Blacephalon
Blacephalon is a Fire/Ghost-type Pokémon, the Fireworks Pokémon, number 806 (#0806) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 7 and comes from the Alola region. It is 1.8 m tall and weighs 13 kg.
Blacephalon is the Fireworks Pokémon, a clownish Ultra Beast that approaches you and then blows its own head up without warning. The Pokédex says it uses the surprise to rob its opponents of their vitality.
How to pronounce Blacephalon
Blacephalon is pronounced blay-SEF-uh-lon. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.
Listen to Blacephalon said out loud:
In Japanese it is ズガドーン (Zugadoon).
Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.
Lore
Biology
Blacephalon is 1.8 m tall and weighs 13 kg. It is a slim, colourful humanoid with yellow, blue and pink stripes, legs like white boots and a ruffled white collar. Its head is a white ball of pink and blue sparks flanked by star shapes that change with its mood, and Bulbapedia says the head is detachable and doubles as a weapon. In the anime it regenerates the head after a blast and can enlarge it for bigger explosions.
Behaviour
The Ultra Sun entry says it slithers toward people before it strikes. Bulbapedia says its silly walk is part of the trick, and that the vitality it steals becomes energy for itself.
Habitat
The Pokédex says it appeared from an Ultra Wormhole. It is not available in Scarlet, Violet or Legends: Z-A.
Powers
Its Ability is Beast Boost, which raises its best stat when it knocks out a Pokémon. Its signature move is Mind Blown, which only Blacephalon can learn (level 70) and which has it blow up its own head. With Special Attack 151 and Speed 107 but only 53 HP and Defense, it is a fast, fragile attacker that also uses Shadow Ball, Fire Blast, Mystical Fire and Trick.
Name origin
Blacephalon may blend 'blast' and 'encephalon' (the brain), and recalls 'acephalous', meaning headless. The Japanese name is Zugadoon (ズガドーン), which reads literally as zu ga dōn, 'head goes boom'.
Design inspiration
Blacephalon may be based on clowns and circus performers, possibly the evil-clown trope given how it startles people. Its head of sparks could draw on fireworks, sparklers or the Clown Face Nebula, and its removable head recalls the yōkai Nukekubi and the Dullahan of Celtic myth. These are fan readings.
In the games
Blacephalon is an Ultra Sun exclusive in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, its first games, found in Poni Grove. Sword and Shield's Crown Tundra later added it to the Max Lair.
In the anime
Blacephalon debuted in 'Twirling with a Bang!', where Ash and his classmates first saw it performing at a fireworks show. It ended up in a showdown with Xurkitree to see which could outshine the other, and the Ultra Guardians used the distraction to catch both and send them home.
Fun facts
- Bulbapedia sees it as a counterpart to Stakataka: both total 570 base stats and are found in Poni Grove, but Blacephalon is fast and fragile while Stakataka is slow and armoured.
- In Pokémon GO it is a regional Ultra Beast, mostly found in the Western Hemisphere, with Stakataka mostly in the Eastern.
- In Pokémon Masters EX, the Hoenn Champion Wallace has a New Year's 2024 sync pair with Blacephalon.
Base stats
- HP: 53
- Attack: 127
- Defense: 53
- Sp. Atk: 151
- Sp. Def: 79
- Speed: 107
Blacephalon’s base stat total is 570. Its highest stat is Sp. Atk.
Type matchups
What is Blacephalon weak to?
Blacephalon takes extra damage from Water (2×), Ground (2×), Rock (2×), Ghost (2×), Dark (2×) moves.
It resists Bug (¼×), Fire (½×), Grass (½×), Ice (½×), Poison (½×), Steel (½×), Fairy (½×).
It is immune to Normal, Fighting moves.
Evolution
Blacephalon does not evolve, and it does not evolve from any other Pokémon.
Abilities
- Beast Boost: Raises this Pokémon's highest stat by one stage when it faints another Pokémon.
