Team Skull Grunt (Trainer class)

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Team Skull Grunt
スカルだんのしたっぱ Team Skull Underling
Sun Moon Team Skull Grunt.png
Artwork from Sun and Moon by Ken Sugimori[1]
Other names
Introduced in Generation VII
Appears in Sun and Moon
Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
Gender Both
Counterpart {{{counterpart}}}
Notable members Tupp, Zipp, and Rapp
Anime debut Alola to New Adventure!
TCG debut [[(TCG)|]]
TCG card {{{card}}}
Manga debut The Grand Entrance and Delivery Boy Sun

A Team Skull Grunt (Japanese: スカルだんのしたっぱ Team Skull Underling) is a type of Pokémon Trainer introduced in Generation VII. They are members of Team Skull who are dressed in punk attire, called Skull Tanks, and wear bandannas with a skull motif. New members are responsible for purchasing their own uniforms. The Grunts keep their Pokémon in Nest Balls.

Gallery

Models

  
In-battle models from
Sun and Moon
  
VS models from
Sun and Moon
  
Overworld models from
Sun and Moon

Trainer list

Pokémon Sun and Moon


Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon


In the anime

 
Team Skull Grunts in the anime: Rapp (left), Tupp (middle), and Zipp (right)

Team Skull Grunts debuted in Alola to New Adventure! when three of them, Tupp, Rapp, and Zipp, were seen harassing Kiawe and then taking him on in a Pokémon battle. The trio made a bet with Kiawe, saying they would get his Charizard if they won. Kiawe accepted the challenge and then sent out Turtonator. Ash and Pikachu stepped in to assist Kiawe as they felt that what the three grunts were doing was unfair. Kiawe was able to defeat the three grunts by having his Turtonator use the Z-Move Inferno Overdrive, causing them to retreat. They reappeared in Young Kiawe Had a Farm!, using their Zubat, Salandit, and Garbodor to get revenge on Kiawe. However, they were soon defeated by Pikachu's Gigavolt Havoc.

Several Grunts appeared in a flashback in Yo, Ho, Ho! Go, Popplio!. They were attacking a Popplio when Lana appeared with her Lapras and defeated them with Ice Beam.

In Alolan Open House!, Tupp, Rapp, and Zipp attempted to steal three Ride Tauros. They then battled Ash and Delia, but were soon defeated by Pikachu's Gigavolt Havoc again.

In A Team-on-Team Tussle!, the trio tried to take a Darkinium Z that was stuck in a mountain, which was being guarded by multiple Alolan Rattata and Raticate. One of the Raticate was a Totem Pokémon. They fought against Team Rocket, who were also trying to take the Z-Crystal. In the end, Team Rocket ended up with the Darkinium Z. In A Glaring Rivalry!, they confronted Gladion in an attempt to steal his Umbreon, but were swiftly defeated by his Lycanroc.

In Turning Heads and Training Hard!, Tupp, Rapp, and Zipp, alongside multiple other Team Skull Grunts, arrived at the Pokémon School, where they challenged Ilima to a battle. However, the Grunts were soon defeated by Ilima's Eevee, who was powered up by Extreme Evoboost.

Multiple Team Skull Grunts appeared in The Dealer of Destruction!, with a Grunt named Akitoshi being among them. They were seen at the Shady House alongside Guzma and Plumeria, watching Professor Kukui's Pokémon League announcement on TV with them.

In League Offenders and Defenders!, some Team Skull Grunts attempted to destroy the Manalo Stadium, but they were stopped separately by Team Rocket and Gladion.

In Battle Royal 151!, many Team Skull Grunts took part in the Battle Royal round of the Manalo Conference. They ganged up on Ilima and his Eevee but were quickly defeated, eliminating them from the competition.

In Battling Besties!, many Team Skull Grunts watched and supported Guzma as he battled Ilima during the Manalo Conference though Rapp and two girls were cheering for Ilima.

Pokémon


This article is missing information on this character's Japanese voice actor and English voice actor.
You can help by adding this information.


