Qwilfish (Japanese: ハリーセン Harysen) is a dual-type Water/Poison Pokémon introduced in Generation II.
In Hisui, Qwilfish has a dual-type Dark/Poison regional form. It evolves into Overqwil after using Barb Barrage in the strong style at least 20 times.
In Paldea, Hisuian Qwilfish evolves into Overqwil when leveled up while knowing Barb Barrage.
Johtonian Qwilfish is not known to evolve into or from any other Pokémon.
(Specifics may differ in past games. Refer to Game data→Evolution data for these details.)
Biology
Qwilfish inflating its body
Qwilfish is a sea dwelling piscine Pokémon with a spherical body and a flat, paddle-shaped tail. The upper half of its body is dark teal and the lower half is light greenish-yellow. Its tail is tall and thin with a dark teal outline, light greenish-yellow inside, and two dark teal dots in the center that resemble the Japanese character ハ Ha. Its eyes are even with its body and are always seen slanted angrily. Below its eyes are its puffy pink lips. All around its body are sharp, conical spikes, which evolved from scales over time.
In order to attack, Qwilfish drinks over 2.6 gallons (10 litres) of water to inflate its body. It then uses the water pressure to shoot poisonous quills at its foe, which can cause fainting. Qwilfish is briefly left defenseless shortly after firing its quills; this is believed by some expert fishers to be the opportune moment to catch this Pokémon. Due to its round body, Qwilfish is not a great swimmer, and when filled with water it is even harder for it to swim. When Qwilfish faces a larger opponent, it will inflate its body to match its size as close as it can. If it is startled while inflated, it will spit out all its water, propelling itself away.
Forms
Qwilfish has a regional form: Hisuian Qwilfish.
In Hisui, its upper half is black, while its lower half is pale yellow. Its body is covered in spikes; the spikes on its upper body have dark purple tips, except for the two spikes on its forehead, which are also smaller in size. Hisuian Qwilfish can spray poison from these spines. There are crescent purple lines underneath Hisuian Qwilfish's eyes, and its lips are also colored purple. Its flat tail has a black outline with a light yellow inside, and a black pattern that resembles the lowercase letter "q."
Hisuian Qwilfish is despised by the fisherman of the region, due to its poison wreaking havoc in the seas it lives in. The poisonous spikes of Hisuian Qwilfish are thicker and shorter than the poisonous spikes of other regions’ Qwilfish. Hisuian Qwilfish absorbs poison from the food it consumes. The purple coloration on its body serves as evidence of its potent poison. In the present day, it's known to be found offshore in cold parts of the world and in Blueberry Academy, located somewhere in Unova's ocean, specifically in its Terarium's Polar Biome.
Hisuian Qwilfish and its evolved form, Overqwil, are the only known Pokémon capable of learning the move Barb Barrage.
Evolution
In Hisui, Qwilfish has a regional form that evolves into Overqwil. Johtonian Qwilfish is not known to evolve into or from any other Pokémon.
(For specifics on this Pokémon's Evolution in the games, refer to Game data→Evolution data.)
Game data
Pokédex entries
| This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation II.
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| Generation II
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Johto
#161
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| Gold
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To fire its poison spikes, it must inflate its body by drinking over 2.6 gallons of water all at once.
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| Silver
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The small spikes covering its body developed from scales. They inject a toxin that causes fainting.
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| Crystal
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When faced with a larger opponent, it swallows as much water as it can to match the opponent's size.
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| Stadium 2
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To fire its poison spikes, it must inflate its body by drinking over 2.6 gallons of water all at once. (Pokémon Red, Silver, or Crystal inserted)
The small spikes covering its body developed from scales. They inject a toxin that causes fainting. (Pokémon Blue, Gold, or Yellow inserted)
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| Generation III
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Hoenn
#—
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Kanto
#—
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| Ruby
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Qwilfish sucks in water, inflating itself. This Pokémon uses the pressure of the water it swallowed to shoot toxic quills all at once from all over its body. It finds swimming somewhat challenging.
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| Sapphire
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| Emerald
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A Qwilfish uses the pressure of water it swallows to shoot toxic quills all at once from all over its body. It finds swimming to be somewhat challenging.
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| FireRed
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The small spikes covering its body developed from scales. They inject a toxin that causes fainting.
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| LeafGreen
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To fire its poison spikes, it must inflate its body by drinking over 2.6 gallons of water all at once.
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| Generation IV
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Sinnoh
#—
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Johto
#163
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| Diamond
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It shoots the poison spines on its body in all directions. Its round form makes it a poor swimmer.