Moves
Moves Blacephalon learns by level up in Sword / Shield
| Level | Move | Type | Category | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Astonish | Ghost | Physical | 30 |
| 1 | Fire Spin | Fire | Special | 35 |
| 5 | Light Screen | Psychic | Status | — |
| 10 | Ember | Fire | Special | 40 |
| 15 | Night Shade | Ghost | Special | — |
| 20 | Confuse Ray | Ghost | Status | — |
| 25 | Magic Coat | Psychic | Status | — |
| 30 | Incinerate | Fire | Special | 60 |
| 35 | Hypnosis | Psychic | Status | — |
| 40 | Mystical Fire | Fire | Special | 75 |
| 45 | Shadow Ball | Ghost | Special | 80 |
| 50 | Calm Mind | Psychic | Status | — |
| 55 | Will-O-Wisp | Fire | Status | — |
| 60 | Trick | Psychic | Status | — |
| 65 | Fire Blast | Fire | Special | 110 |
| 70 | Mind Blown | Fire | Special | 150 |
TM moves (38)
Blacephalon can learn 38 moves from TMs in Sword / Shield: Fire Punch, Hyper Beam, Solar Beam, Fire Spin, Light Screen, Self-Destruct, Rest, Thief, Snore, Protect, Sunny Day, Will-O-Wisp, Facade, Rock Blast, Payback, Fling, Shadow Claw, Round, Mystical Fire, Flamethrower, Psychic, Fire Blast, Substitute, Psyshock, Endure, Sleep Talk, Encore, Shadow Ball, Uproar, Heat Wave, Taunt, Trick, Overheat, Calm Mind, Dark Pulse, Zen Headbutt, Foul Play, Stored Power.
Move tutor moves (1): Expanding Force.
Breeding & training
- Gender: genderless.
- Egg groups: Undiscovered.
- Egg cycles: 120 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 15,360).
- Catch rate: 30 out of 255.
- Base friendship (Gen 8 onward): 0.
- Growth rate: Slow (1,250,000 experience points to reach level 100).
- Defeating it gives 3 Sp. Atk effort values.
- Base experience yield: 257.
Pokédex entries
A UB that appeared from an Ultra Wormhole, it causes explosions, then takes advantage of opponents' surprise to rob them of their vitality. (Ultra Moon)
It slithers toward people. Then, without warning, it triggers the explosion of its own head. It's apparently one kind of Ultra Beast. (Ultra Sun)
Names around the world
| Japanese | ズガドーン |
|---|---|
| Romaji | Zugadoon |
| French | Pierroteknik |
| German | Kopplosio |
| Spanish | Blacephalon |
| Italian | Blacephalon |
| Korean | 두파팡 |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 砰头小丑 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 砰頭小丑 |
Trivia
- Highest Sp. Atk among Fire types: 151.
- Highest Sp. Atk among Ghost types: 151.
- Highest Attack among Fire types in Gen 7: 127.
- Highest Sp. Atk among Fire types in Gen 7: 151.
- Highest base stat total among Fire types in Gen 7: 570.
- Highest Sp. Atk among Ghost types in Gen 7: 151.
- Taller than 82% of all Pokémon (1.8 m).
- Heavier than 33% of all Pokémon (13 kg).
- Base stat total 570, ranked #93 of 1,025.
- Its best stat is Sp. Atk, ranked #3 of 1,025.
- One of 6 Pokémon that are both Fire and Ghost.
- One of 88 white Pokémon.
- Number 85 of 88 Pokémon introduced in Generation 7 (Alola).
- Can learn 47 different moves in Sword / Shield.
- Catch rate 30: about 3.9% 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: Blacephalon (Pokémon), Serebii: Blacephalon (Sword/Shield Pokédex).
- Pronunciation (blay-SEF-uh-lon): no English source says it out loud, so it is our best guess from the parts of the name.
Last checked: . Every sentence of the lore was checked against Bulbapedia, Serebii and the game data.
Explore
Fire-type Pokémon · Ghost-type Pokémon · Fire/Ghost weaknesses and matchups · Alola region guide · Beast Boost ability · Compare Blacephalon · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves
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