Politoed is a green, bipedal, frog-like Pokémon with yellow hands, belly, throat, and toes. It has a long, curled hair on top of its head and pink cheek spots that are smaller on the female than on the male. There is a green swirl on its belly. Its legs are well developed and it has bulbous toes and fingers.
Politoed acts as a leader to Poliwag and Poliwhirl, which gather from afar upon hearing its cry. Politoed likes to expand its throat and sing. When three or more assemble, they sing in a chorus with a loud, bellowing voice. The curled hair on Politoed's head is considered proof of its status as a king. The longer and curlier Politoed's hair is, the more Poliwag and Poliwhirl will obey it, and the more it is respected by other Politoed. Politoed is rarely found in the wild, though it is usually seen living by the water's edge.
At nightfall, Politoed appears near lakes to make territorial claims through cries that sound like shooting. A male Politoed's cry is said to be louder than a female Politoed's cry. A male Politoed with a deep, menacing voice will become more popular with the opposite gender.
Misty's Poliwhirl evolved into a Politoed in Outrageous Fortunes. It is very cheerful to the point where it would occasionally lose focus in a battle and start clapping.
Other
In I Politoed Ya So, Tammy owns a Politoed nicknamed Bean and uses it and other Pokémon for a cheerleading squad. Bean is distinctive from other Politoed by the red band it wears around its head. It had a falling-out with Tammy, prompting her to ask Misty to lend her own Politoed to her for a while. Later, she and her Politoed made amends, and Tammy returned Misty's Politoed to her.
In Ampharos Amore, Silver borrowed Gold's Poliwhirl, Polibo, in exchange for his Seadra. Due to the effects of the King's Rock Polibo was holding along with the trade between Silver and Gold, Polibo evolved into a Politoed. Later, he was returned to his original Trainer.
The curled hair on Politoed's head is proof of its status as a king. It is said that the longer and more curled the hair, the more respect this Pokémon earns from its peers.
The curled hair on Politoed's head is proof of its status as a king. It is said that the longer and more curled the hair, the more respect this Pokémon earns from its peers.
Politoed is a combination of polliwog, meaning tadpole, and a corruption of toad. It may also be a play on 'poly-toed', meaning "having many toes", since, as Poliwhirl, its feet were digitless.
Nyorotono may be a combination of ニョロニョロ nyoronyoro (the sound of slithering) and 殿 tono (lord). This is possibly inspired by the トノサマガエル tonosamagaeru (dark-spotted frog), whose name literally means lord-frog in Japanese.
In other languages
Language
Title
Meaning
Japanese
ニョロトノ Nyorotono
From ニョロニョロ nyoronyoro, 殿 tono, and トノサマガエル tonosamagaeru