Gastrodon (Pokmon) - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokmon encyclopedia
Publish date: 2024-05-25
Gastrodon (Japanese: トリトドン Tritodon) is a dual-type Water/Ground Pokémon introduced in Generation IV.
It evolves from Shellos starting at level 30.
Gastrodon has two different forms: West Sea Gastrodon, which is pink and brown in appearance, and East Sea Gastrodon, which is blue and green. They are found on the respective sides of Sinnoh's mountain range.
Biology
Gastrodon is a sea slug-like Pokémon. Much like its pre-evolved form, it has a slug-like body with a round head and a mantle covering the top half of its body. It has six stubby legs and two black eyes with white pupils, with a mark imitating a third eye appearing on its forehead. A yellow stripe runs along the edge of its mantle, through its two lower eyes, and around the back of its head. Like Shellos, Gastrodon has two forms based on the sea it lives in.
In its West Sea form, it has a pair of large tentacles on its head that curve upward and a smaller, straighter pair on its neck. Its underside is pink, while its mantle is brown, with three pink spots on each side of its back. There are also two lumps on its back, resembling the cerata on real-life sea slugs.
In its East Sea form, it retains the head tentacles it had as a Shellos, which are now fully green and angled slightly further upward. Its underside is turquoise, while its mantle is forest green with two turquoise spots on each side. It has a pair of yellow, fin-like cerata on its back and a wavy yellow line bordering its side and rear.
Gastrodon and its pre-evolution Shellos are examples of allopatric speciation, although the two forms can still breed with each other. It is also a relative of Shellder and Cloyster. When threatened, it oozes a purple liquid and flees. While not poisonous, the fluid is very bitter and sticky. Its mucus-coated body is soft and squishy yet surprisingly resilient, and it leaves behind a trail of sticky slime when moving on land. It also has strong regenerative capabilities that allow it to recover from injuries or dismemberment within a few hours. In ancient times, it had a shell on its back, which gradually became a thin yet hard vestigial plate.
Gastrodon lives in shallow tidal pools, beaches, and rocky shorelines. Its diet consists mainly of plankton, but it is occasionally known to move onto land to look for other foods, such as beach sand. When it finds prey, it melts it with mucus before eating them. While Gastrodon cannot stay out of water for too long due to its body being highly vulnerable to dehydration, it becomes more active during cloudy or rainy weather. It has been found on far-off mountains during times of constant rain. The two forms of Gastrodon are known to engage in heated conflict with one another. West Sea Gastrodon was much more numerous in the past than it is in the present. Conversely, East Sea Gastrodon's population has visibly increased in population as of late.
Forms
Gastrodon has two separate forms: West Sea Gastrodon and East Sea Gastrodon. The two forms are purely cosmetic, and do not affect base stats or level-up moves.
| West Sea |  |
| | East Sea |  |
|
Evolution
Gastrodon evolves from Shellos.
Game data
Pokédex entries
| This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation IV. |
|---|
| Generation IV | | Sinnoh
#061 | | Johto
#— |
|---|
| Diamond | It has a pliable body without any bones. If any part of its body is torn off, it grows right back. |
|---|
| Pearl | It apparently had a huge shell for protection in ancient times. It lives in shallow tidal pools. |
|---|
| Platinum | Long ago, its entire back was shielded with a sturdy shell. There are traces of it left in its cells. |
|---|
| HeartGold | When its natural enemy attacks, it oozes purple fluid and escapes. |
|---|
| SoulSilver |
|---|
|
|
| Generation V | | | Unova
#— |
|---|
| Black | Long ago, its entire back was shielded with a sturdy shell. There are traces of it left in its cells. |
|---|
| White |
|---|
| Black 2 | Long ago, its entire back was shielded with a sturdy shell. There are traces of it left in its cells. |
|---|
| White 2 |
|---|
|
|
| Generation VI | | Kalos
#— | | Hoenn
#— |
|---|
| X | When its natural enemy attacks, it oozes purple fluid and escapes. |
|---|
| Y | It apparently had a huge shell for protection in ancient times. It lives in shallow tidal pools. |
