Donphan (Japanese: ドンファン Donfan) is a Ground-type Pokémon introduced in Generation II.
It evolves from Phanpy starting at level 25.
Biology
Donphan is a gray, elephant-like Pokémon with a thick, black band of hide running down the length of its back and extending to the tip of its long trunk. When this Pokémon curls up, the band resembles a car tire. This tough hide prevents regular attacks from inflicting even a scratch. A pair of white tusks, which are smaller on the female, extend from the corners of its mouth. It has thin, elongated ears held out almost perpendicular to its body. Its four short legs are each encircled with a broken, black band and have three toes.
Donphan has the ability to curl up into a ball and violently roll around like a wheel. These rolling tackles are strong enough to knock down a house. Once it starts its rampage, it will be almost unstoppable. The anime shows that this ability is further used as a form of courtship. The male Donphan have rolling competitions to demonstrate their toughness to the females. It has been demonstrated that Donphan has a keen sense of smell, capable of sniffing out a gem known as amberite. Donphan travels in herds with a ranking system. The larger its tusks, the higher its rank in the herd. It lives in rough, mountainous terrain.
In the anime
In the main series
Major appearances
In Reversing the Charges, Ash's Phanpy evolved into a Donphan. It proved to be an excellent member of his team, showing its strength in every battle.
Other
Donphan debuted briefly in the beginning of Mewtwo Strikes Back, under the ownership of Raymond. It battled Ash's Bulbasaur and managed to land two successive hits with Rollout, only to then defeated by Bulbasaur's Solar Beam. At the time, Donphan was an unknown Pokémon. In the film's remake, Mewtwo Strikes Back—Evolution, it played the same role.
Four Donphan made their main series debut in Roll On, Pokémon!, under the ownership of Rochelle. She would use them to find amberite.
In Date Expectations, a Shiny Donphan was the center of romantic attention for multiple male Donphan. Ash and his friends eventually helped one such Donphan to succeed and mate with the Shiny Donphan.
In Chose It or Lose It!, Tyson used a Donphan in his Ever Grande Conference battle against Ash. It went up against Swellow but was soon defeated.
In Pokémon Ranger and the Kidnapped Riolu! (Part 2), Kellyn used his Capture Styler to capture a Donphan. He then had it smash through the cave-ins that were caused by an Aggron belonging to J's client.
Minor appearances
A
Shiny Donphan in the anime
In Tricks of the Trade, a Donphan was at the Pokémon Swap Meet in Palmpona.
A Donphan appeared in The Legend of Thunder!.
A Donphan appeared in Pikachu's PikaBoo.
In Gotta Catch Ya Later!, Misty's flashback featured multiple Donphan.
In Beg, Burrow and Steal, a Donphan was living in an underground paradise.
A Coordinator's Donphan appeared in Deceit and Assist.
In Battling The Generation Gap!, a Coordinator's Donphan competed in the Celestic Contest.
In Challenging a Towering Figure!, a Trainer's Donphan battled a Snover during the Festival Battle Challenge.
In An Old Family Blend!, a Trainer's Donphan was at the Lily of the Valley Conference.
In the opening of Zoroark: Master of Illusions, Ethan used a Donphan to battle Ash and Pikachu, though the outcome of that battle was left unknown.
A Trainer's Donphan appeared in Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel.
In The Power of Us, a Trainer's Donphan competed in the Pokémon Catch Race.
Pokédex entries
| Episode
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Pokémon
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Source
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Entry
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| EP120
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Donphan
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Ash's Pokédex
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Donphan, the Armor Pokémon. With its strong tusks and tough skin, Donphan is known for its powerful Tackle attack. The length of Donphan's tusks indicates its level.
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| Episode
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Pokémon
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Source
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Entry
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| AG154
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Donphan
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May's Pokédex
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Donphan, the Armor Pokémon. Donphan has razor-sharp tusks, armor-like skin, and enormous power.
