In commemoration of Nintendo’s 135ᵗʰ anniversary, September 20 to 30 is NIWA Cross-Wiki Week. Click here for event details and the possibility to win a $20/€20 Nintendo eShop gift card. Please remember to follow the manual of style and code of conduct at all times. Check the Bulbagarden home page for up-to-date Pokémon news and discuss it on the forums or in the Bulbagarden Discord server.
Heracross are large beetle-like Pokémon covered in a blue exoskeleton. The most notable feature is the large, pronged horn protruding out of its forehead. Heracross has two antennae with spherical tips to the sides of the horn, and elliptical eyes with yellow scleras. Heracross has small spiky extnesions on the forearm segments of its exoskelton, and two claws on its hands. Heracross has a single spiky extension on each thigh, and one pointed toe on its feet.
Gender differences
A female Heracross's horn has a heart-like shape at the end, whereas the male's end in an 'X' shape.
Special abilities
Heracross is surprisingly strong for its size, and is able to knock down massive trees with it's mighty horn. Heracross can use said horn to lift other Pokémon, and its shell is said to be as tough as steel.
Behavior
Heracross live in groups in deep forests. They bite through the bark of trees with their strong jaws to get to the sweet sap inside. This suggests a relation to fellow Bug-typePinsir, who share many of the same habits. Heracross's eating habits unwittingly enter them into a symbiotic relationship with Butterfree, who also love tree sap, but lack the strength to get to it. Despite their size, great strength, and powerful horns, Heracross are really docile creatures who prefer peace over resorting to violence.
Heracross prefer to live in deep forests, where there are many trees for them to suck sap from.
Diet
Main article: Pokémon food
Heracross are known to love tree sap and honey.
Heracross's preferred diet is mainly made up of sap and other plant juices. This makes them unpopular among Grass-type Pokémon like Ash's Bulbasaur, as Heracross often try to suck nourishment from them. This makes them easy to attract with Honey.
Heracross first appeared in A Sappy Ending. Groups of Pinsir and Heracross were having a dispute due to the fact that Team Rocket was siphoning all the tree sap from the Pinsir side of the forest. One Heracross decided to help Ash and his friends for this crisis. Ash captured Heracross at the end of the episode.
In Absol-ute Disaster, a Heracross was owned by a teenager named Gordon. Gordon's Heracross saved Ash's Pikachu from falling while Ash's Swellow was busy saving Max from falling. It also helped Absol and Ash's, May's and Brock's Pokémon, with a long-range attack to push a boulder in order to stop a flood.
Heracross, the Single Horn Pokémon. Though gentle and docile, Heracross posesses great strength and power, their favorite food is the fresh sap of leafy trees.
Heracross, the Single Horn Pokémon. Using the sharp claws on its feet, it generates enough power to throw its opponent with amazing force.
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
Heracross is first seen in Volume 7. While Silver is communicating with Green, he stands in a full shot of Sprout Tower with a bunch of Johto Pokémon in the background, Heracross being one of them.
Heracross is later seen as one of the Pokémon under Bugsy's control.
Heracross are powerful creatures that are known to drive their single horns into the bellies of their foes and then toss them over their heads. The immense power of their Megahorn move is said to be the strongest among Bug Pokémon. They are one of several types of Pokémon that can be found by shaking trees.
Game data
Pokédex entries
This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation II.
Heracross charges in a straight line at its foe, slips beneath the foe's grasp, and then scoops up and hurls the opponent with its mighty horn. This Pokémon even has enough power to topple a massive tree.
Heracross has sharp claws on its feet. These are planted firmly into the ground or the bark of a tree, giving the Pokémon a secure and solid footing to forcefully fling away foes with its proud horn.
They gather in forests seeking the sweet sap of trees. It is completely clad in a steel-hard shell. It is proud of its horn, which it uses to fling foes.
|- style="background:#B8C26A"
| colspan="13" | Bold indicates a move that gets STAB Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only from an Evolution of this Pokémon A colored initial indicates that the move is not available to be tutored in this game, while a colored background indicates that the move is available.
|}
|}
Heracross is the only Template:Type2 Pokémon able to learn Megahorn, even though Megahorn is a Bug-type move. The reason for this may be that when Megahorn was introduced in Generation II, it was exclusive to Heracross. Coincidentally, Megahorn is the only Bug-type move Heracross can learn outside the use of a move tutor.
Since its debut in Generation II, Heracross has been featured in all regional Pokédexes.
Despite being seen possessing both the ability to fly and the strength to easily carry people in the anime, Heracross cannot learn Fly.
Before the release of Gold and Silver, it was speculated that Heracross would be a pre-evolution or evolution of Pinsir.
Origin
Heracross is most likely based on the kabutomushi, a very popular species of rhinoceros beetle found in Japan and other parts of Asia. These beetles are known for their incredible strength, and use in insect fighting, which explains its Template:Type2.
Name origin
Heracross's name is a combination of Hercules, or Heracles, and the word cross. This Pokémon is based on the Hercules beetle, hence the first part of its name. However, its appearance is obviously based on the common species in Japan. Its name is also possibly based upon a corruption of the word 'crosshair', a reference to its sharp aim.
This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon species, as well as Pokémon groups and forms.