|---|
| Omega Ruby | When its natural enemy attacks, it oozes purple fluid and escapes. |
|---|
| Alpha Sapphire | It apparently had a huge shell for protection in ancient times. It lives in shallow tidal pools. |
|---|
|
|
| Generation VII | | Alola
S M : #261 | | Alola
US UM : #342 | | Kanto
#— |
|---|
| This Pokémon has no Pokédex entries in Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!. |
|---|
| West Sea |
|---|
| Sun | It has strong regenerative capabilities. Even if parts of it are bitten off by fish Pokémon, it will return to normal within a few hours. |
|---|
| Moon | Plankton, invisible to the naked eye, is its main food source. It comes onto the land periodically, but the reason for this is not known. |
|---|
| Ultra Sun | Long ago, it had a shell on its back. There's now a vestigial plate on its back that's hard but thin. |
|---|
| Ultra Moon | Their shape and color change, depending on their environment and diet. There are many of them at beaches where the waves are calm. |
|---|
| East Sea |
|---|
| Sun | A team of researchers is scouring the oceans of the world in search of a Gastrodon in a color never seen before. |
|---|
| Moon | Experiments are being conducted to discover what happens when a Gastrodon is raised in a location other than the sea where it was born. |
|---|
| Ultra Sun | When it's attacked, it gushes a purple liquid that's not poisonous but makes Gastrodon's meat bitter and inedible. |
|---|
| Ultra Moon | A relative of Shellder and Cloyster, this ocean dweller sometimes comes onto land in search of food. |
|---|
|
|
| Generation VIII | | Galar
#231 | | Sinnoh
#061 | | Hisui
#083 |
|---|
| Brilliant Diamond | It has a pliable body without any bones. If any part of its body is torn off, it grows right back. |
|---|
| Shining Pearl | It apparently had a huge shell for protection in ancient times. It lives in shallow tidal pools. |
|---|
| West Sea |
|---|
| Sword | Its search for food sometimes leads it onto land, where it leaves behind a sticky trail of slime as it passes through. |
|---|
| Shield | The softness of its body helps disperse the force of impacts, so although its body is uncommonly squishy, it's also surprisingly resilient. |
|---|
| Legends: Arceus | Eats beach sand for nourishment. Should one Gastrodon encounter another of a different color, a fierce battle will inevitably ensue. |
|---|
| East Sea |
|---|
| Sword | It secretes a purple fluid to deter enemies. This fluid isn't poisonous—instead, it's super sticky, and once it sticks, it's very hard to unstick. |
|---|
| Shield | Its body is covered in a sticky slime. It's very susceptible to dehydration, so it can't spend too much time on land. |
|---|
| Legends: Arceus | Found more often on the land than in the sea. More active when it's cloudy or rainy out than when the weather is fair. |
|---|
|
|
| Generation IX | | Paldea
#328 | | Kitakami
#— | | Blueberry
#— |
|---|
| West Sea |
|---|
| Scarlet | Its whole body is sticky with mucus. In the past, this form of Gastrodon was by far the more numerous one. |
|---|
| Violet | It appears on beaches where the waters are shallow. Once it catches prey, it will slowly melt them with its mucus before slurping them up. |
|---|
| East Sea |
|---|
| Scarlet | They normally inhabit rocky seashores, but in times of continuous rain, they can sometimes be found in the mountains, far from the sea. |
|---|
| Violet | Fishers say that they didn't see many of these Pokémon in the past, but this form of Gastrodon is now increasing in number. |
|---|
|
|
Game locations
| This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation IV. |
|---|
|
|
|
|
| Generation VIII | |
|---|
| Sword | Shield | Pokémon HOME (West Sea)
Route 9, Galar Mine No. 2, Dusty Bowl, Giant's Mirror (East Sea)
Bridge Field, Dusty Bowl, Giant's Cap, Giant's Mirror, Lake of Outrage, Rolling Fields, South Lake Miloch, West Lake Axewell (Max Raid Battle) (East Sea) |
|
|---|
| Expansion Pass | |
|---|
| Brilliant Diamond | Shining Pearl | |
|---|
| Legends: Arceus | |
|---|
|
|
|
In side games
| This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation IV. |
|---|
|
|
|
|
| Generation VIII | |
|---|
| This Pokémon is unavailable in Generation VIII side games. |
|---|
|
|
|
In events
West Sea Gastrodon
East Sea Gastrodon
Held Items
Stats
Base stats
