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Ariados is a spider-like Pokémon in appearance. It has a red body with black stripes and an unhappy face on its abdomen. Ariados has four yellow legs with purple stripes; its fifth and sixth legs seem to have been moved onto its back. Both the horn and mandibles on Ariados are white.
Gender differences
None.
Special abilities
Ariados's feet are tipped with tiny hooked claws that enable it to scuttle on ceilings and vertical walls. It spins a single strand of a special string endlessly out of its rear. The string leads back to its nest. The string can also be spun from its mouth. It is hard to tell which end is which. This Pokémon constricts the foe with its webbing.
Rather than making a nest in one specific spot, it wanders in search of food after darkness falls. It will attach silk to its prey and set it free. Later, it tracks the silk to the prey and its friends.
An Ariados owned by J appeared in Mutiny in the Bounty! As J proceeds to steal her victims' Pokémon, she has her Ariados tie up her victims with String Shot. J's Ariados also made a short appearance in Pillars of Friendship!, where J told it to use String Shot to tie up Ash and co. and prevent them from stopping the legendary golems and Regigigas as well.
A swarm of Ariados, one of them Shiny, appeared in SS024 where they attacked Dawn which eventually led to her Cyndaquil evolving.
Minor appearances
Ariados were mentioned by Misty in UnBEARable when Ash, Brock, and Misty were talking about scary Pokémon in the woods.
Since Volume 11, Janine is seen with an Ariados. She uses its string to help her scale buildings. It appears once again in Volume 13, when she uses it to take on Falkner. She explains here that Ariados can spit string for making webs using its spinneret, as well as spit a different type of thread for attacking from its mouth. This second type of thread is so sharp, it even cracks the metal body of Falkner's Skarmory.
The Masked Man also has an Ariados, seen during his first appearance in Ilex Forest. He uses an Ariados to combat Celebi due to the type advantages it has over it.
It can produce spider webs from both its mouth and spinneret. It's difficult to even differentiate the head from its back, where the spinneret is located.*
Ariados's feet are tipped with tiny hooked claws that enable it to scuttle on ceilings and vertical walls. This Pokémon constricts the foe with thin and strong silk webbing.
Its feet are tipped with tiny hooked claws that enable it to scuttle on ceilings and vertical walls. It constricts its foe with thin and strong silk webbing.
Ariados's appearance is based on the Myrmarachne formicaria spider, but with the prosoma and opisthosoma reversed, fitting with its Pokédex entry.
Name origin
Ariados may be a combination of arachnid (Latin for spider) and 脅す odosu (to threaten) or dos (Spanish for two, used possibly because it has two stingers, or because it is the second form in its evolutionary line).
In other languages
Language
Title
Meaning
Japanese
アリアドス Ariados
May be a combination of arachnid (Latin for spider) and 脅す odosu (to threaten) or dos (Spanish for two, used possibly because it has two stingers, or because it is the second form in its evolutionary line).
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.