Popplio
Popplio is a Water-type Pokémon, the Sea Lion Pokémon, number 728 (#0728) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 7 and comes from the Alola region. It is 0.4 m tall and weighs 7.5 kg.
Popplio is the Sea Lion Pokémon, a hard-working Water starter that snorts balloons out of its nose, bounces on them, and hurls them at opponents. The Pokédex says the sheer force of a balloon bursting is what does the damage.
How to pronounce Popplio
Popplio is pronounced POP-lee-oh. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.
Listen to Popplio said out loud:
In Japanese it is アシマリ (Ashimari).
Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.
Lore
Biology
Popplio is a small blue sea lion, 0.4 m tall and 7.5 kg, with a long white snout, black whiskers, a round pink nose and a light blue ruff around its neck. The Pokédex says it makes water balloons by snorting fluid out of its nose, and it has full control over them. On land it bounces on its balloons to jump higher. Bulbapedia adds that it can swim at 40 km/h (25 mph).
Behaviour
Popplio is famous as a hard worker. It practises every day with bigger and bigger balloons, because the Pokédex says only persistence produces powerful ones. In a fight it is surprisingly acrobatic.
Habitat
The Pokédex gives no habitat, but Bulbapedia says it has recently turned up in the Terarium at Blueberry Academy. In Scarlet and Violet it is found in the Coastal Biome of The Indigo Disk.
Powers
Water Gun, Aqua Jet and Bubble Beam suit its balloon style, and by level 36 it can learn Hydro Pump. It also learns Sing, Disarming Voice and Moonblast. Torrent strengthens Water moves when it is low on HP, and its hidden Ability Liquid Voice turns sound-based moves into Water-type ones; only Popplio and its evolutions have it. Base Special Attack 66 makes it a modest special attacker.
Name origin
Popplio may combine 'sea lion pup', 'pop', pōpō (Hawaiian for 'ball') and ʻīlio-holo-i-ka-uaua, the Hawaiian name for the Hawaiian monk seal. The Japanese name is Ashimari (アシマリ), possibly from ashika ('sea lion'), mari ('ball') and 'marine'.
Design inspiration
Popplio may draw on both the sea lion and the Hawaiian monk seal, plus a circus clown's touch: balancing a ball on the nose is a classic sea lion trick. Its nose balloons might also nod to the hooded seal, which can inflate its nasal cavity. Seen upright from the front with its head tilted up, its outline echoes the alchemical symbol for mercury, which stood for water. These are fan readings.
Evolution notes
Popplio evolves into Brionne at level 17, which evolves into Primarina at level 34.
In the games
Popplio is the Water starter of Alola in Sun and Moon and their Ultra versions. Bulbapedia says it guides the player in the Pokémon Pokopia Expansion Pass, and lists it as unobtainable in Legends: Z-A.
In the anime
Popplio debuted in 'Alola to New Adventure!' as Lana's main Pokémon.
Fun facts
- Popplio shares its category, Sea Lion Pokémon, with Seel and Dewgong.
- In Pokémon Adventures, Professor Kukui first owns Popplio, then gives it to Hau.
- Popplio's line is the only first partner family filed under the Pokédex's Fish body shape, even though Popplio is a sea lion.
Base stats
- HP: 50
- Attack: 54
- Defense: 54
- Sp. Atk: 66
- Sp. Def: 56
- Speed: 40
Popplio’s base stat total is 320. Its highest stat is Sp. Atk.
Type matchups
What is Popplio weak to?
Popplio takes extra damage from Electric (2×), Grass (2×) moves.
It resists Fire (½×), Water (½×), Ice (½×), Steel (½×).
Evolution
How does Popplio evolve?
Popplio evolves into Brionne at level 17.
The whole family: Popplio, Brionne, Primarina.
Abilities
- Torrent: Strengthens Water moves to inflict 1.5× damage at 1/3 max HP or less.
- Liquid Voice (hidden ability): Sound-based moves become Water-type.
