Hitmonlee is a humanoid Pokémon with an ovoid body. Lacking a distinct neck and head, its upper torso has almond-shaped eyes with black rings around them and appears to lack a nose and mouth. Primarily brown, it has cream-colored, segmented arms and legs, with three fingers and three clawed toes respectively. The soles of its feet and its ankles have circular, yellow markings. It is an exclusively male species with no female counterpart.
Hitmonlee's legs freely contract and stretch similar to a coiled spring. This flexibility allows Hitmonlee to run with lengthy strides and gives it greater reach for its kicks. Its excellent sense of balance enables it to kick in succession from any position. After battling, it rubs down its legs to relax the tight muscles. Rare in the wild, it is primarily found in urban areas.
Major appearances
Hitmonlee first appeared in The Punchy Pokémon. Team Rocket stole him from a man named Giant in order to compete in the P1 Grand Prix. The Kicking Pokémon defeated Brock's Geodude, and Anthony's Hitmonchan (by cheating) and lost fair and square to Ash's Primeape.
A Hitmonlee owned by Corey was one of the Pokémon owned by that were captured and cloned by Mewtwo in Mewtwo Strikes Back. The Hitmonlee clone was seen again in Mewtwo Returns.
In Chikorita's Big Upset, one was part of a group of Fighting-type Pokémon that roamed the streets of the city as a gang.
Shiro, a challenger to the dojo in Two Hits and a Miss used a Hitmonlee.
In A Tyrogue Full of Trouble, Black Belt Kiyo owned one and fought alongside him to break a rolling boulder. He later used Hitmonlee in battle to attempt to capture a wild Tyrogue.
One of the Invincible Pokémon Brothers in Gotta Catch Ya Later! has a Hitmonlee.
A Hitmonlee was used during the preliminaries of the Hoenn League by Gilbert in Saved by the Beldum. Gilbert's Hitmonlee lost to Ash's Pikachu.
Master Hamm used a Hitmonlee against his son Kyle, a cook, in Pasta La Vista. If the Dojo Master won, he would retire, and Kyle would have to give up his shop for the Dojo. If Kyle won, it would all stay the same. Ash, and May ended up taking the place of the two. As it was a draw, Kyle and his father decided to both work at the restaurant while Kyle's girlfriend Terri took up ownership of the Dojo.
A Hitmonlee appeared in A Marathon Rivalry!, under the ownership of Daniel.
A Hitmonlee appeared in Casting a Paul on Barry!, under the ownership of Barry. Despite being able to cause a lot of damage to Paul's Ursaring, he was eventually defeated after inadvertently triggering Ursaring's Guts Ability.
Minor appearances
A Hitmonlee appeared in Showdown at Dark City as one of the Yas Gym's Pokémon.
A Hitmonlee appeared in A Chansey Operation, where he was one of the injured Pokémon brought to the clinic.
A Hitmonlee was seen in a Pokémon Lab in Riddle Me This.
Two Hitmonlee appeared in Bad to the Bone. One was under the ownership of an unnamed Trainer, while the other one appeared in a flashback belonging to an unnamed Gym Leader.
A Hitmonlee under the ownership of an unknown Trainer, appeared in Friends to the End, during the closing ceremonies of the Indigo League.
Hitmonlee also appeared in The Power of One.
A Hitmonlee was seen in a dojo in Wired for Battle!.
A Hitmonlee appeared in Beauty and the Breeder where it participated in a Pokémon beauty contest.
A Hitmonlee belonging to a Trainer appeared at the Pokémon Jujitsu Academy in Ariados, Amigos.
A Hitmonlee under the ownership of Shinji had a brief appearance in The Legend of Thunder! battling Jimmy's Typhlosion.
Wobbu-Palooza! featured a Hitmonlee belonging to a Festival Crasher.
A Hitmonlee appeared in Lucario and the Mystery of Mew, taking part in the festival honoring Sir Aaron.
Pokédex entries
Episode
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Pokémon
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Source
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Entry
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EP166
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Hitmonlee
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Ash's Pokédex
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Hitmonlee, the Kicking Pokémon. This nimble Pokémon launches lethal kicks from almost any position.
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Episode
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Pokémon
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Source
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Entry
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AG145
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Hitmonlee
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Ash's Pokédex
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Hitmonlee, the Kicking Pokémon. Hitmonlee can extend and retract its legs at will to kick opponents from almost any distance.
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Episode
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Pokémon
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Source
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Entry
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DP184
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Hitmonlee
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Dawn's Pokédex
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Hitmonlee, the Kicking Pokémon, and the evolved form of Tyrogue. Its legs double in length, and opponents are surprised by Hitmonlee's attack range when facing it for the first time.
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Origin
Hitmonlee may be a personification of taekwondo, a sport that focuses on kick attacks. Due to its lack of a head, Hitmonlee bears resemblance to the mythical headless men and the Hindu demon Kabandha. Based on its name and attributes, Hitmonlee may also represent Japanese kickboxer Tadashi Sawamura. When looking to the Japanese names of its Abilities—Flexible, Life-Risking and Acrobatics—Hitmonlee may also be based on an acrobat.
Name origin
Hitmonlee is a combination of hit, monster, and Lee (a reference to Bruce Lee). The name is also related to Hitmonchan and Hitmontop, both of which are parallel evolutions to it as of Generation II.
Sawamular is derived from Tadashi Sawamura, a famous kickboxer.