Introduced in generation five, with the Pokemon Black and White games, Frillish is a dual type water and ghost Pokemon. It is the base evolution of Jellicent and will evolve once it reaches the level threshold. Frillish is classified by the Pokedex as the “Floating Pokemon” which indicates its general behavior and design. This guide will showcase Frillish’s capabilities in battle, its appearances in the anime, as well as other general facts about Frillish.
About Frillish
As a generation five Pokemon, Frillish first appeared in the Black and White season of the anime with the episode New Places… Familiar Faces!. It played a small role alongside Team Rocket member Jessie before she had to give up Frillish as proof of capturing Pokemon. Frillish is the first evolution in its line and will evolve into Jellicent once it reaches level 40. The Pokedex mentions its poisonous capabilities and how it will attack prey.
| First appearance in anime | Pokemon the Series: Black and White New Places… Familiar Faces! |
| First appearance in game | Pokemon Black and White |
| Region | Unova |
| Evolution | Base evolution of Jellicent, not known to evolve from any other Pokemon |
| 1st Evo level | 40 |
| 2nd Evo level | N/A |
| Pokedex Entry | They paralyze prey with poison, then drag them down to their lairs, five miles below the surface. |
Frillish Base Stats
| HP | 55 |
| ATTACK | 40 |
| DEFENCE | 50 |
| SP. ATTACK | 65 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 85 |
| SPEED | 40 |
| TOTAL | 335 |
Appearance
Frillish has two different appearances depending on whether it is male or female. A male Frillish will have flat appendages and it is mostly blue and white around its body. A female Frillish, on the other hand, is pink and has more wavy appendages. The male Frillish appears to be more angry and the female Frillish has a smile on its face all the time. Regardless of their gender, they will always have a crown shaped ornament on top of their head with it at an average height for a Pokemon at 3 feet and 11 inches, or 1.2 meters, tall.
Behavior
Most of Frillish’s appearances in the anime showcase it in battle against other trainers. It was shown to be a powerful Pokemon that could overcome type advantages and provide trouble to the protagonist, Ash. The Pokedex mentions its predatory capabilities as it will paralyze prey with poison and drag them five miles below the surface of the ocean. While Frillish is not a poison type Pokemon, it seems to borrow from a real-life jellyfish’s venomous capabilities.
Strengths and Weaknesses
As a base evolution Pokemon, there are not many strengths to mention regarding Frillish. It does have an impressive special defense stat for a base evolution, but the rest of its stats are relatively mediocre. It is also a slow Pokemon which makes it more defense oriented than offensive. As a dual type water and ghost Pokemon, Frillish takes 2x damage from ghost, grass, electric, and dark type moves. However, it is immune to normal and fighting type moves, and resistant against poison, bug, steel, fire, water, and ice type moves.
Best Moveset
As a base evolution Pokemon, Frillish is exclusively limited to the LC (Little Cup) bracket of competitive play. In this format, it only has to face other base evolution Pokemon which makes its naturally high special defense matter even more. Frillish is typically used as a defensive Pokemon that inflicts status moves and provides type coverage, thus consider using Scald, Shadow Ball/Hex, Recover, and Will-O-Wisp. Scald benefits from STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus), Shadow Ball/Hex are interchangeable as Frillish’s primary ghost type moves while Recover can help extend Frillish’s lifespan. Finally, Will-O-Wisp can function as a powerful disabling effect.
| Scald | Shadow Ball/Hex |
| Recover | Will-O-Wisp |
How to Catch Frillish in Pokemon Go
If you would like to obtain a Frillish in Pokemon Go, there is only one way of doing so and that is to encounter it in the wild. Unfortunately, Frillish has not appeared as a raid boss in the past and neither has its final evolution, Jellicent. It has not appeared in eggs either so you will have to do this the hard way. You can find Frillish spawning more frequently in the wild near canals, docks, harbors, lakes, oceans, beaches, and other watery areas, and its spawn rate will also be increased at night time. In order to evolve Frillish into Jellicent, you will need to collect 50 Frillish candies. If you see a Frillish in the wild, make sure you prioritize catching it to avoid missing out.
Trivia
- If a Frillish is uploaded to the Global Link, it will display as a male Frillish regardless of its gender.
- The inspiration for Frillish’s design likely comes from Nurarihyon, a jellyfish yokai of Japanese mythology that resembles a jellyfish-like man.
- The name Frillish is a combination of the words frill and jellyfish.
Video
FAQ
Is Frillish any good?
Frillish is not capable of handling too much on its own. While its defensive stat distribution can help it survive, even its final evolution has trouble taking out any Pokemon. You will want to consider a prolonged battle strategy to succeed with Frillish. While Frillish and Jellicent were powerful in generation five competitive battle, it has since fallen off into the bottom of competitive tier lists.
What number is Frillish?
Frillish is the 592nd Pokemon in the Pokedex. The Pokedex will label every Pokemon with a number typically sequentially with its evolutions. However, Pokemon that were released in a prior generation will gain priority over sequential order with evolutions. Therefore, you can use this number to remind yourself which generation a Pokemon was released in.
Is Frillish a rare Pokemon?
There is nothing about Frillish that is particularly rare. In fact, many of the locations where you can encounter Frililsh in the generation five games have a 100% encounter rate as long as you are surfing. It is not a particularly exclusive Pokemon and you can find it with ease as long as you know where you are looking.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this “Floating Pokemon”. While Frillish is not the most impactful Pokemon in the competitive environment, it did have a moment in the spotlight when rain teams reigned supreme. Even though it does not function as well outside of rain, it can still function as a special defensive Pokemon. Reserve a slot on your team for Frillish if you want a water and ghost type Pokemon that is capable of taking a few hits.