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| Pearl
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| Platinum
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| HeartGold
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To fire its poison spikes, it must inflate its body by drinking over 2.6 gallons of water all at once.
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| SoulSilver
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The small spikes covering its body developed from scales. They inject a toxin that causes fainting.
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| Generation V
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Unova
#—
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| Black
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It shoots the poison spines on its body in all directions. Its round form makes it a poor swimmer.
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| White
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| Black 2
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It shoots the poison spines on its body in all directions. Its round form makes it a poor swimmer.
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| White 2
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| Generation VI
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Kalos
Coastal #038
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Hoenn
#—
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| X
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To fire its poison spikes, it must inflate its body by drinking over 2.6 gallons of water all at once.
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| Y
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The small spikes covering its body developed from scales. They inject a toxin that causes fainting.
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| Omega Ruby
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Qwilfish sucks in water, inflating itself. This Pokémon uses the pressure of the water it swallowed to shoot toxic quills all at once from all over its body. It finds swimming somewhat challenging.
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| Alpha Sapphire
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| Generation VIII
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Galar
#304
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Sinnoh
#—
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Hisui
#084
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| Sword
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When faced with a larger opponent, it swallows as much water as it can to match the opponent's size.
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| Shield
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The small spikes covering its body developed from scales. They inject a toxin that causes fainting.
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| Brilliant Diamond
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It shoots the poison spikes on its body in all directions. Its round form makes it a poor swimmer.
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| Shining Pearl
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| Hisuian Qwilfish
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| Legends: Arceus
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Fishers detest this troublesome Pokémon because it sprays poison from its spines, getting it everywhere. A different form of Qwilfish lives in other regions.
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| Generation IX
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Paldea
#331
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Kitakami
#—
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Blueberry
#146
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| Scarlet
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Be cautious if this Pokémon starts sucking in water—it will soon attack by scattering the toxic spikes that grow all over its body.
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| Violet
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Experienced fishers say they try to catch Qwilfish in the brief moment that these Pokémon become defenseless just after launching poisonous spikes.
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| Hisuian Qwilfish
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| Scarlet
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It lives just offshore in cold parts of the world. Its poisonous spikes are thicker and shorter than those of other regions’ Qwilfish.
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| Violet
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It absorbs toxins from the food it eats. The distinct purple spikes on its body are evidence of its potent poison.
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Game locations
| This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation II.
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| Generation VIII
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| Sword
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Shield
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Dusty Bowl, Lake of Outrage, Bridge Field, Route 9
Bridge Field, Dusty Bowl, East Lake Axewell, Giant's Cap, Hammerlocke Hills, Lake of Outrage, Motostoke Riverbank, North Lake Miloch, South Lake Miloch, West Lake Axewell (Max Raid Battle)
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| Expansion Pass
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| Brilliant Diamond
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Shining Pearl
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| Legends: Arceus
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In side games
| This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation II.
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| Generation II
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| This Pokémon is unavailable in Generation II side games.
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In events
Held items
Qwilfish
Hisuian Qwilfish
Stats
Base Stats
Qwilfish
Generations II-VI
| Stat
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Range
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| At Lv. 50
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At Lv. 100
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65
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125 - 172
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240 - 334
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95
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90 - 161
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175 - 317
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75
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72 - 139
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139 - 273
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55
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54 - 117
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103 - 229
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55
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54 - 117
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103 - 229
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85
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81 - 150
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157 - 295
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Total: 430
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Other Pokémon with this total
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- 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.
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Generation VII onward
| Stat
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Range
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| At Lv. 50
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At Lv. 100
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65
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125 - 172
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240 - 334
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95
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90 - 161
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175 - 317
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85
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81 - 150
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157 - 295
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55
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54 - 117
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103 - 229
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55
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54 - 117
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103 - 229
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85
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81 - 150
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157 - 295
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Total: 440
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Other Pokémon with this total
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- 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.
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Hisuian Qwilfish
Hisuian Qwilfish has the same base stats as Johtonian Qwilfish. Due to the different way stats are calculated in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, exact minimum and maximum stats are not shown in this table.
