Rhydon
Rhydon is a Ground/Rock-type Pokémon, the Drill Pokémon, number 112 (#0112) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 1 and comes from the Kanto region. It is 1.9 m tall and weighs 120 kg.
Rhydon is the Rhyhorn that stood up. Walking on two legs gave it a bigger brain and a bigger territory, and now its drill horn can crush diamonds while its hide shrugs off lava.
How to pronounce Rhydon
Rhydon is pronounced RY-don. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.
Listen to Rhydon said out loud:
In Japanese it is サイドン (Sidon).
Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.
Lore
Biology
Rhydon is a large grey biped that mixes dinosaur and rhinoceros features: narrow red eyes, two upper fangs, a cream horn on its snout (smaller on females), a row of back spikes and a long tail marked with thin black bands. It stands 1.9 m tall and weighs 120 kg. The Pokédex says its armour-like hide lets it live in molten lava of about 1,980 °C (3,600 °F) and shrug off direct cannon hits.
Behaviour
Despite its better brain, the Pokédex calls it very forgetful. It sometimes rams into streams of magma, and it polishes its horn by bashing it against other Rhydon's horns.
Habitat
The Pokédex habitat list puts it in rough terrain, and Bulbapedia mentions caves and mountain tops. In Scarlet and Violet it arrives by transfer or trade, and The Indigo Disk adds it to the Terarium's Savanna Biome and 4-star Tera Raid Battles; Bulbapedia lists it as unobtainable in Legends: Z-A.
Powers
Rhydon can have Lightning Rod or Rock Head, with Reckless hidden. Its horn powers Horn Drill and Megahorn, and it learns Earthquake, Stone Edge and even Surf by TM. A base Attack of 130 made it the strongest attacker among Generation I's Ground and Rock types, though its base Speed is only 40.
Name origin
Rhydon may combine 'rhinoceros', 'rhyolite' and either Spanish don ('lord') or the Greek-derived '-don' ('tooth') of prehistoric animal names. The Japanese name is Sidon (サイドン), perhaps from sai (犀, 'rhinoceros') plus the same don.
Design inspiration
Ken Sugimori designed Rhydon, and Bulbapedia reports from his interviews that it was among the very first Pokémon ever made, appearing in early sketches for the Capsule Monsters concept. It was reportedly made with a kaiju (giant movie monster) motif. Its look appears to mix a rhinoceros with dinosaurs such as ceratopsids, and its horn may be based on a drill.
Evolution notes
Rhyhorn turns into Rhydon at level 42. Trade Rhydon with a Protector in its hands and it becomes Rhyperior.
In the games
In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team, a Rhydon leads a rescue team at Pokémon Square just before you reach the Magma Cavern. It is one of the original Generation I Pokémon.
In the anime
Blaine's Rhydon faces Ash in 'Riddle Me This', where Pikachu wins by striking its horn. In 'Right On, Rhydon!', a Rhydon that knows Surf is sought by Pietra.
Fun facts
- In Generation I's internal numbering Rhydon is Pokémon number 001, so some glitch Pokémon show Rhydon's Pokédex entry when viewed.
- The scene where Pikachu hits Blaine's Rhydon on the horn gave rise to the popular, if misquoted, 'aim for the horn!' internet meme.
- Rhydon shares the Drill Pokémon category with Nidoking and Nidoqueen, and all of them are part Ground.
Base stats
- HP: 105
- Attack: 130
- Defense: 120
- Sp. Atk: 45
- Sp. Def: 45
- Speed: 40
Rhydon’s base stat total is 485. Its highest stat is Attack.
Type matchups
What is Rhydon weak to?
Rhydon takes extra damage from Water (4×), Grass (4×), Ice (2×), Fighting (2×), Ground (2×), Steel (2×) moves.
It resists Poison (¼×), Normal (½×), Fire (½×), Flying (½×), Rock (½×).
It is immune to Electric moves.
Evolution
What does Rhydon evolve from?
Rhydon evolves from Rhyhorn at level 42.
How does Rhydon evolve?
Rhydon evolves into Rhyperior (Trade holding Protector).
The whole family: Rhyhorn, Rhydon, Rhyperior.
Abilities
- Lightning Rod: Redirects single-target Electric moves to this Pokémon where possible. Absorbs Electric moves, raising Special Attack one stage.
- Rock Head: Protects against recoil damage.
- Reckless (hidden ability): Strengthens recoil moves to 1.2× their power.
Moves
Moves Rhydon learns by level up in Scarlet / Violet
| Level | Move | Type | Category | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evo | Hammer Arm | Fighting | Physical | 100 |
| 1 | Tackle | Normal | Physical | 40 |
| 1 | Tail Whip | Normal | Status | — |
| 1 | Smack Down | Rock | Physical | 50 |
| 1 | Bulldoze | Ground | Physical | 60 |
| 15 | Horn Attack | Normal | Physical | 65 |
| 20 | Scary Face | Normal | Status | — |
| 25 | Stomp | Normal | Physical | 65 |
| 30 | Rock Blast | Rock | Physical | 25 |
| 35 | Drill Run | Ground | Physical | 80 |
| 40 | Take Down | Normal | Physical | 90 |
| 47 | Earthquake | Ground | Physical | 100 |
| 54 | Stone Edge | Rock | Physical | 100 |
| 61 | Megahorn | Bug | Physical | 120 |
| 68 | Horn Drill | Normal | Physical | — |
“Evo” means Rhydon learns the move the moment it evolves: Hammer Arm.
