Arbok (Japanese: アーボック Arbok) is a Poison-type Pokémon introduced in Generation I.
It evolves from Ekans starting at level 22.
Biology
Arbok is a serpentine Pokémon that resembles a cobra. It has narrow eyes and several sharp teeth. Just below its head is a large hood with a face-like pattern. This pattern has over 20 possible variations. The pattern typically has two red and yellow eyespots outlined in black, a wide black streak resembling an upturned mouth, and a black V-shaped stripe above the eyespots.
Arbok is capable of crushing opponents by coiling its body around them and squeezing them tightly. It can even flatten steel oil drums. If it encounters an enemy, it raises its head, mimics, and stuns the opponent using the frightening pattern on its body. It can also make eerie sounds by expelling air from its mouth. It has been stated that if any part of Arbok's body except for the head is cut off, it can regrow the rest of its body again in a few weeks. It also can detect vibrations as shown in the Pokémon the Series episode The Whistle Stop. The Pokémon the Series episode The Misty Mermaid shows that Arbok can spend long periods underwater and survive in aquatic environments. One particular Arbok could change its pattern at any time to increase power to different stats and get invulnerability to status conditions, if the pattern is uncovered.
Arbok is territorial. It lashes out at intruders with long fangs tipped with deadly venom. Vengeful in nature, it will not give up a chase once it targets its prey or an opponent, no matter how far. It makes its home in grassy savannas and plains, but it can also be found in forests and desolate wastelands alongside its pre-evolved form Ekans. In the wild, it hunts smaller Pokémon such as Wooper, and also preys on Pidgey and Spearow Eggs. When hunting, it uses the pattern on its hood to immobilize prey, then constricts them, and finally poisons the target to finish them off and eat them. As shown in Pokémon Sleep, Arbok is known to display its belly while sleeping. It is theorized that Arbok does this to scare other Pokémon away by showcasing its fearsome markings.
Before Generation II, Arbok and its pre-evolved form, Ekans, were the only known Pokémon capable of learning the move Glare.
Evolution
Arbok evolves from Ekans.
(For specifics on this Pokémon's evolution in the games, refer to Game data→Evolution data.)
Game data
NPC appearances
Pokédex entries
| Generation I | | | Kanto
#024 | | Red(JPN) | (This entry was originally untranslated in English until it was reused in Pokémon FireRed.) | | Green | | Red(ENG) | It is rumored that the ferocious warning markings on its belly differ from area to area. | | Blue | | Yellow | The frightening patterns on its belly have been studied. Six variations have been confirmed. | | Stadium | If it encounters an enemy, it raises its head, intimidating the opponent with the frightening pattern on its body. | | |
| Generation II | | | Johto
#051 | | Gold | Transfixing prey with the face-like pattern on its belly, it binds and poisons the frightened victim. | | Silver | With a very vengeful nature, it won't give up the chase, no matter how far, once it targets its prey. | | Crystal | To intimidate foes, it spreads its chest wide and makes eerie sounds by expelling air from its mouth. | | Stadium 2 | Transfixing prey with the face-like pattern on its belly, it binds and poisons the frightened victim. | | |
| Generation III | | Hoenn
#— | | Kanto
#024 | | Ruby | This Pokémon is terrifically strong in order to constrict things with its body. It can even flatten steel oil drums. Once Arbok wraps its body around its foe, escaping its crunching embrace is impossible. | | Sapphire | | Emerald | This Pokémon has a terrifically strong constricting power. It can even flatten steel oil drums. Once it wraps its body around its foe, escaping is impossible. | | FireRed | The pattern on its belly appears to be a frightening face. Weak foes will flee just at the sight of the pattern. | | LeafGreen | It is rumored that the ferocious warning markings on its belly differ from area to area. | | |
| Generation IV | | Sinnoh
#— | | Johto
#051 | | Diamond | The pattern on its belly is for intimidation. It constricts foes when they are frozen in fear. | | Pearl | | Platinum | | HeartGold | Transfixing prey with the face-like pattern on its belly, it binds and poisons the frightened victim. | | SoulSilver | With a very vengeful nature, it won't give up the chase, no matter how far, once it targets its prey. | | |
| Generation V | | | Unova
#— | | Black | The pattern on its belly is for intimidation. It constricts foes when they are frozen in fear. | | White | | Black 2 | The pattern on its belly is for intimidation. It constricts foes when they are frozen in fear. | | White 2 | | |
| Generation VI | | Kalos
Mountain #038 | | Hoenn
#— | | X | The pattern on its belly appears to be a frightening face. Weak foes will flee just at the sight of the pattern. | | Y | To intimidate foes, it spreads its chest wide and makes eerie sounds by expelling air from its mouth. | | Omega Ruby | This Pokémon is terrifically strong in order to constrict things with its body. It can even flatten steel oil drums. Once Arbok wraps its body around its foe, escaping its crunching embrace is impossible. | | Alpha Sapphire | | |
| Generation VII | | Alola
US UM : #062 | | Kanto
