Poliwhirl (Japanese : ニョロゾ Nyorozo ) is a Water-type Pokémon introduced in Generation I .
It evolves from Poliwag starting at level 25. It evolves into Poliwrath when exposed to a Water Stone or Politoed when traded holding a King's Rock .
Biology
Part of its internal anatomy, as seen in its conceptual art
Poliwhirl is a blue, bipedal Pokémon with a spherical body. It has bulbous eyes that protrude from the top of its head. A black and white swirl covers its belly, which is actually its organs showing through its thin skin. It appears to have white gloves on its hands and rounded, digit-less feet. When out of water, it sweats to keep its skin moist and healthy. This keeps it covered in an oily fluid that allows it to slip away from enemies. All of its skin feels this way except where its swirl is, which is instead very smooth. The swirl on its belly undulates slowly and staring at it induces drowsiness.
Even though Poliwhirl is capable of moving on land, it prefers to stay in freshwater ponds and lakes where it has fewer natural enemies. It feeds on both bug and fish Pokémon. While it will leave the water to capture bug Pokémon, it will return and consume them underwater in safety.
In the anime
Major appearances
Poliwhirl in the anime
Misty had a Poliwhirl in The Totodile Duel that she caught as a Poliwag. It eventually evolved into a Politoed during Outrageous Fortunes .
Other
In Tie One On! , Vincent was used a Poliwhirl in a battle against Macy . It was defeated by her Quilava despite having the type advantage.
Minor appearances
Poliwhirl debuted in Primeape Goes Bananas .
In The Battling Eevee Brothers , a Poliwhirl evolved into a Poliwrath during the evolution party in Stone Town .
A Poliwhirl appeared in A Chansey Operation .
A Poliwhirl appeared as an image in the Japanese version of The Ultimate Test .
In Riddle Me This , a Poliwhirl was in an exercise Gym. It was later targeted by Team Rocket .
In Showdown at the Po-ké Corral , multiple Poliwhirl were living at Professor Oak's Laboratory .
In Mewtwo Strikes Back , a Trainer 's Poliwhirl was defeated by Mewtwo while it was serving Giovanni .
In Pikachu's Vacation , a Poliwhirl was at the Pokémon Theme Park .
In Friends to the End , a Trainer's Poliwhirl attended the closing ceremonies of the Indigo League .
A Poliwhirl appeared in Poké Ball Peril .
In In the Pink , Team Rocket 's fantasy featured a pink Poliwhirl.
In The Power of One , multiple Poliwhirl sensed the disturbance caused by Lawrence III .
A wild Poliwhirl appeared in Pikachu's Rescue Adventure .
In Flower Power , two Poliwhirl were parts of Florando 's annual Pokémon Exhibition .
In The Fire-ing Squad! , five Poliwhirl competed in the Fire and Rescue Grand Prix .
In Beauty and the Breeder , a Pokémon Breeder 's Poliwhirl participated in a Pokémon breeding competition .
A Poliwhirl briefly appeared in Pokémon Double Trouble and Dueling Heroes .
In Around the Whirlpool , a Poliwhirl was stolen from the Pokémon Center of Blue Point Isle .
In Octillery The Outcast and Dueling Heroes , a Trainer's Poliwhirl competed in the Whirl Cup .
In Bulbasaur... the Ambassador! , multiple Poliwhirl were among the feuding Pokémon at Professor Oak's Laboratory.
A Poliwhirl appeared in Team Rocket 's fantasy in Nice Pryce Baby .
A Trainer's Poliwhirl appeared in Pop Goes The Sneasel .
In Journey to the Starting Line! , a Poliwhirl was at Professor Oak's Laboratory .
In Gonna Rule The School! , the Pokémon Trainers' School temporarily lent a Poliwhirl to the school's underage students for use in lessons.
In Hokey Poké Balls! , a Poliwhirl was at Professor Oak's Laboratory.
A Poliwhirl appeared in PK13 .
A Poliwhirl appeared in Pokéblock, Stock, and Berry .
A Coordinator 's Poliwhirl appeared in Deceit and Assist .
In Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea , the Marina Group used a Poliwhirl for their Marina Underwater Pokémon Show.
A Poliwhirl appeared in Not on MY Watch Ya Don't! .
In A Faux Oak Finish! , Professor Oak spotted a Poliwhirl shortly before he was captured by a wild Quagsire .
A Poliwhirl appeared in Bagged Then Tagged! .
A Poliwhirl appeared in Kalos, Where Dreams and Adventures Begin! .
A Poliwhirl appeared in A Battle of Aerial Mobility! .
