#0167 · Johto · Generation 2

Spinarak

String Spit Pokémon · Bug/Poison-type

Spinarak is a Bug/Poison-type Pokémon, the String Spit Pokémon, number 167 (#0167) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 2 and comes from the Johto region. It is 0.5 m tall and weighs 8.5 kg.

Spinarak is the String Spit Pokémon, a patient spider that can lie still in its web for days. Its thread is strong enough to hold up a rock, and the face on its back changes expression in the anime.

How to pronounce Spinarak

Spinarak is pronounced SPIN-uh-rak. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.

Listen to Spinarak said out loud:

In Japanese it is イトマル (Itomaru).

Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.

Lore

Biology

Spinarak is a green spider with a white horn on its forehead, red mandibles, yellow legs with black bands and a face-like marking on its back. It is 0.5 m tall and weighs 8.5 kg. It spins fine but durable thread from its mouth, and Bulbapedia says it senses what has been trapped through vibrations in the web.

Behaviour

Spinarak lies in the same pose for days, waiting for prey to wander into its web, and once something is caught it waits motionless until dark. Some fishermen weave its thread into nets for catching Fish Pokémon, the Pokédex says.

Habitat

The Pokédex habitat is forest, and Bulbapedia says it lives in temperate and tropical forests. In Scarlet and Violet it is found in Kitakami, and in Legends: Z-A it lives in Lumiose City.

Diet

A Sun Pokédex entry says its preferred prey is Cutiefly.

Powers

Its Abilities are Swarm and Insomnia, with Sniper hidden. It fights with Poison Sting, Night Shade, Sucker Punch and Pin Missile, learns Psychic at level 36 and lays Sticky Web at level 47. With 60 base Attack and just 30 base Speed it is fragile.

Name origin

Spinarak may combine 'spinneret', 'spin' or the German Spinne ('spider') with 'arachnid'; Spinnerak also happens to be Afrikaans for a spider's web. The Japanese name is Itomaru (イトマル), possibly from ito ('thread') and maru, a suffix found in boys' names.

Design inspiration

Spinarak may be based on the Jōrō spider, which has similar colouring and lives across Japan. Its face-like marking has prompted comparisons with the Hawaiian happy face spider, and its horn could come from Ceratogyrus tarantulas. These are fan readings.

Evolution notes

Spinarak evolves into Ariados at level 22.

In the games

Spinarak is a night-time route Pokémon in Gold and Crystal. In Scarlet and Violet it appears in 1-star Tera Raid Battles in The Teal Mask. In Legends: Z-A it is found in several Lumiose districts and Wild Zone 4, and the Mega Dimension DLC adds it to Hyperspace Lumiose.

In the anime

Spinarak debuted in 'Spinarak Attack', where the Officer Jenny of Catallia City uses one instead of a Growlithe to honour a Spinarak that foiled a cat burglar called The Black Arachnid. Bugsy's Spinarak lost to Ash's Chikorita in 'Gettin' The Bugs Out'.

Fun facts

• Only Spinarak and Ariados have ever been known to learn Toxic Thread, and the same applied to Spider Web before Generation V.
• In the anime, Spinarak silk is used for bandages and beauty masks, as in 'Hassle in the Castle' and 'Ariados, Amigos'.
• In the Spaceworld '97 demo, Bulbapedia says, Spinarak appears to have been based on an earlier Pokémon called Kokumo, which was purple instead of green.

Sources: Bulbapedia: Spinarak (Pokémon) · Serebii: Spinarak (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex)

Base stats

• HP: 40
• Attack: 60
• Defense: 40
• Sp. Atk: 40
• Sp. Def: 40
• Speed: 30

Spinarak’s base stat total is 250. Its highest stat is Attack.

Type matchups

What is Spinarak weak to?

Spinarak takes extra damage from Fire (2×), Flying (2×), Psychic (2×), Rock (2×) moves.

It resists Grass (¼×), Fighting (¼×), Poison (½×), Bug (½×), Fairy (½×).

Evolution

How does Spinarak evolve?

