Grookey is one of the three Pokemon starters available in Pokemon Sword and Shield. Grookey is the grass-type starter and is shown in its introduction to be curious and upbeat. It evolves into Thwackey at level 16 and evolves into Rillaboom at level 35. Grookey is most likely based on squirrel monkeys and macaques, with Grookey’s drumming behavior resembling that of macaques. Due to its monkey inspiration, Grookey shares its category with Chimchar, with both being known as the Chimp Pokemon.
About Grookey
| First appearance in anime | Pokemon Journeys: The Series |
| First appearance in game | Pokemon Sword and Shield |
| Region | Galar |
| Evolution | -->Thwackey --> Rillaboom |
| 1st Evo level | 16 |
| 2nd Evo level | 35 |
| Pokedex Entry | When it uses its special stick to strike up a beat, the sound waves produced carry revitalizing energy to the plants and flowers in the area. It attacks with rapid beats of its stick. As it strikes with amazing speed, it gets more and more pumped. |
Grookey Base Stats
| HP | 50 |
| ATTACK | 65 |
| DEFENCE | 50 |
| SP. ATTACK | 40 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 40 |
| SPEED | 65 |
| TOTAL | 310 |
Appearance of Grookey
Grookey resembles a green monkey with an orange mouth and a light green mask surrounding its eyes. It has five-fingered orange hands and three-toed orange feet with Grookey nearly always holding a stick. Grookey has brown triangular ears and a brown tail, as well as a green tuft on top of its head resembling a sprout or a leaf.
Behavior of Grookey
Grookey drums frequently, a behavior that resembles that of macaques. It uses the stick it holds to drum rhythmically, which allows Grookey to grow grass and heal plants and plant-based Pokemon. Grookey’s green fur can photosynthesize in a way similar to that of plants. Grookey is shown to be curious and upbeat, with Grookey having a special connection to the stick it wields since that stick has been stated to come from a rainforest where Grookeys used to live. This history gave Grookey’s stick special powers due to its exposure to Grookeys.
Strengths and Weaknesses
As a starter Pokemon, Grookey is pretty well balanced, with its attack and speed stats being its highest stats. As a grass-type Pokemon, Grookey is weak to flying, poison, bug, fire, and ice-type attacks and Grookey is strong against the ground, water, and rock-type Pokemon.
Shiny Grookey
Shiny Grookey is a version of Grookey with a paler and more yellow-based color scheme. The main way to get a Shiny Grookey is to continuously breed either Grookeys or its evolutions until getting a Shiny Grookey.
Best Moveset
While Grookey is limited due to it not being fully evolved, the best moveset for Grookey focuses on its high attack stat in order to function as a sweeper, as well as using moves from later levels without evolving Grookey. Grassy Glide and Wood Hammer are both effective STAB (same-type attack bonus) move for dealing damage. Knock Off can help remove potentially powerful items. Finally, Swords Dance helps boost Grookey’s attack in order to allow it to serve as a sweeper
| Grassy Glide | Wood Hammer |
| Swords Dance | Knock Off |
How to catch Grookey in Pokemon Go?
Grookey can be found in areas with lots of flora, just like any other grass-type Pokemon. These mostly apply to forests and wooded areas, though lawns can still work, though less effectively.
Trivia
- Grookey is most likely based on squirrel monkeys and macaques, with Grookey’s drumming behavior resembling that of macaques
- Grookey and Chimchar share the same category, with both being known as the Chimp Pokemon
- Grookey likely a combination of the words groove (a type of music) and monkey
FAQs
Q. What is the evolution of Grookey?
Grookey evolves into Thwackey at level 16 and evolves into Rillaboom at level 35.
Q. What type is Grookey?
Grookey is the grass-type starter introduced for Pokemon Sword and Shield.
Q. When should I let Grookey evolve?
Letting Grookey evolve when it is first able to is probably best in order to continue training and developing Grookey along with the rest of your team.
Conclusion
Often viewed as the most difficult starter to choose, Grookey is still a very powerful Pokemon that can work well as a starter along with other Galar Pokemon. As one of the music-based Pokemon introduced within Pokemon Sword and Shield, Grookey is probably the most uniquely Galar Pokemon of the Galar starters.
