Hitmonlee is a humanoid Pokémon with an ovoid body. Lacking a distinct neck and head, its upper torso has almond-shaped eyes with black rings around them and appears to lack a nose and mouth. Primarily brown, it has cream-colored, segmented arms and legs, with three fingers and three clawed toes respectively. The soles of its feet and its ankles have circular, yellow markings. It is an exclusively male species with no female counterpart.
Hitmonlee's legs freely contract and stretch similar to a coiled spring. This flexibility allows Hitmonlee to run with lengthy strides and gives it greater reach for its kicks. Its excellent sense of balance enables it to kick in succession from any position. After battling, it rubs down its legs to relax the tight muscles. Rare in the wild, it is primarily found in urban areas.
Master Hamm used a Hitmonlee against his son Kyle, a cook, in Pasta La Vista. If the Dojo Master won, he would retire, and Kyle would have to give up his shop for the Dojo. If Kyle won, it would all stay the same. Ash, and May ended up taking the place of the two. As it was a draw, Kyle and his father decided to both work at the restaurant while Kyle's friend Terri took up ownership of the Dojo.
A Hitmonlee appeared in Casting a Paul on Barry!, under the ownership of Barry. Despite being able to cause a lot of damage to Paul's Ursaring, he was eventually defeated after inadvertently triggering Ursaring's Guts Ability.
A Hitmonlee appeared in A Chansey Operation, where he was one of the injured Pokémon brought to the clinic.
A Hitmonlee was seen in a Pokémon Lab in Riddle Me This.
Two Hitmonlee appeared in Bad to the Bone. One was under the ownership of an unnamed Trainer, while the other one appeared in a flashback belonging to an unnamed Gym Leader.
A Hitmonlee under the ownership of an unknown Trainer, appeared in Friends to the End, during the closing ceremonies of the Indigo League.
A Hitmonlee owned by Corey was one of the Pokémon owned by that were captured and cloned by Mewtwo in Mewtwo Strikes Back. The Hitmonlee clone was seen again in Mewtwo Returns.
Hitmonlee, the Kicking Pokémon, and the evolved form of Tyrogue. Its legs double in length, and opponents are surprised by Hitmonlee's attack range when facing it for the first time.
Hitmonlee's first real appearance is in Tauros the Tyrant as one of the Pokémon used by the Team Rocket Grunts to catch Green.
Hitmonlee later appears as one of Bruno's Pokémon which first appeared in Ponyta Tale. Later he destroyed Bill's house in Hitmonlee, Baby! (One More Time). Bruno explains that Hitmonlee's legs are so flexible, it's impossible to locate the position of his knees and attack them.
A Hitmonlee statue was seen in Cianwood City Gym in Scrappy Skarmory.
When released from a Poké Ball, Hitmonlee will perform a Jump Kick targeting the nearest opponent. The jump moves in an arc heavily affected by gravity, but deals a great amount of damage and upward knockback to any foe it hits. Hitmonlee was replaced by Scizor in Super Smash Bros. Melee, who attacks in a similar way.
Hitmonlee appears as a trophy in the 3DS version of the game.
Trophy information
Sometimes referred to as the Kick Master, this flexible Fighting-type Pokémon can extend each leg to nearly twice its natural length. It can often be seen rubbing its legs down after a battle. In the original Super Smash Bros., it would shout to get itself pumped up and then launch fighters directly upward with a powerful kick.
Hitmonlee's legs freely contract and stretch. Using these springlike legs, it bowls over foes with devastating kicks. After battle, it rubs down its legs and loosens the muscles to overcome fatigue.
Its legs freely stretch and contract. Using these springlike limbs, it bowls over foes with devastating kicks. After battle, it rubs down its tired legs.
Hitmonlee's legs freely contract and stretch. Using these springlike legs, it bowls over foes with devastating kicks. After battle, it rubs down its legs and loosens the muscles to overcome fatigue.
Hitmonlee is the only Pokémon with a base Speed of 87.
Origin
Hitmonlee may be a personification of taekwondo, a sport that focuses on kick attacks. Due to its lack of a head, Hitmonlee bears resemblance to the mythical headless men and the Hindu demon Kabandha. Based on its Japanese name and kicking attribute, Hitmonlee may also represent Japanese kickboxer Tadashi Sawamura. From the Japanese names of its Abilities—Flexible, Life-Risking and Acrobatics—Hitmonlee may also be based on an acrobat.
Name origin
Hitmonlee is a combination of hit, monster, and Lee (a reference to Bruce Lee). The name is also related to Hitmonchan and Hitmontop, both of which are parallel evolutions to it as of Generation II.