Spinarak evolves into Ariados at level 22.

The whole family: Spinarak, Ariados.

Abilities

• Swarm: Strengthens Bug moves to inflict 1.5× damage at 1/3 max HP or less.
• Insomnia: Prevents sleep.
• Sniper (hidden ability): Strengthens critical hits to inflict 3× damage rather than 2×.

Moves

Moves Spinarak learns by level up in Scarlet / Violet

TM moves (38)

Spinarak can learn 38 moves from TMs in Scarlet / Violet: Agility, Scary Face, Protect, Acid Spray, Struggle Bug, Thief, Trailblaze, Pounce, Facade, Hex, Night Shade, Venoshock, Endure, Sunny Day, Dig, Foul Play, Sleep Talk, Poison Jab, Rest, Toxic Spikes, Leech Life, Substitute, X-Scissor, Giga Drain, Psychic, Baton Pass, Sludge Bomb, Bug Buzz, Solar Beam, Tera Blast, Toxic, Spite, Knock Off, Bug Bite, Lunge, Electroweb, Sludge Wave, Skitter Smack.

Egg moves (5):Disable, Lunge, Megahorn, Night Slash, Rage Powder.

Breeding & training

• Gender: 50% male, 50% female.
• Egg groups: Bug.
• Egg cycles: 15 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 1,920).
• Catch rate: 255 out of 255.
• Base friendship (Gen 8 onward): 50.
• Growth rate: Fast (800,000 experience points to reach level 100).
• Defeating it gives 1 Attack effort value.
• Base experience yield: 50.

Pokédex entries

Although the poison from its fangs isn't that strong, it's potent enough to weaken prey that gets caught in its web. (Ultra Moon)

With threads from its mouth, it fashions sturdy webs that won't break even if you set a rock on them. (Ultra Sun)

Some fishermen weave its sturdy thread into nets to catch fish Pokémon. (Moon)

It waits intently until its preferred prey, Cutiefly, gets caught in its web. In fact, it's quite a patient Pokémon. (Sun)

The web spun by Spinarak can be considered its second nervous system. It is said that this Pokémon can determine what kind of prey is touching its web just by the tiny vibrations it feels through the web's strands. (Ruby, Sapphire, Omega Ruby, Alpha Sapphire)

It lies still in the same pose for days in its web, waiting for its unsuspecting prey to wander close. (Gold, LeafGreen, HeartGold, Y)

Names around the world

Trivia

• Shortest Poison type in Gen 2: 0.5 m, shared with 1 other.
• Slowest Poison type in Gen 2: 30 Speed.
• Lowest base stat total among Poison types in Gen 2: 250.
• Shortest Bug type in Gen 2: 0.5 m.
• Lowest base stat total among Bug types in Gen 2: 250.
• Taller than 19% of all Pokémon (0.5 m).
• Heavier than 24% of all Pokémon (8.5 kg).
• Base stat total 250, ranked #967 of 1,025.
• One of 12 Pokémon that are both Bug and Poison.
• One of 130 green Pokémon.
• Number 16 of 100 Pokémon introduced in Generation 2 (Johto).
• Part of an evolution family of 2 Pokémon.
• Can learn 53 different moves in Scarlet / Violet.
• Catch rate 255: about 33.3% per Poké Ball at full health.
• Appears in 10 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: Spinarak (Pokémon), Serebii: Spinarak (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex).
• Pronunciation (SPIN-uh-rak): it follows how the English anime, games or official videos say it.

Last checked: 19 October 2026. Every sentence of the lore was checked against Bulbapedia, Serebii and the game data.

Explore

Bug-type Pokémon · Poison-type Pokémon · Bug/Poison weaknesses and matchups · Johto region guide · Swarm ability · Insomnia ability · Sniper ability · Compare Spinarak · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves

Browse similar Pokémon

Gen 2 Bug-type Pokémon · Gen 2 Poison-type Pokémon · Gen 2 Pokémon list · Green Pokémon list · Bug egg group · Pokémon that start with S · Bug Pokémon · Spider Pokémon

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