TM moves (73)
Rhydon can learn 73 moves from TMs in Scarlet / Violet: Take Down, Mud-Slap, Scary Face, Protect, Fire Fang, Thunder Fang, Ice Fang, Thief, Facade, Bulldoze, Icy Wind, Mud Shot, Rock Tomb, Fling, Avalanche, Endure, Sunny Day, Rain Dance, Sandstorm, Smart Strike, Dig, Brick Break, Shadow Claw, Body Slam, Fire Punch, Thunder Punch, Ice Punch, Sleep Talk, Rock Blast, Poison Jab, Stomping Tantrum, Rest, Rock Slide, Swords Dance, Body Press, Substitute, Iron Defense, Drill Run, Crunch, Dragon Pulse, Stealth Rock, Heavy Slam, Surf, Flamethrower, Thunderbolt, Helping Hand, Earth Power, Reversal, Ice Beam, Fire Blast, Hydro Pump, Blizzard, Earthquake, Stone Edge, Giga Impact, Outrage, Focus Blast, Hyper Beam, Thunder, Tera Blast, Roar, Smack Down, High Horsepower, Heat Crash, Uproar, Focus Punch, Double-Edge, Endeavor, Supercell Slam, Scorching Sands, Meteor Beam, Breaking Swipe, Curse.
Egg moves (6):Counter, Curse, Dragon Rush, Guard Split, Metal Burst, Rock Polish.
Breeding & training
- Gender: 50% male, 50% female.
- Egg groups: Monster, Field.
- Egg cycles: 20 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 2,560).
- Catch rate: 60 out of 255.
- Base friendship (Gen 8 onward): 50.
- Growth rate: Slow (1,250,000 experience points to reach level 100).
- Defeating it gives 2 Attack effort values.
- Base experience yield: 170.
Pokédex entries
Rapidly rotates its horn to bore through bedrock. It swaggers around volcanic regions, protected from the lava's heat by its tough, armorlike hide. (Legends: Arceus)
Protected by an armor-like hide, it is capable of living in molten lava of 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit. (LeafGreen, X, Shield)
It begins walking on its hind legs after evolution. It can punch holes through boulders with its horn. (FireRed, Y, Sword)
Its brain developed when it began walking on its hind legs. Its armor-like hide even repels molten lava. (Let’s Go, Pikachu!, Let’s Go, Eevee!)
Rhydon has a horn that serves as a drill. It is used for destroying rocks and boulders. This Pokémon occasionally rams into streams of magma, but the armor-like hide prevents it from feeling the heat. (Sapphire, Alpha Sapphire)
Rhydon's horn can crush even uncut diamonds. One sweeping blow of its tail can topple a building. This Pokémon's hide is extremely tough. Even direct cannon hits don't leave a scratch. (Ruby, Omega Ruby)
Names around the world
| Japanese | サイドン |
|---|---|
| Romaji | Sidon |
| French | Rhinoféros |
| German | Rizeros |
| Spanish | Rhydon |
| Italian | Rhydon |
| Korean | 코뿌리 |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 钻角犀兽 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 鑽角犀獸 |
Trivia
- Highest HP among Ground types in Gen 1: 105.
- Highest Attack among Ground types in Gen 1: 130.
- Highest HP among Rock types in Gen 1: 105.
- Highest Attack among Rock types in Gen 1: 130.
- Taller than 86% of all Pokémon (1.9 m).
- Heavier than 86% of all Pokémon (120 kg).
- Base stat total 485, ranked #372 of 1,025.
- Its best stat is Attack, ranked #42 of 1,025.
- One of 9 Pokémon that are both Ground and Rock.
- One of 107 gray Pokémon.
- Number 112 of 151 Pokémon introduced in Generation 1 (Kanto).
- Part of an evolution family of 3 Pokémon.
- Can learn 85 different moves in Scarlet / Violet.
- Catch rate 60: about 7.8% per Poké Ball at full health.
- Appears in 14 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: Rhydon (Pokémon), Serebii: Rhydon (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex).
- Pronunciation (RY-don): 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
Ground-type Pokémon · Rock-type Pokémon · Ground/Rock weaknesses and matchups · Kanto region guide · Lightning Rod ability · Rock Head ability · Reckless ability · Compare Rhydon · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves
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Gen 1 Ground-type Pokémon · Gen 1 Rock-type Pokémon · Gen 1 Pokémon list · Gray Pokémon list · Monster egg group · Field egg group · Pokémon that start with R · Rhino and Hippo Pokémon · Dinosaur Pokémon