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In the Pokémon Masters Animated Trailer
In the Pokémon Masters Animated Trailer, a Trainer's Donphan was in a town square in Pasio.
In the manga
In the Pokémon Adventures manga
A silhouette of a wild Donphan appeared in Ponyta Tale, when Professor Oak mentioned new Pokémon beyond the previously known 151 species.
In Number One Donphan, a thieving ruffian used multiple Donphan, but they were defeated by Gold afterwards. They reappeared in Bellsprout Rout.
In Quilava Quandary, the Day-Care Couple used a Donphan to train Gold.
In The Last Battle XIII, a Donphan was sent to participate in the fight in Ilex Forest.
In I'm Your Biggest Fan, Donphan, Wattson accidentally catches Sapphire in a trap designed to catch a wild, rampaging Donphan. After coming across New Mauville, Sapphire uses the wild Donphan to help Wattson shut down a power generator, adding it to her team in Plugging Past Electrike II and naming it Phado.
In a flashback in Innocent Scientist, the International Police trained a Donphan.
Pokédex entries
| Manga
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Chapter
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Entry
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| Pokémon Adventures
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PS096
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The longer and bigger its tusks are, the higher it is ranked amongst its herd.*
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In the Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys manga
A Donphan appeared in The Secret Of The Fighting Type Pokémon.
In the Pokémon Gotta Catch 'Em All manga
A Donphan appeared in GDZ40, under the ownership of a male Trainer.
In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga
In Clefairy, the Battle Instructor, a boy who had trouble controlling a Donphan. It would usually fall asleep and did so since its loss to Silver's Totodile.
In the TCG
- Main article: Donphan (TCG)
Game data
Pokédex entries
| This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation II.
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| Generation II
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Johto
#196
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| Gold
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It has sharp, hard tusks and a rugged hide. Its Tackle is strong enough to knock down a house.
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| Silver
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The longer and bigger its tusks, the higher its rank in its herd. The tusks take long to grow.
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| Crystal
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Because this Pokémon's skin is so tough, a normal attack won't even leave a scratch on it.
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| Stadium 2
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It has sharp, hard tusks and a rugged hide. Its Tackle is strong enough to knock down a house.
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| Generation III
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Hoenn
#166
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Kanto
#—
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| Ruby
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Donphan's favorite attack is curling its body into a ball, then charging at its foe while rolling at high speed. Once it starts rolling, this Pokémon can't stop very easily.
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| Sapphire
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If Donphan were to tackle with its hard body, even a house could be destroyed. Using its massive strength, the Pokémon helps clear rock and mud slides that block mountain trails.
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| Emerald
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A Donphan is so strong it can easily haul a dump truck. Its hide has toughened to a rock-hard state. An ordinary sort of attack won't even leave a scratch.
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| FireRed
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The longer and bigger its tusks, the higher its rank in its herd. The tusks take long to grow.
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| LeafGreen
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It has sharp, hard tusks and a rugged hide. Its Tackle is strong enough to knock down a house.
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| Generation IV
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Sinnoh
#—
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Johto
#201
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| Diamond
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It attacks by curling up, then rolling into its foe. It can blow apart a house in one hit.
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| Pearl
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| Platinum
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| HeartGold
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It has sharp, hard tusks and a rugged hide. Its Tackle is strong enough to knock down a house.
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| SoulSilver
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The longer and bigger its tusks, the higher its rank in its herd. The tusks take long to grow.
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| Generation V
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Unova
#—
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| Black
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It attacks by curling up, then rolling into its foe. It can blow apart a house in one hit.
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| White
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| Black 2
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It attacks by curling up then rolling into its foe. It can blow apart a house in one hit.
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| White 2
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| Generation VI
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Kalos
#—
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Hoenn
#173
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| X
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It has sharp, hard tusks and a rugged hide. Its Tackle is strong enough to knock down a house.