A Trainer 's Poliwhirl appeared in a fantasy in Battling Into the Hall of Fame! .
In The Legend of the Ninja Hero! , a Poliwhirl lived at the Ninja Village .
A Poliwhirl appeared in Alola to New Adventure! .
In Racing to a Big Event! , a Trainer's Poliwhirl competed in the Pokémon Pancake Race .
A Trainer's Poliwhirl appeared in Balloons, Brionne, and Belligerence! .
Two Poliwhirl appeared in Alola, Kanto! , with one belonging to a Trainer and the other appearing in a lake.
In Smashing with Sketch! , a Trainer's Poliwhirl competed in the Pokémon Ping-Pong tournament .
In I Choose Paradise! , two Trainers' Poliwhirl were at the Pokémon Paradise Resort .
In Securing the Future! , a Poliwhirl joined the rest of Alola in showering Necrozma with light so it could return to its normal form .
A Trainer's Poliwhirl appeared in Turning the Other Mask! .
A Poliwhirl appeared in Pikachu's Exciting Adventure! .
Two Poliwhirl appeared in a flashback in Enter Pikachu! .
In SS021 , four Poliwhirl battled a wild Riolu after it attacked them.
Pokédex entries
Episode
Pokémon
Source
Entry
EP151
Poliwhirl
Ash's Pokédex
Poliwhirl, the Tadpole Pokémon. Its highly developed muscles allow Poliwhirl to move efficiently on land, but it is even more agile in water.
In the manga
Poliwhirl in Pokémon Adventures
In the Ash & Pikachu manga
Main article: Misty's Politoed
Misty 's Poliwhirl appeared in The Grand Rhydon Plan .
A Poliwhirl appeared in Do Your Best Bulbasaur!! , where it was seen at Professor Oak's Laboratory .
In The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga
Main article: Misty's Politoed
Misty 's Poliwhirl made a cameo in To Evolve or Not to Evolve, That is the Question! . Misty wished she could evolve her Poliwhirl into a Poliwrath , but she was unable to because Evolution stones were too expensive.
In the Pokémon Adventures manga
Main article: Poli
Main article: Polibo
A Poliwhirl nicknamed Poli was Red 's first Pokémon. He debuted in A Glimpse of the Glow , but was caught before the start of the chapter as a Poliwag. He gained more importance in Lt. Surge 's story arc, and evolved in Buzz Off, Electabuzz! while saving Red from drowning in the sea due to the presence of an underwater Water Stone .
A Poliwhirl appeared in Red's explanation of Pokémon to the children of Pallet Town in A Glimps of the Glow .
A Poliwhirl appeared as a silhouette when Green talks about Mew in The Jynx Jinx .
Gold 's Poliwag, Polibo , evolved into Poliwhirl in Ampharos Amore when Gold and Silver were trapped inside the Tin Tower . With Silver's knowledge of Pokémon trading , Gold temporarily traded Poliwhirl to Silver via their Pokédexes, prompting Poliwhirl to evolve into Politoed when the effects of his King's Rock activated from the trade, triggering the evolution.
A Poliwhirl appeared in The Last Battle XIII as one of the Pokémon sent to participate in the fight in Ilex Forest .
A Poliwhirl appeared as a Battle Factory Pokémon in Pinsir Me, I Must Be Dreaming .
The Battle Factory rented a Poliwhirl, which was stolen by Guile Hideout in Skirting Around Surskit I .
A Poliwhirl appeared in Scizor Defends and Charizard Transforms as a resident of the Pokémon Village .
A Poliwhirl appeared in Chesnaught Protects .
A Poliwhirl appeared in a flashback in Yveltal Steals .
A Poliwhirl appeared in Xerneas Gives .
In the Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys manga
A Poliwhirl appeared in Let's Aim For The Goal! .
In the Pokémon Gotta Catch 'Em All manga
A Poliwhirl appeared in The Raining Crystal Ball .
In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga
Lt. Surge owns a Poliwhirl, which appeared in The Big Activity In The Mountains And The Oceans!! .
A Poliwhirl appeared in Which One is the Real Clefairy!? .
A Poliwhirl appeared in Fierce Competition at the Pokémon Baseball Tournament! , where it was one of the Pokémon that took part in a baseball match. It was seen with Green during the game.
A Poliwhirl appeared in Curry Showdown! Which is the Most Delicious? as one of the participants of a curry cooking competition.
A Poliwhirl appeared in Seize the Dream of One Million Yen!! .
