Slowbro

Slowbro

Naming
Others	Slowpoke (juvenile stage) Dopey Pokémon (Slowpoke) Hermit Crab Pokémon (Slowbro) Ramoloss and Flagadoss (French) Flegmon and Lahmus (German) 小呆獸 Síudāaisau and 大呆獸 Daaihdāaisau (Cantonese) 呆呆獸 / 呆呆兽 Dāidāishòu and 呆河馬 / 呆河马 Dāihémǎ (Mandarin) 야돈 Yadon and 야도란 Yadoran (Korean)
Binomen	N/A
Original	ヤドン and ヤドラン
Romanization	Yadon and Yadoran
Morphology
Body type	Mammalian
Average height	1.2 m (Slowpoke) 1.6 m (Slowbro) 2 m (Mega Slowbro)
Average weight	36 kg (Slowpoke) 78.5 kg (Kantonian Slowbro) 70.5 kg (Galarian Slowbro) 120 kg (Mega Slowbro)
Intelligence
Sentience	Sentient
Sapience	Non-sapient
Ecology
Place of origin	Kanto region, Pokémon World
Habitat	Lakes, rivers and seashores
Diet	Piscivorous Herbivorous
Locomotion	Quadrupedal (Slowpoke) Bipedal (Slowbro)
Subspecies	Galarian Slowbro
Related species	Slowking
Behind the Scenes
Universe	Pokémon

Slowbro is a Water/Psychic-type Pokémon species and results from a symbiotic union between its juvenile stage known as Slowpoke and a Shellder, which bites the Slowpoke's tail, triggering its maturation into a Slowbro. If the Slowpoke is in contact with a King's Rock, the Shellder will bite its head instead, thus triggering a different transformation into Slowking.

Biology[]

Slowpoke[]

Members of this species start life as Slowpoke, a medium-sized amphibious quadruped with pink-colored fur. It has a bulky otter-like appearance with a long tail with a white tip, curled ears, stubby limbs equipped with a single claw at the tip, and a broad muzzle. Although its eyes are large, the pupils are quite small.

This Pokémon is perhaps best known for its sluggish demeanor and seemingly unimpressive intellect, to the point of earning it the nickname of "Dopey Pokémon". Its reaction time is so slow that it can take up to five seconds to feel pain after being injured.

A typical Slowpoke spends its days lolling about in a state of idle otioseness, and fishes by dipping its tail into the water. The tail releases a sweet alluring substance to attract fish, but it might take Slowpoke an entire day to notice that it's been bitten. The tail is also considered a delicacy by humans, and will regenerate if cut out.

Wild populations of Slowpoke are known to exist in the regions of Kanto, Johto, Unova, Kalos and Alola. They seem to be as comfortable on the sea coasts as in freshwater.

Slowbro[]

When a Slowpoke's tail is bitten by a Shellder, it triggers this Pokémon's transformation into Slowbro. This new form mostly resembles a bigger version of Slowpoke, with the main difference being that it now walks bipedally. Another noticeable difference is that Slowbro now has protective plates on its abdomen and the number of digits on its paws increase to three on each forelimb and two on each hindlimb.

Meanwhile, the Shellder itself is also transformed from a bivalve-like creature into one that more closely resembles a gastropod shell, and remains permanently attached to Slowbro's tail, feeding on the leftover scraps of its host as well as the tasty (but not particularly nutritious) sap that's still produced by its host's tail.

Since Slowbro can no longer use its tail for fishing, it needs to actively swim after prey. The Shellder also releases a type of poison into the Slowbro's body which makes it immune to pain. This seems to have a beneficial effect on its physiology, given that Slowbro is now far more capable of unleashing its psychic abilities, which are less commonly displayed by Slowpoke. Still, despite being a powerful combatant, it mostly remains peaceful and lazy, and prefers to avoid confrontation. It's said that every time the Shellder grips its tail stronger, Slowbro gets a momentary flash of inspiration, which is forgotten soon afterwards.

Curiously, if the Slowbro loses its Shellder, it will revert to being a Slowpoke. This makes it the only known Pokémon that can, under natural circumstances, revert to a previous stage of evolution.

When exposed to Slowbronite, it will temporarily transform into Mega Slowbro.

Galarian variant[]

A regional variant of this species occurs in the region of Galar; particularly in the Isle of Armor. In terms of overall anatomy, Galarian Slowpoke are similar to their Kantonian counterparts, but can be distinguished by the gold-yellow coloration of their foreheads and tails; as well as for being pure Psychic-types, rather than Water/Psychic. The inclusion of Galarica seeds in their natural diet gives a distinctive spicy flavor to their tails.

When a Galarian Slowpoke is given a Galarica Cuff (i.e. a cuff made from twigs of a Galarica tree), it triggers its evolution into Galarian Slowbro, which differs from Kantonian Slowbro for being a Poison/Psychic-type, rather than Water/Psychic. This difference, reflected in the purple coloration of its forehead, hands and tail; results from the Shellder attaching itself to the Slowpoke's left forepaw, rather than its tail. As such, Galarian Slowbro has an exposed tail, while the mollusk shell covers its left arm and can be used as a pistol to shoot off poisonous liquid at its opponents. The Shellder's toxin also affects Slowbro, altering its body chemistry and making it part Poison-type.

Cultural significance[]

As noted above, Slowpoke tails are eaten by humans and considered quite tasty. It is possible to harvest them without doing any harm to the Pokémon, considering that the tail often falls off naturally, and that it will grow back later. In Alola, traditional recipes involve drying the tail and then simmering it into a salty stew. Additionally, there are places where Slowpoke is revered as a sacred species, as it's believed that its yawns can summon the rain.