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Duskull is styled after a traditional personification of Death, the Grim Reaper. It resembles a small hooded masked form in a black robe with a crossbones drawing on its back. In its "shiny" alternate coloring, its robe is curiously bright red. Its mask resembles the front of a skull. It also seems to have a single eye that floats between the eye sockets in its mask.
Physiology
Gender differences
None.
Special abilities
While Duskull appears to have the typical movepool for a Template:Type2, it lacks the capability to use Template:Type2 moves such as Thunder or Thunderbolt. Yet, it can learn Ice Beam and Blizzard. Duskull also happens to be more defensive than its fellow Ghost Pokémon.
Behavior
Duskull is primarily a nocturnal Pokémon. People say that this Pokémon will spirit away disobedient children.
Duskull also had a brief appearance in Get the Show on the Road. While May was on her way to Prof. Birch's, Duskull popped up right in front of May and scared her out of wits.
It was revealed in a flashback that Timmy Grimm's Dusclops was originally a Duskull he found alone in a bush.
Two Duskull were among the several Ghost Pokémon living in abandoned mine in Fear Factor Phony. Since the Ghost Pokémon couldn't stand the partying Psychic Pokémon in the nearby town, Team Rocket decided to help the Ghosts because they knew what its like to "lose sleep over a bunch of twerps."
Duskull can pass through any wall no matter how thick it may be. Once this Pokémon chooses a target, it will doggedly pursue the intended victim until the break of dawn.
Duskull wanders lost among the deep darkness of midnight. There is an oft-told admonishment given to misbehaving children that this Pokémon will spirit away bad children who earn scoldings from their mothers.
A glare from its single scarlet eye makes even burly grown-ups freeze in utter fear. It is a nocturnal Pokémon that roams about under the cloak of darkness.
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Duskull appears darker in its Generation IV sprites that its Generation III sprites. It appears even darker in its Pokémon Platinum sprite.
Origin
Duskull may be based on the Grim Reaper or the bogeyman. The Japanese bogeyman is called the Namahage.
Name origin
Duskull's name is probably a combination of dusk and skull. Its Japanese name is a combination of 妖魔 yōma, ghost and 悪 waru, bad thing/person. It is also possible that it is derived from 夜回り yomawari, night watch(man) or 夜回る yomawaru, night wanderer.
In other languages
German: Zwirrlicht - From Zwielicht (twilight), wirr (chaotic), and possibly lich.
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.