See also: Tupp → Pokémon, Rapp → Pokémon, and Zipp → Pokémon
 
Golbat
A Golbat belonging to a Team Skull Grunt first appeared in Turning Heads and Training Hard!. Golbat was sent out to battle Ilima and his Eevee. However, after being subdued by Baby-Doll Eyes, Golbat was defeated by Swift.

None of Golbat's moves are known.

Debut Turning Heads and Training Hard!
 
Scraggy
A Scraggy belonging to a Team Skull Grunt first appeared in Turning Heads and Training Hard!. Scraggy was sent out to battle Ilima and his Eevee. However, after being subdued by Baby-Doll Eyes, Scraggy was defeated by Swift.

None of Scraggy's moves are known.

Debut Turning Heads and Training Hard!
Voice actors
Japanese
English Jason Griffith
 
Houndour
A Houndour belonging to a Team Skull Grunt first appeared in Turning Heads and Training Hard!. Houndour was sent out to battle Ilima and his Eevee. However, after being subdued by Baby-Doll Eyes, Houndour was defeated by Swift.

It reappeared in League Offenders and Defenders!, where it was defeated by Gladion's Lycanroc.

None of Houndour's moves are known.

Debut Turning Heads and Training Hard!
 
Ekans
An Ekans belonging to a Team Skull Grunt first appeared in Turning Heads and Training Hard!. Ekans was sent out to battle Ilima and his Eevee. However, after being subdued by Baby-Doll Eyes, Ekans was defeated by Swift.

It reappeared in League Offenders and Defenders!, where it was defeated by Gladion's Lycanroc. It was then used again in the next episode, where it was defeated in the Manalo Conference by Ilima.

None of Ekans's moves are known.

Debut Turning Heads and Training Hard!
 
Drowzee
A Drowzee belonging to a Team Skull Grunt first appeared in Turning Heads and Training Hard!. Drowzee was sent out to battle Ilima and his Eevee. However, after being subdued by Baby-Doll Eyes, Drowzee was defeated by Swift.

It reappeared in League Offenders and Defenders!, where it was defeated by Team Rocket. It was then used again in the next episode, where it was defeated in the Manalo Conference by Ilima.

None of Drowzee's moves are known.

Debut Turning Heads and Training Hard!
 
Raticate
An Alolan Raticate belonging to a Team Skull Grunt first appeared in Turning Heads and Training Hard!. Raticate was sent out to battle Ilima and his Eevee. However, after being subdued by Baby-Doll Eyes, Raticate was defeated by Swift.

It reappeared in League Offenders and Defenders!, where it was defeated by Gladion's Lycanroc. It was then used in the next episode, where it was defeated in the Manalo Conference by Ilima.

None of Raticate's moves are known.

Debut Turning Heads and Training Hard!
Voice actors
Japanese Chinami Nishimura
English Carter Cathcart
 
Rattata
An Alolan Rattata belonging to a Team Skull Grunt first appeared in Turning Heads and Training Hard!. Rattata was sent out to battle Ilima and his Eevee. However, after being subdued by Baby-Doll Eyes, Rattata was defeated by Swift.

It reappeared in League Offenders and Defenders!, where it was defeated by Team Rocket.

None of Rattata's moves are known.

Debut Turning Heads and Training Hard!
Voice actors
Japanese
English Carter Cathcart
 
Spinarak
A Spinarak belonging to a Team Skull Grunt first appeared in Turning Heads and Training Hard!. Spinarak was sent out to battle Ilima and his Eevee. However, after being subdued by Baby-Doll Eyes, Spinarak was defeated by Swift.

It reappeared in League Offenders and Defenders!, where it was defeated by Team Rocket.

None of Spinarak's moves are known.

Debut Turning Heads and Training Hard!
Voice actors
Japanese
English Kate Bristol
 
Yungoos
A Yungoos belonging to a Team Skull Grunt first appeared in Turning Heads and Training Hard!. Yungoos was sent out to battle Ilima and his Eevee. However, after being subdued by Baby-Doll Eyes, Yungoos was defeated by Swift.

