Bidoof
| Bidoof | |
|---|---|
| Pokémon series character | |
 National Pokédex Staraptor - Bidoof (#399) - Bibarel | |
| First game | Pokémon Diamond and Pearl |
| Designed by | Ken Sugimori |
| Voiced by | Tsutomu Densaka (Pokémon Mystery Dungeon) |
Bidoof (Japanese: Bippa) is a Pokémon creature featured in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Bidoof first appeared in the video games Pokémon Diamond and Pearl and in subsequent releases, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise.
Concept and characteristics
Bidoof are small brown rodent-like creatures with large front teeth which they use for gnawing on wood. Bidoof need to constantly gnaw on hard substances to keep their teeth ground down, since they grow constantly.[1] Without something to gnaw on, they become violent because of the pain and inconvenience the unwieldy growing teeth cause. A comparison revealed that Bidoof's front teeth grow at the same rate as a Rattata's.[2] They have tufts of fur on their tails and a ring of them on their faces. They also have slightly webbed paws. Males have five lumps on their tails, unlike females, who have three. Bidoof build their nests along the side of bodies of water.[1] It is more agile and active than it appears.[3] Bidoof feed mainly on berries, and occasionally they can eat tree bark.
Appearances
In the video games
Bidoof first appears in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl as an early Pokémon encountered by players. It later appears in HeartGold and SoulSilver as well as Pokémon Black and White. It eventually evolves into Bibarel. In the main games, Bidoof is often considered an "HM slave", a term which refers to a Pokémon that is only good for its ability to use most "Hidden Machines", items which teach Pokémon new abilities.[4] Outside of the main series, it also appears in some of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon titles, some of the Pokémon Ranger titles, Pokémon Rumble, and PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure. In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness, Bidoof is a major supporting character; in the remake Explorers of Sky, a series of side missions called "Bidoof's Wish" is available to players.
In other media
Bidoof have appeared a few times in the Pokémon anime. First randomly appearing in the wild and then having a whole episode where a Steelix is destroying a Bidoof village. Since then they have had many more appearances such as one being under care of Reggie, Paul's older brother. In the Pokémon Adventures manga, Platinum was attacked by a group of Bidoof in her own house.
Reception
Bidoof has received generally negative reception since it appeared in Diamond and Pearl, GamesRadar called Bidoof, along with Rattata, Sentret, and Zigzagoon an "infestation", and an "ideal Pokémon to mess around with", though stated that its evolution Bibarel "can be a solid Normal-type Pokémon".[5] Fellow GamesRadar editor Paul Ryan called Bidoof an "inbred offspring of a teddy bear and a beaver" and a Pokémon that "relies on cuteness and the pity of others to avoid being eaten by other Pokémon."[6] 1UP.com wrote that they would forgive Bidoof because it fulfilled a need for a Pokémon meant for the early stages of the game.[7] Norm Scott of the humor comic Hsu and Chan mocked Bidoof and wrote that "nobody ever chooses you, Bidoof."[8] IGN's Audrey Drake wrote about Bidoof and commented that it was an early-game challenge.[4] Fellow IGN editor Lucas M. Thomas described it as a "dimwitted, buck-toothed rodent", a "resident pest of Sinnoh", and that it serves the same purpose as Rattata, Sentret, and Zigzagoon; he added that while it did not have "cool factor", he was a "loyal and trustworthy companion" in the early game.[9] Joystiq's JC Fletcher described Bidoof as "dopey-looking".[10] The Escapist's Keane Ng called Bidoof"everyone's favorite bucktoothed, ubiquitous and completely useless and trash-tier Pokémon".[11] Australia's Official Nintendo Magazine listed three reasons that they "hate" Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 (and another three they love), putting Bidoof on the hate list, saying "the beaver is conspicuous of his absence".[12] Despite this, some Bidoof have been banned from tournaments from its hidden ability Moody, which is hilariously over powered.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Pokédex: It constantly gnaws on logs and rocks to whittle down its front teeth. It nests alongside water. Game Freak (2007-04-22). Pokémon Pearl. Nintendo DS. Nintendo.
- ↑ Pokédex: A comparison revealed that Bidoof's front teeth grow at the same rate as Rattata's. Game Freak (2009-03-22). Pokémon Platinum. Nintendo DS. Nintendo.
- ↑ Pokédex: It is more agile and active than it appears. Game Freak (2007-04-22). Pokémon Diamond. Nintendo DS. Nintendo.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Audrey Drake. "Why Pokemon Starters Matter - DS Feature at IGN". Ds.ign.com. Retrieved 2011-12-07.
- ↑ Darryl Vassar. "The complete Pokemon Diamond and Pearl pokedex, part 2, Pokemon Diamond/Pearl DS Features | GamesRadar". GamesRadar.
- ↑ "Tournament of level one enemies, Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies Xbox 360 Features". GamesRadar. 2008-10-21. Retrieved 2011-12-07.
- ↑ "Top 5 Lamest Pokemon". 1up.com. Retrieved 2011-12-07.
- ↑ "Hsu and Chan : Your Arniescopes". 1up.com. 2009-05-06. Retrieved 2011-12-07.
- ↑ Lucas M. Thomas. "The Countdown to Diamond and Pearl, Part 2 - Nintendo DS Feature at IGN". Ds.ign.com. Retrieved 2011-12-07.
- ↑ JC Fletcher (2008-03-25). "Pokemon Ranger Batonnage: Bidoof aplenty". Joystiq. Retrieved 2011-12-07.
- ↑ Keane Ng (2009-07-29). "The Escapist : News : Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky Coming October 12". Escapistmagazine.com. Retrieved 2011-12-07.
- ↑ Schilling, Chris (2012). "Previews - Nintendo DS - Pokémon Black Version 2 & Pokémon White Version 2". Official Nintendo Magazine (Nintendo) (47): 59–63. ISSN 1836-4276.
External links