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Arbok is a serpentine, reptilian Pokémon with purple scales over most of its body. It has lost the rattle it had on its tail as an Ekans. Like a cobra, it can spread out its ribs into a hood, though they always seem to be in this position. On its "hood", it has a design much like an angry face. Studies on the aforementioned design have confirmed that there are six variations.
Gender differences
None.
Special abilities
It has a nasty bite with deadly venom. Terrifically strong, it is capable of crushing opponents by coiling its body around them and constricting. It can even flatten steel oil drums. If it encounters an enemy, it raises its head, intimidating the opponent with the frightening pattern on its body and making eerie sounds by expelling air from its mouth. If any part of Arbok's body except for the head is cut off, it can regrow the rest of its body again in a matter of a few weeks. It shares this trait with Onix. It also has the ability to detect vibrations as shown in The Whistle Stop and A Poached Ego. Arbok are also capable of spending long periods underwater and surviving in aquatic environments, as seen in The Misty Mermaid.
Seen in Adventures, Agatha's Arbok could change its pattern at any time to increase power to different stats and also give it invulnerability to status ailments. However, if covered, the pattern will not work.
Behavior
Rather vicious, Arbok are territorial. They lash out at intruders with long fangs tipped with deadly venom. With a vengeful nature, it will not give up a chase once it targets its prey or an opponent, no matter how far.
Jessie had an Arbok that she obtained as an Ekans. It was extremely loyal to her. It was her primary battling Pokémon until A Poached Ego, when she set it free along with James's Weezing to protect a wild group of Ekans and Koffing.
Arbok is one of the supporting characters in the Magical Pokémon Journey manga series. Originally an enemy of the main cast, he along with the Ekans Brothers befriend Hazel and her Pokémon.
In the chapter Even an Arbok Falls in Love!, he gets a crush on Wigglytuff and goes to Jynx as well as Hazel and friends for advice. At the end of the chapter, he confesses his love to Wigglytuff and gives her one of his molted skins.
Manga author Yumi Tsukirino states in volume one of the manga that Arbok is one of her favorite Pokémon to draw.
Koga and Agatha both have Arbok as important parts of their teams in Pokémon Adventures. In Pokémon Adventures, the pattern on an Arbok's belly may give an Arbok special abilities. With the help of Agatha's smoke, Agatha's Arbok had the ability to switch between a bunch of different patterns; a standard pattern, a speed boosting pattern, an attack boosting pattern, and an invulnerability pattern that repels poisons. Koga's Arbok, on the other hand, only has one pattern, which is a regenerative pattern that allows it to regenerate any part of its body as long as the head remains intact.
This Pokémon is terrifically strong in order to constrict things with its body. It can even flatten steel oil drums. Once Arbok wraps its body around its foe, escaping its crunching embrace is impossible.
This Pokémon has a terrifically strong constricting power. It can even flatten steel oil drums. Once it wraps its body around its foe, escaping is impossible.
It should be noted that other media have featured more variations. The Adventures series suggests that it can change the pattern, as done by Agatha's Arbok, based on Arbok's concept art. The Dark Arbok card from the TCG is also illustrated with another pattern.
All three of them are based on a snake of some sort.
Arbok is the last Pokémon to be featured on the Kanto Pokérap.
Arbok is the only Pokémon with a base stat total of 438.
Origin
It is likely that its design was based upon a cobra. However, it is also possible that there is a reference to the legendary basilisk because Arbok and its pre-evolution, Ekans, were originally the only Pokémon to learn Glare. The basilisk was a poisonous serpentine dragon (Arbok is also in the Dragon egg group) that would paralyze and kill people with its stare.
Name origin
Arbok is cobra spelled backwards, with k instead of c. Additionally, in Japanese, the name Arbok relates to its pre-evolution, Arbo.
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.