Pokéathlon stats
Type effectiveness
| Under normal battle conditions in Generation IX, this Pokémon is: | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Learnset
|
|
- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Gastrodon
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution of Gastrodon
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see level-up moves from other generations
|
|
|
- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Gastrodon
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution or an alternate form of Gastrodon
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see TM moves from other generations
|
|
|
- Moves marked with an asterisk (*) must be chain bred onto Gastrodon
- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Gastrodon
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution of Gastrodon
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see Egg moves from other generations
|
|
|
- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Gastrodon
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution of Gastrodon
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see moves from other generations
|
Side game data
West Sea
|
|
|
Pokémon Ranger: Guardian Signs| Group: | | Poké Assist:
(present) | 
| Field move:
(present) | 
(Soak ×3) | | Not available in the past. | | Browser entry R-087 | | It attacks by spitting bubbles that make Pokémon Slowed. |
|
|
| |
Pokémon Rumble Rush | Walking Speed: 2.33 seconds | Base HP: 61 | | | Base Attack: 78 | Base Defense: 54 | Base Speed: 60 |
|
|
| |
|
East Sea
|
|
| |
Pokémon Rumble Rush | Walking Speed: 2.33 seconds | Base HP: 61 | | | Base Attack: 78 | Base Defense: 54 | Base Speed: 60 |
|
|
| |
|
Form data
Gastrodon has two different forms: West Sea Gastrodon and East Sea Gastrodon. In most cases, where it is encountered in the wild determines its form. This is purely a cosmetic difference, and this Pokémon cannot change between forms.
West Sea Gastrodon is pink and brown in color, whereas East Sea Gastrodon is blue and green. There is also a slight difference in shape depending on the form.
In Sinnoh and Hisui, West Sea Gastrodon is encountered west of Mount Coronet, while East Sea Gastrodon is encountered east of Mount Coronet. In Paldea, West Sea Gastrodon is encountered in Casseroya Lake, while East Sea Gastrodon is encountered in North Province (Area One); both forms can also be found in Tera Raid Battles regardless of location. In other regions, only one form appears in the wild per game (with the other only obtainable via trading or transfer): Gastrodon only appears in its West Sea form in Kalos's Friend Safari, and in Alola and Galar, only East Sea Gastrodon appear in the wild.
Evolution data
West Sea
East Sea
Sprites
| This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation IV. |
|---|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In the anime
West Sea Gastrodon in the anime 
East Sea Gastrodon in the animeMajor appearances
In Last Call — First Round!, Zoey's West Sea Shellos was revealed to have evolved into a Gastrodon. It was used alongside Lumineon in the Performance Stage of the Sinnoh Grand Festival. Gastrodon was later used in the Contest Battles as well, winning them and assuring Zoey would make her way to the finals.
Other
West Sea Gastrodon debuted in Double Team Turnover!, under the ownership of Cynthia. In Aiding the Enemy, it battled Aaron's Beautifly on television. It was able to defeat Beautifly in addition to Aaron's Drapion, giving Cynthia the win. It reappeared in Pride of a Champion!, The Fiery Road to Mastership!, and Bewitch, Battle, and Bewilder! when Cynthia used it in her Masters Eight Tournament matches against Iris and Ash.
East Sea Gastrodon debuted in Familiarity Breeds Strategy!, under the ownership of Paul. It battled Ash's Staraptor and Buizel in their Lily of the Valley Conference match, losing against the latter.
Minor appearances
In Old Rivals, New Tricks!, a Coordinator's West Sea Gastrodon competed in the Sandalstraw Contest.
Two Gastrodon, one East Sea and one West Sea, appeared in Chasing Memories, Creating Dreams!, under the ownership of different Trainers. They watched Professor Kukui's announcement of the Manalo Stadium's completion.
Two Trainers' East Sea Gastrodon appeared in The Gates of Warp!, with one of them appearing in a flashback.
