Sneasel
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sneasel | |
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National Pokédex Heracross - Sneasel (#215) - Teddiursa Johto Pokédex Magcargo - Sneasel (#213) - Misdreavus Sinnoh Pokédex Yukinooh - Sneasel (#144) - Weavile |
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Japanese name | Nyula |
Evolves from | None |
Evolves into | Weavile (from Pokémon Diamond and Pearl onwards) |
Generation | Second |
Species | Sharp Claw Pokémon |
Type | Dark / Ice |
Height | 2 ft 11 in (0.9 m) |
Weight | 62 lb (28 kg) |
Ability | Inner Focus/Keen Eye |
Sneasel (ニューラ Nyūra?, Nyula in original Japanese language versions) are one of the 493 fictional species of Pokémon creatures from the multi-billion-dollar[1] Pokémon media franchise – a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards and other media, created by Satoshi Tajiri. Sneasel is a common favorite among hardcore fans.
Sneasel's name is derived from sneaky and weasel, references to its temperament and appearance. The Japanese name Nyula is a portmanteau of the Japanese words for sneaking in (潜入 sennyū?) and weasel (鼬 yū?).
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[edit] Biological characteristics
Sneasel is a nocturnal Pokémon that lives in mountains. It hunts under the cover of chilly darkness, which allows it to sneak up on foes or lost prey. It has dangerously sharp claws, which it can conceal in its paws. It will suddenly unsheathe these claws in order to startle enemies and buy it time to attack. Many Sneasel have been seen standing at the peak of icy mountains when there is a Solar Eclipse, but why this is or how they know has not been explained.
Like its real counterpart, the weasel, Sneasel includes eggs in its diet. It tends to seek out unguarded nests or to scare away bird Pokémon that inhabit them in order to steal and eat the nest's eggs. Even if the nest is located high up in a tree's branches, Sneasel can reach it by scaling the tree's trunk by punching it with its claws.
[edit] In the video games
Sneasel can be found in Route 28 and the Silver Cave in Pokémon Gold and Silver. In Pokémon Crystal, it can be found in the Ice Path. In Pokémon Colosseum it is a Shadow Pokémon and can be Snagged in The Under Subway. In Pokémon LeafGreen Sneasel is encountered in the Icefall Cave. In Pokemon Diamond and Pearl Sneasel can be found in the wild on Routes 216 & 217, Kissaki Temple and Wisdom Lake.
In Diamond and Pearl, a female Sneasel has a smaller left ear.
Sneasel can be described as an oddly backward Pokémon in the Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, Gold and Silver version games - while it has sky-high Attack, its Defense and, most notably, its Special Attack make it completely ignored in competition. This seems like a mistake, because both of Sneasel's types (Dark and Ice) and most of its attacks are "special." This problem is more than fixed in the fourth generation of Pokémon games.
[edit] In the anime
Sneasel first appeared in the fourth Pokémon movie, Celebi: Voice of the Forest, as one of the three Shadow Pokémon used by the main villain (the other two being Scizor and Tyranitar).
Another one caused trouble for the Silver Conference of Johto when it blocked people access to the Sacred Fire of Ho-Oh, which was needed for the festivities (compare with Olympic Flame). It was captured by a trainer from Hoenn named Harrison and subsequently used in the Conference.
Sneasel was also in the episode Hail To the Chef!
Sneasel also appeared in the Battle Frontier episode "Duels of the Jungle!" with its evolved form Weavile.
[edit] In the trading card game
Sneasel has made 5 appearances in the card game, all as Basic Dark types:
- Neo Genesis
- Neo Revelation
- Aquapolis
- EX Ruby & Sapphire (as Sneasel EX)
- EX Team Rocket Returns (as Rocket’s Sneasel EX)
In addition, a card named Rocket’s Sneasel was released in the theme of the fourth Pokémon movie.
The Neo Genesis version of Sneasel was banned from tournament play soon after it was released due to its incredible potential for power. Its Beat Up attack requires two Dark energy, and due to the cheap cost of the attack/the damage added by the Dark Energy card's effect, ends up doing twenty for each heads of a coin flip, and the number of coins flipped match the number of Pokémon on the user’s side of the field. That way, on six successful flips of a coin, Sneasel can do 120 damage in one turn, excluding the Darkness Energy Card's special effect.
[edit] References
The following games and their instruction manuals: Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue; Pokémon Yellow; Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Stadium 2; Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal; Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald; Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen; Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness.
- ^ “Pokemon Franchise Approaches 150 Million Games Sold" PR Newswire. URL accessed on March 27, 2006.
[edit] Publications
- Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., 1998. ASIN B000CQP8FE
- Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Player’s Guide Special Edition for Yellow, Red and Blue. Nintendo of America Inc., 1999. ASIN B000CQT878
- Barbo, Maria. The Official Pokémon Handbook. Scholastic Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-439-15404-9.
- Loe, Casey, ed. Pokémon Special Pikachu Edition Official Perfect Guide. Sunnydale, CA: Empire 21 Publishing, 1999. ISBN 1-930206-15-1.
- Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Snap Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., 1999. ASIN B000CDZP9G
- Nintendo Power. Super Smash Bros. Melee Official Nintendo Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., 2001. ISBN 1-930206-19-4
- Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Ruby Version & Sapphire Version Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., 2003. ISBN 1-930206-31-3
- Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Colosseum Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., March 2004. ISBN 1-930206-47-X
- Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon FireRed & Pokémon LeafGreen Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., August 2004. ISBN 1-930206-50-X
- Mylonas, Eric. Pokémon Pokédex Collector’s Edition: Prima’s Official Pokémon Guide. Prima Games, September 21 2004. ISBN 0-7615-4761-4
- Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Emerald Version Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., April 2005. ISBN 1-930206-58-5
- Chiba, Akira et al. The Official Pokémon Emerald Version Strategy Guide. Pokémon USA, Inc., 2005. ISBN 3-937336-06-0
- Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., September 22 2005. ISBN 1-59812-002-6
[edit] External links
- Official Pokémon website
- Bulbapedia (a Pokémon-centric Wiki)’s article about Sneasel as a species
- Sneasel’s fourth-generation Pokédex entry on Serebii.net