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.
Riolu is a small, blue, canine Pokémon. It has a black torso and legs, a blue tail, and a yellow collar. It has rounded bumps on the backs of its forepaws. It has a black "mask" and red eyes. It stands on its toes instead of its entire foot. It is sensitive to a special type of energy called Aura; however, it does not have the ability to fully use these powers, although it can still emanate these waves to communicate and sense them, albeit only in ripples. It has developed two black appendages that hang down from its head, which rise when Riolu reads or manipulates aura. It has even been seen that Riolu can sense and react to Aura before they even hatch. The aura emitting from Riolu's body grows even stronger when it is frightened or sad.
Like most Fighting-type Pokémon, Riolu naturally has superhuman strength, stamina, and endurance. It is capable of making long journeys on foot in a short amount of time. It is a playful, energetic, and loyal Pokémon. Riolu will read the minds of humans to assure whether or not they are pure of heart.
Though infantile in appearance, it has the mysterious ability to read the minds of humans. The pure of heart are met with Riolu's approval, while those of ill nature earn only its loathing.
Riolu will not appear in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness until a rescue mission involving it has been completed, using a Wonder Mail code such as the following:
9@CP 15N4 FH&5
-0%Y +91@ #PCK
Objective: Rescue Riolu on floor 6 of Crystal Cave.
Riolu, the Emanation Pokémon. A Fighting type. Riolu can understand how people and Pokémon feel by observing a kind of wave called aura. It has a flexible body with enough power to cross three mountains and two canyons in one night.
"An Emanation Pokémon. It constantly emits Aura energy. When it's frightened or sad, this energy grows stronger and informs its companions of its situation. It's known for its very flexible yet surpassingly powerful body. Thanks to its strength, it can crest three mountains and cross two canyons in a single night. When it levels up, it evolves into Lucario."
In the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers games, Riolu is the only possible hero Pokémon that cannot be recruited in another Explorers game without using Wonder Mail. Riolu is one of the possible hero Pokémon in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, but is unavailable to be recruited in Explorers of Darkness due to being exclusive to Explorers of Time in the first pair of games.
Riolu appears to be based on the Egyptian god Anubis, who has the head of an African golden wolf. It may also be based on a raccoon or tanuki, due to the mask-like markings on its face and its small pointed ears.
Name origin
Riolu is a partial anagram of Lucario, with the ca omitted.
In other languages
Language
Title
Meaning
Japanese
リオル Riolu
From a partial anagram of Lucario with the ca omitted
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.