Hawlucha is a bipedal bird-like Pokémon with colorful plumage. Its head curves into a beak-shape in the front, but its mouth is located in a white patch under the beak's curve. It has a blue-green mask-like marking across its face, an orange blaze running from its forehead to the back of its neck, an orange ring around each eye, and a small, red patch at the tip of its beak. There is black space around its eyes, which are yellow with paler yellow sclerae. On the back of its head are two rectangular, tassel-like feathers. Its red, cape-like wings have blue-green undersides and are connected to its feathery tail. Near the tip of each wing is a three-clawed hand. Its front is white with a line of red along its neck and the top of its chest. It has small, yellow feet with three toes each.
Hawlucha makes up for its small body with its proficiency in fighting, which allows it to keep up with bigger fighters such as Machamp and Hariyama. It leaps around to stay in its opponent's blind spots and controls its position in the air by using its wings. A favored tactic is to strike from above, because it is a difficult maneuver to defend against. However, Hawlucha has a tendency to show off in the heat of battle; opponents can exploit its vanity to gain the upper hand. Flying Press is its signature move.
Hawlucha debuted in The Forest Champion!. Prior to his capture by Ash, Hawlucha was the champion of a forest. Later, Ash challenged Hawlucha to battle with the condition that if he wins, Hawlucha will join his team. Although Hawlucha didn't lose the battle, he decided to join Ash's team.
A Shiny Hawlucha, nicknamed "Dark Hawlucha", appeared in When Light and Dark Collide!, under the ownership of Carl. It was one of Carl's actors in his Super Pokémon Battle Shows.
Hawlucha appears to be based on a combination of a bird of prey and a luchador, and may also draw inspiration from Aztec eagle warriors. The clawed wings resemble those of a juvenile hoatzin. Its coloration may be based on the male resplendent quetzal.
Name origin
Hawlucha may be a combination of hawk and lucha libre, a form of Latin American professional wrestling.
Luchabull may be a combination of lucha libre and bull.
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.