It was then used again in Battle Royal 151!, where it was defeated in the Manalo Conference by Ilima.

None of Yungoos's moves are known.

Debut Turning Heads and Training Hard!
Voice actors
Japanese
English Billy Bob Thompson

Achievements

Pokémon League

Five unnamed Team Skull Grunts have competed in the following Pokémon League Conferences:

Voice actors


This article is missing information on this character's Japanese voice actor and English voice actor.
You can help by adding this information.


Language Voice actor
Japanese 岡崎体育 Taiiku Okazaki (Akitoshi)
岩崎諒太 Ryota Iwasaki (SM128)
English Jo Armeniox (SM065)
Ryan Nicolls (SM065)
Lisa Ortiz (SM065)
Ben Phillips (SM065)
Marc Thompson (SM065)
Pete Zarustica (SM065)


In the manga

Movie adaptations

Team Skull Grunts appeared in ICYR2.

Pokémon

 
100-Pokémon Army
Team Skull was revealed to have multiple Krookodile, Sableye, Alolan Exeggutor, Alolan Raticate, Sneasel, and Trevenant, which they dubbed their 100-Pokémon Army. They sent them out to take on Marshadow after it went inside their headquarters. Despite being outnumbered, they were defeated by Marshadow but this ended up weakening Marshadow.

None of their moves are known.

Debut ICYR2

Pokémon Adventures

 
A female Team Skull Grunt (left) and Grunt A (right) in Pokémon Adventures

Team Skull Grunts made their debut appearance in the Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon arc. A male Grunt titled Grunt A (Japanese: したっぱ Underling A) and an unnamed female Grunt hired Sun to remove wild Pyukumuku from a beach Team Skull considered their territory as a part-time job. Just as Sun finished the job, the Grunts returned to give him his pay, only to notice that a single Pyukumuku was not thrown away. Since the job meant that all Pyukumuku must be removed, Grunt A refused to pay Sun. The Grunts' ruse was foiled when Moon noticed the female Grunt dropping the last Pyukumuku when no one was looking. Angered, Grunt A had his Salandit attack Moon and then proceeded to act like the attack broke Salandit's tail, which meant that Sun would have to work for free to pay off its medical bills. Angered, Sun sent out his Dollar to attack the Grunts, forcing them to run away.

The Grunts report their loss to Guzma, who scolds them for losing to a child. He tells the Grunts to find Sun so that he may teach him a lesson personally.

Later, the two Grunts travel to Iki Town to take place in a festival. There, they encounter Sun again, but Grunt A decides to battle Sun without informing Guzma. The battle is interrupted by Hala, who tells Sun and Grunt A that their fight must be done during the festival's tournament. Later, Grunt A takes place in the tournament while the female Grunt runs a Slowpoke Tail stand. As the Grunts watch the other competitors battle each other, they are approached by Guzma, who demanded to know why he was not informed that Sun was Iki Town. After knocking Grunt A unconscious and claiming that he was injured in an accident, Guzma proceeds to take the Grunt's place in the festival's tournament.

Despite being attacked by his boss, Grunt A chose to cheer Guzma on in his battle against Sun. After the battle ends in Sun's victory, Guzma flies into a rage and begins injuring himself, forcing Grunt A to stop him. Afterward, the Grunts and Guzma decide to leave despite Olivia's objections.

When Sun and Moon left Melemele Island with Professor Kukui, the Grunts attacked Professor Kukui's Rowlet, who was at the Hau'oli Marina to see the three off. By firing a Salac Berry into its mouth, Moon increased Rowlet's Speed, allowing it to quickly fly away and escape.

After learning that Kiawe was attacked by someone near the Ruins of Life, Sun and his friends traveled to Memorial Hill to help their friend. There, another group of Grunts ambush the group and claim they were culprits who assaulted Kiawe. Angered by this, Lana and Mallow send out their Pokémon to battle the Grunts and tell Sun and Moon to tend to Kiawe's wounds. Kiawe reveals that the Grunts were not the ones who defeated him and it was actually a far more powerful Trainer. Lana and Mallow eventually defeated the Grunts and had them tied to a tree.

