Houndour

Houndour National: Skarmory – Houndour (#229) – Houndoom Johto: Murkrow – Houndour (#209) – Houndoom Hoenn: Mantine – Houndour (#366) – Houndoom
General
Name (Japanese), Number	Houndour (Derubiru), 228
Name pronunciation	$HAH-oon-dah-oor$
Stage	Basic
Evolves from	(none)
Evolves to	Houndoom
Video game base stats¹
Hit points	45
Attack	60
Defense	30
Speed	65
Special attack	80
Special defense	50
Biological
Species	Dark Pokémon
Types	Template:PokemonTypeFire, Template:PokemonTypeDark
Height	2ft 0in (0.6 m)
Weight	24.0lb (11 kg)
Ability	Early Bird/Flash Fire
Signature Attack	Howl
Pokédex Color	Black
Shiny color	Its black fur turns dark blue The orange parts of its body become yellow.
Gender distribution	50% male, 50% female
¹ Stats for trading card versions may vary.

Houndour (デルビル/Deriburu in Japanese, Hunduster in German and Malosse in French) is a fictional character of the Pokémon franchise.

Name Origin

Houndour's name is a combination of the words Hound, another word for dog, and dour, which means gloomy or very stern.

Appearance

Houndour has the appearance of a small dog, resembling the dobermann breed in shape and coloration. Its fur is black, while its muzzle and underbelly are red. Its forehead is covered in a skull-shaped formation, and bone-like rings cover its back and ankles.

Biology

Houndour is a nocturnal carnivorous Pokémon that organises itself in packs. A Houndour pack works with perfect teamwork to pursue prey. Individual members of the pack approach the intended target from different spots and begin the hunt. They then communicate their location to each other using special howls, ensuring that the victim is eventually surrounded and unable to escape.

In the video games

In Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal, Houndour is found in Route 7. It is much more common in Crystal. In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, Houndour may be encountered in the Altering Cave if the e-card reader is used correctly. In Pokémon Emerald, Houndour can additionally be found in the Safari Zone.

Houndoom has very good special attack and decent attack and speed. Its defenses are on the low side, though. It learns naturally decently powerful Fire and Dark-type moves, such as Flamethrower and Crunch. Players usually prefer using Houndour's evolved form Houndoom in battle, since it has much better stats to support itself.

In the animé

Houndour was featured in episode #152 (Hour of the Houndour). A pack of Houndour had stolen Ash's backpack in order to help an injured pack member. After realizing this, Ash managed to befriend the pack and carried the injured Houndour to the Pokémon Centre for healing.

A Houndour also often appears in special episodes starring the Pichu brothers. It usually ends up chasing the two siblings because they have accidentally distrurdeb its sleep with their antics.