Cubone is a small, bipedal Pokémon with a golden brown hide that covers most of its body, including both dorsal spikes. Its belly is a very light brown. Two small claws, one on each hand, serve as its thumbs, and two large nails make up its toes. On its head, Cubone wears the skull of its dead mother as a helmet. Because of this, much of its actual face has never actually been seen, except for its triangular, black eyes and a small area surrounding them. The skull has two rounded horns on the top of its head and a tooth-like point on the lower sides. Under the skull, Cubone has a brown snout. The small Cubone survives only through the immense skill it possesses in wielding the bone it carries as a weapon. The bone allows it to learn Bone Club and Bonemerang, two moves exclusive to Cubone and its evolution Marowak.
It is called the Lonely Pokémon because of its tendency to keep to itself and avoid social situations, as it was apparently traumatized by the death of its mother. Cubone will often weep at night in mourning of its mother. When Cubone cries, the skull that it wears on its head vibrates and emits “a plaintive and mournful sound.” On the night of a full moon, the cries are said to be especially terrible. Cubone seems to recognize its mother in the moon, and so it howls with a particular sadness. It lives in rocky areas, usually on mountains or in caves. It also once inhabited the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town where deceased Pokémon were buried and mourned.
A Cubone was among the four Pokémon that were causing trouble for Pikachu and co. during Pikachu's Vacation.
A Cubone was helping Meowth prepare his party in Pichu Bros. in Party Panic. This Cubone played drums in Meowth's band and got easily sad and gloomy when Meowth chewed it out, but it was also easily consolable.
A Cubone appeaed in PK15. It was the leader of the haunted house where various Pokémon were living. It led them in attempts to scare visitors out of the house.
Crystal owns a Cubone, who has a star-shaped crack in its skull. Cubone's main role in the team is to take out targets from afar using its bone-based attacks.
In the Pokémon Stadium 2 stage, a Cubone can be seen on the Ground Terrain standing atop the highest platform built into a rock. Dugtrio and Pokémon Fossils can also be seen on the Ground Terrain.
Trophy Information
"A Lonely Pokémon. It wears its mother's skull as a helmet--for this reason, no one has ever seen its face. It sometimes sees its departed mother's face in the full moon, which causes it to grow sad and cry. The stains on the skull are tracks of its tears. When it cries, the skull shakes and emits a mournful sound. When it levels up, it evolves into Marowak."
Merchandise
Cubone was one of the first four Pokémon designs revealed when the Pokémon 151 brand was first announced. In the shirt design, Cubone's skull is in the center of the shirt, with two Thick Clubs in crossing below it.
Game data
Pokédex entries
This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation I.
Cubone pines for the mother it will never see again. Seeing a likeness of its mother in the full moon, it cries. The stains on the skull the Pokémon wears are made by the tears it sheds.
It pines for the mother it will never see again. Seeing a likeness of its mother in the full moon, it cries. The stains on the skull it wears are from its tears.
Despite the Pokédex's statement that it wears the skull of its dead mother, Cubone can be bred in the games with no ill effects on its mother. This is due to Cubone being created before breeding in the games was possible.
Cubone is one of the Pokémon that appears in the Pokémon 151 clothing line.
Origin
Cubone is possibly based on a dinosaur or a dinosaur fossil, and, like dinosaurs, nobody has ever seen a Cubone's real face; only its mother's skull. It also could be based on primitive cultures that wore bones for decoration and used them for weapons.
Name origin
Cubone may be a combination of cute and bone, cub and bone, or cue ball (a reference to its pale white head or that its bone resembles a billiards or snooker cue) and bone. It could also be a combination of the Latin word cubo (recluse) and bone; this can refer to its lonely nature.
Karakara may be taken to mean からから (clattering). It is worth noting that karakara denotes lighter clattering than がらがら garagara.
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.
Thick Club (8%)
For other sprites and images, please see Cubone images on Bulbagarden Archives.
