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.
Munchlax is a teal Pokémon with a cream spot on its chest. Its round head is teal in the top half and cream on the bottom half. It has big, round eyes and large pointy ears. It has five-fingered hands and cream feet with three clawed toes. The fur close to the bottom of a Munchlax seems to resemble a dress. Munchlax has two pointy teeth that stick out of its mouth even if closed.
It is a hyperactive Pokémon. It does not mind walking and running from place to place as it looks for food, but it is usually very slow-moving. Munchlax tends to store food in its long fur, although it sometimes forgets about its hidden food. Its stomach allows it to eat nearly anything, even rotten food, and they are indifferent to flavor. It can also eat many servings of food at a time without chewing and rarely gets full. It eats the most food of any Pokémon besides its evolution, Snorlax.
Munchlax debuted in Destiny Deoxys, where it played a supporting role as the movie's comic relief, and made it the first Generation IV Pokémon to appear in the anime. It eventually evolved into a Snorlax in order to stay afloat in the Block Bot flood.
Diamond owns a Munchlax named Lax which, like him, has a very gluttonous nature, prone to eating dozens of people's worth of snacks out the get-go. Despite being a baby Pokémon with little training, he showed considerable stamina and durability when being used by Platinum to fight Fantina. He also often hides countless Berries under his fur to serve as distractions. He first appeared in Stagestruck Starly.
After being released from a Poké Ball, Munchlax walks around and uses Pickup to eat items on the stage. However, it will not eat a living item, an Assist Trophy, or a Poké Ball.
Trophy information
"A Big Eater Pokémon. It's normally a slow-moving creature, but when it sees food it moves surprisingly fast. It's native in the Sinnoh region and can be lured out by coating certain trees with sweet honey. Once it grows attached to its trainer, it levels up and evolves into Snorlax."
Game data
NPC appearances
Pokémon Dash: Munchlax is one of the opponents in the Regular GP mode.
Although obtainable through hacking in Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness as it has an index number, unlike Bonsly it is unusable as it was not programmed to be used in battle.
Munchlax is the heaviest baby Pokémon, weighing in at 231.5 lbs. (105.0 kg).
Munchlax's evolution family is the only one to have all of its members appear from a Poké Ball within a single Super Smash Bros. game.
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Munchlax's trophy information states it first appeared in Diamond and Pearl instead of Pokémon Dash. This is a similar case with Bonsly and Togepi.
Munchlax has the highest HP of all unevolved Pokémon.
Origin
Munchlax is most likely based on a baby bear. Its eating habits correspond to those of bears preparing to hibernate, including the consumption of honey (Munchlax is found in honey-slathered trees). Its mask-like face and movepool evoke a larcenous character — perhaps a burglar.
Name origin
Munchlax is a combination of munch (to chew on food) and lax or relax.
Gonbe may be a combination of Kabigon (Snorlax's Japanese name) and baby. It may also derive from 権兵衛 gonbē, a popular Japanese name for peasants in the old days.
In other languages
Language
Title
Meaning
Japanese
ゴンベ Gonbe
From Kabigon (Snorlax's Japanese name) and baby. May also derive from 権兵衛 gonbē, popular Japanese name for peasants in the old days.
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.