Ninetales
Ninetales is a Fire-type Pokémon, the Fox Pokémon, number 38 (#0038) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 1 and comes from the Kanto region. It is 1.1 m tall and weighs 19.9 kg.
Ninetales is the Fox Pokémon whose life is said to last a thousand years and who will curse anyone who grabs one of its nine tails, with fur that gleams gold. A legend says it is nine noble saints reincarnated as one, and in Alola its icy form is revered as a sacred messenger.
How to pronounce Ninetales
Ninetales is pronounced NINE-taylz. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.
Listen to Ninetales said out loud:
In Japanese it is キュウコン (Kyukon).
Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.
Lore
Biology
Ninetales is a fox with dense, gleaming golden-white fur, a small mane at its neck, a long crest on its head, red eyes and nine long tails tipped in pale orange. It is 1.1 m tall and weighs 19.9 kg. Its tails are loaded with supernatural power, and each is said to hold a different mystical ability.
Behaviour
Ninetales is very intelligent, understands human speech and is vengeful. The Pokédex says grabbing one of its tails can bring a curse lasting a thousand years. Flames from its mouth can hypnotise an opponent, and its glowing red eyes supposedly let it control minds.
Habitat
The Pokédex lists it as a grassland Pokémon, though Bulbapedia says its stone evolution makes it rarely found in the wild. Alolan Ninetales lives on Mount Lanakila, a snowy peak that some consider holy ground.
Powers
Flash Fire absorbs Fire moves and powers up its own, and its hidden Ability is Drought. It uses Flamethrower, Will-O-Wisp, Nasty Plot and Psyshock. Alolan Ninetales is an Ice and Fairy type with Snow Cloak and hidden Snow Warning, and Bulbapedia says its fur sheds ice crystals that form shields or are fired like bullets. With base Special Defense and Speed of 100, it is a fast, hard-to-dent special attacker.
Name origin
Ninetales may combine 'nine' and 'tales', which sounds like 'tails', and may nod to the cat o' nine tails whip. The Japanese name is Kyukon (キュウコン), which may combine 九 kyū (nine) with kon, a fox's cry, and could pun on 旧恨 kyūkon (old grudge).
Design inspiration
Ninetales seems to be modelled on the kyūbi no kitsune, a nine-tailed fox of Japanese legend whose fur turns white-gold after a thousand years, when it grows its ninth tail. Alolan Ninetales may nod to Poliʻahu, the Hawaiian snow goddess, or to the tulikettu, a Finnish fox whose fur was said to make the northern lights. These are fan readings.
Evolution notes
Ninetales evolves from Vulpix with a Fire Stone, or an Ice Stone for the Alolan form.
In the games
In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team, a Ninetales waits at the top of Mt. Freeze. Bulbapedia lists it as unobtainable in Legends: Z-A, though in Scarlet and Violet it appears in The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk through Tera Raid Battles or by evolving Vulpix.
In the anime
Blaine's Ninetales beat Ash's Squirtle in 'Riddle Me This'. Cerah's Alolan Ninetales competed in 'Getting a Jump on the Competition!', and Goh caught one on Mount Coronet in 'Leaping Toward the Dream!'.
Fun facts
- In the Red and Green beta its English names were Ninetai and Nine Tales.
- No other Pokémon has the type combination of Ice and Fairy that Alolan Ninetales has.
- Its name is misspelled as 'Ninetails' in the Game Boy Color Trading Card Game and some prerelease material.
- In Pokémon UNITE, Alolan Ninetales is a ranged attacker that starts the match as Alolan Vulpix and evolves at level 4.
Base stats
- HP: 73
- Attack: 76
- Defense: 75
- Sp. Atk: 81
- Sp. Def: 100
- Speed: 100
Ninetales’s base stat total is 505. Its highest stat is Sp. Def and Speed.
Type matchups
What is Ninetales weak to?
Ninetales takes extra damage from Water (2×), Ground (2×), Rock (2×) moves.
It resists Fire (½×), Grass (½×), Ice (½×), Bug (½×), Steel (½×), Fairy (½×).
Evolution
What does Ninetales evolve from?
Ninetales evolves from Vulpix (Fire Stone; Alolan Vulpix: Ice Stone).
Ninetales is the final stage of its evolution family.
The whole family: Vulpix, Ninetales.