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| Y
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The longer and bigger its tusks, the higher its rank in its herd. The tusks take long to grow.
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| Omega Ruby
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Donphan's favorite attack is curling its body into a ball, then charging at its foe while rolling at high speed. Once it starts rolling, this Pokémon can't stop very easily.
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| Alpha Sapphire
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If Donphan were to tackle with its hard body, even a house could be destroyed. Using its massive strength, the Pokémon helps clear rock and mud slides that block mountain trails.
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Game locations
| This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation II.
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In side games
| This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation II.
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| Generation II
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| This Pokémon is unavailable in Generation II side games.
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Held items
Stats
Base stats
| Stat
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Range
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| At Lv. 50
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At Lv. 100
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90
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150 - 197
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290 - 384
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120
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112 - 189
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220 - 372
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120
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112 - 189
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220 - 372
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60
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58 - 123
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112 - 240
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60
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58 - 123
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112 - 240
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50
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49 - 112
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94 - 218
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Total: 500
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Other Pokémon with this total
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- Minimum stats are calculated with 0 EVs, IVs of 0, and (if applicable) a hindering nature.
- Maximum stats are calculated with 252 EVs, IVs of 31, and (if applicable) a helpful nature.
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Pokéathlon stats
Type effectiveness
| Under normal battle conditions in Generation IX, this Pokémon is:
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Learnset
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This Pokémon is unavailable within Generation VIII.
Click on the generation numbers above to see Donphan's learnsets from other generations.
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Side game data
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Pokémon Ranger
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Poké Assist:
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Field move:
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(Tackle ×2)
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| Loops: 10
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Min. exp.: 60
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Max. exp.: 85
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Browser entry R-035
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| Donphan rolls its body into a ball to charge. Its crash can shake things up!
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Evolution
Sprites
| This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation II.
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Japanese sprites
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| Silver
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Trivia
- Donphan shares its category with Tyranitar. They are both known as the Armor Pokémon.
- Donphan and Ursaring, along with their pre-evolutions, are the only Pokémon to swap version-exclusive status between localizations. While Phanpy and Donphan are found only in the Japanese and Korean Gold, they are not found in Gold in other languages, being found in the Silver Version of those languages instead, with Teddiursa and Ursaring getting the opposite treatment. This is corrected in the remakes HeartGold and SoulSilver, where they follow the Japanese and Korean Gold and Silver.
Origin
Donphan appears to have been based on an adult elephant, although it resembles the tire of an automobile when curled up or using its trademark Rollout attack. As both Phanpy and Donphan are much smaller compared to humans than conventional African or Asian elephants, they may have actually been inspired by the dwarf elephant or the pygmy elephant.
Name origin
Donphan and Donfan are a combination of don and elephant. Don may refer to lord; a root word meaning teeth, referring to its tusks; or mastodon, a prehistoric elephant. Don may have also been included to reflect Donphan's robust physique and great strength, especially in comparison to Phanpy.
In other languages
| Language
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Title
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Meaning
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 Japanese
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ドンファン Donfan
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From don and elephant
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 French
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Donphan
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Same as English name
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 Spanish
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Donphan
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Same as English name
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 German
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Donphan
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Same as English name
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 Italian
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Donphan
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Same as English name
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 Korean
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코리갑 Korigap
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From 코끼리 kkokkiri and 갑 (甲) gap
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 Mandarin Chinese
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頓甲 / 顿甲 Dùnjiǎ
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From 頓 dùn and 甲 jiǎ
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 Cantonese Chinese
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冬凡 Dūngfàahn
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| More languages
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 Hindi
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डॉनफैन Donphan
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Transcription of English name
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 Russian
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Донфэн Donfen
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Transcription of English name
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 Thai
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ดอนแฟน Donfan
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Transcription of Japanese name
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Related articles
External links
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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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Passho Berry (5%)
For other sprites and images, please see Donphan images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
