pokémon's hide is extremely tough. Even direct cannon hits don't leave a scratch.
Rhydon has a horn that serves as a drill. It is used for destroying rocks and boulders. This Pokémon occasionally rams into streams of magma, but the armor-like hide prevents it from feeling the heat.
Ash's Pikachu fought Blaine's Rhydon in the anime and defeated it, despite it being a Ground-type immune to Electric attacks. Rhydon's horn also serves as a lightning rod which negates electric attacks as of the rules for the Pokémon effect. Since then, that battle has been brought up frequently in comparisons between the games and anime and has spawned the popular Pokémon Internet meme, "Pikachu! Aim for the horn!"
It appears to draw much of its inspiration from a rhinoceros and some aspects of various dinosaurs, such as the triceratops.
Name origin
Rhydon may be a combination of rhinoceros and don. Rhy may also derive from the igneous rock called rhyolite, alluding to its Ground/Rock type combination. Don may possible mean lord in Latin—emphasizing it being the final evolution of its line pre-Generation IV—or tooth in Ancient Greek—as it is a suffix commonly used in dinosaur names, so it could be a reference to those prehistoric creatures as well.
Sidon is a combination of 犀 sai (rhinoceros) and don.
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.
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For other sprites and images, please see Rhydon images on Bulbagarden Archives.