Forms
- Alolan Ninetales (Alolan form): Ice/Fairy-type, base stat total 505 (HP 73, Attack 67, Defense 75, Sp. Atk 81, Sp. Def 100, Speed 109). Abilities: Snow Cloak, Snow Warning (hidden).
Abilities
- Flash Fire: Protects against Fire moves. Once one has been blocked, the Pokémon's own Fire moves inflict 1.5× damage until it leaves battle.
- Drought (hidden ability): Summons strong sunlight for five turns upon entering battle (eight with a Heat Rock).
Moves
Moves Ninetales learns by level up in Scarlet / Violet
| Level | Move | Type | Category | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quick Attack | Normal | Physical | 40 |
| 1 | Flamethrower | Fire | Special | 90 |
| 1 | Tail Whip | Normal | Status | — |
TM moves (51)
Ninetales can learn 51 moves from TMs in Scarlet / Violet: Take Down, Charm, Fake Tears, Agility, Protect, Confuse Ray, Fire Spin, Facade, Hex, Snarl, Swift, Flame Charge, Stored Power, Night Shade, Endure, Sunny Day, Psyshock, Dig, Zen Headbutt, Foul Play, Body Slam, Sleep Talk, Rest, Imprison, Dark Pulse, Substitute, Will-O-Wisp, Shadow Ball, Heat Wave, Energy Ball, Encore, Flamethrower, Calm Mind, Helping Hand, Baton Pass, Nasty Plot, Fire Blast, Giga Impact, Overheat, Hyper Beam, Flare Blitz, Solar Beam, Tera Blast, Roar, Spite, Weather Ball, Burning Jealousy, Pain Split, Psych Up, Double-Edge, Scorching Sands.
Egg moves (8):Baby-Doll Eyes, Flail, Flame Charge, Healing Wish, Howl, Hypnosis, Memento, Roar.
Breeding & training
- Gender: 25% male, 75% female.
- Egg groups: Field.
- Egg cycles: 20 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 2,560).
- Catch rate: 75 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 Sp. Def and 1 Speed effort values.
- Base experience yield: 177.
Pokédex entries
The coat of gleaming golden fur is quite magnificent. This species is said to store sacred power in its nine long tails and to live for a millennium. (Legends: Arceus)
Very smart and very vengeful. Grabbing one of its many tails could result in a 1000-year curse. (Red, Blue, LeafGreen, Y, Shield)
It is said to live 1,000 years, and each of its tails is loaded with supernatural powers. (Sword)
According to an enduring legend, nine noble saints were united and reincarnated as this Pokémon. (Let’s Go, Pikachu!, Let’s Go, Eevee!)
The flickering flames it spews from its mouth leave its opponents hypnotized. Then, this extremely intelligent Pokémon attacks. (Ultra Moon)
It is vindictive and relentless by nature. Those who cross it even once will be cursed for a thousand years, along with their descendants. (Ultra Sun)
Names around the world
| Japanese | キュウコン |
|---|---|
| Romaji | Kyukon |
| French | Feunard |
| German | Vulnona |
| Spanish | Ninetales |
| Italian | Ninetales |
| Korean | 나인테일 |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 九尾 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 九尾 |
Trivia
- Taller than 54% of all Pokémon (1.1 m).
- Heavier than 42% of all Pokémon (19.9 kg).
- Base stat total 505, ranked #262 of 1,025.
- One of 81 Fire-type Pokémon (counting dual types).
- One of 88 yellow Pokémon.
- Number 38 of 151 Pokémon introduced in Generation 1 (Kanto).
- Part of an evolution family of 2 Pokémon.
- Can learn 59 different moves in Scarlet / Violet.
- Catch rate 75: about 9.8% per Poké Ball at full health.
- Has 1 alternate form.
- Appears in 18 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: Ninetales (Pokémon), Serebii: Ninetales (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex).
- Pronunciation (NINE-taylz): 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
Fire-type Pokémon · Ninetales vs Arcanine · Kanto region guide · Flash Fire ability · Drought ability · Compare Ninetales · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves
Browse similar Pokémon
Gen 1 Fire-type Pokémon · Gen 1 Pokémon list · Yellow Pokémon list · Field egg group · Pokémon that start with N · What does the Fire Stone evolve? · What does the Ice Stone evolve? · Fox Pokémon
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