Golem is a turtle-like bipedal Pokémon with plated, green rocks as its shell. Golem grows bigger by shedding its skin once a year. The discarded shell immediately hardens when exposed to air, crumbling away and returning to the soil. Golem has a head protruding out of the center of the shell, short arms that have three claws, and two legs with five-clawed feet that have four claws in front and one in back. It has red eyes and a flat snout with two pointed teeth in its lower jaw. As shown in the Pocket Monsters Carddass Trading Cards, Golem's shell is hollow.
The anime has shown that Golem is able to withdraw its head, arms, and legs into its shell and roll at high speeds. Golem is dangerous when doing this, as it is unable to see and may crash into or run over anything in its path. To prevent it from rolling into the homes of people downhill, grooves are dug into the sides of the mountains to divert the rolling Golem's course. Golem's body is so hard that even dynamite cannot scratch it. Golem is seldom seen in the wild. However, it can be found living in mountainous regions.
The Alolan Golem has shorter forearms with two claws and only two claws on its feet. The face has attracted more iron sand, creating the appearance of a mustache, eyebrows and a large black beard. Above its head are two large black rocks jutting out of its body. On the inner edge of these rocks are three golden dots. In-between the two large rocks is a shorter black rock. The Alolan Golem is capable of firing this rock for attacking; if it is not available, it will fire nearby Geodude instead.
A wild Golem appeared as a trap in Bucking the Treasure Trend! as a guardian of treasure Buck was looking for. Ash's Gible defeated it easily and sent it rolling back into the cave it appeared from.
In Who Gets To Keep Togepi, when Ash, Misty, and Brock are discussing which Pokémon they'd like to hatch out of the Egg, Brock mentions that he wishes it would be a Golem, and one is shown for a second before Misty replaces it with a Lapras.
Brock used a Golem to try to impress Professor Oak but was never shown to him because of Brock's nervousness paralyzing him.
Rudy used his Golem in the dance battle against Ash.
In the Pokémon Adventures manga
Golem debuted in Drat That Dratini! where a horde of Golem tried to attacke Red and Yellow but they escaped using Red's Aerodactyl. They later appeared again in Long Live the Nidoqueen!? when the people of Viridian City were trying to calm them down. In Sea Sea Seadra several of the wild Golem in Viridian Forest appeared in a flashback of Bill's about the cology of the forest hasn't changed in two years.
In Golly, Golem, Giovanni is seen with a Golem as the second Pokémon he sends out against Red. Its best attacks involve its body shattering, allowing it to use Rock Throw.
Golem is known for rolling down from mountains. To prevent them from rolling into the homes of people downhill, grooves have been dug into the sides of mountains to serve as guideways for diverting this Pokémon's course.
It is said to live in volcanic craters on mountain peaks. Once a year, it sheds its hide and grows larger. The shed hide crumbles and returns to the soil.
Golem is known for rolling down from mountains. To prevent them from rolling into the homes of people downhill, grooves have been dug into the sides of mountains to serve as guideways for diverting this Pokémon's course.
Golem is probably based on a turtle. Turtles are believed to have the world on its back in myths (Hindu mythology, Chinese mythology and Native American mythology). Its "shell" may represent the tectonic plates of Earth.
Alolan Golem, like its predecessors, seems to have taken on the attributes of magnetite, a subset of iron ore known for its black crystalline appearance in nature. The crystals on its back also may be derived from the railgun.
Name origin
Golem is a reference to the golems of medieval and Hebrew legend.
Golonya may be a combination of golem and stone. Additionally, ゴロゴローン gorogorōn is the sound of rolling, a habit of Golem.
In other languages
Language
Title
Meaning
Japanese
ゴローニャ Golonya
From golem and stone, and possibly ゴロゴローン gorogorōn
Everstone (5%)
For other sprites and images, please see Golem images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
