Introduced in generation five with the Pokemon Black and White games, Throh is a monotype fighting Pokemon. It is a standalone Pokemon, which means that it does not evolve from or into any other Pokemon. Although it is considered to be a counterpart to Sawk and Throh is classified by the Pokedex as the “Judo Pokemon” which is likely a reference to its general design. This guide will showcase Throh’s capabilities in battle, its appearances in the anime, as well as other general facts about Throh.
About Throh
As a generation five Pokemon, Throh first appeared in the Black and White season of the anime in the episode The Clubsplosion Begins!. In this episode, a trainer named Montgomery used a Throh during a tournament in Ambiga Town. The Pokedex mentions that Throh will weave its own belt from vines. When Throh tightens its belt, it becomes stronger.
| First appearance in anime | Pokemon the Series: Black and White The Clubsplosion Begins! |
| First appearance in game | Pokemon Black and White |
| Region | Unova |
| Evolution | Not known to evolve from or into any other Pokemon |
| 1st Evo level | N/A |
| 2nd Evo level | N/A |
| Pokedex Entry | When they encounter foes bigger than themselves, they try to throw them. They always travel in packs of five. |
Throh Base Stats
| HP | 120 |
| ATTACK | 100 |
| DEFENCE | 85 |
| SP. ATTACK | 30 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 85 |
| SPEED | 45 |
| TOTAL | 465 |
Appearance
Throh is a red, bipedal, and humanoid Pokemon that is dressed with a black belt but while most of Throh’s body is red, its gi is white with a black belt and black trimmings. Tying the belt will make Throh feel empowered and it deals more damage. It has two arms and two feet and each appendage ends with three digits each. Throh’s head is slightly oblong, and seems to fit low on its shoulders. Throh is an average sized Pokemon at 4 feet and 3 inches, or 1.3 meters, tall.
Behavior
In the wild, Throh can often be found in groups of five and the group sticks together, training their skills together as well. Any member that cannot keep up with the group has to throw in its belt and leave the group. Throh is a male-only Pokemon, and female versions of Throh cannot be encountered. Their belts are important symbols, and they make their own belts out of vines. When Throh tightens its belt, it becomes stronger. The Pokedex mentions when Throh is against larger opponents, it will not hesitate to try and throw them.
Strengths and Weaknesses
For a single evolution Pokemon, Throh is able to hold its own against many other Pokemon. Its physical attack is impressive but the rest of its stats fall a bit too short to help Throh function in a variety of roles. The only threat presented by Throh is its high potential damage output. Even still, Throh is a slow Pokemon and has trouble keeping up against aggressive Pokemon. As a monotype fighting Pokemon, Throh takes 2x damage from flying, psychic, and fairy type moves. It is immune to no types but will resist rock, bug, and dark type moves.
Best Moveset
In competitive play, Throh can function as a bulky and offensive Pokemon. It has an excellent health pool and decent defenses to match. Throh even comes with a strong physical attack stat, but it is weak in speed which can hold it back from being truly menacing in battle. A Leftovers, as a held item, and the Guts ability can ensure that Throh presents a resilient member of your team. Consider running Circle Throw, Rest, Sleep Talk, and Bulk Up/Knock Off. The detriment of Circle Throw going last is essentially ignored as Throh often goes last anyways. Rest can keep Throh healthy, and Sleep Talk is a good combination with rest and bulky stats. Bulk Up can help Throh setup its stats while Knock Off can remove problematic items from opposing Pokemon.
| Circle Throw | Rest |
| Sleep Talk | Bulk Up/Knock Off |
How to Catch Throh in Pokemon Go
If you would like to obtain a Throh in Pokemon Go, you will likely need to travel or communicate with other players. This is because Throh is a region-locked Pokemon, spawning in the Americas and Africa. While it can be found in the wild, it will only spawn naturally if it is within these region-locked areas. If you are within the appropriate region, you can find Throh spawning at a boosted rate near gyms, sport centers, stadiums, and recreational areas.
You can also hatch a Throh from 10 km eggs, but the egg must be found from within this region. Unfortunately, it does not seem as if Throh has appeared as a raid boss at Pokemon Gyms. Since Throh does not evolve from or into any other Pokemon, any candies you collect can be used to power it up instead of saving them for evolution.
Trivia
- Throh and Sawk are parallels of Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan. They are all male-only fighting type Pokemon that appear to be counterparts of each other.
- The inspiration for Throh’s design is based on a martial artist practitioner that involves throwing.
- The name Throh is a corruption of the word throw.
FAQ
Does Throh evolve into Sawk?
While Throh and Sawk share some similarities between their designs, they are not actually linked through evolution. They are similar to Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan in the original games as monotype fighting Pokemon that can only appear as male. Regardless, Throh and Sawk are not connected by evolution and exist independently of each other.
Is Throh a rare Pokemon?
Throh is not a particularly rare Pokemon. If it is available in the generation, it typically has multiple different spawn locations throughout various stages of the game. While its encounter rate is fairly low at 10%, the fact that it can be seen in many different areas means that you may just happen to run into one eventually.
What is the difference between Throh and Sawk?
In terms of base stats, Throh is much more defensive than Sawk. They are both fairly aggressive Pokemon, but Sawk is more suited for aggressive offensive play, while Throh can be used to prolong battle. Throh is much slower than Sawk, but it has a higher health pool and resistances to make up for it.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this “Judo Pokemon”. While Throh has not made the biggest impact on competitive play, it is still a formidable Pokemon. Its potential damage output is incredible for a Pokemon that can be encountered so early. Unfortunately, it simply does not fare well against fully built or end-game Pokemon. Reserve a slot on your team for Throh if you want a bulky fighting type Pokemon.
