Wailmer
Wailmer is a Water-type Pokémon, the Ball Whale Pokémon, number 320 (#0320) in the National Pokédex. It was introduced in Generation 3 and comes from the Hoenn region. It is 2 m tall and weighs 130 kg.
Wailmer is the Ball Whale Pokémon, a Water type that fills itself with seawater to bounce about like a beach ball. It loves to startle people by blasting water out of its nostrils.
How to pronounce Wailmer
Wailmer is pronounced WAYL-mer. The capital letters show the stressed syllable.
Listen to Wailmer said out loud:
In Japanese it is ホエルコ (Hoeruko).
Hear every other name on the Pokémon pronunciation guide.
Lore
Biology
Wailmer is a round, tailless whale, 2 m long and 130 kg, dark blue on top with a tan, grooved underbelly. Its fins end in finger-like tips, its baleen plates look like teeth and its nostrils sit above its eyes. The Pokédex says the more seawater it stores, the higher it bounces, and it sprays the excess from its nostrils.
Behaviour
Wailmer is playful. The Pokédex says it bounces about like a ball on sunny days, and that on very rare occasions pods wash up on shore, a result of memories of when they lived on land. It can survive on land for a short time but loses vitality if it dries out.
Habitat
The Pokédex habitat list puts it in the sea. Bulbapedia says it cannot be obtained in Scarlet and Violet or in Legends: Z-A.
Diet
The Pokédex says it eats about a ton of food every day.
Powers
Its Abilities are Water Veil, which prevents burns, and Oblivious, with Pressure hidden. It uses Water Gun, Water Pulse, Brine and Hydro Pump, can Rest to recover, and in Sword and Shield saves Water Spout for level 48. Its 130 base HP is enormous, but its Defense and Special Defense are only 35.
Name origin
Wailmer may combine 'whale', 'wail' and the French mer, 'sea'. The Japanese name is Hoeruko (ホエルコ), which may blend hoeru, 'to bellow', and ko, 'child', with 'whale'.
Design inspiration
Wailmer may be a baleen whale blended with a beach ball.
Evolution notes
Wailmer evolves into Wailord at level 40.
In the games
In Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Wailmer can be fished up across Hoenn's seas and has its own Surf model, and in Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia Team Dim Sun tries to pass a captured one off as a 'Wailord Mini'. It first appeared in Ruby and Sapphire.
In the anime
In 'Island Time', a Wailmer befriended a boy called Robin and evolved into a Wailord to carry him, Ash and their friends towards a ship. A Wailmer also lives in Juan's Sootopolis water exhibit in 'The Great Eight Fate!'.
Fun facts
- Wailmer made its first public appearance on 7 March 2001, alongside Azurill and Kecleon, in the earliest Generation III announcements.
- Bulbapedia says Wailmer is the only Pokémon met by random encounter in the Crown Tundra that is missing from the Crown Tundra Pokédex.
- Cetoddle's Pokédex entry mentions Wailmer, which cannot be caught in Scarlet and Violet, and Bulbapedia says the two are thought to be close relatives.
- Of all Generation III Pokémon, Bulbapedia says only Wailmer has a Trading Card Game card carrying e-Reader dot codes.
Base stats
- HP: 130
- Attack: 70
- Defense: 35
- Sp. Atk: 70
- Sp. Def: 35
- Speed: 60
Wailmer’s base stat total is 400. Its highest stat is HP.
Type matchups
What is Wailmer weak to?
Wailmer takes extra damage from Electric (2×), Grass (2×) moves.
It resists Fire (½×), Water (½×), Ice (½×), Steel (½×).
Evolution
How does Wailmer evolve?
Wailmer evolves into Wailord at level 40.
The whole family: Wailmer, Wailord.
Abilities
- Water Veil: Prevents burns.
- Oblivious: Prevents infatuation and protects against Captivate.
- Pressure (hidden ability): Increases the PP cost of moves targetting the Pokémon by one.
