Drifblim is Fantina's main Pokémon in the anime. It is the first Gym Leader's Pokémon (other than Misty's and Brock's) to be confirmed as being hatched from an Egg.
Fantina and her Drifblim
Drifblim first appeared as a Drifloon in Playing The Leveling Field!. It was the only Pokémon Fantina used in an unofficial battle against Ash despite the battle being 3-on-3. It's first opponent was Buizel. Drifloon was easily able to dodge Buizel's Water Gun and countered with Ominous Wind. After getting hit by Aqua Jet, Drifloon turned the tables by putting Buizel to sleep. Drifloon then notably lifted the sleeping Buizel up in the air, despite his far greater weight, and finished him off with Psychic. Chimchar was the next opponent Drifloon went up. Chimchar started with Flamethrower which was countered by Psychic. Drifloon then used Will-O-Wisp on Chimchar which successfully made contact. Drifloon used Hypnosis which put Chimchar to sleep, causing Ash to recall it. During Drifloon's battle against Pikachu, it once again used Will-O-Wisp where it was able to make contact with Pikachu. Pikachu responded with Thunderbolt in which Drifloon shook off. Drifloon used Ominous Wind and clashed with Pikachu's Volt Tackle. Drifloon's Ominous Wind stopped Pikachu's Volt Tackle. However, Pikachu used Thunderbolt once more and easily made contact. The impact caused Drifloon to evolve into Drifblim. With its new found speed, it dodged Pikachu's Thunderbolt and putted him to sleep, forcing Ash to forfeit.
Drifblim reappeared in a flashback in Losing Its Lustrous, where Ash was recalling the time that it put Pikachu to sleep.
Ash officially challenged Fantina to a Gym battle in Shield with a Twist!. She called Drifblim out as her final Pokémon where it went up against Pikachu. After Pikachu hit Drifblim with Thunderbolt. Drifblim used Psychic to control Will-O-Wisp and make it rotate rapidly around its body, improving Ash's own shielding strategy he had tried to use against her. Drifblim used the Counter Shield strategy to render Pikachu's Thunderbolt useless. It used the strategy again to prevent Pikachu from moving and used another strategy by coming in close and grabbed the opponent, then executing Hypnosis at point-blank range. Pikachu was then finished off with Ominous Wind. Buizel went up next and Drifblim used the Counter Shield strategy again to negate Buizel's Water Gun but it didn't work. Drifblim then used Will-O-Wisp while Buizel used Water Pulse, both attacks clashed which threw Buizel off guard. This gave Drifblim a chance to use the same strategy that it used on Pikachu to put Buizel to sleep. Buizel was then finished with Psychic. Ash's Chimchar was up in the final match. Drifblim used Will-O-Wisp to cancel out Chimchar's Flame Wheel. As the shield was made of Will-O-Wisp and Psychic, and Will-O-Wisp was a Fire-type move, this gave Ash an idea. He had Chimchar use Flamethrower so that Drifblim can use Counter Shield. Chimchar was able to overpower and destroy Drifblim's shield, with Drifblim getting hit by Chimchar's purple-colored Flamethrower and the power of its own Will-O-Wisp. Drifblim attacked with Ominous Wind but Chimchar evaded with Dig. Chimchar leaps up, grabs Drifblim and slams it to the ground. Chimchar then ultimately defeats Drifblim with Flamethrower, earning Ash the Relic Badge.
Drifblim appeared in a flashback in League Unleashed! when Ash was recalling the time he got the Relic Badge from her. Drifblim also appeared alongside Fantina during the credits of Zoroark: Master of Illusions.
Personality and characteristics
Drifblim appears to be Fantina's favorite Pokémon as her designs are made after it. During battle, Drifblim, as a Drifloon has the ability, to easily shake off any attack regardless of type. It continued to do so after evolving.
Counter Shield was used in Shield with a Twist!. Drifblim uses Will-O-Wisp to surround its body in fire wisps. Then it uses Psychic to move the fire in two circles. Drifblim can either shoot the flames as an attack or keep the fire around it as a defense tactic.
In the games
Unlike in the anime, Drifblim is not Fantina's main Pokémon in her battles; she doesn't even use her (even as a Drifloon) in her official Gym battle against the player in Pokémon Platinum. However, she uses it in at least one battle in every game she has appeared in: Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum and Black 2 and White 2. Notably, however, her Drifblim is her Pokémon of choice in Super Contests, in which she has nicknamed Loony (Japanese: ばるんBarun).
Fantina's Drifblim is one of Fantina's main team members. She also serves as Fantina's transportation (and also Diamond's and Pearl's for a time), being used as a hot air balloon. She was first seen in Hearthome City being used to leave the Contest Hall when Fantina sensed a looming presence (actually Paka and Uji), and she later reappeared in Celestic Town where Fantina managed to save Diamond and Pearl after the group was attacked by Cyrus. Drifblim was later used in Platinum's Gym battle against Fantina where it was defeated by her Empoleon's Blizzard, which froze her Ominous Wind.
