Purrloin
Purrloin is a Dark-type Pokémon, the Devious Pokémon, number 509 (#0509) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 5 and comes from the Unova region. It is 0.4 m tall and weighs 10.1 kg.
Purrloin is the Devious Pokémon, a Dark-type cat that puts on a cute act so people drop their guard, then steals from them just to enjoy their frustration. Its victims often forgive it anyway.
How to pronounce Purrloin
Purrloin is pronounced PUR-loyn. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.
Listen to Purrloin said out loud:
In Japanese it is チョロネコ (Choroneko).
Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.
Lore
Biology
Purrloin is a purple, feline Pokémon with cream markings, green eyes and tufts of fur on its ears and cheeks. It is 0.4 m tall and weighs 10.1 kg. Its tail ends in a curved, scythe-like point. It normally goes on all fours but can also rear up and walk upright.
Behaviour
The Pokédex says the cute act is a ruse: once a victim relaxes, items go missing, and anyone who reaches for it gets sharp claws and a laugh. When angered, Purrloin fights back with those claws. In Galar it has a fierce rivalry with Nickit.
Habitat
Neither the Pokédex nor Bulbapedia names a natural habitat. In Black and White it lives on Routes 2 and 3 and in the Dreamyard.
Powers
Its Abilities are Limber and Unburden, with Prankster hidden, which lets its status moves go first. It slips in Fake Out early, and later learns Sucker Punch, Nasty Plot, Night Slash and Play Rough. With base Speed 66 against just 41 HP, it is quick but fragile.
Name origin
Purrloin may combine 'purr' with 'purloin', meaning to steal. The Japanese name is Choroneko (チョロネコ), which may blend choromakasu ('to pilfer') with neko ('cat').
Design inspiration
Purrloin seems modelled on a tuxedo cat, and its behaviour suggests a cat burglar, a thief who works by charm and stealth. These are fan readings.
Evolution notes
Purrloin evolves into Liepard at level 20.
In the games
Purrloin first showed up as a wild Pokémon in Black and White and is wild again in Sword and Shield. It is not in Scarlet and Violet, and in Legends: Z-A wild ones appear only in the Mega Dimension DLC's Hyperspace Lumiose.
In the anime
Misha's Purrloin debuted in 'Purrloin: Sweet or Sneaky?', where Ash's Oshawott fell for it before Misha revealed that Purrloin was actually male and had been fooling them with feminine behaviour. In 'Cilan and the Case of the Purrloin Witness!', Mrs. Ripple's Purrloin helps Cilan solve a theft.
Fun facts
- It first appeared in a Pokémon Sunday preview on 6 September 2010, then was edited out of that same preview, much as Zekrom's second type had been earlier.
- Bulbapedia notes that no other Pokémon shares its base stat total of 281.
- It shares its Devious Pokémon category with Morgrem.
Base stats
- HP: 41
- Attack: 50
- Defense: 37
- Sp. Atk: 50
- Sp. Def: 37
- Speed: 66
Purrloin’s base stat total is 281. Its highest stat is Speed.
Type matchups
What is Purrloin weak to?
Purrloin takes extra damage from Fighting (2×), Bug (2×), Fairy (2×) moves.
It resists Ghost (½×), Dark (½×).
It is immune to Psychic moves.
Evolution
How does Purrloin evolve?
Purrloin evolves into Liepard at level 20.
The whole family: Purrloin, Liepard.
Abilities
- Limber: Prevents paralysis.
- Unburden: Doubles Speed upon using or losing a held item.
- Prankster (hidden ability): Raises non-damaging moves' priority by one stage.
Moves
Moves Purrloin learns by level up in Sword / Shield
| Level | Move | Type | Category | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scratch | Normal | Physical | 40 |
| 1 | Growl | Normal | Status | — |
| 4 | Sand Attack | Ground | Status | — |
| 5 | Fake Out | Normal | Physical | 40 |
| 12 | Fury Swipes | Normal | Physical | 18 |
| 16 | Torment | Dark | Status | — |
| 21 | Assurance | Dark | Physical | 60 |
| 24 | Hone Claws | Dark | Status | — |
| 28 | Sucker Punch | Dark | Physical | 70 |
| 32 | Nasty Plot | Dark | Status | — |
| 36 | Night Slash | Dark | Physical | 70 |
| 40 | Play Rough | Fairy | Physical | 90 |
TM moves (37)
Purrloin can learn 37 moves from TMs in Sword / Shield: Pay Day, Thunder Wave, Screech, Rest, Thief, Snore, Protect, Charm, Attract, Rain Dance, Sunny Day, Facade, Swift, Fake Tears, U-turn, Payback, Assurance, Shadow Claw, Round, Snarl, Substitute, Endure, Sleep Talk, Baton Pass, Encore, Iron Tail, Shadow Ball, Taunt, Trick, Hyper Voice, Dark Pulse, Seed Bomb, Nasty Plot, Gunk Shot, Grass Knot, Foul Play, Play Rough.
Egg moves (6):Copycat, Covet, Double Team, Quick Attack, Slash, Yawn.
Move tutor moves (1): Lash Out.
Breeding & training
- Gender: 50% male, 50% female.
- Egg groups: Field.
- Egg cycles: 20 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 2,560).
- Catch rate: 255 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 Speed effort value.
- Base experience yield: 56.
Pokédex entries
Opponents that get drawn in by its adorable behavior come away with stinging scratches from its claws and stinging pride from its laughter. (Shield)
It steals things from people just to amuse itself with their frustration. A rivalry exists between this Pokémon and Nickit. (Sword)
They steal from people for fun, but their victims can't help but forgive them. Their deceptively cute act is perfect. (Black, Y, Alpha Sapphire)
Its cute act is a ruse. When victims let down their guard, they find their items taken. It attacks with sharp claws. (White, X, Omega Ruby)
Their cute act is a ruse. They trick people and steal their valuables just to see the looks on their faces. (Black 2, White 2)
Names around the world
| Japanese | チョロネコ |
|---|---|
| Romaji | Choroneko |
| French | Chacripan |
| German | Felilou |
| Spanish | Purrloin |
| Italian | Purrloin |
| Korean | 쌔비냥 |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 扒手猫 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 扒手貓 |
Trivia
- Shortest Dark type in Gen 5: 0.4 m.
- Lowest base stat total among Dark types in Gen 5: 281.
- Taller than 11% of all Pokémon (0.4 m).
- Heavier than 28% of all Pokémon (10.1 kg).
- Base stat total 281, ranked #912 of 1,025.
- One of 69 Dark-type Pokémon (counting dual types).
- One of 87 purple Pokémon.
- Number 16 of 156 Pokémon introduced in Generation 5 (Unova).
- Part of an evolution family of 2 Pokémon.
- Can learn 53 different moves in Sword / Shield.
- Catch rate 255: about 33.3% per Poké Ball at full health.
- Appears in 5 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: Purrloin (Pokémon), Serebii: Purrloin (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex).
- Pronunciation (PUR-loyn): 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
Dark-type Pokémon · Unova region guide · Limber ability · Unburden ability · Prankster ability · Compare Purrloin · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves
Browse similar Pokémon
Gen 5 Dark-type Pokémon · Gen 5 Pokémon list · Purple Pokémon list · Field egg group · Pokémon that start with P · Cat Pokémon