#0324 · Hoenn · Generation 3

Torkoal

Coal Pokémon · Fire-type

Torkoal is a Fire-type Pokémon, the Coal Pokémon, number 324 (#0324) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 3 and comes from the Hoenn region. It is 0.5 m tall and weighs 80.4 kg.

Torkoal is the Coal Pokémon, a tortoise that burns coal in its shell for power and belches thick black smoke to escape. The Pokédex says it dies if the fire in its shell goes out, so one entry tells owners to keep something flammable handy.

How to pronounce Torkoal

Torkoal is pronounced TOR-kohl. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.

Listen to Torkoal said out loud:

In Japanese it is コータス (Cotoise).

Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.

Lore

Biology

Torkoal is 0.5 m tall and weighs 80.4 kg. Its big black shell looks like rock and is pitted with glowing red holes, and its reddish-brown skin has grey-black banding on the legs and neck, and eyes that look permanently shut. Smoke pours from its nostrils and shell, and the Emerald Pokédex says it sounds like a locomotive horn. A Torkoal that runs out of coal grows weak and cannot move.

Behaviour

Torkoal digs through mountains for coal, packs it into hollows in its shell and burns it, adding more before battle. One entry says abandoned coal mines are full of Torkoal, and Ultra Sun says the speed of its smoke shows how it feels, a fast jet meaning good health.

Habitat

The Pokédex places it in mountains, and Bulbapedia adds volcanic areas. In Scarlet and Violet it lives in Paldea's East and West Provinces, and The Indigo Disk adds Blueberry Academy's Coastal Biome and Torchlit Labyrinth. It is unobtainable in Legends: Z-A.

Powers

Its Abilities are White Smoke, which stops other Pokémon lowering its stats, and Drought, which summons strong sunlight on entry; Shell Armor, which blocks critical hits, is hidden. It scorches foes with Lava Plume and Flamethrower, and learns Shell Smash at level 60 and Eruption at level 64 in Scarlet and Violet. Base Defense 140 and Speed 20 make it a slow, sturdy tank for sun teams.

Name origin

Torkoal may combine 'tortoise' and 'coal'. The Japanese name is Cotoise (コータス), which may also sound like kotatsu, a traditional heated table once warmed with coal.

Design inspiration

Torkoal seems to be modelled on a tortoise, possibly the red-footed tortoise, whose species name carbonarius means 'coal-like'. Its shell may also nod to a charcoal kiln, a stove or a steam engine's firebox. These are fan readings.

In the games

Torkoal is the signature Pokémon of Flannery, Lavaridge Town's Fire-type Gym Leader, from its debut in Ruby and Sapphire. In the Mystery Dungeon games Explorers of Time, Darkness and Sky, a wise old Torkoal is Treasure Town's elder.

In the anime

Flannery's Torkoal debuted in 'Poetry Commotion!', and in 'Going, Going, Yawn' it beat Ash's Pikachu and Treecko in their Gym battle before losing to Corphish. In 'All Torkoal, No Play', Ash helped a Torkoal beat a bullying Steelix in the Valley of Steel and then caught it.

Fun facts

• In Pokémon GO, Torkoal is a regional Pokémon that spawns mainly in West, Central and South Asia.
• In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Team Magma's Tabitha trusts his Torkoal enough to let it hold the Blue Orb.
• In 'Lights! Camera! Pika!', a Trainer's Torkoal helps make a film by blowing black smoke for effects.

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

Base stats

• HP: 70
• Attack: 85
• Defense: 140
• Sp. Atk: 85
• Sp. Def: 70
• Speed: 20

Torkoal’s base stat total is 470. Its highest stat is Defense.

Type matchups

What is Torkoal weak to?

Torkoal takes extra damage from Water (2×), Ground (2×), Rock (2×) moves.

It resists Fire (½×), Grass (½×), Ice (½×), Bug (½×), Steel (½×), Fairy (½×).

Evolution

Torkoal does not evolve, and it does not evolve from any other Pokémon.

Abilities

• White Smoke: Prevents stats from being lowered by other Pokémon.
• Drought: Summons strong sunlight for five turns upon entering battle (eight with a Heat Rock).
• Shell Armor (hidden ability): Protects against critical hits.

Moves

Moves Torkoal learns by level up in Scarlet / Violet

TM moves (45)

Torkoal can learn 45 moves from TMs in Scarlet / Violet: Take Down, Protect, Fire Spin, Facade, Bulldoze, Rock Tomb, Flame Charge, Endure, Sunny Day, Sandstorm, Zen Headbutt, Body Slam, Sleep Talk, Stomping Tantrum, Rest, Rock Slide, Body Press, Substitute, Iron Defense, Will-O-Wisp, Stealth Rock, Heat Wave, Heavy Slam, Flamethrower, Amnesia, Helping Hand, Earth Power, Fire Blast, Sludge Bomb, Earthquake, Stone Edge, Giga Impact, Overheat, Hyper Beam, Flare Blitz, Solar Beam, Tera Blast, Gyro Ball, Heat Crash, Weather Ball, Burning Jealousy, Double-Edge, Temper Flare, Scorching Sands, Curse.

Egg moves (4):Ancient Power, Fissure, Flail, Yawn.

Breeding & training

• Gender: 50% male, 50% female.
• Egg groups: Field.
• Egg cycles: 20 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 2,560).
• Catch rate: 90 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 Defense effort values.
• Base experience yield: 165.

Pokédex entries

You find abandoned coal mines full of them. They dig tirelessly in search of coal. (HeartGold, SoulSilver, X, Shield)

It burns coal inside its shell for energy. It blows out black soot if it is endangered. (Diamond, Pearl, Platinum, Black, White, Black 2, White 2, Y, Sword)

It burns coal to produce energy. When it has burned through all of its coal, it becomes unable to move. (Ultra Moon)

You can tell how it's feeling by the smoke spouting from its shell. Tremendous velocity is a sign of good health. (Ultra Sun)

If the fire burning within its shell goes out, it will die. Those who wish to raise one in their home must always keep something flammable at hand. (Moon)

Coal is the source of Torkoal's energy. Large amounts of coal can be found in the mountains where they live. (Sun)

Names around the world

Trivia

• Slowest Fire type: 20 Speed, shared with 2 others.
• Highest Defense among Fire types: 140.
• Slowest Fire type in Gen 3: 20 Speed.
• Highest Defense among Fire types in Gen 3: 140.
• Taller than 19% of all Pokémon (0.5 m).
• Heavier than 77% of all Pokémon (80.4 kg).
• Base stat total 470, ranked #450 of 1,025.
• Its best stat is Defense, ranked #21 of 1,025.
• One of 81 Fire-type Pokémon (counting dual types).
• One of 147 brown Pokémon.
• Number 73 of 135 Pokémon introduced in Generation 3 (Hoenn).
• Can learn 60 different moves in Scarlet / Violet.
• Catch rate 90: about 11.8% 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: Torkoal (Pokémon), Serebii: Torkoal (Scarlet/Violet Pokédex), Bulbapedia: Flannery.
• Pronunciation (TOR-kohl): it follows how the English anime, games or official videos say it.

Last checked: 20 October 2026. Every sentence of the lore was checked against Bulbapedia, Serebii and the game data.

Explore

Fire-type Pokémon · Hoenn region guide · White Smoke ability · Drought ability · Shell Armor ability · Compare Torkoal · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves

Browse similar Pokémon

Gen 3 Fire-type Pokémon · Gen 3 Pokémon list · Brown Pokémon list · Field egg group · Pokémon that start with T · Turtle Pokémon

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