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Drifloon has a round, purple body with two stringy arms that have a yellow heart-shape on them. Drifloon has black-dot eyes and a yellow "X" on its face; as Drifloon may be interpreted as the ghosts of popped balloons, this "X" may be two pieces of tape intended to cover the hole that would have caused the balloon to deflate. A white mass of fluff sits on top of Drifloon's head.
Gender differences
None.
Special abilities
Drifloon and its evolution Drifblim have the signature ability, Unburden, which doubles Speed when the Pokémon's hold item is lost. This could possibly be a reference to how real balloons may not float if weighed down, and once whatever was holding it is gone, it floats away. It may also refer to the ballasts of hot air balloons.
Behavior
Drifloon usually try to grab children in attempts to spirit them away, but these attempts always end up with the Drifloon getting swung around. Being filled with air lets Drifloon either expand or shrink to express its feelings.
Habitat
Drifloon drifts into (and presumably lives around) the area of Valley Windworks, and prefers damp weather.
In the Japanese version of Pearl's Pokédex entry, Drifloon specifically take children to the "world of the dead" (Japanese: あのよ), instead of just trying to "steal them away" as in the English version. However, in the US release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the description along with Drifloon's trophy still states that it is "taking children to the underworld".
Drifloon shares the same species name with Jigglypuff's evolutionary family and Qwilfish. They are all known as Balloon Pokémon.
However Drifloon is the only of them that actually resembles a balloon.
One Drifloon is available each Friday in Sinnoh, in the same way that Lapras is available in Union Cave in Johto.
If the player stays in Valley Windworks, Drifloon will not leave even when it is past Friday as long as the player stays in the area.
Drifloon is one of six Pokémon that have an immunity to three different types, the other three being Drifblim, Sableye, Spiritomb, Gobitto and Goruugu, all five of which are part Ghost type.
Drifloon's name is a combination of drift and balloon. Its Japanese name, Fuwante, may be derived from ふわふわ fuwa fuwa, meaning soft, fluffy, and light, or an onomatopoeia for floating, and 風船 fūsen, balloon.
In other languages
German: Driftlon - From drift and Ballon (balloon).
French: Baudrive - From baudruche (balloon) and dérive (drift).
Korean: 흔들풍손 Heundeulpungson - Heun-deul is a word that refers to waving movements, and pungson is a pun on the Korean word for balloon, pungseon (풍선).
Chinese (Taiwan): 飄飄球 Piāo Piāo Qiú - "Lightly floating balloon". 球 (ball) is derived from 氣球 Qìqiú (balloon).
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.