Giovanni 's first Poliwhirl appeared in The Thrill of a Perfect Score, Big Rampage at the Amusement Park! . It evolved into a Poliwrath in order to get rid of Red and his Clefairy and Pikachu when they went to the amusement park that he built. Giovanni has another Poliwhirl that appeared in Get The Last Badge!! , where it was used in his Gym battle against Red.
A Poliwhirl appeared in The Legendary Moltres Appears!! .
A Poliwhirl appeared in Pikachu's Birthday Party .
A Poliwhirl appeared in I Won't Let You Lead!! .
A Poliwhirl appeared in Let's Go After The Pokémon Ranger! .
In the TCG
Main article: Poliwhirl (TCG)
Other appearances
Poliwhirl only appears as a random trophy.
Trophy information
Poliwhirl is a Tadpole Pokémon able to live on either land or in the water. When on dry land, it's constantly sweating to keep its skin nice and slimy. When in danger, it spins the whirlpool marking on its stomach to put enemies into a deep sleep, then it runs away. It evolves into either Poliwrath or Politoed.
Game data
Pokédex entries
Generation I
Kanto #061
Red(ENG)
Capable of living in or out of water. When out of water, it sweats to keep its body slimy.
Blue
Yellow
Under attack, it uses its belly spiral to put the foe to sleep. It then makes its escape.
Stadium
Capable of living on land, but prefers to stay in water. If it is out of water, it sweats to keep its skin moist.
Generation II
Johto #073
Gold
The swirl on its belly subtly undulates. Staring at it may gradually cause drowsiness.
Silver
The skin on most of its body is moist. However, the skin on its belly spiral feels smooth.
Crystal
Though it is skilled at walking, it prefers to live underwater where there is less danger.
Stadium 2
The swirl on its belly subtly undulates. Staring at it may gradually cause drowsiness.
Generation III
Hoenn #—
Kanto #061
Ruby
The surface of Poliwhirl's body is always wet and slick with an oily fluid. Because of this greasy covering, it can easily slip and slide out of the clutches of any enemy in battle.
Sapphire
Emerald
Its body surface is always wet and slick with an oily fluid. Because of this greasy covering, it can easily slip and slide out of the clutches of any enemy in battle.
FireRed
Its two legs are well developed. Even though it can live on the ground, it prefers living in water.
LeafGreen
It can live in or out of water. When out of water, it constantly sweats to keep its body slimy.
Generation IV
Sinnoh #—
Johto #073
Diamond
The spiral pattern on its belly subtly undulates. Staring at it gradually causes drowsiness.
Pearl
Platinum
HeartGold
The swirl on its belly subtly undulates. Staring at it may gradually cause drowsiness.
SoulSilver
The skin on most of its body is moist. However, the skin on its belly spiral feels smooth.
Generation V
Unova #—
Black
The spiral pattern on its belly subtly undulates. Staring at it gradually causes drowsiness.
White
Black 2
The spiral pattern on its belly subtly undulates. Staring at it gradually causes drowsiness.
White 2
Generation VI
Kalos Mountain #034
Hoenn #—
X
It can live in or out of water. When out of water, it constantly sweats to keep its body slimy.
Y
Its two legs are well developed. Even though it can live on the ground, it prefers living in water.
Omega Ruby
The surface of Poliwhirl's body is always wet and slick with an oily fluid. Because of this greasy covering, it can easily slip and slide out of the clutches of any enemy in battle.
Alpha Sapphire
Generation VII
Alola S M : #150
Alola US UM : #183
Kanto #061
Sun
Although it can live on land, it prefers to stay in the water, where it has fewer natural enemies.
Moon
It marches over the land in search of bug Pokémon to eat. Then it takes them underwater so it can dine on them where it's safe.
Ultra Sun
Although it has become capable of living on land, it spends its time in the water, where its prey, fish Pokémon, are plentiful.
Ultra Moon
Its health suffers when its skin dries out, so be sure to moisturize it diligently.
Let's Go Pikachu
Under attack, it uses its belly spiral to put the foe to sleep. It then makes its escape.
Let's Go Eevee
Game locations
Generation V
Black
White
Black 2
White 2
Routes 6 , 19 , 20 , and 23 , Floccesy Ranch , Relic Passage , Wellspring Cave , Clay Tunnel , Lostlorn Forest , Giant Chasm , Victory Road (Fishing )Pinwheel Forest (Hidden Grotto )
Generation VI
X
Y
Routes 14 , 15 , 16 , 19 , and 21 , Laverre City , Frost Cavern , Couriway Town , Pokémon Village , Victory Road (Good Rod or Super Rod )Pokémon Village , Frost Cavern , Victory Road (Surfing )Friend Safari (Water )
Omega Ruby
Alpha Sapphire
In side games
Generation II
This Pokémon is unavailable in Generation II side games.