#024 | | This Pokémon has no Pokédex entries in Sun and Moon. | | Ultra Sun | The latest research has determined that there are over 20 possible arrangements of the patterns on its stomach. | | Ultra Moon | After stunning its opponents with the pattern on its stomach, it quickly wraps them up in its body and waits for them to stop moving. | | Let's Go Pikachu | The frightening patterns on its belly have been studied. Six variations have been confirmed. | | Let's Go Eevee | | |
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| Generation IX | | Paldea
#— | | Kitakami
#19 | | Blueberry
#— | | Scarlet | The pattern on its belly appears to be a frightening face. Weak foes will flee just at the sight of the pattern. | | Violet | This Pokémon is very tenacious. Once it targets its prey, it won't give up the chase, no matter how far the prey goes. | | |
Game locations
In side games
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| Generation II | | | This Pokémon is unavailable in Generation II side games. | | |
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Held items
Pokémon caught in Generation I must be traded to a Generation II game in order for a held item to appear.
Stats
Base stats
Generations I-VI
Generation VII onward
Pokéathlon stats
Type effectiveness
| Under normal battle conditions in Generation IX, this Pokémon is: | | |
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Learnset
Arbok is available in Scarlet and Violet Version 2.0.1+.
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- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Arbok
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution of Arbok
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see level-up moves from other generations
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- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Ekans
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution or an alternate form of Ekans
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see TM moves from other generations
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- Moves marked with an asterisk (*) must be chain bred onto Arbok
- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Arbok
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution of Arbok
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see Egg moves from other generations
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- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Arbok
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution of Arbok
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see moves from other generations
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Special moves
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- A superscript level indicates that Arbok can learn this move normally in Generation IX
- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Arbok
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution of Arbok
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see moves from other generations
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Side game data
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Pokémon Ranger | Group: | | Poké Assist: | 
| Field move: | None | | Loops: 6 | Min. exp.: 64 | Max. exp.: 84 | Browser entry R-152
| | Arbok will try to avoid capture by spitting devastating blobs of poison. | | |
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Pokémon Rumble Rush  | Walking Speed: 2.1 seconds | Base HP: 51 | | | Base Attack: 77 | Base Defense: 54 | Base Speed: 60 | | |
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Evolution data
Sprites
In the anime
Main series
Major appearances
Jessie had an Arbok that she obtained as an Ekans. It evolved from Ekans in Dig Those Diglett!, thus marking the species' debut. It was extremely loyal to her and was her primary battling Pokémon until A Poached Ego!, when she set it free along with James's Weezing so it could protect a wild group of Ekans and Koffing.
Other
In The Ultimate Test, Ash used an Arbok in the Pokémon League Admissions Exam. It went up against the instructor's Jolteon and ultimately lost.
Minor appearances
An Arbok appeared as an image in the dubbed version of The Ultimate Test.
In Pikachu's Vacation, an Arbok was at the Pokémon Theme Park.
In The Power of One, multiple Arbok sensed the disturbance caused by Lawrence III.
A wild Arbok appeared in Pikachu's Rescue Adventure.
In Ring Masters, an Arbok competed in Rikishii Town's Sumo Conference.
In Gonna Rule The School!, the Pokémon Trainers' School lent an Arbok to the school's underage students for use in lessons.
An Arbok appeared in the opening sequence of Destiny Deoxys.
In What I Did for Love!, a Coordinator's Arbok participated in the Performance Stage of the Gardenia Contest.
An Arbok appeared in a flashback in Pace - The Final Frontier!.
An Arbok appeared in a fantasy in The Keystone Pops!.
In One Team, Two Team, Red Team, Blue Team!, the Pokémon Summer Academy lent an Arbok to one of the students for the first leg of the Pokémon Triathlon.
An Arbok appeared in a fantasy in A Keeper for Keeps?.
In I Choose You!, an Arbok fell under the control of Marshadow.
An Arbok appeared in a flashback in A Timeless Encounter!, where it was seen in a picture.
In Chasing Memories, Creating Dreams!, a Trainer's Arbok watched as Professor Kukui announced the completion of Manalo Stadium.
A Trainer's Arbok appeared in Betrayed, Bothered, and Beleaguered!.
