Nidoqueen
Nidoqueen is a Poison/Ground-type Pokémon, the Drill Pokémon, number 31 (#0031) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 1 and comes from the Kanto region. It is 1.3 m tall and weighs 60 kg.
Nidoqueen is the Drill Pokémon, an armoured mother that fights hardest to protect its young. The Pokédex says it can seal the entrance to its burrow with its body, and its back spines never release poison while its children are tucked between them.
How to pronounce Nidoqueen
Nidoqueen is pronounced NEE-doh-kween. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.
Listen to Nidoqueen said out loud:
In Japanese it is ニドクイン.
Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.
Lore
Biology
Nidoqueen is 1.3 m tall and weighs 60 kg. It is a large blue Pokémon with hard scales that bristle when it gets excited, a blunt snout, a small forehead horn, one spine on each ear and a row of toxic spikes down its back. Its chest plates, lower jaw and belly markings are cream, and it has a thick, powerful tail.
Behaviour
Nidoqueen is fierce and protective. The Pokédex says it will defend its young with its life, and Sword's entry says it is better at defence than offence. It sends foes flying with harsh tackles and slams the ground to cause small tremors.
Habitat
The Pokédex habitat is Grassland, and Bulbapedia says it is rarely found in the wild because it comes from a stone evolution.
Powers
Its Ability is Poison Point, which can poison attackers on contact, or Rivalry, with Sheer Force hidden to boost moves with extra effects. It uses Earth Power, Sludge Wave, Superpower, Poison Jab and Stealth Rock. With base Attack 92 and Special Defense 85 it is a well-rounded Poison and Ground tank.
Name origin
Nidoqueen may combine nīdoru (ニードル, 'needle') with 'queen', and may also involve nido (二度, 'twice'). The Japanese name is Nidoqueen (ニドクイン).
Design inspiration
Ken Sugimori designed Nidoqueen, which seems to combine kaiju, rhinoceros, gorilla, rabbit and porcupine traits. Bulbapedia thinks it was most likely modelled on its male counterpart, Nidoking. This is a fan reading.
Evolution notes
Nidoqueen evolves from Nidorina with a Moon Stone and does not evolve further.
In the games
Bulbapedia lists Nidoqueen as obtainable in Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, in Sword and Shield through the Crown Tundra and Max Lair, and by evolving Nidorina in Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl. It dates back to Red and Green (Red and Blue outside Japan), but is unobtainable in Scarlet and Violet and in Legends: Z-A.
In the anime
Fergus's Nidoqueen made its film debut in Mewtwo Strikes Back, where Mewtwo captured and cloned it. Gary Oak's Nidoqueen faced Ash in the Silver Conference in 'Can't Beat the Heat!'.
Fun facts
- In the Japanese Red and Green, Nidoqueen weighs 6.0 kg instead of 60.0 kg, a quirk without any effect since weight did not matter in those games.
- In the TV special Mewtwo Returns, Eggs from cloned parents, a Nidoqueen and a Rhyhorn, hold both baby Rhyhorn and baby Nidoqueen, though Nidoqueen cannot breed in the games.
- Nidoqueen is usually drawn without visible teeth, but its Red and Blue key art and Stadium model show four, and Carddass artwork gives it twelve.
Base stats
- HP: 90
- Attack: 92
- Defense: 87
- Sp. Atk: 75
- Sp. Def: 85
- Speed: 76
Nidoqueen’s base stat total is 505. Its highest stat is Attack.
Type matchups
What is Nidoqueen weak to?
Nidoqueen takes extra damage from Water (2×), Ice (2×), Ground (2×), Psychic (2×) moves.
It resists Poison (¼×), Fighting (½×), Bug (½×), Rock (½×), Fairy (½×).
It is immune to Electric moves.
Evolution
What does Nidoqueen evolve from?
Nidoqueen evolves from Nidorina (Moon Stone).
Nidoqueen is the final stage of its evolution family.
The whole family: Nidoran♀, Nidorina, Nidoqueen.
Abilities
- Poison Point: Has a 30% chance of poisoning attacking Pokémon on contact.
- Rivalry: Increases damage inflicted to 1.25× against Pokémon of the same gender, but decreases damage to 0.75× against the opposite gender.
- Sheer Force (hidden ability): Strengthens moves with extra effects to 1.3× their power, but prevents their extra effects.
