A strange Pokemon added to the games with Pokemon Gold and Silver, Wobbuffet is a psychic type Pokemon. It has quickly become some fan’s favorite Pokemon with its many appearances in the anime as Jessie’s Wobbuffet. Never a Pokemon to go first in battle, it takes some creative ingenuity to get the best effects from using a Wobbuffet. This psychic type Pokemon is unique in many different ways. This guide will showcase Wobbuffet’s appearances in the anime, its capabilities in battle, as well as other general facts about Wobbuffet.
About Wobbuffet
A rather odd Pokemon, Wobbuffet was introduced in generation two with Pokemon Gold and Silver. It received a pre-evolution in generation three with Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire through Wynaut. Wobbuffet is a lackadaisical Pokemon, and in the anime, it is shown to pop out of its Pokeball without command. Team Rocket trainer Jessie often had trouble with Wobbuffet throughout their adventures, but most times she used Wobbuffet in battle, it was generally a good result. The Pokedex states that if two Wobbuffets come together, they will attempt to outlast each other in battle, sometimes lasting until one collapses from hunger.
| First appearance in anime | Original Series: Tricks of the Trade |
| First appearance in game | Pokemon Gold and Silver |
| Region | Johto |
| Evolution | Evolves from Wynaut at level 15 |
| 1st Evo level | 15 |
| 2nd Evo level | N/A |
| Pokedex Entry | If two or more Wobbuffet meet, they will turn competitive and try to outdo the other's endurance. However, they may try to see which one can endure the longest without food. Trainers need to beware of this habit. |
Wobbuffet Base Stats
| HP | 190 |
| ATTACK | 33 |
| DEFENCE | 58 |
| SP. ATTACK | 33 |
| SP. DEFENCE | 58 |
| SPEED | 33 |
| TOTAL | 405 |
Appearance of Wobbuffet
Wobbuffet’s body is almost entirely blue, with a black tail sticking out of its base. Its face is almost always scrunched up and you almost never see its eyes not pointed together. The mouth is a squiggly line that typically indicates a smile. On Wobbuffet’s tail, you can see two wide eyes that seem to be afraid. A popular fan theory states that this tail is actually Wobbuffet, and the body is used to keep opponents away from the tail. Of course, there is nothing in the Pokedex or otherwise, that states this is the case. Wobbuffet has four little stubs that it uses as legs and two arms with no fingers.
Behavior of Wobbuffet
Wobbuffet’s are almost always depicted as docile, and they will never attack first. However, Pokedex states that they can get uncharacteristically aggressive when someone approaches its tail. This is in line with its behavior in the games as its movepool has revenge-style moves that deal more damage upon being hit. In the anime, Wobbuffet is constantly causing problems for Jessie as it often releases itself from its Pokeball and shouts its name. Despite its rather mischievous-looking smile and behavior, Wobbuffet appears to have no ill intentions.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Wobbuffet has one of the highest health pools in the game, which goes along nicely with its stalling behavior. If you encounter a Wobbuffet in the wild, you will want to be careful as they can retaliate with very powerful moves. Its other stats are negligible, but its high base power in retaliating can be difficult to survive. Since Wobbuffet can typically never go first, you will want to abuse this by defeating a Wobbuffet as quickly as possible. Get through the Wobbuffet before it sets up Reflect and Light Screen.
Shiny Wobbuffet
A Shiny Wobbuffet exchanges its blue color palette for a hot pink color. Nothing else changes in its design, and if it is a female Shiny Wobbuffet, it will retain its bright pink lipstick. Shiny Wobbuffet’s design did not leave much open for the designers, but at least it is more appealing than a bright lime green shiny. Like all shiny Pokemon, a Shiny Wobbuffet will have a starry animation upon entering battle.
Best Moveset
In many competitive battling brackets, Wobbuffet is banned due to its signature ability Shadow Tag. This ban was included to ensure there were no longer battles with Wobbuffets that could not attack each other and could not swap out into another Pokemon. Many competitive brackets allow you to bring a Wobbuffet, but not necessarily Shadow Tag. There really is only one approved moveset for Wobbuffet across all generations of competitive battle. As Wobbuffet’s base stats are horrible, you just want to run retaliation moves. Counter, Mirror Coat, Encore, and Safeguard will give you the best results. The counter will deal double damage when attacked by a physical move, Mirror Coat is identical except with special moves, Encore can get you to guarantee you know which move is coming, and Safeguard will prevent Wobbuffet’s large health pool from inevitability like Toxic.
| Counter | Mirror Guard |
| Encore | Safeguard |
How to Catch Wobbuffet in Pokemon Go
Since Wobbuffet is no legendary Pokemon, starter, or any other desirable traits in wild Pokemon, it is fairly common to find during nighttime. You can find Wobbuffets in residential areas, grassy areas, and even hatch them from eggs. Wobbuffets will hatch from 2 km, 5 km, and 10 km eggs. If you catch a Wynaut, you will need 50 candies to evolve it into Wobbuffet. Beware of attempting to use Wobbuffet in battle in Pokemon Go, there is no retaliation damage boost in Pokemon Go.
Video Guide
Trivia
- Wobbuffet has a different sprite when it is male or female. The female version has bright pink lipstick around its mouth.
- Out of all the psychic-type Pokemon, Wobbuffet has the highest health base stat.
- Wobbuffet’s design may be designed after a Japanese comedian, Sanpei Hayashiya, who was known for touching his hand to his forehead and stating “That’s the way it is ma’am”.
FAQs
Q. Why is Wobbuffet banned?
The simple answer is Shadow Tag. With two Wobbuffets holding the leftovers item and the Shadow Tag ability in effect, neither Wobbuffet could deal damage to the other and even if the battle reaches Struggle damage, they will remain healed to full. Many competitive brackets will allow you to bring a Wobbuffet, but not with the ability Shadow Tag.
Q. Why is Wobbuffet so good?
Wobbuffet’s greatest selling point is its absurd health stat. Also, the fact that it was almost entirely skill-based and depended on whether you could read your opponent’s next move correctly. It is not necessarily the most powerful Pokemon, but it is satisfying to hit your opponent with double the damage that you had taken.
Q. Is Wobbuffet useless?
Wobbuffet is a unique Pokemon, it is not a classic sweeper that gets stat bonuses for knocking out opposing Pokemon or setting up with 4x attack stats. Wobbuffet rewards trainers that know which move is likely coming and splits the decision into whether the attack is physical or special. While Wobbuffet’s base stats may lead you to believe it is weak, it is really using its opponent’s attack stats when successfully retaliating against a move.
Conclusion
Congratulations, you now know just about everything there is to know about this rather odd Pokemon. Wobbuffet is rewarding to use in competitive battles as it is almost like a game of rock paper scissors. Guessing correctly will likely earn you a win and it is a different dynamic than most Pokemon have to offer. Its appearances in the anime and hearing it cry out its name is remarkably memorable, and fans of the franchise likely remember the many shenanigans Wobbuffet has caused. This Pokemon is unique in battle as well as its depictions in media making it a beloved Pokemon amongst fans.
