Weavile is a weasel-like Pokémon whose appearance also looks like that of a bluish-black bipedal feline, clad in a bright red crown, and collar. Weavile has two tails, instead of three like its pre-evolved form. Unlike its pre-evolved form, there is no gem on its chest, and it has three claws on each paw, as opposed to just two. They have highly acrobatic, ninja-like bodies, which allows them to do individual maneuvers and lightning-fast attacks.
Gender differences
A female Weavile has smaller ear feathers than a male.
Special abilities
Weavile mostly knows the same moves that its pre-evolution can know, but Weavile is more adept with attacking moves than Sneasel. In addition to the moves that its pre-evolution can learn, Weavile can learn Night Slash and Dark Pulse. Weavile are very fast, and are naturally agile and athletic. They are a little bit more durable than their pre-evolution, and are also faster and stronger, making them nasty assaulting threats.
Behavior
Weavile are very snide Pokémon. Though Weavile flourish in packs, they show little to no remorse, respect, and/or mercy to their fellow Weavile. Weavile also communicate in the form of carving patterns on trees, ice and boulders. Weavile have very perplexing relationships with each other which researchers still study. Though Weavile are naturally hostile and cold, they are compatible with any Trainer nonetheless. With this in mind, however, many experienced Trainers believe a Weavile cannot fight at its peak without a matching Trainer that complements Weavile's natural behavior.
Habitat
Packs of Weavile love to live in cold habitats. Weavile are rare in most other areas because of this, though they are quite common in icy areas. Weavile seem to prosper in tree-filled areas. Researchers believe this to be because Weavile's living habitat revolves around their ability to hunt and steal eggs. They love snowy areas because of their ability to deceive their prey in the snow. Being that they communicate through markings on trees, ice and boulders, it is crucial that they hunt and live in areas that can benefit their abilities.
Silver owns a Weavile which evolved in the first round of the HeartGold & SoulSilver arc. It is very close to him, being his very first Pokémon, obtained while he was only two years old.
Cyrus has a Weavile which was used against Cynthia at the Veilstone Galactic HQ where it defeated her Spiritomb by freezing it.
In the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure! manga
Cyrus sent out Weavile to battle Hareta. Hareta uses Piplup to take Weavile on. Even though Weavile had the upper hand, it was hereby defeated after a surprise attack from Piplup.
When Weavile is released from a Poké Ball, it dashes from side to side and uses False Swipe. It also dazes the opponent.
Trophy Information
"A Sharp Claw Pokémon. The crown on its head resembles a fully opened folding fan. Its sharp, hooked claws and outstanding speed are its most memorable features. It's one of the Pokémon that can be expected to perform well in the front lines of a battle. There are many Trainers who teach it the TM False Swipe and travel with it to catch rare Pokémon."
Weavile may be based on cats and weasels, but it also seems to draw inspiration from 鎌鼬 kamaitachi, weasel demons with sickles on their front legs. It can also be based on black cat demons from both Western and Asian culture that have various backgrounds but are all known for their trickery and cunning. Its appearance seems to be based on old Egyptian fashion, as it "wears" a headdress, collar, and earrings similar to what Egyptian deities wear. Its "eyeshadow" also resembles Egyptian makeup.
It is possible that Weavile has some influence from Bastet or Sekhmet in its design, being somewhat feline based, and having a very Egyptian style and garb. In addition, both these deities were famous for using their claws in warfare. It also bears slight resemble to Inca stone idols.
Name origin
Weavile may be a combination of weasel and vile.
Manyula is a combination of 魔 ma (demon), 潜入 sennyū (sneaking in), and 鼬 yū (weasel, an alternate reading of itachi). Nyu itself may be a combination of ニャー nya (the sound a cat makes) and 鼬 yū.
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.