Held items
Stats
Base stats
Stat
Range
At Lv. 50
At Lv. 100
65
125 - 172
240 - 334
65
63 - 128
121 - 251
65
63 - 128
121 - 251
50
49 - 112
94 - 218
50
49 - 112
94 - 218
90
85 - 156
166 - 306
Total:
385
Other Pokémon with this total
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 .
This Pokémon's Special base stat in Generation I was 50 .
Pokéathlon stats
Type effectiveness
Under normal battle conditions in Generation IX, this Pokémon is:
Learnset
Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Poliwhirl
Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an Evolution of Poliwhirl
Click on the generation numbers at the top to see level-up moves from other generations
Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Poliwhirl
Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an Evolution of Poliwhirl
Click on the generation numbers at the top to see TM moves from other generations
Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Poliwhirl
Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an Evolution of Poliwhirl
Click on the generation numbers at the top to see moves from other generations
Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Poliwhirl
Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an Evolution of Poliwhirl
Click on the generation numbers at the top to see level-up moves from other generations
Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Poliwhirl
Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an Evolution of Poliwhirl
Click on the generation numbers at the top to see TM moves from other generations
Moves marked with an asterisk (*) must be chain bred onto Poliwhirl in Generation VII
Moves marked with a double dagger (‡) can only be bred from a Pokémon who learned the move in an earlier generation.
Moves marked with a superscript game abbreviation can only be bred onto Poliwhirl in that game.
Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Poliwhirl
Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an Evolution of Poliwhirl
Click on the generation numbers at the top to see Egg moves from other generations
A black or white abbreviation in a colored box indicates that Poliwhirl can be tutored the move in that game
A colored abbreviation in a white box indicates that Poliwhirl cannot be tutored the move in that game
Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Poliwhirl
Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an Evolution of Poliwhirl
Click on the generation numbers at the top to see Move Tutor moves from other generations
Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Poliwhirl
Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an Evolution of Poliwhirl
Click on the generation numbers at the top to see moves from other generations
TCG -only moves
Side game data
Pokémon Ranger
Group:
Poké Assist:
Field move:
(Soak ×2)
Loops: 5
Min. exp.: 35
Max. exp.: 55
Browser entry R-053
Poliwhirl attacks with jets of water. Beware--it attacks repeatedly.
Evolution
Sprites
Trivia
Poliwhirl in the original Tokyo Pokémon Center logo
The logo for the Pokémon Center in Tokyo featured Poliwhirl until it was replaced by Piplup in July 2007.
Poliwhirl was also featured prominently on the center of the November 22nd, 1999 issue of Time Magazine .
Poliwhirl's sprites and artwork are inconsistent with respect to its gloves. Sometimes they are depicted as mittens, while other times they have separate fingers.
Poliwhirl shares its category with Poliwag , Poliwrath , and Tympole . They are all known as the Tadpole Pokémon.
Origin
Poliwhirl is based on a glass frog . The spiral pattern on its belly is supposed to represent how the organs of these frogs and other tadpoles can sometimes be seen through their transparent skin. Its evolution is based on a tadpole's metamorphosis .
Name origin
Poliwhirl may be a combination of polliwog and whirl (referring to the spiral on its stomach).
Nyorozo is derived from ニョロニョロ nyoronyoro (the sound of slithering).
In other languages
This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: needs Icelandic meaning
Language
Title
Meaning
Japanese
ニョロゾ Nyorozo
From ニョロニョロ nyoronyoro
French
Têtarte
From têtard and tarte
Spanish
Poliwhirl
Same as English name
German
Quaputzi
From Kaulquappe and putzig
Italian
Poliwhirl
Same as English name
Korean
수륙챙이 Suryukchaengi 슈륙챙이 Syuryukchaengi
From 수륙(水陸) su'ryuk and 올챙이 olchaeng'i
Mandarin Chinese
蚊香蛙 Wénxiāngwā
From 蚊香 and 蛙
Cantonese Chinese
蚊香蛙 Mānhēungwā
From 蚊香 and 蛙
More languages
Hindi
पॉलीवर्ल Poliwhirl
Transcription of English name
Icelandic
Fjölreiði*
Lithuanian
Polivirlas
From English name
Russian
Поливирл Polivirl
Transcription of English name
Thai
เนียวโรโซ Nyorozo
Transcription of Japanese name
Related articles
External links
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.