Grookey
Grookey is a Grass-type Pokémon, the Chimp Pokémon, number 810 (#0810) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 8 and comes from the Galar region. It is 0.3 m tall and weighs 5 kg.
Grookey is the Chimp Pokémon, a Grass-type drummer whose stick carries energy that perks up the plants and flowers around it. The faster it beats out a rhythm, the more pumped it gets.
How to pronounce Grookey
Grookey is pronounced GROO-kee. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.
Listen to Grookey said out loud:
In Japanese it is サルノリ (Sarunori).
Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.
Lore
Biology
Grookey is a small green monkey, 0.3 m tall and 5 kg, with orange hands, feet and snout and a brown tail. Two leaf-shaped tufts on its head hold its stick, which Bulbapedia says was once a branch from the forest where troops of Grookey live. The Pokédex says the stick grows harder and more flexible as it soaks up the energy coming from inside Grookey's body.
Behaviour
Grookey is curious and playful. The Pokédex says it gets more and more pumped as it strikes everything in sight, and its rhythm grows livelier. Bulbapedia notes it likes high places, music and dancing, and in the anime its drumming can even restore a weakened Bellsprout.
Habitat
The Pokédex gives no habitat, though Bulbapedia says troops of Grookey live in forests and that it has been seen in the Terarium at Blueberry Academy. In Scarlet and Violet it needs a trade in the base game, and appears wild in the Terarium's Coastal Biome in The Indigo Disk.
Powers
Overgrow strengthens its Grass moves when its health is low, and its hidden Ability is Grassy Surge. It fights with Scratch, Branch Poke, Razor Leaf and Knock Off, and later learns Wood Hammer. Base Attack and Speed of 65 make it a quick, sticks-first attacker.
Name origin
Grookey may combine 'groove' and 'monkey', and perhaps 'rookie'. The Japanese name is Sarunori (サルノリ), which may blend 猿 saru ('monkey') and ノリ nori ('rhythm' or 'excitement').
Design inspiration
Grookey looks like a monkey, perhaps a squirrel monkey or macaque, and macaques drum on objects to show social dominance. Its stick resembles both a drumstick and a hair stick, and its plant-reviving drumming may reflect the belief that music helps plants grow. These are fan readings.
Evolution notes
Grookey becomes Thwackey at level 16, and Thwackey becomes Rillaboom at level 35.
In the games
Grookey was one of the three Galar starters in Sword and Shield, given out by Leon in Postwick. Bulbapedia lists it as unobtainable in Legends: Z-A.
In the anime
Goh's Grookey first appears in 'When a House is Not a Home!', as a Pokémon owned by the Rocket Prize Master. It bonds with Goh during the episode and chooses to leave Team Rocket and join his team.
Fun facts
- Grookey shares the Chimp Pokémon category with Chimchar, though Bulbapedia points out it looks more like a monkey than a chimp.
- Grookey, Scorbunny and Sobble were the first Generation VIII Pokémon shown to the public, on 27 February 2019.
- Grookey is the only starter from any region whose first animated appearance was outside the anime series, in the music video GOTCHA!, and Bulbapedia says it then took 46 episodes to debut in the series, the longest wait of any starter in its own generation.
- In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Henry's Grookey, Casey's Scorbunny and a Sobble all debut in the same chapter, 'Wow!! That's One Big Pokémon'.
Base stats
- HP: 50
- Attack: 65
- Defense: 50
- Sp. Atk: 40
- Sp. Def: 40
- Speed: 65
Grookey’s base stat total is 310. Its highest stat is Attack and Speed.
Type matchups
What is Grookey weak to?
Grookey takes extra damage from Fire (2×), Ice (2×), Poison (2×), Flying (2×), Bug (2×) moves.
It resists Water (½×), Electric (½×), Grass (½×), Ground (½×).
Evolution
How does Grookey evolve?
Grookey evolves into Thwackey at level 16.
The whole family: Grookey, Thwackey, Rillaboom.
Abilities
- Overgrow: Strengthens Grass moves to inflict 1.5× damage at 1/3 max HP or less.
- Grassy Surge (hidden ability): When this Pokémon enters battle, it changes the terrain to Grassy Terrain.
Moves
Moves Grookey learns by level up in Scarlet / Violet
| Level | Move | Type | Category | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scratch | Normal | Physical | 40 |
| 1 | Growl | Normal | Status | — |
| 6 | Branch Poke | Grass | Physical | 40 |
| 8 | Taunt | Dark | Status | — |
| 12 | Razor Leaf | Grass | Physical | 55 |
| 17 | Screech | Normal | Status | — |
| 20 | Knock Off | Dark | Physical | 65 |
| 24 | Slam | Normal | Physical | 80 |
| 28 | Uproar | Normal | Special | 90 |
| 32 | Wood Hammer | Grass | Physical | 120 |
| 36 | Endeavor | Normal | Physical | — |
TM moves (36)
Grookey can learn 36 moves from TMs in Scarlet / Violet: Take Down, Protect, Low Kick, Acrobatics, Thief, Trailblaze, Facade, Swift, Magical Leaf, Fling, Endure, Sunny Day, Bullet Seed, False Swipe, U-turn, Body Slam, Sleep Talk, Seed Bomb, Drain Punch, Grass Knot, Rest, Taunt, Swords Dance, Substitute, Giga Drain, Energy Ball, Grassy Terrain, Grass Pledge, Leaf Storm, Solar Beam, Tera Blast, Knock Off, Solar Blade, Uproar, Grassy Glide, Endeavor.
Egg moves (6):Fake Out, Growth, Hammer Arm, Leech Seed, Strength, Worry Seed.
Breeding & training
- Gender: 87.5% male, 12.5% female.
- Egg groups: Field, Grass.
- Egg cycles: 20 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 2,560).
- Catch rate: 45 out of 255.
- Base friendship (Gen 8 onward): 50.
- Growth rate: Medium Slow (1,059,860 experience points to reach level 100).
- Defeating it gives 1 Attack effort value.
- Base experience yield: 62.
Pokédex entries
It attacks with rapid beats of its stick. As it strikes with amazing speed, it gets more and more pumped. (Shield)
When it uses its special stick to strike up a beat, the sound waves produced carry revitalizing energy to the plants and flowers in the area. (Sword)
Names around the world
| Japanese | サルノリ |
|---|---|
| Romaji | Sarunori |
| French | Ouistempo |
| German | Chimpep |
| Spanish | Grookey |
| Italian | Grookey |
| Korean | 흥나숭 |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 敲音猴 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 敲音猴 |
Trivia
- Taller than 4% of all Pokémon (0.3 m).
- Heavier than 15% of all Pokémon (5 kg).
- Base stat total 310, ranked #804 of 1,025.
- One of 127 Grass-type Pokémon (counting dual types).
- One of 130 green Pokémon.
- Number 1 of 96 Pokémon introduced in Generation 8 (Galar).
- Part of an evolution family of 3 Pokémon.
- Can learn 49 different moves in Scarlet / Violet.
- 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: Grookey (Pokémon), Serebii: Grookey (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex).
- Pronunciation (GROO-kee): it follows how the English anime, games or official videos say it.
Last checked: . Every sentence of the lore was checked against Bulbapedia, Serebii and the game data.
Explore
Grass-type Pokémon · Grookey vs Scorbunny · Grookey vs Sobble · Galar region guide · Overgrow ability · Grassy Surge ability · Compare Grookey · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves
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