A Trainer's East Sea Gastrodon appeared in Showdown at the Gates of Warp!.
Pokédex entries
| Episode | Pokémon | Source | Entry |
|---|
| DP097 | Gastrodon
(West Sea) | Dawn's Pokédex | Gastrodon, the Sea Slug Pokémon and the evolved form of Shellos. Gastrodon inhabits the shallow tidal pools of the ocean, and its sturdy shell serves to protect its body. | | DP186 | Gastrodon
(East Sea) | Dawn's Pokédex | Gastrodon, the Sea Slug Pokémon and the evolved form of Shellos. A sturdy shell covered Gastrodon's back long ago. Its cells still contain evidence of it today. |
|
| Episode | Pokémon | Source | Entry |
|---|
| JN117 | Gastrodon
(West Sea) | Goh's Rotom Phone | Gastrodon, the Sea Slug Pokémon. A Water and Ground type. Although Gastrodon has a flexible body, it is tough, allowing it to absorb sharp blows. |
|
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
A East Sea Gastrodon first appeared in Knowledge of the Unown I, under the ownership of a Pa.
Jupiter owns a West Sea Gastrodon, which debuted in Stopping Sableye. It was first used to battle Platinum, Maylene, and Candice at Lake Acuity.
In The Final Dimensional Duel V, a West Sea Gastrodon appeared in a flashback on Fullmoon Island as one of the Pokémon affected by Darkrai's Bad Dreams. It was rescued and healed by Palmer.
Hapu owns an East Sea Gastrodon, which first appeared in Battle in Vast Poni Canyon.
An East Sea Gastrodon appeared in Swaying!! Murky Memories.
In the TCG
Main article: Gastrodon (TCG)Trivia
Early back sprite of Gastrodon- According to an interview in Nintendo Power with Game Freak, Gastrodon and Shellos were originally intended for Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire.[1]
- Both Shellos and Gastrodon have early back sprites within the game data of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl; however, there are no front sprites for these forms.
- In Diamond and Pearl, no in-game Trainer uses East Sea Gastrodon in battle, even on the east side of Mount Coronet.
- Prior to Generation VI, Gastrodon's shape was
. - Gastrodon and its pre-evolution were accidentally released in Pokémon GO on April 29, 2019, but were removed shortly after. On May 17, 2019, they made their official debut along with various other Pokémon from Generation IV.
- Gastrodon was featured alongside several bovine Pokémon, namely Tauros, Miltank, and Bouffalant, in multiple promotional artworks created to celebrate New Year's 2021, also known as the Year of the Ox.
- The Pokémon Scarlet and Violet Pokédex entries mentioning a decrease in West Sea Gastrodon and an increase in East Sea Gastrodon may be an inverse on the changes in the populations of real life sea slug species due to climate change — with species that better survive in warmer waters becoming more common.[2]
Origin
Gastrodon is based on a sea slug,[1] perhaps one of the order Opisthobranchia. It may also be based on a sea hare, a type of sea slug that is also known to secrete purple fluid in self-defense. The tentacles on Gastrodon's head are shaped like cattle horns, which may be a visual pun on 海牛 umiushi (Japanese for sea slug, derived from 海 umi (sea) and 牛 ushi (cow; cattle)).
Name origin
Gastrodon may be a combination of gastropod or Gastropteron (genus of sea slug), and don (Spanish for lord) or -don (common suffix in dinosaur names derived from the Ancient Greek word for tooth).
Tritodon may be a combination of Tritoniidae (family of shell-less marine gastropod molluscs) or Triton snail (marine gastropod mollusk named after Triton, Greek god of the sea), and don (Spanish for lord) or -don (common suffix in dinosaur names derived from the Ancient Greek word for tooth). It may also be derived from torito (Spanish for little bull).
In other languages
|
| More languages |  Hindi | स्लगार Slugaar | From slug |  Thai | ไทรโทดอน Thraithodon | Transcription of Japanese name |
|
|
Related articles
References
External links
ncG1vNJzZmiapaGvorzEnaCaZpKquaOtxpqpnZ2eY7umwI6woKShX3yutMDRqJuopo9dnbC3hHxqXnlporyvdQ%3D%3D