Pokéathlon stats
Type effectiveness
Qwilfish
| Under normal battle conditions in Generation IX, this Pokémon is:
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Hisuian Qwilfish
| Under normal battle conditions in Generation IX, this Pokémon is:
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Learnset
Qwilfish
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- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Qwilfish
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an Evolution of Qwilfish
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see level-up moves from other generations
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Hisuian Qwilfish
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- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Qwilfish
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an Evolution of Qwilfish
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Qwilfish
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- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Qwilfish
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an Evolution or an alternate form of Qwilfish
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see TM moves from other generations
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Hisuian Qwilfish
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- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Qwilfish
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an Evolution or an alternate form of Qwilfish
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Qwilfish
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- Moves marked with an asterisk (*) must be chain bred onto Qwilfish
- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Qwilfish
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an Evolution of Qwilfish
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see Egg moves from other generations
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Hisuian Qwilfish
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- Moves marked with an asterisk (*) must be chain bred onto Qwilfish
- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Qwilfish
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an Evolution of Qwilfish
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Side game data
Qwilfish
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Pokémon Rumble Rush
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Walking Speed: 1.97 seconds
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Base HP: 52
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| Base Attack: 76
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Base Defense: 53
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Base Speed: 60
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New Pokémon Snap
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| Photodex entry #113
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| Qwilfish swallows gallons of seawater to inflate itself to intimidate enemies. If it gets startled, it spits out all that water and sends itself flying to who knows where.
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Hisuian Qwilfish
Evolution data
Qwilfish
Hisuian Qwilfish
From Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's 3.0.0 update onward, Hisuian Qwilfish evolves into Overqwil when leveled up while knowing Barb Barrage.
In Pokémon Legends: Arceus, Hisuian Qwilfish evolves into Overqwil after it has used Barb Barrage 20 times in the strong style.
Sprites
| This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation II.
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In the anime
Main series
Major appearances
In Dueling Heroes, Harrison used a Qwilfish in a battle against Misty and her Corsola in the first round of the Whirl Cup, being easily defeated; thus marking the species main series debut.
In Just Add Water, Dorian, the Gym Leader of the unofficial Coastline Gym, used a Qwilfish in an underwater battle against Misty and her Goldeen, that he managed to win.
Minor appearances
Qwilfish debuted in Snorlax Snowman.
In The Legend of Thunder!, a Qwilfish was at the Pokémon Center.
In Enlighten Up!, multiple Qwilfish were living in Lake Slowpoke.
In Pokémon Heroes: Latios & Latias, a Trainer's Qwilfish competed in the Tour de Alto Mare.
In Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea, multiple Qwilfish were present during the final showdown with The Phantom and his crew.
Multiple Qwilfish appeared in Giratina and the Sky Warrior.
In Hold the Phione!, multiple Qwilfish were living in Chocovine Town.
In Going for the Gold!, multiple Qwilfish were living in the Ambrette Aquarium.
In An Undersea Place to Call Home!, Serena saw multiple Qwilfish underwater.
In Deceiving Appearances!, a Qwilfish was at Aether Paradise.
Two Qwilfish appeared in As Long as I'm with My Friends.
Pokédex entries
| Episode
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Pokémon
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Source
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Entry
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| EP216
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Qwilfish
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Ash's Pokédex
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Qwilfish, the Balloon Pokémon. The quills covering the entire body have evolved from scales. A Qwilfish can cause its body to swell in order to shoot its needles in all directions.
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Pokémon: Twilight Wings
In Buddy, a Qwilfish puffed itself up in Nessa's hand. In Early-Evening Waves, it was revealed to have done this during one of Nessa's photoshoots.
In the manga
Pokémon Ranger: The Comic – Shadows of Almia
A Qwilfish appeared in PRV3.
Pokémon Adventures
A swarm of Qwilfish appeared in Querulous Qwilfish, where they were angered by pollution that occurred as a result of an accident that occurred during the construction of the Battle Tower. Crystal captured all of them with her skills. Afterwards, she found a baby Qwilfish stuck in the toxic waste; as she prepared to take it to a Pokémon Center, Suicune appeared, healing Qwilfish and purifying the seawater. It is unknown if the Qwilfish are still under Crystal's ownership or were released afterwards.
A Qwilfish appeared in The Last Battle XIII as one of the Pokémon sent to participate in the fight in Ilex Forest.
A Qwilfish was one of the aquarium Pokémon seen in Archie's collection in Stick This in Your Craw, Crawdaunt! I.
Much later, in Softening Up Kakuna, Uprooting Seedot, and Outlasting Ledian, a Qwilfish was one of the Pokémon that Platinum rented during the Battle Factory challenge.
Pokédex entries
| Manga
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Chapter
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Entry
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| Pokémon Adventures
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PS122
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In order to attack the enemy all over the body with its poisonous sting, the Qwilfish has to take in a lot of water and expand up to several times of its actual size.*
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Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys
Three Qwilfish appeared in Let's Survive This Sea Battle.
In the TCG
- Main article: Qwilfish (TCG)
Trivia
- Qwilfish shares its category with Igglybuff, Jigglypuff, Wigglytuff, and Drifloon. They are all known as the Balloon Pokémon.
