Murkrow is an avian Pokémon with black feathers. Its crooked, yellow beak and the three, feathery tufts on its head resemble a witch's nose and hat respectively. The feathery crest is smaller on the female than on the male. It has semi-circular, red eyes with white sclerae and pupils and a spiky collar of feathers around its neck. The shaggy feathers on its tail resemble the end of a broom, and there is a thin, red band at the base of the tail. Its yellow feet have four toes, three facing forward and one backward.
Murkrow has a fondness for anything sparkly, and it will steal things such as jewelry to bring it back to its nest. Its fondness for shiny objects go as far as fighting with other Pokémon that enjoy shiny objects, such as Meowth and Persian, to gain their stashes. Whenever it is chased, it loses the attacker by leading it down dark mountain trails, and sometimes it does this to travelers as a mean spirited prank. Superstition regards Murkrow as Pokémon of ominous things to come, and of great misfortune if one is seen at night. It is possible to train a Murkrow to repeat words, as seen under Team Rocket's ownership. Murkrow usually lives in forests or swamps.
Major appearances
Paul has a Honchkrow, which evolved from his Murkrow. It debuted in Top-Down Training!.
Other
Murkrow have been seen causing trouble in Big Town. The first instance was in Pikachu & Pichu in which Pikachu landed on their pole.
Murkrow made its main series debut in All That Glitters!, where a flock of Murkrow stole Ash's Badges.
A Murkrow was owned by a witch named Lily in Hocus Pokémon.
While Ash and his friends were searching for a restaurant in Like a Meowth to a Flame, they were attacked by a flock of Murkrow for unknown reasons. Ash's Pikachu tried to scare the Murkrow away with Thunderbolt, but they kept on coming back. Tyson's Meowth got rid of the Murkrow by using Fury Swipes on them.
A Murkrow appeared in Try for the Family Stone!, under the ownership of Mitchell. It would play pranks on travelers by causing hallucinations.
Multiple Murkrow appeared in Mimikyu Unmasked!, when three of them kept stealing Jessie's Malasadas and later stole Mimikyu's rag. Several other Murkrow later appeared to attack Jessie and Mimikyu.
Minor appearances
Murkrow debuted in Trouble in Big Town, where it popped the balloons Little Pichu was hanging on.
Several Murkrow were among the inhabitants of the Dragon Holy Land in Great Bowls of Fire!.
Two Murkrow appeared briefly in Pokémon Heroes: Latios & Latias.
A Murkrow appeared in Tree's a Crowd.
Multiple Murkrow appeared in Destiny Deoxys, The Rise of Darkrai, and Giratina and the Sky Warrior.
Two Murkrow appeared in A Rivalry to Gible On!
A Murkrow appeared in A Bite to Remember.
A Murkrow appeared in Dawn of a Royal Day!, under the ownership of a Pokémon Coordinator competing in the Arrowroot Contest.
A Murkrow appeared in Casting a Paul on Barry!, where it flew over Team Rocket.
A Murkrow appeared in Cilan's demonstration in Mystery on a Deserted Island!, where it evolved into a Honchkrow.
Multiple Murkrow appeared in Diancie and the Cocoon of Destruction.
A wild Murkrow briefly appeared in Kalos League Passion with a Certain Flare!, where it stole a snack that Clemont's Chespin was about to eat.
A Trainer's Murkrow appeared in Alola to New Adventure!.
A Trainer's Mukrow appeared in Crystal-Clear Sleuthing!.
Two Murkrow appeared in A Seasoned Search!, where they were among the Flying-types attracted by Bounsweet's Sweet Scent in their attempts to attract a Oricorio.
Pokédex entries
Episode
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Pokémon
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Source
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Entry
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EP184
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Murkrow
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Ash's Pokédex
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Murkrow, the Darkness Pokémon. Murkrow confuse would-be attackers by luring them into dark mountain trails, where they are sure to get lost.
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Episode
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Pokémon
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Source
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Entry
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DP040
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Murkrow
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Dawn's Pokédex
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Murkrow, the Darkness Pokémon. Many people believe that if you see a Murkrow at night, it will bring bad luck.
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- Murkrow shares its category name with Sableye. They are both known as the Darkness Pokémon.
- Despite being a Generation II Pokémon, it was actually only available in Kanto in Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal. The same is true for Slugma and Houndour. All three can be obtained in Johto via the Safari Zone in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver.
- Murkrow can be seen as a parallel to Misdreavus. Both of them are Generation II Pokémon whose only evolutionary event utilizes a Dusk Stone into their evolved forms. Murkrow is exclusive to Pokémon FireRed, Diamond, and Black while Misdreavus is exclusive to LeafGreen, Pearl, and White. Additionally, both appear to be based on witches.
- Murkrow is the only Pokémon that evolves with a Dusk Stone that is not a Ghost-type.
- Murkrow is the lightest Dark-type Pokémon.
- Murkrow comes before Misdreavus in the Johto Pokédex, but Murkrow's evolution, Honchkrow, comes after Misdreavus's evolution, Mismagius, in the Sinnoh part of the National Pokédex.
- In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Murkrow is programmed to be able to learn Punishment through breeding, but no other Pokémon in the Flying Group can pass down Punishment as an Egg Move in those games. Vullaby and Mandibuzz are the only Flying Egg Group Pokémon that can learn Punishment, but they cannot pass down the move due to being female-only species.
Origin
Murkrow is based on a crow, more specifically the Carrion Crow. Its crest resembles that of the Black Hawk-Eagle. Its crest can also be taken to resemble a pointed hat, and its tail the bristles of a broom, giving it a resemblance to a witch in flight. In regards to its Generation IV evolution, it can also be taken to resemble a gang member under a head Honchkrow. Its ability to mimic voices is referencing crows' and ravens' ability to imitate other sounds.
Name origin
Murkrow is a combination of murky or murder (a group of crows) and crow.
Yamikarasu is a combination of 闇 yami (darkness) and 烏 karasu (crow).