Moves
Moves Wailmer learns by level up in Sword / Shield
| Level | Move | Type | Category | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Splash | Normal | Status | — |
| 3 | Growl | Normal | Status | — |
| 6 | Astonish | Ghost | Physical | 30 |
| 12 | Water Gun | Water | Special | 40 |
| 15 | Mist | Ice | Status | — |
| 18 | Water Pulse | Water | Special | 60 |
| 21 | Heavy Slam | Steel | Physical | — |
| 24 | Brine | Water | Special | 65 |
| 27 | Whirlpool | Water | Special | 35 |
| 30 | Dive | Water | Physical | 80 |
| 33 | Bounce | Flying | Physical | 85 |
| 36 | Body Slam | Normal | Physical | 85 |
| 39 | Rest | Psychic | Status | — |
| 42 | Amnesia | Psychic | Status | — |
| 45 | Hydro Pump | Water | Special | 110 |
| 48 | Water Spout | Water | Special | 150 |
TM moves (34)
Wailmer can learn 34 moves from TMs in Sword / Shield: Self-Destruct, Rest, Snore, Protect, Icy Wind, Attract, Rain Dance, Hail, Whirlpool, Facade, Dive, Weather Ball, Rock Tomb, Bounce, Brine, Avalanche, Round, Bulldoze, Body Slam, Hydro Pump, Surf, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Earthquake, Waterfall, Amnesia, Substitute, Endure, Sleep Talk, Hyper Voice, Zen Headbutt, Heavy Slam, Scald, Body Press.
Egg moves (9):Aqua Ring, Curse, Defense Curl, Double-Edge, Fissure, Rollout, Soak, Thrash, Tickle.
Move tutor moves (1): Steel Roller.
Breeding & training
- Gender: 50% male, 50% female.
- Egg groups: Field, Water 2.
- Egg cycles: 40 (steps to hatch, Scarlet/Violet: 5,120).
- Catch rate: 125 out of 255.
- Base friendship (Gen 8 onward): 50.
- Growth rate: Fast Then Very Slow (1,640,000 experience points to reach level 100).
- Defeating it gives 1 HP effort value.
- Base experience yield: 80.
Pokédex entries
When it sucks in a large volume of seawater, it becomes like a big, bouncy ball. It eats a ton of food daily. (FireRed, LeafGreen, Shield)
It shows off by spraying jets of seawater from the nostrils above its eyes. It eats a solid ton of Wishiwashi every day. (Moon, Sword)
Due to their memories of when they once lived on land, pods of them will, very rarely, wash up on shore. (Ultra Moon)
It swims along with its mouth open and swallows down seawater along with its food. It sprays excess water out of its nostrils. (Ultra Sun)
It loves to startle people. It fills itself up with seawater and plays by bouncing around like a ball. (Sun)
Wailmer can store water inside its body to transform itself into a ball for bouncing around on the ground. By filling itself up with more water, this Pokémon can elevate the height of its bounces. (Sapphire, Alpha Sapphire)
Names around the world
| Japanese | ホエルコ |
|---|---|
| Romaji | Hoeruko |
| French | Wailmer |
| German | Wailmer |
| Spanish | Wailmer |
| Italian | Wailmer |
| Korean | 고래왕자 |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 吼吼鲸 |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 吼吼鯨 |
Trivia
- Taller than 87% of all Pokémon (2 m).
- Heavier than 87% of all Pokémon (130 kg).
- Base stat total 400, ranked #633 of 1,025.
- Its best stat is HP, ranked #23 of 1,025.
- One of 154 Water-type Pokémon (counting dual types).
- One of 170 blue Pokémon.
- Number 69 of 135 Pokémon introduced in Generation 3 (Hoenn).
- Part of an evolution family of 2 Pokémon.
- Can learn 51 different moves in Sword / Shield.
- Catch rate 125: about 16.3% per Poké Ball at full health.
- Appears in 11 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: Wailmer (Pokémon), Serebii: Wailmer (Sword/Shield Pokédex).
- Pronunciation (WAYL-mer): 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
Water-type Pokémon · Hoenn region guide · Water Veil ability · Oblivious ability · Pressure ability · Compare Wailmer · Full Pokédex · Type chart · All moves
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Gen 3 Water-type Pokémon · Gen 3 Pokémon list · Blue Pokémon list · Field egg group · Water 2 egg group · Pokémon that start with W · Whale and Dolphin Pokémon