#0883 · Galar · Generation 8 · fossil

Arctovish

Fossil Pokémon · Water/Ice-type

Arctovish is a Water/Ice-type Pokémon, the Fossil Pokémon, number 883 (#0883) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 8 and comes from the Galar region. It is 2 m tall and weighs 175 kg.

Arctovish is a fossil Pokémon with its mouth on top of its head, which makes eating the prey it freezes surprisingly awkward. The Pokédex says attacks cannot pierce the skin on its face.

How to pronounce Arctovish

Arctovish is pronounced ARK-toh-vish. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.

Listen to Arctovish said out loud:

In Japanese it is ウオチルドン (Uochilldon).

Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.

Lore

Biology

Arctovish is 2 m tall and weighs 175 kg. A fish head, worn upside down, sits on a blue and white plesiosaur-style body with spotted flippers and a finned tail. The round blue head has black rectangular pupils and white fins, with the mouth on top.

Behaviour

The Pokédex says Arctovish captures prey by freezing its surroundings, then struggles to eat it. It also says breathing difficulties made it go extinct despite its protective face.

Habitat

The Pokédex names no habitat. Wild ones appear only in Max Raid Battles on Snowslide Slope in the Crown Tundra.

Powers

Arctovish has Water Absorb or Ice Body, with Slush Rush hidden. It shares the signature move Fishious Rend with Dracovish and adds Freeze-Dry, Icicle Crash and Blizzard. With base Defense 100, Special Defense 90 and a slow Speed of 55, it is built to take hits, but it will seldom get Fishious Rend's boost for moving first.

Name origin

Arctovish may combine 'arctic' and 'fish', and possibly 'vicious' or the Ordovician. The Japanese name is Uochilldon (ウオチルドン), which may combine uo ('fish'), 'chill' and -don, a common ending in the names of prehistoric animals.

Design inspiration

Like Dracovish, its fish half resembles Dunkleosteus, and its bottom half looks like a marine reptile such as a plesiosaur, mosasaur or ichthyosaur. These are fan readings, not official statements.

Evolution notes

Arctovish does not evolve. It is revived by combining a Fossilized Fish with a Fossilized Dino.

In the games

Arctovish is revived by Cara Liss on Route 6 in Sword and Shield, the games that introduced it, from a Fossilized Fish and a Fossilized Dino. Scarlet, Violet and Legends: Z-A do not offer it.

Fun facts

• According to Bulbapedia, the four Galar fossils and Aerodactyl are the only Pokémon whose category is Fossil Pokémon.
• Bulbapedia suggests its upside-down top half may nod to Ainiktozoon, an arthropod fossil found in Scotland that was reconstructed upside down.
• In the anime Cara Liss is the person who names Arctovish, along with Dracovish.

Sources: Bulbapedia: Arctovish (Pokémon) · Bulbapedia: Fishious Rend (move)

Base stats

• HP: 90
• Attack: 90
• Defense: 100
• Sp. Atk: 80
• Sp. Def: 90
• Speed: 55

Arctovish’s base stat total is 505. Its highest stat is Defense.

Type matchups

What is Arctovish weak to?

Arctovish takes extra damage from Electric (2×), Grass (2×), Fighting (2×), Rock (2×) moves.

It resists Ice (¼×), Water (½×).

Evolution

Arctovish does not evolve, and it does not evolve from any other Pokémon.

Abilities

• Water Absorb: Absorbs Water moves, healing for 1/4 max HP.
• Ice Body: Heals for 1/16 max HP after each turn during snow or hail. Protects against hail damage.
• Slush Rush (hidden ability): During snow (or hail in earlier games), this Pokémon has double Speed.

Moves

Moves Arctovish learns by level up in Sword / Shield

TM moves (35)

Arctovish can learn 35 moves from TMs in Sword / Shield: Hyper Beam, Giga Impact, Rest, Rock Slide, Snore, Protect, Icy Wind, Rain Dance, Hail, Whirlpool, Facade, Dive, Rock Tomb, Icicle Spear, Rock Blast, Brine, Avalanche, Ice Fang, Round, Body Slam, Hydro Pump, Surf, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Waterfall, Substitute, Endure, Sleep Talk, Crunch, Iron Defense, Zen Headbutt, Iron Head, Stone Edge, Psychic Fangs, Liquidation.

Move tutor moves (1): Meteor Beam.

Breeding & training

• Gender: genderless.
• Egg groups: Undiscovered.
• Egg cycles: 35 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 4,480).
• Catch rate: 45 out of 255.
• Base friendship (Gen 8 onward): 50.
• Growth rate: Slow (1,250,000 experience points to reach level 100).
• Defeating it gives 2 Defense effort values.
• Base experience yield: 177.

Pokédex entries

The skin on its face is impervious to attack, but breathing difficulties made this Pokémon go extinct anyway. (Shield)

Though it's able to capture prey by freezing its surroundings, it has trouble eating the prey afterward because its mouth is on top of its head. (Sword)

Names around the world

Trivia

• Highest Defense among Water types in Gen 8: 100, shared with 1 other.
• Taller than 87% of all Pokémon (2 m).
• Heavier than 90% of all Pokémon (175 kg).
• Base stat total 505, ranked #262 of 1,025.
• One of 8 Pokémon that are both Water and Ice.
• One of 170 blue Pokémon.
• Number 74 of 96 Pokémon introduced in Generation 8 (Galar).
• Can learn 45 different moves in Sword / Shield.
• Catch rate 45: about 5.9% per Poké Ball at full health.
• Appears in 2 distinct Pokédex entries.

Sources and fact-checking

• Stats, types, abilities, moves, evolutions, forms and Pokédex entries: PokéAPI open game data.
• Lore: written by pokee.si in our own words, researched from Bulbapedia: Arctovish (Pokémon), Bulbapedia: Fishious Rend (move).
• Pronunciation (ARK-toh-vish): it follows how the English anime, games or official videos say it.

Last checked: 20 October 2026. Every sentence of the lore was checked against Bulbapedia, Serebii and the game data.

Explore

Water-type Pokémon · Ice-type Pokémon · Water/Ice weaknesses and matchups · Galar region guide · Water Absorb ability · Ice Body ability · Slush Rush ability · Compare Arctovish · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves

Browse similar Pokémon

Gen 8 Water-type Pokémon · Gen 8 Ice-type Pokémon · Gen 8 Pokémon list · Blue Pokémon list · No Eggs Discovered egg group · Pokémon that start with A · Fish Pokémon · Dinosaur Pokémon

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