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Donphan

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Donphan
File:Donphan.png
National Pokédex
Phanpy - Donphan (#232) - Porygon2
Johto Pokédex
Phanpy - Donphan (#196) - Mantine
Hoenn Pokédex
Phanpy - Donphan (#166) - Pinsir
Japanese nameDonphan
Evolves fromPhanpy
Evolves intoNone
GenerationSecond
SpeciesArmor Pokémon
TypeGround
Height3 ft 7 in (1.10 m)
Weight264.6 pounds (120.0 kg)
AbilitySturdy

Donphan (ドンファン, Donfan in original Japanese language versions) is a fictional character from the Pokémon franchise.

Donphan's name is a portmanteau of "don" and "elephant". "Don" may refer the Spanish word for "lord", or possibly the word "mastodon". It may even refer to a root word for "teeth", as in "hyperdontia" or "mastodon".

Biological characteristics

Donphan looks very much like an elephant. Its armored hide has an unscratchable structure similar to a tire, supporting its ability to use its "Rollout" attack to battle its opponents. Male Donphan also use their "Rollout" attack to impress female Donphan; in fact, many Donphan compete for females by battling each other with "Rollout". This Pokémon possesses the tackling strength to knock over a large building just by ramming it, and it possesses the supportive strength to haul a dump truck. In any given herd of Donphan, the rank of an individual is measured by the size and length of its tusks, so one can identify the leader of that herd by looking at its tusks. When travelling among mountains, Donphan uses its massive strength to clear away rock and mudslides that may block mountain trails.

In the video games

Donphan is a Ground-type Pokémon, evolving from Phanpy at level 25. Donphan is available in Pokémon Gold, Silver, Crystal, Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald.

Its pre-evolution, Phanpy, can be found in Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire and Pokémon Emerald in the Safari Zone, and it can be found on Seven Island in Pokémon Fire Red and Pokémon Leaf Green.

Donphan, like all other Ground Pokémon, is invulnerable to Electric-type moves, while, as with all Ground Pokémon, it is weak against Water, Grass, and Ice moves.

In the Pokémon anime

Donphan holds a place in Pokémon culture for being one of the first "preview" Pokémons of the Gold and Silver generation. Its first official appearance in America was in Pokémon: The First Movie, where it was used by a trainer in a Pokémon battle with Ash Ketchum and his Bulbasaur in the movie's opening theme. In this appearance, Donphan's name was not revealed, so it was unidentified to American moviegoers until the release of the Gold and Silver versions of the game (though, its name was revealed in the novel form of the story). [citation needed]

Later, in the Johto episode Roll On, Pokémon, Ash encounters a trainer with several Donphan. Later, in the episode Date Expectations, Ash and his friends visit an island filled with Donphan during the mating season. One of these Donphan is shiny. And in the episode Reversing the Charges, Ash's Phanpy evolved into a Donphan, and Ash has used it in many battles since then; and even though Ash's Donphan is really young and still has a playful, childlike personality, it is still a tough opponent to defeat.

After completing the Battle Frontier challenge, Ash leaves Donphan (as well as Corphish, Sceptile, and Swellow) at Professor Oak's lab before heading off to Sinnoh.

In other media

In the Pokémon Trading Card Game, Donphan has made five Stage-1 Fighting-type appearances in the following sets:

In addition, a Japanese-only Donphan card named "Chuck's Donphan" resides within the untranslated expansion set known commonly as "VS". It, like all the other cards in the set, is a Basic Pokémon, meaning that while it can be played right away, it is generally weaker than its Stage-1 counterparts.

References

Notes
Publications
  • Barbo, Maria. The Official Pokémon Handbook. Scholastic Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-439-15404-9.
  • Loe, Casey, ed. Pokémon Special Pikachu Edition Official Perfect Guide. Sunnydale, CA: Empire 21 Publishing, 1999. ISBN 1-930206-15-1.
  • Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon FireRed & Pokémon LeafGreen Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., August 2004. ISBN 1-930206-50-X
  • Mylonas, Eric. Pokémon Pokédex Collector’s Edition: Prima’s Official Pokémon Guide. Prima Games, September 21 2004. ISBN 0-7615-4761-4
  • Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Emerald Version Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., April 2005. ISBN 1-930206-58-5
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