Moves
Moves Nidoqueen learns by level up in Sword / Shield
| Level | Move | Type | Category | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evo | Superpower | Fighting | Physical | 120 |
| 1 | Superpower | Fighting | Physical | 120 |
| 1 | Fury Swipes | Normal | Physical | 18 |
| 1 | Toxic Spikes | Poison | Status | — |
| 1 | Double Kick | Fighting | Physical | 30 |
| 1 | Bite | Dark | Physical | 60 |
| 1 | Helping Hand | Normal | Status | — |
| 1 | Toxic | Poison | Status | — |
| 1 | Flatter | Dark | Status | — |
| 1 | Crunch | Dark | Physical | 80 |
| 1 | Earth Power | Ground | Special | 90 |
| 1 | Growl | Normal | Status | — |
| 1 | Poison Sting | Poison | Physical | 15 |
| 1 | Scratch | Normal | Physical | 40 |
| 1 | Tail Whip | Normal | Status | — |
“Evo” means Nidoqueen learns the move the moment it evolves: Superpower.
TM moves (71)
Nidoqueen can learn 71 moves from TMs in Sword / Shield: Mega Punch, Mega Kick, Pay Day, Fire Punch, Ice Punch, Thunder Punch, Hyper Beam, Giga Impact, Dig, Rest, Rock Slide, Thief, Snore, Protect, Icy Wind, Charm, Attract, Sandstorm, Rain Dance, Sunny Day, Whirlpool, Beat Up, Facade, Helping Hand, Brick Break, Rock Tomb, Sand Tomb, Mud Shot, Rock Blast, Fling, Avalanche, Shadow Claw, Venoshock, Round, Hex, Bulldoze, Stomping Tantrum, Body Slam, Flamethrower, Surf, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Thunderbolt, Thunder, Earthquake, Focus Energy, Fire Blast, Substitute, Sludge Bomb, Outrage, Endure, Sleep Talk, Iron Tail, Crunch, Shadow Ball, Uproar, Taunt, Superpower, Toxic Spikes, Poison Jab, Dragon Pulse, Focus Blast, Earth Power, Stone Edge, Stealth Rock, Sludge Wave, Drill Run, Venom Drench, High Horsepower, Throat Chop, Body Press.
Move tutor moves (1): Scorching Sands.
Breeding & training
- Gender: 0% male, 100% female.
- Egg groups: Undiscovered.
- 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 3 HP effort values.
- Base experience yield: 227.
Pokédex entries
It pacifies offspring by placing them in the gaps between the spines on its back. The spines will never secrete poison while young are present. (Shield)
Nidoqueen is better at defense than offense. With scales like armor, this Pokémon will shield its children from any kind of attack. (Sword)
Tough scales cover the sturdy body of this Pokémon. It appears that the scales grow in cycles. (Yellow, Let’s Go, Pikachu!, Let’s Go, Eevee!)
Nidoqueen's body is encased in extremely hard scales. It is adept at sending foes flying with harsh tackles. This Pokémon is at its strongest when it is defending its young. (Ruby, Sapphire, Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire)
The body is covered by stiff, needlelike scales. If it becomes excited, the needles bristle outwards. (FireRed, Y)
It uses its scaly, rugged body to seal the entrance of its nest and protect its young from predators. (Silver, SoulSilver, X)
Names around the world
| Japanese | ニドクイン |
|---|---|
| Romaji | Nidoqueen |
| French | Nidoqueen |
| German | Nidoqueen |
| Spanish | Nidoqueen |
| Italian | Nidoqueen |
| Korean | 니드퀸 |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 尼多后 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 尼多后 |
Trivia
- Highest Sp. Def among Ground types in Gen 1: 85.
- Highest base stat total among Ground types in Gen 1: 505, shared with 1 other.
- Taller than 64% of all Pokémon (1.3 m).
- Heavier than 71% of all Pokémon (60 kg).
- Base stat total 505, ranked #262 of 1,025.
- One of 3 Pokémon that are both Poison and Ground.
- One of 170 blue Pokémon.
- Number 31 of 151 Pokémon introduced in Generation 1 (Kanto).
- Part of an evolution family of 3 Pokémon.
- Can learn 81 different moves in Sword / Shield.
- Catch rate 45: about 5.9% per Poké Ball at full health.
- Appears in 11 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: Nidoqueen (Pokémon), Serebii: Nidoqueen (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex; page not found, it is not in Scarlet and Violet).
- Pronunciation (NEE-doh-kween): 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
Poison-type Pokémon · Ground-type Pokémon · Poison/Ground weaknesses and matchups · Nidoqueen vs Nidoking · Kanto region guide · Poison Point ability · Rivalry ability · Sheer Force ability · Compare Nidoqueen · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves
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