A popular Pokemon of the generation one games, Dragonite has been known as a fearsome opponent thanks to the Elite Four dragon master Lance. This absurdly powerful Pokemon is noted to be a pseudo-legendary, which sets it further apart from the other Pokemon you may encounter. While generation one only had one dragon-type move, it still packed quite a punch, and with the development of dragon typing in later generations, Dragonite has solidified itself as a strong desirable Pokemon. This guide will show you just about everything there is to know about this Pokemon.
About Dragonite
Despite Dragonite’s fearsome battle aptitude, it is known to be a gentle and kindhearted Pokemon. In its lore, if it spots a person in need, it simply must help them. Interestingly enough, generation one only had one dragon-type move and it was dragon rage, which did not benefit from STAB, or the Same Type of Attack Bonus. So its typing was somewhat problematic. However, after more dragon-type moves became available, Dragonite’s battle prowess only became stronger. It is also known to be a marine dragon, meaning it has a certain affinity towards water. In terms of gameplay mechanics, this means that Dragonite was also capable of learning the much desired Hidden Machine surf.
| First appearance in anime | Original Series, Mystery at the Lighthouse |
| First appearance in game | Red/Green (Japan) Red/Blue (International) |
| Region | Kanto |
| Evolution | Final Evolution of Dratini, Evolves from Dragonair |
| 1st Evo level | 30 (Into Dragonair) |
| 2nd Evo level | 55 (Into Dragonite) |
| Pokedex Entry | An extremely rarely seen marine Pokémon. Its intelligence is said to match that of humans. |
Dragonite Base Stats
| HP | 91 |
| ATTACK | 134 |
| DEFENCE | 95 |
| SP. ATTACK | 100 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 100 |
| SPEED | 80 |
| TOTAL | 600 |
Appearance of Dragonite
Dragonite is a large yellow-colored dragon with an orange stomach and a darker orange hide. It has a pair of small wings that befit a flying type and a large tail. The wings are similar to a batwing with a gray/green fleshy interior. Its arms and legs have three large claws, two antennae sticking out of its head, red eyes, and a striped pattern across its stomach. Despite its large frame and rather small wingspan, Dragonite is known to be capable of flying incredibly quickly. Its nose ends at a snout with two nostrils and a large mouth typically in a grin.
Behavior of Dragonite
While many players are familiar with Dragonite’s fearsome battle capabilities, it is actually a calm and peace-loving Pokemon. It will go out of its way to help someone in need and is capable of a high degree of intellect. Since Dragonair evolves at level 55, one of the higher-level points in evolutions, it is implied that training a Dragonite takes a great deal of time. Since it is very smart and requires a great deal of dedication to evolving, it can also be assumed that it shares a strong bond with its trainer.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Dragonite hits like an absolute truck. Its high attack stat, decent special attack, and bulky stats make it a force to be reckoned with. Perhaps its greatest weakness, in conflict with the lore, is its speed stat. While at a decent 80-speed base, it will most likely be going second with its sheer power. Since Dragonite is a dragon/flying type it is 4x weak to ice moves. While most ice types are particularly frail, a fast-moving ice type will make quick work of a Dragonite. However, with setting up moves covering Dragonite’s slow start, a fully set up Dragonite is almost impossible to deal with. As Dragonite is a dragon type, you can expect many players to be opting for increasing its sweeping potential with moves like Dragon Dance.
Mega Dragonite
If you are a fan of Dragonite, you may be disappointed to learn there is no Mega Dragonite available in the games. However, there could be a few reasons to prevent a Mega Dragonite from existing in the first place. First of all, its statline is already quite impressive, Dragonite in the right conditions seems almost an impossible mountain to defeat. With a Mega Dragonite, the difficulty goes even higher. As it is a pseudo-legendary, a mega evolution would probably put its power above most legendary Pokemon. Also as a side note, all mega evolution stones end with “-ite” making Dragonite’s mega evolution stone called “Dragonite” or even worse, “Dragoniteite”. Many fans have depicted what they believe a Mega Dragonite would look like, you can see an example of one of my favorites below (Credit to Tzblacktd on Deviantart). Despite all this, fans of Dragonite are hoping to hear news of a Mega Dragonite on the horizon, for better or worse.
