#0339 · Hoenn · Generation 3

Barboach

Whiskers Pokémon · Water/Ground-type

Barboach is a Water/Ground-type Pokémon, the Whiskers Pokémon, number 339 (#0339) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 3 and comes from the Hoenn region. It is 0.4 m tall and weighs 1.9 kg.

Barboach is the Whiskers Pokémon, a slippery little loach whose two long whiskers work as radar and as a tongue. It is so slimy that, the Pokédex says, some festivals have people race to grab as many as they can with bare hands.

How to pronounce Barboach

Barboach is pronounced bar-BOHCH. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.

Listen to Barboach said out loud:

In Japanese it is ドジョッチ (Dojoach).

Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.

Lore

Biology

Barboach is a small, serpentine fish, 0.4 m long and 1.9 kg, soft grey with a jagged black line along its body, tiny eyes and a round blue nose. Its blue whiskers are full of nerves and work as a superb radar in muddy water, and the Pokédex says they can sense smells and flavours the way a human nose or tongue would. A slimy film shields it from germs and lets it slip away from bird Pokémon.

Behaviour

Barboach hides in mud with only its whiskers showing and waits for prey to come to it. The Pokédex says it grows weak if its slimy coating dries up, which keeps it near water.

Habitat

The Pokédex lists the water's edge, and the Legends: Arceus entry says it lives in swamps with murky water that hides it from predators. In Scarlet and Violet it is found across Paldea's South, East and West Provinces and, in The Teal Mask, around Kitakami.

Powers

Its Abilities are Oblivious and Anticipation, with Hydration hidden. It fights with Water Gun, Mud-Slap, Water Pulse and Muddy Water, and Amnesia sharply raises its Special Defense. With no base stat above 60 it is mainly a stepping stone to Whiscash.

Name origin

Barboach may combine 'barb' or 'barbel' (a whisker-like sense organ) with 'loach'. The Japanese name is Dojoach (ドジョッチ), which may blend 泥鰌 (dojō, pond loach) with 'loach'.

Design inspiration

Barboach looks like the pond loach of East Asia, which also hides in mud, finds its way with whiskers and secretes slime. These are fan readings.

Evolution notes

Evolves into Whiscash at level 30.

In the games

In Legends: Arceus Barboach gathers in mass outbreaks around the Crimson Mirelands, and it debuted in Ruby and Sapphire. In Scarlet and Violet it appears in 1 star Tera Raid Battles. It is not available in Legends: Z-A.

In the anime

Barboach's official debut was 'The Great Eight Fate!', where it was one of Juan's Pokémon in the Sootopolis City Water Exhibit. In 'On Olden Pond', several Barboach lived in an old lake.

Fun facts

• Its planned debut episode, about Chōta's Barboach, never aired anywhere after an earthquake in Japan, which Bulbapedia says makes it the only Generation III Pokémon whose Pokédex entry was never shown in the anime.
• The Platinum Pokédex says that in one region people believe it formed from mud that set hard, which Bulbapedia suggests may nod to the old idea of spontaneous generation.
• Barboach and Whiscash are the only dual Water and Ground types outside the Water 1 Egg Group, which Bulbapedia says also makes them the only Ground types in Water 2.

Sources: Bulbapedia: Barboach (Pokémon) · Serebii: Barboach (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex)

Base stats

• HP: 50
• Attack: 48
• Defense: 43
• Sp. Atk: 46
• Sp. Def: 41
• Speed: 60

Barboach’s base stat total is 288. Its highest stat is Speed.

Type matchups

What is Barboach weak to?

Barboach takes extra damage from Grass (4×) moves.

It resists Fire (½×), Poison (½×), Rock (½×), Steel (½×).

It is immune to Electric moves.

Evolution

How does Barboach evolve?

Barboach evolves into Whiscash at level 30.

The whole family: Barboach, Whiscash.

Abilities

• Oblivious: Prevents infatuation and protects against Captivate.
• Anticipation: Notifies all trainers upon entering battle if an opponent has a super-effective move, Self-Destruct, Explosion, or a one-hit KO move.
• Hydration (hidden ability): Cures any major status ailment after each turn during rain.

Moves

Moves Barboach learns by level up in Scarlet / Violet

TM moves (41)

Barboach can learn 41 moves from TMs in Scarlet / Violet: Take Down, Mud-Slap, Protect, Water Pulse, Chilling Water, Facade, Bulldoze, Swift, Icy Wind, Mud Shot, Rock Tomb, Endure, Sunny Day, Rain Dance, Sandstorm, Zen Headbutt, Sleep Talk, Waterfall, Stomping Tantrum, Rest, Rock Slide, Dragon Dance, Substitute, Liquidation, Stealth Rock, Surf, Amnesia, Helping Hand, Earth Power, Ice Beam, Hydro Pump, Blizzard, Earthquake, Stone Edge, Outrage, Tera Blast, High Horsepower, Double-Edge, Whirlpool, Muddy Water, Future Sight.

Egg moves (4):Flail, Spark, Take Down, Thrash.

Breeding & training

• Gender: 50% male, 50% female.
• Egg groups: Water 2.
• Egg cycles: 20 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 2,560).
• Catch rate: 190 out of 255.
• Base friendship (Gen 8 onward): 50.
• Growth rate: Medium (1,000,000 experience points to reach level 100).
• Defeating it gives 1 HP effort value.
• Base experience yield: 58.

Pokédex entries

Makes its home in swamps with murky water. The poor visibility hides this Pokémon from predators, and the slime on its body makes grasping it difficult. (Legends: Arceus)

It probes muddy riverbeds with its two long whiskers. A slimy film protects its body. (FireRed, LeafGreen, Shield)

Its slimy body is hard to grasp. In one region, it is said to have been born from hardened mud. (Platinum, Black, White, Black 2, White 2, Sword)

Its whiskers are filled with nerves. They can sense smells and flavors just as a person's nose or tongue would. (Ultra Moon)

Its entire body is gooey. When pecked at by bird Pokémon, it slips and slides its way to freedom. (Ultra Sun)

Its slippery body is hard to grasp, so much so that there are festivals where people compete to see how many they can catch barehanded. (Moon)

Names around the world

Trivia

• Shortest Water type in Gen 3: 0.4 m, shared with 2 others.
• Lightest Ground type in Gen 3: 1.9 kg.
• Shortest Ground type in Gen 3: 0.4 m.
• Taller than 11% of all Pokémon (0.4 m).
• Heavier than 7% of all Pokémon (1.9 kg).
• Base stat total 288, ranked #903 of 1,025.
• One of 9 Pokémon that are both Water and Ground.
• One of 107 gray Pokémon.
• Number 88 of 135 Pokémon introduced in Generation 3 (Hoenn).
• Part of an evolution family of 2 Pokémon.
• Can learn 48 different moves in Scarlet / Violet.
• Catch rate 190: about 24.8% per Poké Ball at full health.
• Appears in 13 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: Barboach (Pokémon), Serebii: Barboach (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex).
• Pronunciation (bar-BOHCH): 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 · Ground-type Pokémon · Water/Ground weaknesses and matchups · Hoenn region guide · Oblivious ability · Anticipation ability · Hydration ability · Compare Barboach · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves

Browse similar Pokémon

Gen 3 Water-type Pokémon · Gen 3 Ground-type Pokémon · Gen 3 Pokémon list · Gray Pokémon list · Water 2 egg group · Pokémon that start with B · Fish Pokémon

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