Introduced in generation seven via the Pokemon Sun and Moon games, Primarina is a dual type water/fairy Pokemon and has been classified as the “Soloist Pokemon” by the Pokedex. It is the final evolution of Popplio and evolves from Brionne after reaching the level threshold. Primarina is the water type starter for the generation seven games, and it is quite a powerful one thanks to its fairy typing. This guide will showcase Primarina’s capabilities in battle, its appearances in the anime and other general facts about Primarina.
About Primarina
Primarina is a slow but a bulky, special attacking Pokemon that is the water starter representative of the Pokemon Sun and Moon games. It is the final evolution of Popplio and evolves from Brionne at level 34. It made its debut appearance as a Popplio in the first episode of the Sun and Moon season and also made its first appearance, as Lana’s Primarina, in the episode The One That Didn’t Get Away!. Primarina managed to get a decent chunk of screen time thanks to its inclusion on Lana’s team.
| First appearance in anime | Pokemon the Series: Sun and Moon The One That Didn’t Get Away! |
| First appearance in game | Pokemon Sun and Moon |
| Region | Alola |
| Evolution | Final evolution of Popplio, evolves from Brionne |
| 1st Evo level | 17 |
| 2nd Evo level | 34 |
| Pokedex Entry | Its singing voice is its chief weapon in battle. This Pokémon's Trainer must prioritize the daily maintenance of its throat at all costs. |
Primarina Base Stats
| HP | 80 |
| ATTACK | 74 |
| DEFENCE | 74 |
| SP. ATTACK | 126 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 116 |
| SPEED | 60 |
| TOTAL | 530 |
Appearance
Primarina is an aquatic Pokemon with features resembling a combination of a sea lion and a mermaid. Half of its body is white with purple frills and its tail is mostly blue. Furthermore, it also has light blue hair and seashell ornaments around its head. It moves around with two long flippers and what resembles a tiara on its head. Primarina is quite tall at 5 feet and 11 inches, or 1.8 meters tall.
Behavior
Primarina is quite the showman and has thus been classified as the soloist Pokemon by the Pokedex. Despite this, it is a happy and cheerful Pokemon but is relatively shy despite being a performer, although it quickly warms up to people and Pokemon as long as they are friendly with its trainer. Most of Primarina’s behavior comes from its relationship to Lana in the anime. While Primarina is generally cheerful and playful, it becomes jealous whenever another Pokemon gets too friendly with its trainer.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Primarina is not the fastest Pokemon but it more than makes up for that by having a decent amount of bulk with its special defense and a hard hitting special attack stat. However, it does have relatively mediocre HP and thus cannot take as many hits as a dedicated wall, although its ability to shake off special attacks and dish out it’s own makes it very threatening. As a dual type water and fairy Pokemon, it is weak to poison, grass and electric type moves. However, it resists fighting, bug, fire, water, ice, and dark type moves.
Shiny Primarina
Unlike its base evolution, is far more distinct and recognizable. It’s colors stay the same for the most part but the frills around its tail, waist, neck and head become pink. Shiny Primarina’s hair also changes from blue to yellow and a lot of the colors from regular Primarina and Shiny Primarina stay the same. However, it is much more obvious compared to its base evolution, Popplio. Like all shiny Pokemon, Shiny Primarina gains a starry animation upon entering battle.
Best Moveset
In competitive formats, Primarina has managed to maintain itself in the middle of competitive brackets. It is typically found in UU (Under Used) brackets as an all out offensive Pokemon. With a Choice Specs, as its held item, its moves are for covering as many types as possible while having the chance to One Hit KO your opponent’s Pokemon. For a moveset consider running Hydro Pump, Moonblast, Sparkling Aria, and Psychic. Hydro Pump, Moonblast and Sparkling Aria all benefit from STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus) while Psychic will help with type coverage.
| Hydro Pump | Moonblast |
| Sparkling Aria | Psychic |
How to Catch Primarina in Pokemon Go
Unfortunately, Primarina has not been released in Pokemon Go at this point in time. Niantic has not released the generation seven Pokemon yet, but they have released generation six Pokemon recently. It is very likely that Primarina will be included in Pokemon Go once Niantic is able to push out a major update containing these Pokemon. Since Primarina is the end evolution of one of the starters of generation seven, there is no doubt that Primarina will eventually be included.
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Trivia
- Without considering mega evolutions, Primarina has the highest base special attack and defense out of all of the fully evolved starter Pokemon.
- Of all the starter Pokemon in the game, Primarina is the only Pokemon with the fairy type.
- The name Primarina is likely a combination of the words prima donna, marina, and ballerina.
FAQ
Is Primarina a Good Pokemon?
Primarina is the only starter from generation seven to make a decent impact on competitive play. Its typing along with its high special stats makes it a force to be reckoned with in the middle brackets of competitive battling. In casual play, any of the three starters can be viable but Primarina has gone above and beyond that level.
How do you Kill Primarina?
In order to get past a Primarina, you will want to use physical attacking moves. Even super effective special moves will likely not deal with Primarina due to its high special defense stat. Use poison, grass, or electric type physical moves to get through Primarina with ease.
Is Mega Primarina Real?
Mega Primarina has not been officially released in any of the mainline Pokemon games. Since the developers of the game have been moving away from mega evolutions and into dynamaxing Pokemon instead, it is unlikely that Mega Primarina will be released any time soon.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this Soloist Pokemon. Primarina has managed to make an impact on competitive formats, unlike the other two starters of generation seven, and will likely remain the only fairy type starter in the game for a long time. While it may not be the fastest or flashiest offensive Pokemon, there is a lot of consistency to be found in Primarina. Reserve a spot for Primarina on your team and you will likely not be disappointed.
