Biology
Blacephalon is a colorful, humanoid Ultra Beast. Its slender torso and wide hips are yellow with alternating blue and pink stripes. There is a white sphere in the middle of its body and another on its back in place of a tail. It has thin arms with white frills on its wrists and teardrop-shaped hands. The right arm is pink, while the left is blue. Each arm has a spherical bulge near the shoulder. Its legs are shaped like white high-heeled boots with curled toes. Each foot has a sphere on it: blue on the left and pink on the right. Around its neck is a white frill with a hole in the center.
Blacephalon's head is a white ball with a multitude of pink and blue dots, which are a collection of tiny sparks. On either side of the ball are stars that are blue on the outside, pink on the inside, and have yellow dot-like eyes on the center. The head is not attached to the body and can be removed for use as a weapon. As seen in Pokémon Refresh, the color of the sparks and the color and shape of the stars change with Blacephalon's mood. As seen in the anime, this Ultra Beast can freely move its head around easily and regenerate after blowing it up. It is known to trick its targets through the silly way it walks before blowing its head up without warning. It then steals their vitality to use as energy.[1] Blacephalon is the only known Pokémon capable of learning the move Mind Blown.
In the anime
Major appearances
Blacephalon debuted in Twirling with a Bang!. Ash and his classmates first encountered it performing during a fireworks show. The next day, they learned that it was an Ultra Beast and set out as the Ultra Guardians to capture it. However, they also ran into a Xurkitree while trying to find it, and soon, the two Ultra Beasts ended up in a performance showdown, each trying to outperform the other with their moves. Thanks to a distraction from the Ultra Guardians, they were able to distract, weaken, and subsequently capture the two Ultra Beasts at the same time, allowing them to be returned home wherever they come from. It reappeared in a flashback in Securing the Future!.
Minor appearances
Pokédex entries
In the mangaIn the TCGGame data
Pokédex entries
| This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation VII.
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| Generation VII
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Alola
USUM: #393
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Kanto
#—
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| This Pokémon has no Pokédex entries in Sun, Moon, Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!.
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| Ultra Sun
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It slithers toward people. Then, without warning, it triggers the explosion of its own head. It's apparently one kind of Ultra Beast.
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| Ultra Moon
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A UB that appeared from an Ultra Wormhole, it causes explosions, then takes advantage of opponents' surprise to rob them of their vitality.
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Game locations
| This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation VII.
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Stats
Base stats
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Range
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| At Lv. 50
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At Lv. 100
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53
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113 - 160
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216 - 310
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127
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118 - 196
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233 - 388
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53
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52 - 115
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99 - 225
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151
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140 - 223
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276 - 441
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79
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75 - 144
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146 - 282
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107
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100 - 174
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197 - 344
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Total: 570
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Other Pokémon with this total
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- Minimum stats are calculated with 0 EVs, IVs of 0, and (if applicable) a hindering nature.
- Maximum stats are calculated with 252 EVs, IVs of 31, and (if applicable) a helpful nature.
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Type effectiveness
| Under normal battle conditions in Generation IX, this Pokémon is:
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Learnset
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This Pokémon is unavailable within Generation VIII.
Click on the generation numbers above to see Blacephalon's learnsets from other generations.
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Evolution
Sprites
| This Pokémon was unavailable prior to Generation VII.
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Trivia
- In the Generation VII games, Blacephalon can learn Magic Coat through level-up but cannot learn it via Move Tutor.
- Blacephalon could be a counterpart to fellow Ultra Beast Stakataka. Both have high Attack stats and the same base stat total, but Blacephalon has high Special Attack and Speed stats and low defenses, while Stakataka is extremely slow but has a very high Defense. Additionally, both appear in Poni Grove at the same point in the story, with Blacephalon appearing in Ultra Sun and Stakataka appearing in Ultra Moon.
Origin
Blacephalon appears to be based on clowns, particularly the evil clown trope found in fiction due to its sinister behavior. It could also specifically take inspiration from Pennywise the Dancing Clown. Both Pennywise and Blacephalon are cosmic entities whose origins lie in an alternate dimension. Both act harmless in order to lure unsuspecting targets in, only to suddenly startle their victim and rob them of their vitality. Blacephalon's signature move Mind Blown could be a nod to the way that witnessing Pennywise's true form drives the looker insane. And lastly Pennywise's true form is described roughly as that of a mass of chaotic swirling lights, which falls roughly in line with the way Blacephalon's head lights up and twirls.
Blacephalon's categorization as the Fireworks Pokémon could mean it was based on sparklers, Catherine wheels or just pyrotechnics in general. Its overall appearance and exaggerated comedic movements are also similar to a jester of a some sort. Its head may be thought of as similar to a balloon or a circus ball, and the way it tosses it about is perhaps inspired by circus juggling. Its ability to remove this head is similar to dandelions, the yōkai Nukekubi, as well as the Dullahan of Celtic mythology.
Name origin
Blacephalon may be a combination of blast and cephalo (element with the meaning of "head"). It could also be a corruption of face balloon, as its head is reminiscent of a balloon.
Zugadōn literally means "head goes boom" (頭がドーン zu ga dōn).
In other languagesRelated articlesNotesExternal links
For other sprites and images, please see Blacephalon images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
