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Piplup bears semblance to a penguin chick. It has yellow feet and a light-blue body. There are two white spots on its chest that seem to resemble buttons on a suit. It also appears to have a blue cape. It has a circular, blue head with white circles around its eyes and a small, yellow beak. The light blue mark between its eyes above the beak resembles a small crown.
Gender differences
None.
Special abilities
Piplup mainly know how to use Water attacks such as Bubble, but they can also learn pecking moves.
Behavior
Piplup have a large sense of self-pride. Because of this, a Piplup has a hard time accepting food from humans, and don't like it when someone tries to help them. Piplup is a poor walker, and often falls down. Its pride, however, makes it puff up its chest without a care. It is a skilled swimmer, diving for over ten minutes to hunt. In the anime, it can sometimes fly short distances, despite penguins not being able to fly.
Habitat
Piplup live along the sea shore in colder climates. However, Piplup are quite rare and they're usually given out by Professor Rowan to new Pokémon Trainers in the Sinnoh region.
Dawn began her journey in Sinnoh with a Piplup. In Following A Maiden's Voyage!, Piplup and the starter Chimchar got into a fight over their food, with Piplup causing chaos by using BubbleBeam on the interior of Professor Rowan's lab in pursuit of Chimchar. The two escape, and Dawn is given the task of finding them. She finds Piplup, and the two narrowly escape an Ariados attack. Back at Rowan's lab, Chimchar having been found by Rowan's Staraptor, Dawn chooses Piplup.
Hareta randomly selects Piplup to battle the enraged Onix in the first chapter. After their first encounter with Onix, Hareta chooses Piplup as his first Pokémon. Piplup is originally disobedient to Hareta, but listens to him in order to defeat the Onix in their second battle.
On being released from a Poké Ball, Piplup slides along the stage using Surf. Anyone caught in it will be pushed until Piplup disappears, or pushes the character off the stage. Piplup will keep using Surf even when off the stage.
Trophy Information
A Penguin Pokémon. It's one of the starter Pokémon received from Professor Rowan when the player departs from the Sinnoh region. It's a Water type, so it's strong versus Rock and Grounds. It's very cute but filled with pride--it hates to accept food from people. When it levels up, it evolves into Prinplup.
Game data
NPC appearances
In PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure Piplup is one of Pikachu's best friends. He is found keeping a trapped Wynaut company in the Beach Zone after falling through the mysterious tunnel. Once the Wynaut is safe, he takes a Pikachu shaped hot air balloon back to the Meeting Place where he mends it. He later accompanies Pikachu to the Sky Pavilion along with Chikorita and Charmander where he meets Mew.
Piplup returns in PokéPark 2: Wonders Beyond where he and Pikachu arrive at a new PokéPark. They venture into the Wish Park together and try to save some of the Pokémon trapped there. Piplup inevitably becoming trapped in the Wish Park after saving Pikachu and Oshawott's lives. He is later found by Zorua and Zoroark and announces that he wishes to stay in Wish Park so he can help the Pokémon who are coaxed into coming. Piplup is later taken by Gothitelle in exchange for setting Victini free, where he is then manipulated by Darkrai. Piplup later awakens Pikachu from Darkrai's nightmare and encourages Pikachu to seek out his missing friends after their memories were taken by Darkrai right before the final battle.
Pokédex entries
This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation IV.
Although Piplup and Torchic are clearly based on birds, they are not in the Flying Egg Group. They share this trait with Delibird.
Piplup is the most selected Sinnoh starter Pokémon in the anime. It has been the starter Pokémon of Dawn, Kenny, and Tyler.
Piplup and its evolution family are the only Pokémon that learn Drill Peck that are not part Flying-type.
They are also the only ones that were not introduced in Generation I to learn Drill Peck by level up.
Piplup is the only starter Pokémon that could learn Pound while its evolution could not.
Coincidentally, its evolution could learn Tackle but Piplup could not by any means.
Origin
Piplup is based on a baby penguin or a Blue penguin. However, the light blue crown-shaped marking above its beak may refer to an Emperor Penguin, or a baby Emperor Penguin.
Name origin
Piplup is derived from plop or plup from the sound of a pebble hitting water.[1] It may also incorporate pip, a stage of growth in baby birds immediately before they hatch from the eggshell.
Pochama is derived from ぽちゃぽちゃ pochapocha (the sound of a pebble splashing in water).[1] It may also incorperate 坊っちゃま botchama (child).
In other languages
Language
Title
Meaning
Japanese
ポッチャマ Pochama
From 坊っちゃま botchama, おぼっちゃま obotchama, penguin, and ぽちゃぽちゃ pochapocha
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.