Chien-Pao
Chien-Pao is a Dark/Ice-type Pokémon, the Ruinous Pokémon, number 1002 (#1002) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 9 and comes from the Paldea region. It is 1.9 m tall and weighs 152.2 kg.
Chien-Pao is a leaping, panther-like beast of snow whose large fangs are the two halves of a broken sword, which Bulbapedia treats as its true form. The Pokédex says the hatred of people slain by that blade long ago took shape as a body of snow.
How to pronounce Chien-Pao
Chien-Pao is pronounced chen-POW. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.
Listen to Chien-Pao said out loud:
In Japanese it is パオジアン (Paojian).
Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.
Lore
Biology
Chien-Pao is a long-bodied, panther-like Pokémon made of snow, measuring 1.9 m and weighing 152.2 kg. Ice crystals line its back and legs and shape its claws, eyes and whiskers. Its fangs are two pieces of an ornate sword: the blade forms the left fang and the hilt the right, with the broken ends jutting through its upper jaw.
Behaviour
The Pokédex says Chien-Pao commands 100 tons of snowfall and plays innocently, bounding in and out of the avalanches it sets off. That cheerful picture sits oddly beside an origin in hatred, and the entries never explain how the two fit together.
Habitat
The Pokédex gives no natural habitat. In Paldea it is sealed in the Icerend Shrine, in West Province (Area One).
Powers
Its Ability Sword of Ruin lowers the Defense of every other Pokémon in battle. It strikes with Icicle Crash, Sacred Sword and Sucker Punch, and sharpens itself with Swords Dance. A base Speed of 135 is the highest of any Dark type, backed by 120 Attack, which makes it a fast, hard-hitting attacker.
Name origin
Chien-Pao may combine jiàn (sword) or bǎojiàn (treasure sword) with bào (leopard). The Japanese name is Paojian (パオジアン), which may be built from the same elements.
Design inspiration
Chien-Pao may draw on the snow leopard and on saber-toothed cats such as Smilodon, which would make the broken sword fangs a literal 'saber tooth'; the sword may be a jian, a double-edged straight sword. Its low, crouching shape may allude to the tiger tally, an ancient Chinese proof of imperial authority, and among the Four Perils it may correspond to Qióngqí, a tiger-like beast later linked to the Japanese kamaitachi. These are fan readings.
In the games
Chien-Pao is one of the four treasures of ruin that you can challenge in Scarlet and Violet once its shrine is unsealed. Only one can be caught per save file. In Pokémon Masters EX it forms a sync pair with Ghetsis, and it is not available in Legends: Z-A.
In the anime
In the Pokémon Horizons episode HZ153, Coral and Sidian break the Icerend Shrine's seal by accident, and Roy is the one who finds and confronts Chien-Pao.
Fun facts
- It learns Sheer Cold, a one-hit knockout move, at level 75, the last move in its level-up list.
- In Scarlet and Violet it is one of the very few Ice types that cannot learn Ice Beam; Bulbapedia names Snom and Frost Rotom as the others.
- Bulbapedia suggests its Shiny colouring may allude to arctic mammals whose white winter coats turn browner in summer.
Base stats
- HP: 80
- Attack: 120
- Defense: 80
- Sp. Atk: 90
- Sp. Def: 65
- Speed: 135
Chien-Pao’s base stat total is 570. Its highest stat is Speed.
Type matchups
What is Chien-Pao weak to?
Chien-Pao takes extra damage from Fighting (4×), Fire (2×), Bug (2×), Rock (2×), Steel (2×), Fairy (2×) moves.
It resists Ice (½×), Ghost (½×), Dark (½×).
It is immune to Psychic moves.
Evolution
Chien-Pao does not evolve, and it does not evolve from any other Pokémon.
Abilities
- Sword of Ruin: Lowers Defense of all Pokémon except itself.
Moves
Moves Chien-Pao learns by level up in Scarlet / Violet
| Level | Move | Type | Category | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spite | Ghost | Status | — |
| 1 | Powder Snow | Ice | Special | 40 |
| 1 | Mean Look | Normal | Status | — |
| 5 | Icy Wind | Ice | Special | 55 |
| 10 | Payback | Dark | Physical | 50 |
| 15 | Mist | Ice | Status | — |
| 15 | Haze | Ice | Status | — |
| 20 | Ice Shard | Ice | Physical | 40 |
| 25 | Swords Dance | Normal | Status | — |
| 30 | Snowscape | Ice | Status | 0 |
| 35 | Night Slash | Dark | Physical | 70 |
| 40 | Dark Pulse | Dark | Special | 80 |
| 45 | Icicle Crash | Ice | Physical | 85 |
| 50 | Ruination | Dark | Special | 1 |
| 55 | Sucker Punch | Dark | Physical | 70 |
| 60 | Sacred Sword | Fighting | Physical | 90 |
| 65 | Recover | Normal | Status | — |
| 70 | Throat Chop | Dark | Physical | 80 |
| 75 | Sheer Cold | Ice | Special | — |
TM moves (33)
Chien-Pao can learn 33 moves from TMs in Scarlet / Violet: Take Down, Scary Face, Protect, Ice Fang, Acrobatics, Facade, Aerial Ace, Hex, Snarl, Icy Wind, Avalanche, Endure, Rain Dance, Snowscape, False Swipe, Brick Break, Psychic Fangs, Sleep Talk, Rest, Taunt, Swords Dance, Dark Pulse, Substitute, Crunch, Ice Spinner, Blizzard, Giga Impact, Hyper Beam, Tera Blast, Haze, Spite, Lash Out, Throat Chop.
Breeding & training
- Gender: genderless.
- Egg groups: Undiscovered.
- Egg cycles: 50 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 6,400).
- Catch rate: 6 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 Speed effort values.
- Base experience yield: 285.
Pokédex entries
The hatred of those who perished by the sword long ago has clad itself in snow and become a Pokémon. (Violet)
This Pokémon can control 100 tons of fallen snow. It plays around innocently by leaping in and out of avalanches it has caused. (Scarlet)
Names around the world
| Japanese | パオジアン |
|---|---|
| Romaji | Paojian |
| French | Baojian |
| German | Baojian |
| Spanish | Chien-Pao |
| Italian | Chien-Pao |
| Korean | 파오젠 |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 古剑豹 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 古劍豹 |
Trivia
- Fastest Dark type: 135 Speed.
- Fastest Dark type in Gen 9: 135 Speed.
- Taller than 86% of all Pokémon (1.9 m).
- Heavier than 89% of all Pokémon (152.2 kg).
- Base stat total 570, ranked #93 of 1,025.
- Its best stat is Speed, ranked #13 of 1,025.
- One of 3 Pokémon that are both Dark and Ice.
- One of 88 white Pokémon.
- Number 97 of 120 Pokémon introduced in Generation 9 (Paldea).
- Can learn 45 different moves in Scarlet / Violet.
- Catch rate 6: about 0.8% 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: Chien-Pao (Pokémon), Serebii: Chien-Pao (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex), Bulbapedia: Treasures of ruin.
- Pronunciation (chen-POW): no English source says it out loud, so it is our best guess from the parts of the name (low confidence).
Last checked: . Every sentence of the lore was checked against Bulbapedia, Serebii and the game data.
Explore
Dark-type Pokémon · Ice-type Pokémon · Dark/Ice weaknesses and matchups · Chien-Pao vs Wo-Chien · Paldea region guide · Sword of Ruin ability · Compare Chien-Pao · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves
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