- Qwilfish can be seen as a parallel to Remoraid. Both of them are Water-type Generation II Pokémon. Qwilfish is exclusive to FireRed, while Remoraid is exclusive to LeafGreen, with both Pokémon found in the same locations in their respective versions, and both being swarm Pokémon in Generation II and Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver.
- A pre-alpha sketch of an unused Pokémon depicts a Pokémon with the same Pokédex number as Qwilfish.
- Qwilfish and its Hisuian evolved form are the only Poison-type Pokémon with fins, and the only Poison-type Pokémon in the Water 2 Egg Group.
- According to several Team Plasma Grunts, Hugh's hairstyle resembles a Qwilfish.
- Hisuian Qwilfish and its evolved form were first hinted in Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl before their official reveal in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, where they were mentioned in a book in the Canalave Library where Overqwil is referred to as "a Qwilfish with huge spikes".
- Hisuian Qwilfish is the first Hisuian form that can be caught outside of Hisui (excluding Poké Portal News event Tera Raid Battles).
- Qwilfish is the only Pokémon with a name beginning with the letter "Q" that is not followed by a "U" like most words in the English language.
- It is also one of only two Pokémon to have a "Q" in its name that is not followed by a "U", the other being its evolved form Overqwil.
- The Pokémon Gold and Silver Spaceworld '97 demo has an early design of Qwilfish named プクー Pukū, whose name may be a corruption of 河豚 fugu (pufferfish). It was a pure Water type and would evolve into シビレフグ Shibirefugu at level 18.
Sprite of Pukū from 1997 demo
Sprite of Shibirefugu from 1997 demo
Origin
Qwilfish seems to be based on pufferfish or porcupinefish, which inflate their bodies when threatened and are covered in spines. Many species are incredibly toxic when ingested, which explains Qwilfish's Poison type. However, its ability to directly inject venom through its spines is similar to a lionfish. It is also reminiscent of a naval mine due to its round body and ability to explode.
The horn-like spikes on Qwilfish's forehead along with its general body shape may also be a reference to boxfish and cowfish species like the longhorn cowfish. When stressed, cowfish can exude a deadly toxin in the mucous secretions of their skin, similar to how Hisuian Qwilfish is known for spraying poison and getting it everywhere.
Hisuian Qwilfish's Dark-type and poisonous diet may be based on the illegalisation of the fugu dish, due to its toxicity, and the following illegal preparation and consumption of said dish. The law was put in place a few times in Japanese history (and eventually repealed each time), including the 1800's, when Pokémon Legends: Arceus appears to take place. The illegal fugu market continued and thrived for so long that the governing shogunate became incapable of enforcing the law, which might have inspired Hisuian Qwilfish being troublesome for fishermen, and could be a parallel to the lionfish's invasive status, as neither the dish, the lionfish, nor the Pokémon could be controlled. Hisuian Qwilfish and Overqwil appear to be rarer in recent times, which could be a reference to porcupinefish being threatened due to overfishing for the fugu dish.
The marking on Hisuian Qwilfish's tail looks like the lowercase "q" letter. On its evolved form, Overqwil, the same marking turns into the uppercase "Q". These may stand for their English names. This lowercase "q" also resembles a stylized number 9 whose Japanese reading 'kyuu' resembles the name of the letter "q".
Name origin
Qwilfish may be a combination of quill and fish.
Harysen may be derived from 針千本 harisenbon (porcupinefish). The character 千 sen in 針千本 harisenbon means thousand, and this numerical theming is continued with Overqwil's Japanese name.
In other languages
| Language
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Title
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Meaning
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 Japanese
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ハリーセン Harysen
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From 針千本 harisenbon
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 French
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Qwilfish
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Same as English name
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 Spanish
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Qwilfish
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Same as English name
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 German
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Baldorfish
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From Ballon, Dorn, and Fisch
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 Italian
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Qwilfish
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Same as English name
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 Korean
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침바루 Chimbaru
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From 침 (針) chim, 바늘 baneul, and balloon
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 Mandarin Chinese
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千針魚 / 千针鱼 Qiānzhēnyú
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From 千 qiān, 針 / 针 zhēn, and 魚 / 鱼 yú
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 Cantonese Chinese
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千針魚 Chīnjāmyùh
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From 千 chīn, 針 jām, and 魚 yùh
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| More languages
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 Hindi
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सुईफ़िश Suifish
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From सुई sui and fish
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 Russian
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Квилфиш Kvilfish
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Transcription of English name
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 Thai
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ฮารีเซน Harisen
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Transcription of Japanese name
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See also
External links
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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.
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Poison Barb (100%)
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For other sprites and images, please see Qwilfish images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