An Arbok appeared in This Could be the Start of Something Big!.
Pokémon Origins
In File 1: Red, an Arbok was one of the Pokémon seen in Professor Oak's introduction.
In File 4: Charizard, Red caught an Arbok.
Pokémon Generations
Agatha briefly used an Arbok against Blue's Rhydon in The Challenger, but it lost.
In a flashback in The Legacy, a Team Rocket Grunt used an Arbok to help Team Rocket invade the Goldenrod Radio Tower.
POKÉTOON
An Arbok that Blossom attempted to catch appeared in Blossom's Dream.
In the manga
Ash & Pikachu
- Main article: Jessie's Arbok
In Ash & Pikachu, which is based on Pokémon the Series, Arbok appears with Jessie in her travels.
The Electric Tale of Pikachu
- Main article: Jessie's Arbok
Jessie's Arbok appears in The Electric Tale of Pikachu. Like in Pokémon the Series, it is her primary Pokémon that she uses in battle.
Magical Pokémon Journey
- Main article: Arbok (MPJ)
Arbok is one of the supporting characters in Magical Pokémon Journey. Originally an enemy of the main cast, he along with the Ekans Brothers befriend Hazel and her Pokémon.
In Even an Arbok Falls in Love!, he gets a crush on Wigglytuff and goes to Jynx as well as Hazel and friends for advice. At the end of the chapter, he confesses his love to Wigglytuff and gives her one of his molted skins.
Pokémon Adventures
Arbok debuted in That Awful Arbok!, under the ownership of Koga.
Koga and Agatha both have Arbok as important parts of their teams in Pokémon Adventures. Agatha's first appeared in Muk Raking. In Pokémon Adventures, the pattern on an Arbok's belly may give an Arbok special abilities. With the help of Agatha's smoke, Agatha's Arbok had the ability to switch between several different patterns: a standard pattern, a speed-boosting pattern, an attack-boosting pattern, and an invulnerability pattern that repels poisons. Koga's Arbok instead has only one pattern, which is a regenerative pattern that allows it to regenerate any part of its body as long as the head remains intact.
Crystal caught an Arbok on her way to Professor Elm's Lab in Three Cheers for Chikorita.
An Arbok appeared in The Last Battle XIII as one of the Pokémon sent to participate in the fight in Ilex Forest.
Team Rocket General Ariana has an Arbok that appeared in Dealing With A Koffing Fit. She was able to overcome Bonee's Bone Club with ease.
In Weavile Wobbles But It Won't Fall Down, an Arbok appeared at the Safari Zone, which Silver attempted to capture.
An Arbok belonging to an Aether Foundation Employee first appeared in Play the Melody That Echoes in the Altar.
Pokédex entries
| Manga | Chapter | Entry | | Pokémon Adventures | PS071 | It is rumored that the ferocious warning markings on its belly differ from area to area. | |
Pokémon Gotta Catch 'Em All
An Arbok appeared in A Match For Pokémon.
An Arbok appeared in The Challenge at Celadon University!.
An Arbok appeared in The Terrible Twins, Rin & Ran, under the ownership of Ran. It reappeared in GDZ44.
Pokémon Pocket Monsters
Professor Oak owns an Arbok, which debuted in Save the Pokémon Zoo!!.
An Arbok belonging to Giovanni made a cameo in Good-Bye, Pikachu?!.
In the TCG
- Main article: Arbok (TCG)
Other appearances
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Arbok appears as a Spirit.
Trivia
Design variations
- Main article: Variant Pokémon → Arbok
The face-like pattern on Arbok's chest differs between games. Its appearance in Generation I, Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, and from Generation IV onward differs from the variants shown in Generation II and in Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. This supports Pokédex text which notes differences between Arbok in different areas; however, its markings in Johto- and Hoenn-based remakes differ from those in the original games set in those regions.
Other media have featured additional variations. In Pokémon Adventures, Arbok can change their own patterns, as done by Agatha's Arbok. The Dark Arbok card from the TCG depicts another pattern.
Origin
Arbok seems to be based on the Indian cobra due to its venomous bite and hood markings. It may also be based on the king cobra, which is the world's largest venomous snake. Its powerful constriction is reminiscent of boas, anacondas, and pythons. Its frightening face-like belly patterns may be inspired by masks or face paint. The fact that it is in the Dragon Egg Group and its ability to learn Glare may be a reference to the legendary basilisk, a venomous, serpentine dragon said to be able to kill people with its stare.
Name origin
Arbok is cobra spelled backwards, but with the c replaced with a k.[1]
In other languages
Related articles
References
External links
