One of the original 151 Pokemon of the original generation one games, Nidoking is a dual type ground and poison type Pokemon. The final evolution of male Nidoran, Nidoking is the counterpart to Nidoqueen. To evolve your Nidorino, you would need to use a Moon Stone. As a Pokemon that has been around for the entirety of Pokemon’s history, it has had many opportunities to appear in various Pokemon media. This guide will showcase Nidoking’s appearances in the anime, its capabilities in battle throughout history, as well as other general facts about Nidoking.
About Nidoking
As a representative of the original 151 Pokemon, Nidoking has quite the reputation. One of the quirks of Nidoking’s evolution line is that Nidoran has a different sprite and evolution depending on whether it is male or female. Nidoking is the male representative of this lineup. A male Nidoran will evolve into Nidorino once it reaches level 16, but to evolve it into Nidoking, you will need to use a Moon Stone. Since Nidoking has been around since generation one, it has appeared numerous times throughout the history of the anime. It first appeared in the original series with the episode The Battle of the Badge where Ash’s rival Gary used it in battle.
| First appearance in anime | Pokemon Original Series The Battle of the Badge |
| First appearance in game | Red/Green (Japan) Red/Blue (International) |
| Region | Kanto |
| Evolution | Final evolution of male Nidoran, evolves from Nidorino |
| 1st Evo level | 16 |
| 2nd Evo level | Evolves from Nidorino when a Moon Stone is used on it |
| Pokedex Entry | It uses its powerful tail in battle to smash, constrict, then break the prey's bones. |
Nidoking Base Stats
(Generation one - Generation five)
| HP | 81 |
| ATTACK | 92 |
| DEFENCE | 77 |
| SP. ATTACK | 85 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 75 |
| SPEED | 85 |
| TOTAL | 495 |
Nidoking received a slight buff with generation six, and its base stat totals were boosted to keep it in line with newer Pokemon. This stat buff only truly changed its physical attack stat.
(Generation six and onward)
| HP | 81 |
| ATTACK | 102 |
| DEFENCE | 77 |
| SP. ATTACK | 85 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 75 |
| SPEED | 85 |
| TOTAL | 505 |
Appearance
Nidoking is a large bipedal purple reptile-like Pokemon. It has a long tail, a body of armor, and horns sticking out of its skull. Most of its color scheme is a light purple, but its chest and stomach are made up of white armor. The inside of its ears are green, but most of its color palette follows the light purple color. Nidoking’s bottom jaw is lined with sharp pointed teeth. To go in line with its namesake, Nidokings can only ever be male.
Behavior
The Pokedex states that Nidokings are aggressive and typically only mentions its capabilities in battle. Its long tail can be used to flick away opponents or even bind them in a crushing grip. Instead of being a partner, it appears to be more of a wild animal, constantly going on rampages and requires being calmed down. A spirited Pokemon, it loves to show off its aggression and power in battle. As Nidoking is the result of trainer influence and the utilization of an evolution stone, it is rarely seen in the wild.
Strengths and Weaknesses
The strength of Nidoking lies in its consistency. Throughout the history of competitive Pokemon battles, it has remained stoutly in the middle of the tiers. Nidoking does not excel at offense or defense and instead remains solid in many roles. What draws many trainers to Nidoking is its access to the ability Sheer Force, forfeiting any freeze, burns, or other side effects of moves for more damage potential. To get through a Nidoking, you will want to make use of ground, water, psychic, or ice type moves. Consider which of these moves make contact with Nidoking, as the ability Poison Point could throw a wrench into your plans.
Shiny Nidoking
Throughout Shiny Nidoking’s evolutionary line, not much changes. The colors for its purple/pink body are replaced with blue. Shiny Nidoking’s ears also change color from their green color to a red color on the insides. It can be difficult discerning whether Shiny Nidoran will eventually become a Shiny Nidoking or Nidoqueen as their colors are very similar. Like all shiny Pokemon, Shiny Nidoking gains a starry animation upon entering battle.
Best Moveset
In competitive Pokemon battles, it is best to utilize Nidoking with the Sheer Force ability. This makes it so you never have the bonus effect of moves, but escalates the moves power to greater peaks. To get the best chance of One Hit KO’ing your opponent’s Pokemon, consider using a Life Orb as a held item. For moves, you will want to use Sludge Wave, Earth Power, Ice Beam, and Superpower/Stealth Rock. Almost every single one of these moves benefits from Sheer Force. Sludge Wave also benefits from STAB, Earth Power presents much of the same, Ice Beam may never freeze with Sheer Force but manages to cover typing well, and Superpower and Stealth Rock are interchangeable depending on what gives your team more trouble.
| Sludge Wave | Earth Power |
| Ice Beam | Superpower/Stealth Rock |
How to Catch Nidoking in Pokemon Go
To have the best chances at obtaining a Nidoking yourself, you will want to catch as many Nidoran males as you can. These are more likely to spawn in marshes and lake locations. You will need 25 Nidoran candies to evolve into a Nidorino and another 100 candies to evolve into Nidoking. Luckily, in Pokemon Go, you do not need any special items to evolve your Nidorino into Nidoking. Nidoking has also appeared as a level 4 raid boss in the past. Keep your eyes peeled for this raid if you want to skip all the candy grinding.
Trivia
- Nidoking and its counterpart Nidoqueen are the only Pokemon throughout every generation to have the poison/ground typing.
- The name Nidoking is a portmanteau of the words needle and king.
- Throughout the anime, Nidoking was a popular choice among the rivals of the show. Appearing on Gary, Paul, and Silver’s team.
Video Guide:
FAQ
Is Nidoking better than Nidoqueen?
They are very comparable as their typing is identical as well as the abilities they have access to. The biggest difference is that Nidoking has a better offensive set while Nidoqueen has a better defensive set of base stats. When Sheer Force is kept into consideration, it may be better to have an offensive Pokemon, but having a Poison Point ability warrants a bulkier set. Its up to you in the end.
Is Nidoking a Good Pokemon?
Firmly consistent, but not truly impactful is Nidoking’s niche. While it is a favorite of generation one, especially due to the access of a level 100 Nidoking in the early game through glitches, in competitive battles Nidoking is firmly just okay. Its access to Sheer Force gives it some options in sweeping opponent’s teams, but its lack of alternatives means an opponent will see this coming.
When should I Evolve Nidorino into Nidoking?
Nidoking will typically stop learning moves once it reaches this final evolution. Only evolve your Nidorino if you are satisfied with its current moveset or you plan on swapping its moves with move tutors or TMs/Hms. Once your Nidorino has 2-3 solid moves you plan on keeping, you ought to evolve your Nidorino into Nidoking by using the Moon Stone.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this drill Pokemon. Nidoking has been around since the first Pokemon games, making it distinct in many veteran fan’s memories. Surprisingly it has maintained some usability almost 20 years later in competitive battling. A fierce Pokemon that has proven that it is here to stay, save a slot in your team for Nidoking to have a powerful card to play.