Moves
Moves Popplio learns by level up in Scarlet / Violet
| Level | Move | Type | Category | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pound | Normal | Physical | 40 |
| 1 | Growl | Normal | Status | — |
| 3 | Water Gun | Water | Special | 40 |
| 6 | Disarming Voice | Fairy | Special | 40 |
| 9 | Aqua Jet | Water | Physical | 40 |
| 12 | Baby-Doll Eyes | Fairy | Status | — |
| 15 | Icy Wind | Ice | Special | 55 |
| 18 | Sing | Normal | Status | — |
| 21 | Bubble Beam | Water | Special | 65 |
| 24 | Encore | Normal | Status | — |
| 27 | Misty Terrain | Fairy | Status | — |
| 30 | Hyper Voice | Normal | Special | 90 |
| 33 | Moonblast | Fairy | Special | 95 |
| 36 | Hydro Pump | Water | Special | 110 |
TM moves (33)
Popplio can learn 33 moves from TMs in Scarlet / Violet: Charm, Protect, Water Pulse, Acrobatics, Disarming Voice, Chilling Water, Facade, Swift, Icy Wind, Draining Kiss, Endure, Rain Dance, Sleep Talk, Waterfall, Rest, Substitute, Hyper Voice, Encore, Surf, Ice Spinner, Play Rough, Amnesia, Helping Hand, Ice Beam, Misty Terrain, Hydro Pump, Blizzard, Water Pledge, Tera Blast, Uproar, Flip Turn, Whirlpool, Triple Axel.
Egg moves (3):Aqua Ring, Life Dew, Perish Song.
Breeding & training
- Gender: 87.5% male, 12.5% female.
- Egg groups: Water 1, Field.
- Egg cycles: 15 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 1,920).
- 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 Sp. Atk effort value.
- Base experience yield: 64.
Pokédex entries
If Popplio want to create big, powerful balloons, they must be persistent. It takes daily practice for these Pokémon to develop their skills. (Shield)
It creates special bouncy balloons to send at its opponents. When the balloons pop, the sheer force of their bursting is what deals damage. (Sword)
Popplio gets on top of its bouncy water balloons to jump higher. It's quite the acrobatic fighter! (Ultra Moon)
The balloons it inflates with its nose grow larger and larger as it practices day by day. (Ultra Sun)
This Pokémon can control water bubbles. It practices diligently so it can learn to make big bubbles. (Moon)
This Pokémon snorts body fluids from its nose, blowing balloons to smash into its foes. It's famous for being a hard worker. (Sun)
Names around the world
| Japanese | アシマリ |
|---|---|
| Romaji | Ashimari |
| French | Otaquin |
| German | Robball |
| Spanish | Popplio |
| Italian | Popplio |
| Korean | 누리공 |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 球球海狮 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 球球海獅 |
Trivia
- Taller than 11% of all Pokémon (0.4 m).
- Heavier than 22% of all Pokémon (7.5 kg).
- Base stat total 320, ranked #772 of 1,025.
- One of 154 Water-type Pokémon (counting dual types).
- One of 170 blue Pokémon.
- Number 7 of 88 Pokémon introduced in Generation 7 (Alola).
- Part of an evolution family of 3 Pokémon.
- Can learn 44 different moves in Scarlet / Violet.
- Catch rate 45: about 5.9% per Poké Ball at full health.
- Appears in 6 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: Popplio (Pokémon), Serebii: Popplio (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex).
- Pronunciation (POP-lee-oh): 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
Water-type Pokémon · Popplio vs Rowlet · Popplio vs Litten · Alola region guide · Torrent ability · Liquid Voice ability · Compare Popplio · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves
Browse similar Pokémon
Gen 7 Water-type Pokémon · Gen 7 Pokémon list · Blue Pokémon list · Water 1 egg group · Field egg group · Pokémon that start with P · Seal and Sea Lion Pokémon
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