When Gladion traveled to Po Town for the first time, he was greeted by Plumeria and a group of Team Skull Grunts. Plumeria and the Grunts were angered by Gladion's hostile attitude towards them and refused to accept him as a true member of Team Skull despite the fact that Guzma personally hired him to be an Enforcer.

Later, Po Town was invaded by five of Alola's Trial Captains and Hau. Overhearing the commotion the group made when they confronted the Grunts, Guzma revealed himself demanding to know why his base was being intruded. The Captains' group stated that they only wished to discuss something with Team Skull's Boss. Guzma accepted, but stated that they had to make it to him first. As he says this, a Pheromosa, Celesteela, and Guzzlord appear to attack the Captains' group. The three Ultra Beasts proceed to rampage, attacking anything in sight while the Grunts mocked the Captains' inability to reach Guzma. After some time, the beasts begin attacking even the Grunts, as they had no regard for friend or foe. The Grunts beg Guzma to get the beasts to stop, but Guzma states that he has no control over them and they will just continue to destroy everything on their own.

Pokémon

 
Salandit (multiple)
Two Salandit were used by the Team Skull Grunts that paid Sun to clean their beach of wild Pyukumuku. Although Sun succeeded, the female Grunt secretly placed another one in order to get out of giving Sun his pay. When Moon saw through this scheme, Grunt A had his Salandit smack her with its tail and then lied that the event injured it. Angered by their lies, Sun had his Dollar defeat them, forcing the Grunts and the Salandit to run away. Several male Salandit were later seen under the ownership of some Grunts at Po Town. They are part of a reverse harem with Plumeria's Salazzle.

None of their moves are known.

Debut The Grand Entrance and Delivery Boy Sun
 
Pyukumuku
Pyukumuku is Grunt A's second known Pokémon. It was secretly planted by the female Grunt in order to get out paying Sun for his part-time job. The deception was pointed out by Moon, who noticed the slime left behind by Pyukumuku on the Grunt's hand. Later, when the two Grunts were apologizing to Guzma for losing to Sun, Grunt A blamed the whole ordeal on Pyukumuku, who punched him in the face in return.

None of Pyukumuku's moves are known.

Debut The Grand Entrance and Delivery Boy Sun
 
Salazzle (×2)
These two Salazzle were used to attack Sun and his friends at Memorial Hill. Angered at the attack on Kiawe, Lana sent out her Araquanid while Mallow used her Steenee to battle the Grunts' Pokémon.

None of their moves are known.

Debut Homecoming and the Brilliant Professional Golfer
 
Drowzee (multiple)
These Drowzee were used to attack Sun and his friends at Memorial Hill. Angered at the attack on Kiawe, Lana sent out her Araquanid while Mallow used her Steenee to battle the Grunts' Pokémon.

None of their moves are known.

Debut Homecoming and the Brilliant Professional Golfer
 
Trubbish
A Trubbish was seen sitting next to some Grunts in Po Town. It was later seen pestering Hau after the latter and his allies invaded Po Town.

None of Trubbish's moves are known.

Debut Flash and Cosmog's Secret
 
Ekans
An Ekans was seen resting in the back of a pickup truck in Po Town. It was later seen confronting Kiawe after the latter and his allies invaded Po Town.

None of Ekans's moves are known.

Debut Flash and Cosmog's Secret
 
Raticate
An Alolan Raticate was used by a Grunt that was attacking some Aether Foundation Employees. It was defeated by Mallow's Steenee.

None of Raticate's moves are known.

Debut A Photoshoot and the Abandoned Thrifty Megamart
 
Pawniard
A Pawniard was seen standing next to some Grunts that were sitting around Route 17

None of Pawniard's moves are known.

