Lickitung is a bipedal Pokémon with a round body and a thick, powerful tail. It has soft, pink skin with curved yellow lines on its belly and a yellow ring marking on each knee. It has a thumb-like claw on each hand and a single large nail on each foot. There is a yellow spot on its palms and the soles of its feet. It has beady eyes and a long, prehensile tongue. The tongue is likely connected to its tail, which twitches when the tongue is pulled.
At over 6 feet 6 inches (2 meters), Lickitung's tongue is twice as long as its body. Sticky, smelly saliva coats its tongue, which causes a tingling sensation when touched and can cause rashes if not cleaned off. It is used for capturing prey, exploring its environment and cleaning. However, it is questionable if its saliva is clean in the first place as whatever it cleans has a lingering smell. Lickitung remembers things by their texture and taste, although it apparently dislikes sour things. The tongue is both dexterous and powerful enough to lift people, as seen in the anime. Lickitung can be found in grassy plains and meadows.
A Lickitung appeared in PK15, where it used Lick on a Cubone's face. In response, Cubone pulled on its tongue to the point where it touched the ground.
Multiple Lickitung were among the Pokémon attempting to reach Shamouti Island in The Power of One, with some successfully crossing the ocean, and others remaining stranded.
In Licking Lickitung, Diamond's map was stolen by a Lickitung and he attempted to catch it, but instead, it evolved into a Lickilicky and provided him a challenge.
Two Lickitung appeared in Detective Pikachu. One of them approached Tim Goodman on the train as he was heading to Ryme City and licked his face with its tongue.
Whenever Lickitung comes across something new, it will unfailingly give it a lick. It does so because it memorizes things by texture and by taste. It is somewhat put off by sour things.
Whenever it sees something unfamiliar, it always licks the object because it memorizes things by texture and taste. It is somewhat put off by sour things.
Whenever Lickitung comes across something new, it will unfailingly give it a lick. It does so because it memorizes things by texture and by taste. It is somewhat put off by sour things.
Lickitung's name was misspelled "Likitung" in the Kanto Pokérap.
Lickitung was listed in the credits of the N64 game Paperboy under the heading Special Edition Thanks.
Origin
Lickitung may have been based on any number of lizards with extending tongues, particularly the blue-tongued skink or maybe even chameleons. It also shares traits with anteaters. Lickitung could also be an Iguanodon, as it shares its characteristic "thumbs" with it. In addition, Lickitung may be based on the Akaname, a mythical yōkai with a single claw on each foot and a gigantic tongue. Akaname are known to lick filth out of bathhouses, similar to Lickitung's habit of licking dirty things clean.
Name origin
Lickitung is a combination of lick and a corruption of tongue.
Beroringa may be derived from べろ bero (tongue), ベロベロ berobero (onomatopoeia for licking), and possibly ring (referring to the patterns on its body) or a corruption of the English word lingua (which refers to a tongue or an organ resembling a tongue). According to Pokémon Black and White's television program PokéQuiz, "Berori is the sound of licking in Japanese!"
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.