Introduced in generation four with the Pokemon Diamond and Pearl games, Rhyperior rounds out the evolutions from a generation one line of Pokemon. A dual ground and rock type Pokemon, it will evolve when it is traded with a Protector held item. To help showcase its new evolution it appeared in the Diamond and Pearl season of the Pokemon anime. Despite its hardened appearance, it has many weaknesses and requires a good degree of foresight in order to take advantage of its powerful kit. This guide will showcase Rhyperior’s capabilities in battle, its appearances in the anime, as well as other general facts about Rhyperior.
About Rhyperior
While its predecessors were original Pokemon of the generation one games, Rhyperior was first introduced in generation four. On top of this, it requires trading while it is holding a Protector item in order to fully evolve. It is the final evolution of Rhyhorn. This evolution grants it access to the Solid Rock ability which cuts down the amount of damage it takes from super effective moves. The Pokedex states that it loads rocks into its hands and shoots them out, sometimes it can launch Geodudes instead.
| First appearance in anime | Pokemon the Series: Diamond and Pearl Challenging a Towering Figure! |
| First appearance in game | Pokemon Diamond and Pearl |
| Region | Sinnoh |
| Evolution | Evolves from Rhyhorn when holding a Protector, final evolution of Rhydon |
| 1st Evo level | 42 |
| 2nd Evo level | Evolves into Rhyperior when holding a Protector |
| Pokedex Entry | It puts rocks in holes in its palms and uses its muscles to shoot them. Geodude are shot at rare times. |
Rhyperior Base Stats
| HP | 115 |
| ATTACK | 140 |
| DEFENCE | 130 |
| SP. ATTACK | 55 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 55 |
| SPEED | 40 |
| TOTAL | 535 |
Appearance
While Rhydon appeared to have some armor on its body Rhyperior appears to have armor on over that body of armor. Most of Rhyperior’s body is gray, but it has some orange studs embedded around its body. Rhyperior is massive, at 7 feet and 10 inches, or 2.4 meters, tall. It has two long horns on top of its head, jagged teeth along the top of its mouth, and its hands end in three rocky digits.
Behavior
A mountainous Pokemon, Rhyperior is quite a sturdy Pokemon according to the Pokedex. It is capable of surviving lava and it uses its weight and armor offensively against any interlopers. The Pokedex also states that it is capable of loading rocks into its hands and shooting them out like cannons. While the Pokedex does not specify exactly why it does this, it is most likely to protect itself. Rhyperior can also accidentally fire out Geodudes or Roggenrola without realizing it.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Rhyperior boasts a very high amount of bulk. Its health and physical defense stat are very good and its physical attack stat can help keep a threat on the field even while taking some hits. The only problem with Rhyperior’s defense is the fact that many types are super effective against it. Fighting, ground, steel, and ice are all 2x effective while water and grass are 4x effective against Rhyperior. While almost a third of the types in the game are powerful against Rhyperior, it can come with the ability Solid Rock which reduces the power of super effective moves by 3/4s.
Mega Rhyperior
Mega Rhyperior does not exist in any of the mainline games. In fact, if Mega Rhyperior did exist, it would likely wreak havoc in competitive Pokemon as well as make casual Pokemon far too easy. While Rhyperior trades off its many weaknesses with abilities like Solid Rock and bulky stats, if Mega Rhyperior existed it would be able to shake off these weaknesses much easier. It is not likely that Mega Rhyperior will be introduced in the game any time soon, especially as the games seem to be moving away from mega evolutions all together.
Best Moveset
If you want to succeed in competitive Pokemon battles with Rhyperior you will want to take advantage of its natural bulk with a held item of Leftovers. In order to keep your Rhyperior alive in the first place, you will want to run the ability Solid Rock. This ability in combination with Leftovers can help you shake off super effective moves. For a moveset you will want to consider Stealth Rock, Earthquake, Rock Blast/Megahorn, and Toxic/Swords Dance. Stealth Rock can force your opponents to think twice about swapping, Earthquake benefits from STAB (Same Type Attack Bonus), Rock Blast and Megahorn are interchangeable for type coverage, and Toxic gives you inevitability while Swords Dance can give Rhyperior the chance to full sweep an opposing team.
| Stealth Rock | Earthquake |
| Rock Blast/Megahorn | Toxic/Swords Dance |
How to Catch Rhyperior in Pokemon Go
If you want a Rhyperior for yourself in Pokemon Go, the easiest way to obtain one is to get enough candies to evolve a Rhyhorn into Rhyperior eventually. Luckily it does not take any special items to evolve your Rhydon into a Rhyperior in Pokemon Go. It will take 25 candies to evolve your Rhyhorn into Rhydon and another 100 candies to evolve into Rhyperior. Rhyhorns will spawn more frequently near quarries, towns, parking structures, trains, highways, and other large buildings.
Video Guide
Trivia
- Rhyperior’s design likely draws inspiration from rhinos. Its distinct vest-like appearance is also likely modeled after miners wearing a safety vest.
- The name Rhyperior is a portmanteau of the words rhinoceros and superior. The rhy prefix is also indicative of rhyolite, an igneous rock.
- Rhyperior shares an epithet with Nidoking and Nidoqueen, they are all known as the drill Pokemon.
FAQ
Is Rhyperior a Legendary Pokemon?
Nothing about Rhyperior classifies it as a legendary Pokemon. It can be bred at a Pokemon Daycare, its catch rate is not low enough to classify it as a legendary, and it evolves from a typical evolution line. There is nothing about Rhyperior that falls within the classification of a legendary Pokemon.
Is Rhyperior stronger than Rhydon?
Rhyperior is the evolution of Rhydon, therefore it is marginally stronger than its predecessor. In fact Rhyperior is stronger by an entire 50 base stat points. While this is distributed throughout all six stats, would you rather have a Pokemon with more or less base stats? More often, Rhyperior will prove to be stronger than Rhydon.
Who Evolves into Rhyperior?
Rhydon will evolve into Rhyperior, but it is not through the typical level threshold. Instead, you will need to evolve your Rhydon by trading it while it is holding a Protector item. Once the Rhydon is traded with this held item, it will evolve into a Rhyperior.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this drill Pokemon. Rhyperior is the final evolution of Rhyhorn and as a new evolution introduced for the generation one line, it has become a welcome addition. Many fans may prefer the original designs, but Rhyperior’s better stats give it more sustainability in competitive battle environments. Running a Rhyperior on your team means that you will have a bulky physical defender and attacker role covered on your team.
