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.
Golem is a bipedal tortoise-like Pokémon with plated, green rocks as its shell. Golem grows bigger by shedding its skin once a year. The discarded shell immediately hardens when exposed to air, crumbling away and returning to the soil. Golem has a head protruding out of the center of the shell, short arms that have three claws, and two legs with five-clawed feet that have four claws in front and one in back. It has red eyes and a flat snout with two pointed teeth in its lower jaw. As shown in the Pocket Monsters Carddass Trading Cards, Golem's shell is hollow.
The anime has shown that Golem is able to withdraw its head and limbs into its shell and roll at high speeds. Golem is dangerous when doing this, as it is unable to see and may crash into or run over anything in its path. To prevent it from rolling into the homes of people downhill, grooves are dug into the sides of the mountains to divert the rolling Golem's course. Golem's body is so hard that even dynamite cannot scratch it. Golem is seldom seen in the wild. However, it can be found living in mountainous regions.
The Alolan Golem has shorter forearms with two claws and only two claws on its feet. The face has attracted more iron sand, creating the appearance of a mustache, eyebrows and a large black beard. Above its head are two large black rocks jutting out of its body. On the inner edge of these rocks are three golden dots. In-between the two large rocks is a shorter black rock. The Alolan Golem is capable of firing this rock for attacking; if it is not available, it will fire nearby Geodude instead.
Golem withdrawn.png
A Golem with its head and limbs withdrawn into its shell
An Alolan Golem preparing to fire an Alolan Geodude
Golem debuted in The Bridge Bike Gang, under the ownership of Chopper. It was used against Ash in a battle, during which it defeated Bulbasaur before being covered in flames thanks to a combination of Charmander's Flamethrower and Fire Spin. As a result, it had to be returned to its Poké Ball, which wound up being so hot that it burned Chopper's fingers. Golem later reappeared in a flashback in Charizard Chills.
Gary used a Golem in his battle against Ash in Can't Beat the Heat!. It battled Charizard, who was unable to use Seismic Toss on it due to its weight. However, despite that and Charizard being stunned by its Magnitude, Golem was defeated.
An Alolan Golem appeared in SM095, where it and a group of Alolan Geodude and Graveler caused havoc at Wela Volcano Park after their feeding rituals were disrupted by a group of rock hunters. Ash, Kiawe, and Sophocles fought it, until Sophocles's RideMetang proved to the more dominant one by getting Golem's iron sand to stick to its face. After its defeat, Metang returned the iron sand. In the end, one of the Hikers who frequent Wela Volcano caught the Golem, who had become fond of them.
In Who Gets To Keep Togepi, when Ash, Misty, and Brock are discussing which Pokémon they'd like to hatch out of the Egg, Brock mentions that he wishes it would be a Golem, and one is shown for a second before Misty replaces it with a Lapras.
Brock used a Golem to try to impress Professor Oak but was never shown to him because of Brock's nervousness paralyzing him.
Rudy used his Golem in the dance battle against Ash.
In the Pokémon Adventures manga
Golem debuted in Drat That Dratini! where a horde of Golem tried to attacke Red and Yellow but they escaped using Red's Aerodactyl. They later appeared again in Long Live the Nidoqueen!? when the people of Viridian City were trying to calm them down. In Sea Sea Seadra several of the wild Golem in Viridian Forest appeared in a flashback of Bill's about the cology of the forest hasn't changed in two years.
In Golly, Golem, Giovanni is seen with a Golem as the second Pokémon he sends out against Red. His best attacks involve his body shattering, allowing him to use Rock Throw.
Golem is known for rolling down from mountains. To prevent them from rolling into the homes of people downhill, grooves have been dug into the sides of mountains to serve as guideways for diverting this Pokémon's course.
It is said to live in volcanic craters on mountain peaks. Once a year, it sheds its hide and grows larger. The shed hide crumbles and returns to the soil.
Golem is known for rolling down from mountains. To prevent them from rolling into the homes of people downhill, grooves have been dug into the sides of mountains to serve as guideways for diverting this Pokémon's course.
It uses magnetism to accelerate and fire off rocks tinged with electricity. Even if it doesn't score a direct hit, the jolt of electricity will do the job.
Golem is probably based on a tortoise. Tortoise are believed to hold the world on their backs in many myths, including the Hindu, Chinese and Native American mythologies. Its "shell" may represent the tectonic plates of Earth.
Alolan Golem, like its predecessors, seems to have structures made of piezoelectric crystals or magnetite, a subset of iron ore known for its black crystalline appearance and magnetic properties. The black structure on its back may be derived from a electroshock weapon or a railgun.
Name origin
Golem is a reference to the golems of medieval and Hebrew legend.
Golonya may be a combination of golem and stone. Additionally, ゴロゴローン gorogorōn is the sound of rolling, a habit of Golem.
In other languages
Language
Title
Meaning
Japanese
ゴローニャ Golonya
From golem and stone, and possibly ゴロゴローン gorogorōn
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.