Sawk
Sawk is a Fighting-type Pokémon, the Karate Pokémon, number 539 (#0539) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 5 and comes from the Unova region. It is 1.4 m tall and weighs 51 kg.
Sawk is the Karate Pokémon, a male-only fighter whose chop, the Pokédex claims, can split the sea itself once it has trained to its limit. It tightens its belt to pump itself up and gets angry if anyone interrupts.
How to pronounce Sawk
Sawk is pronounced SAWK. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.
Listen to Sawk said out loud:
In Japanese it is ダゲキ (Dageki).
Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.
Lore
Biology
Sawk is 1.4 m tall and 51 kg, a lean blue fighter with rocky skin, a sideways z-shaped black nose and left brow, and sharply pointed feet. Its outfit is a pale blue karate gi with diamond patterning on the sleeves, and it ties its black belt tight to increase its power.
Behaviour
Sawk wants the strongest karate chop in the world, so it trains without sleeping. The sound of it punching boulders and trees carries from the mountains, and the Pokédex advises quietly walking past a Sawk that is training.
Habitat
The Pokédex puts it in the mountains, where it shuts itself away to train. In Black and White it is found on Routes 10, 15 and 18 and outside Pinwheel Forest.
Powers
Its Abilities are Sturdy and Inner Focus, with Mold Breaker hidden. It learns Double Kick, Low Sweep, Brick Break, Counter and Close Combat by level. Base Attack of 125 and Speed of 85 make it a quick, hard-hitting fighter, though its bulk is modest.
Name origin
Sawk may come from 'sock', meaning to punch. The Japanese name is Dageki (ダゲキ), possibly from dageki (blow, strike) and ki (demon).
Design inspiration
Ken Sugimori designed Sawk and Throh, and told Nintendo Dream that Sawk draws on karate, with a karateka (a karate practitioner) as its model. Bulbapedia suggests it may also nod to namahage, demons in oni masks, with a karate gi in place of the straw cloak.
In the games
In Sword, Sawk is wild around Route 8 and Motostoke, and it first appeared in Black and White. It is unobtainable in Scarlet and Violet, but in Legends: Z-A it appears in the Mega Dimension DLC's Hyperspace Lumiose.
In the anime
Stephan's Sawk made its series debut in 'The Club Battle Hearts of Fury: Emolga Versus Sawk!' and became one of his main Pokémon. In 'A Close Call... Practically!' Jessie pulled a Sawk from the Rocket Prize Master.
Fun facts
- Sawk and Throh echo Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan: both pairs are male-only Fighting types that look like counterparts of each other.
- Bulbapedia says Sawk is the only Fighting-type Pokémon with the Ability Sturdy.
- Bulbapedia says Pokémon GO makes Sawk a regional Pokémon, mostly seen in Europe, Asia and Australia, with Throh mostly seen in the Americas, Africa and the Middle East.
Base stats
- HP: 75
- Attack: 125
- Defense: 75
- Sp. Atk: 30
- Sp. Def: 75
- Speed: 85
Sawk’s base stat total is 465. Its highest stat is Attack.
Type matchups
What is Sawk weak to?
Sawk takes extra damage from Flying (2×), Psychic (2×), Fairy (2×) moves.
It resists Bug (½×), Rock (½×), Dark (½×).
Evolution
Sawk does not evolve, and it does not evolve from any other Pokémon.
Abilities
- Sturdy: Prevents being KOed from full HP, leaving 1 HP instead. Protects against the one-hit KO moves regardless of HP.
- Inner Focus: Prevents flinching.
- Mold Breaker (hidden ability): Bypasses targets' abilities if they could hinder or prevent a move.
Moves
Moves Sawk learns by level up in Sword / Shield
| Level | Move | Type | Category | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rock Smash | Fighting | Physical | 40 |
| 1 | Leer | Normal | Status | — |
| 5 | Focus Energy | Normal | Status | — |
| 10 | Double Kick | Fighting | Physical | 30 |
| 15 | Quick Guard | Fighting | Status | — |
| 20 | Low Sweep | Fighting | Physical | 65 |
| 25 | Bulk Up | Fighting | Status | — |
| 30 | Retaliate | Normal | Physical | 70 |
| 35 | Brick Break | Fighting | Physical | 75 |
| 40 | Counter | Fighting | Physical | — |
| 45 | Endure | Normal | Status | — |
| 50 | Reversal | Fighting | Physical | — |
| 55 | Close Combat | Fighting | Physical | 120 |
TM moves (44)
Sawk can learn 44 moves from TMs in Sword / Shield: Mega Punch, Mega Kick, Fire Punch, Ice Punch, Thunder Punch, Giga Impact, Dig, Rest, Rock Slide, Snore, Protect, Scary Face, Attract, Rain Dance, Sunny Day, Facade, Helping Hand, Revenge, Brick Break, Rock Tomb, Payback, Fling, Low Sweep, Round, Retaliate, Bulldoze, Low Kick, Earthquake, Focus Energy, Substitute, Reversal, Endure, Sleep Talk, Taunt, Superpower, Bulk Up, Close Combat, Poison Jab, Focus Blast, Zen Headbutt, Stone Edge, Grass Knot, Work Up, Throat Chop.
Move tutor moves (1): Coaching.
Breeding & training
- Gender: 100% male, 0% female.
- Egg groups: Human-Like.
- 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 (1,000,000 experience points to reach level 100).
- Defeating it gives 2 Attack effort values.
- Base experience yield: 163.
Pokédex entries
The karate chops of a Sawk that's trained itself to the limit can cleave the ocean itself. (Shield)
If you see a Sawk training in the mountains in its single-minded pursuit of strength, it's best to quietly pass by. (Sword)
Tying their belts gets them pumped and makes their punches more destructive. Disturbing their training angers them. (White, Y, Alpha Sapphire)
Desiring the strongest karate chop, they seclude themselves in mountains and train without sleeping. (Black 2, White 2, X, Omega Ruby)
The sound of Sawk punching boulders and trees can be heard all the way from the mountains where they train. (Black)
Names around the world
| Japanese | ダゲキ |
|---|---|
| Romaji | Dageki |
| French | Karaclée |
| German | Karadonis |
| Spanish | Sawk |
| Italian | Sawk |
| Korean | 타격귀 |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 打击鬼 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 打擊鬼 |
Trivia
- Taller than 68% of all Pokémon (1.4 m).
- Heavier than 67% of all Pokémon (51 kg).
- Base stat total 465, ranked #466 of 1,025.
- Its best stat is Attack, ranked #65 of 1,025.
- One of 73 Fighting-type Pokémon (counting dual types).
- One of 170 blue Pokémon.
- Number 46 of 156 Pokémon introduced in Generation 5 (Unova).
- Can learn 50 different moves in Sword / Shield.
- Catch rate 45: about 5.9% 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: Sawk (Pokémon), Serebii: Sawk (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex).
- Pronunciation (SAWK): 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
Fighting-type Pokémon · Unova region guide · Sturdy ability · Inner Focus ability · Mold Breaker ability · Compare Sawk · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves
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Gen 5 Fighting-type Pokémon · Gen 5 Pokémon list · Blue Pokémon list · Human-Like egg group · Pokémon that start with S