A Nidorino appeared in the first episode, battling a Gengar in a battle Ash was watching on TV. This also means that, Nidorino and Gengar are also the very first Pokémon seen in the anime.
Nidorino has a horn that is harder than a diamond. If it senses a hostile presence, all the barbs on its back bristle up at once, and it challenges the foe with all its might.
Nidorino has a horn that is harder than a diamond. If it senses a hostile presence, all the barbs on its back bristle up at once, and it challenges the foe with all its might.
Its horn is harder than a diamond. If it senses a hostile presence, all the barbs on its back bristle up at once, and it challenges the foe with all its might.
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Nidorino, along with Gengar (and, possibly, other Pokémon), originate from the old manga, Capsule Monsters, which is considered the ancestor to the Pokémon franchise.
Nidorino's alternate coloration is the same as Nidorina's normal coloration. Likewise, Nidorina's alternate coloration matches Nidorino's normal coloration.
Origin
Nidorino appears to be based on a rabbit or mouse, or even a hamster, as seen by their aggressive and independent nature.
Name origin
Nidorino's name may be based on the word needle and rhinoceros. It may also be based on cnidocyte, a type of venomous cell responsible for the stings delivered by stinging animals, most notably, by jellyfish. Alternatively, it may be based on 二 ni, two, or 二度 nido, two times/two degrees, referring to there being two distinct evolutionary lines using the name with similar names and traits. The rino in its name most likely alludes to its male gender - in many languages, such as Spanish, names and words ending in o are an indication for the male gender.
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.