Introduced in generation five with the Pokemon Black and White games, Pignite is a dual type fire and fighting Pokemon. It is the second stage evolution of its three stage evolution line and evolves from Tepig and into Emboar once it reaches the level thresholds. Pignite is classified by the Pokedex as the “Fire Pig Pokemon” which is likely a reference to its general design. This guide will showcase Pignite’s capabilities in battle, its appearances in the anime, as well as other general facts about Pignite.
About Pignite
As a generation five Pokemon, Pignite first made an appearance in the Black and White season of the anime in the episode Minccino-Neat and Tidy! In this episode, a Pignite debuts under the ownership of Bianca. As a generation five Pokemon, it comes from Unova. The Pokedex mentions that Pignite will fuel the fire in its stomach with food. When it becomes angry, the flames become more intense.
| First appearance in anime | Pokemon the Series: Black and White Minccino-Neat and Tidy! |
| First appearance in game | Pokemon Black and White |
| Region | Unova |
| Evolution | Evolves from Tepig, evolves into Emboar |
| 1st Evo level | 16 |
| 2nd Evo level | 36 |
| Pokedex Entry | Whatever it eats becomes fuel for the flame in its stomach. When it is angered, the intensity of the flame increases. |
Pignite Base Stats
| HP | 90 |
| ATTACK | 93 |
| DEFENCE | 55 |
| SP. ATTACK | 70 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 55 |
| SPEED | 55 |
| TOTAL | 418 |
Appearance
Pignite is a large orange and black Pokemon that resembles a bipedal pig. Most of Pignite’s body is orange, but it has black around its stomach, head, and hands. There are also orange clouds on Pignite’s chest and it has a red nose with two tall black ears. There is also a large curly tail at the base of Pignite’s body. Its mouth is typically twisted into a competitive grin and two pointed fangs can be seen even when Pignite’s mouth is closed. Pignite is an average sized Pokemon at 3 feet and 3 inches, or 1 meter, tall.
Behavior
All Pignite have fires in their stomachs and it keeps this flame alive with food. The more food it eats, the stronger the flames become. The intensity of the flame is also increased whenever Pignite becomes angered. As the flame grows stronger, Pignite's speed increases. When Pignite becomes threatened, it will blow out large smoke clouds in order to escape. In the past, Heat Crash was Pignite's signature move. The Pokedex mentions how Pignite becomes stronger as its internal fire flares up.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Pignite has a strong physical attack and a good health pool. Unfortunately, it has low defensive stats and a slow speed which makes it difficult to find a role for Pignite. It does have access to supportive moves and disruptive moves which can make Pignite more viable. As a dual type fire and fighting Pokemon, Pignite takes 2x damage from flying, ground, water, and psychic type moves. It is immune to no types but will resist bug, steel, fire, grass, ice, and dark type moves.
Best Moveset
In competitive play, Pignite is typically reserved for the NFE (Not Fully Evolved) format. There is little reason to consider Pignite in other formats and Emboar can often function as an overall more powerful Pignite. Nevertheless, Pignite can function as a defensive Pokemon with access to disruptive moves. An Eviolite, as a held item, can ensure that Pignite can survive as it disables the opposing Pokemon. Consider running Fire Punch, Low Kick, Thunder Punch/Toxic, and Roar/Taunt. This set is aimed to give Pignite a wide range of offensive options while also providing disruption. Use Toxic and Roar/Taunt to slow down your opponents. Once your opponents have been slowed down, you can switch to offensive moves.
| Fire Punch | Low Kick |
| Thunder Punch/Toxic | Roar/Taunt |
How to Catch Pignite in Pokemon Go
If you want to obtain a Pignite in Pokemon Go, the easiest way to do so would be to obtain a Tepig and eventually evolve it into a Pignite. Like most evolved forms of Pokemon, its base evolution is a common spawn as compared to its evolutions. Tepig can be found in the wild, at a boosted rate, near cities, neighborhoods, beaches, parks, and other residential or dry/arid climates. Tepig can also be hatched from 2 and 5 km eggs but while Pignite and Emboar have not appeared as raid bosses in the past, Tepig has been a tier one raid boss at Pokemon Gyms. To evolve a Tepig into a Pignite you will need 25 candies. You will need another 100 candies to evolve a Pignite into an Emboar.
Trivia
- Pignite and its evolution line were created by Lee HyunJung.
- The inspiration for Pignite’s design is likely based on Zhu Baije. Ken Sugimori mentioned that the evolution line was designed in a Chinese Style.
- The name Pignite is a combination of the words pig and ignite.
FAQ
At what level does Pignite evolve?
Pignite is the second stage evolution of its three stage evolution line. It evolves from Tepig once it reaches level 16. Pignite will evolve into Emboar once it reaches level 36. There are no special conditions to fulfill with this Pokemon’s evolution line and it will evolve as long as it is leveled up. Once Tepig evolves into Emboar, you have finished the Pokemon’s evolution line.
Does Ash’s Pignite evolve into Emboar?
Ash’s Pignite unfortunately does not evolve into Emboar throughout their journey. Once Ash leaves Unova, he leaves his Pignite with Professor Oak at his laboratory. While Ash managed to evolve his Tepig into Pignite, it does not evolve into Emboar.
Is Pignite heavy?
The Pokedex mentions that Pignite is 122.4 lbs. or 55.5 kg. The weight of a Pokemon can affect the damage it deals or takes from certain moves. While Pignite is heavier than average Pokemon, there are other Pokemon that can take advantage of these moves more efficiently than Pignite.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this “Fire Pig Pokemon”. Throughout Pignite’s competitive history, it has not been a very impactful Pokemon. While its stats and potential damage are impressive, it is simply too slow to fulfill the aggressive role that it seems built to fulfill. However, it has access to many different kinds of moves which can make it difficult to predict what Pignite can be capable of. Reserve a slot on your team for Pignite if you want a versatile fire and fighting type Pokemon.
