Dragonair (Pokémon)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dragonair | |
|---|---|
 National Dratini - Dragonair (#148) - Dragonite Johto Dratini - Dragonair (#242) - Dragonite |
|
| Japanese name | Hakuryu |
| Stage | Stage 1 |
| Evolves from | Dratini |
| Evolves to | Dragonite |
| Generation | First |
| Species | Dragon Pokémon |
| Type | Dragon |
| Height | 13 ft 1 in (4.0 m) |
| Weight | 36.0 lb (16.5 kg) |
| Ability | Shed Skin |
Dragonair (ハクリュー Hakuryū?, Hakuryu) are one of the 493 fictional species of Pokémon creatures from the multi-billion-dollar Pokémon media franchise—a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri.
The name "Dragonair" is a portmanteau of "dragon" and "debonair", referring to Dragonair's dragon-like form and their affable and suave nature. The last syllable may also be derived from "air", referring to Dragonair's ability to become airborne, or possibly even the "air" being a feminine-sounding suffix. Their English name was originally going to be "Dragyn". In the Japanese version, "Haku" in this case means older brother as they are the elder form of Dratini. "Haku" can also mean white, creating the possible interpretation of the creature's name as "white dragon".
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[edit] Appearance
Dragonair look like sea serpents, thus having some dragon-like characteristics. They have a long, sleek, blue and white body. They have a small horn on the forehead and two wing-shaped protuberances on the sides of the head which are often said to be ears, but are in fact wings, as evidenced in the short film preceding Pokémon: The Movie 2000. They have a blue orb placed at the neck and another two near the tip of the tail, similar to the rattle on a rattlesnake.
[edit] Biology
Dragonair live in large bodies of water, like lakes or the sea. They store an enormous amount of energy inside their bodies. This energy seems to manifest itself in two distinct fashions. First, even though they lack large wings, Dragonair has been seen flying with the wings on the side of the head greatly enlarged.
Furthermore, a Dragonair can discharge energy through the crystalline orbs on its neck and tail to envelop itself in a gentle aura. This aura, which makes its body shine slightly and gives it a mystical appearance, is said to enable the Dragonair to control the weather in the immediate area and change it in a matter of minutes.
Even though Dragonair are known best for their ability to control the weather, they do not naturally learn any moves that change the weather in battle (such as Rain Dance, Sunny Day, or Hail). The weather-centric storyline of Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and especially Emerald makes no mention of Dragonair.
[edit] In the video games
In Pokémon Red and Blue, Dragonair are not found in the wild, but they can be evolved from Dratini, which are available, In all Pokemon Red, Blue and Yellow, it can learn other good attacks such as Ice Beam/Blizzard, Thunderbolt/Thunder, Surf and Fire Blast. In Pokémon Yellow, FireRed and LeafGreen, Dragonair are found by fishing in the Safari Zone. In Pokémon Gold, Silver and Crystal, Dragonair are found on Route 45 and in the Dragon's Den.
Dragonair's stats are about average, but they have a wonderful array of elemental resistances thanks to their Dragon type. However, until their evolution into Dragonite, Dragonair feature mediocore stats all around, and a barely above-average attack stat. Sometimes, trainers prefer Dragonair over Dragonite because of Dragonite's double weakness against Ice (Dragonite is a Dragon- and Flying-type Pokémon), but this is made up by their well above-average Special Defense stat. Dragonair fair pretty poorly in competitive battling, but it, Dratini, Bagon, and Shelgon are the only pure Dragon-type Pokémon available. Shelgon are generally preferred among Trainers in the video games.[citation needed]
[edit] References
- The following games and their instruction manuals: Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue; Pokémon Yellow; Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Stadium 2; Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal; Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald; Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen; Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness
- Publications
- Barbo, Maria. The Official Pokémon Handbook. Scholastic Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0439154049.
- Loe, Casey, ed. Pokémon Special Pikachu Edition Official Perfect Guide. Sunnydale, CA: Empire 21 Publishing, 1999. ISBN 1-930206-15-1.
- Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon FireRed & Pokémon LeafGreen Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., August 2004. ISBN 193020650X
- Mylonas, Eric. Pokémon Pokédex Collector’s Edition: Prima’s Official Pokémon Guide. Prima Games, September 21 2004. ISBN 0761547614
- Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Emerald Version Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., April 2005. ISBN 1930206585
[edit] External links
- Official Pokémon website
- Bulbapedia (a Pokémon-centric Wiki)’s article about Dragonair as a species
- Serebii.net’s 4th Gen Pokédex entry for Dragonair
- Pokémon Dungeon Pokédex entry, full of statistics analysis
- PsyPoke - Dragonair Pokédex entry and Usage Overview
- Smogon.com - Dragonair Tactical Data
- WikiKnowledge.net’s entry for Dragonair Previously hosted by Wikibooks