Shiny Dragonite
Shiny Dragonite changes the colors of Dragonite quite drastically. While its belly remains the same color, its wings become a vibrant purple/pink, and its hide turns to sea green. Of course, Shiny Dragonite gets the same treatment as any other shiny by emitting sparkling stars anytime it enters the battle. If you are hunting for a Shiny Dragonite, you will of course need to locate a Shiny Dratini. The Shiny Dratini trades its blue for a pink and it should be obvious when you have located one. While Shiny Dratini has a lighter pink than Shiny Dragonite’s wings, it should still be obvious from the stars that encircle the Pokemon upon entering battle.
Dark Dragonite
Dark Dragonite is a Pokemon TCG card that goes back to the 2000's Pokemon Rocket set. A gem mint, foil, PSA 10 Dark Dragonite is valued at approximately 2,000 USD. Its value stems from its limited print line, first edition mark, and of course its rarity. Pokemon cards have recently seen a large boom in interest since popular content creators on YouTube and Twitch have been opening decades-old boxes in hopes of procuring one of these elusive cards for their own collections. Getting a PSA 10 graded card is incredibly difficult, especially considering the age of these cards. Not only does the card require immaculate cutting, no misprints, and a good foiling, the packs that this card comes from goes for around 250-300 USD. Beware while chasing a PSA 10 Dark Dragonite, the difference in cost for a PSA 9 and a PSA 10 grade is almost 1,900 USD.
Best Moveset
If you would like to use Dragonite for yourself, competitive Pokemon players have found an optimal moveset for this OU (OverUsed) tier Pokemon. To make use of Dragonite’s physical attacking power, you should consider moves like Dragon Dance, Fly, Earthquake, and Extreme Speed. Dragon Dance is a no-brainer even gaining one turn to set up allows your Dragonite to likely outspeed many Pokemon, and raising its already high attack stat is the strategy. Fly gives you the opportunity to avoid ice-type attacks, Earthquake will hit the whole field and puts Dragonite’s high attack stat to work, while Extreme Speed will give you priority to help clean up low health targets. Giving Dragonite the multiscale held item gives you a better chance to set up Dragon Dance cleanly.
| Dragon Dance | Fly |
| Earthquake | Extreme Speed |
How to Catch Dragonite in Pokemon Go
If you want a Dragonite in Pokemon Go, good news! You can catch a Dratini to evolve into Dragonite. While Dratini spawns are relatively infrequent, you can find Dratini spawning wherever regular water spawns are. If you find a Magikarp, odds are a Dratini will also spawn nearby, albeit infrequently. If you manage to catch a Dratini, you may be disappointed by its potential stats, but keep it around to farm candies until you find a better one. If you would like to skip the hunting, you also have the opportunity to attend gym raids. Every now and again you may find a Dragonite raid in a nearby gym. Keep your eyes peeled for a Dratini or gather some friends for a Dragonite raid to capture this powerful Pokemon for yourself.
Trivia
- Dragonite is capable of flying faster than the speed of sound.
- A fossil of Dragonite skeleton can be found in Nacrene City Museum in the games, this implies that Dragonite has likely been around for thousands of years without any evolutionary changes.
- While Dragonite may not look like mythological western dragons, Dragonite’s design closely resembles Japanese, European, and Chinese Dragons.
FAQs
Q. Is Dragonite a Legendary?
Dragonite is classified as a pseudo-legendary Pokemon. The big distinction is that you cannot breed legendary Pokemon. You can farm Dratinis in the games by leaving a Ditto and a Dratini with the Pokemon daycare. Whereas, you could not breed Kyogre, Entei, Zapdos, or other legendary Pokemon.
Q. Is Dragonite the strongest Pokemon?
It is difficult to state if Dragonite is the strongest Pokemon in the game with other powerful legendary Pokemon, which were designed to be some of the most powerful. In competitive Pokemon, Dragonite is classified as an OU (OverUsed) Pokemon which gives it a decent amount of credit for being one of the strongest Pokemon in the game.
Q. Who is Stronger Charizard or Dragonite?
In terms of base stats, Dragonite wins over regular Charizard. When Charizard is in either mega evolutions, Charizard has higher stat totals. However, it entirely depends on what medium of Pokemon you find yourself in. In casual play, it is more important to consider type advantages. In competitive play, there is much more nuance and comparing whether Charizard is stronger or Dragonite is stronger is like comparing apples and oranges.
Congratulations, you now know about Dragonite’s many different appearances throughout the games, anime, and even the trading card game. Dragonite is a beloved Pokemon of the franchise, especially due to its prowess in battle. Many players are fixated by its dragon typing, overall design, or its famous hyper beam pairing. Whatever intrigues you about Dragonite is certainly understandable. Dragonite does not leave a lot to be desired.