Debut Confusion and Monsters from Another World

In the TCG

This is a listing of cards mentioning or featuring Team Skull Grunts in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

Related cards
Cards listed with a blue background are only legal to use in the current Expanded format.
Cards listed with a silver background are legal to use in both the current Standard and Expanded formats.
Card Type English
Expansion
Rarity # Japanese
Expansion
Rarity #
Team Skull Grunt Su Sun & Moon   133 Collection Moon   065
 


Trivia

  • Team Skull Grunts share the same character design as Punk Guys and Punk Girls.
  • A Grunt in the Shady House states that they are all actually named Grunt.

In other languages

Language Title
Chinese Cantonese 骷髏隊的手下 Fūlòuh-déui-dīk Sáuhah
Mandarin 骷髏隊的手下 Kūlóu-duì-de Shǒuxià *
骷髅队手下 Kūlóu-duì Shǒuxià *
  Czech Poskoc týmu Skull*
Grunt týmu Skull*
Člen týmu Skull*
  Dutch Voetsoldaat van Team Skull
  French Sbire de la Team Skull
  German Team Skull Rüpel
  Hungarian Koponya Csapat Tag
  Indonesian Anak Buah Tim Tengkorak
  Italian Recluta Team Skull
  Korean 스컬단조무래기 Seukeol-dan Jomuraegi
  Polish Członkowie Zespołu Czacha*
Oprych z Zespołu Czacha*
Portuguese   Brazil Recruta da Equipe Skull
  Portugal Recruta do Team Skull
  Russian Ворчун Команды Череп Vorchun Komandy Cherep
  Spanish Recluta del Team Skull

References

Boss: Guzma (Masters)
Administrator: Plumeria (Masters)
Notable members: Gladion (Masters)
Lower members: Team Skull Grunts
anime only:
TuppZippRappOkazakiBorosue
Former members: Punk GuyPunk Girl
Locations: Po TownShady House

[[Category:Team Skull}}

Grunts
Team Rocket GruntTeam Aqua GruntTeam Magma Grunt
Team Galactic GruntTeam Plasma GruntTeam Flare Grunt
Team Skull GruntTeam Rainbow Rocket Grunt
Team GO Rocket GruntTeam Yell GruntTeam Star Grunt



Trainer classes in the Pokémon core series
Alola Ace DuoAce TrainerAether Branch ChiefAether FoundationAether Foundation Employee
Aether PresidentAthletic SiblingsBackpackerBeautyBellhopBlack BeltCaptainCollectorCookDancer
Eevee UserElite FourEspeon UserFirefighterFishermanFlareon UserGAME FREAKGentlemanGlaceon User
Golf BuddiesGolferHikerHoneymoonersIsland KahunaJanitorJolteon UserKarate FamilyLassLeafeon User
MadameOffice WorkerPokémon BreederPokémon ProfessorPokémon TrainerPolice OfficerPreschooler
PrincipalPunk GirlPunk GuyPunk PairRising StarRising Star DuoScientistSightseerSwimmerSwimmers
Swimmer GirlsSylveon UserTeacherTeam SkullTeam Skull AdminTeam Skull BossTeam Skull Grunt
Trial GuideTwinsUmbreon UserVaporeon UserVeteranVeteran DuoWorkerYoungsterYouth Athlete
ActorUSUMCapoeira CoupleUSUMDancing FamilyUSUMKantonian GymUSUMMaster & ApprenticeUSUM
ReporterUSUMSparring PartnersUSUMSurferUSUMTeam AquaUSUMTeam FlareUSUMTeam GalacticUSUM
Team MagmaUSUMTeam PlasmaUSUMTeam Rainbow RocketUSUMTeam Rainbow Rocket GruntUSUM
Tourist CoupleUSUMUltra Forest KartenvoyUSUltra Recon SquadUSUM
Battle Tree, Battle Royal Dome, and Battle Agency only:
Battle LegendPokémon Center LadyPro Wrestler


  This Trainer Class article is part of Project CharacterDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each character found in the Pokémon games.