Raticate is a large, rodent-like Pokémon. Although it is often depicted on its hind legs, it is a quadruped. It is primarily tawny-colored with a cream underside. It has narrow black eyes, ears with ragged edges and dark insides, and large incisors that grow constantly. There are three whiskers on each side of its face, which it uses to maintain balance. It has short arms with three-fingered hands and webbed feet with three toes. The webbing on its feet allows it to swim. Its tail is long and scaly. Females will have shorter whiskers.
If attacked, Raticate stands up on its hind legs, bares its fangs and shrieks in an intimidating manner at its enemy. It is willing to take on larger foes if provoked enough. Its teeth are strong enough to gnaw through steel and their constant growth means it often needs to gnaw on something, like rocks and logs. It may even chew on the walls of houses, and is capable of chewing through cinderblocks and toppling concrete buildings. Prior to Generation IV, Hyper Fang and Super Fang were its signature moves. This Pokémon typically lives in plains and savannas.
In Alola, Raticate has become heavier and darker due to its urban environment and higher calorie diet.[1] Its fur is mostly black with a brown, leaf-shaped patch on its belly and brown inside its ears. Its hands, feet, cheeks, and tail are a whitish-cream color, and its hands are much smaller. It has large, puffy cheeks with four whiskers under its chin and two sprouting sideways from the top of each cheek. Its large incisors are still visible, but its eyes are now red.
This variant uses its nest as a food stockpile, and generally prefers to have the Alolan Rattata it commands to go out and forage for food while it remains in its nest and eats. It is selective in what it eats, however, only eating fresh, high-quality foods, such as fruits. Rumor has it that a certain high-class restaurant even exploits this selectivity, bringing Raticate along to buy ingredients and letting it taste test new dishes. Each Alolan Raticate has its own territory, and disputes over food and feeding grounds happen frequently. Alolan Raticate and Rattata are not native to Alola, having been brought to the region via cargo ships. Their populations grew drastically until Yungoos and Gumshoos were imported as a control measure.
Raticate made its debut in Battle Aboard the St. Anne, under the ownership of a Gentleman. On the St. Anne, Ashtraded his Butterfree for the Raticate, having become impressed by its strength. However, he traded it back in the same episode as the boat was still sinking.
Rattata and its evolved form, Raticate. The Mouse Pokémon. A Dark and Normal type. When they band together, they steal food from people's homes. Long ago, they came here to the Alolan islands aboard cargo ships, and eventually grew into the Pokémon we see today. The numbers of Rattata and Raticate eventually grew so large that Yungoos and Gumshoos were brought in from a different region to chase them off.
Of all the Totem Pokémon that can be battled in Alola, Totem Raticate is one of the only two Totem Pokémon that is battled in only one game out of the two versions — in this case, Moon and Ultra Moon. The other is Totem Gumshoos.
During the cutscene before Totem Raticate's battle, it cries out Gumshoos's cry instead of its own cry.
Origin
Raticate appears to be based on a rat, as well as a semi-aquatic rodent such as a muskrat or a coypu due to its large size and webbed feet. Its scruffy ears are similar to a guinea pig.
Alolan Raticate appears to be based on the black rat, brown rat, or Polynesian rat, all of which are invasive species in Hawaii. Their attacks on sugar cane fields caused the locals to import the small Indian mongoose into Hawaii as a form of pest control, explaining the relationship between Yungoos/Gumshoos and Rattata/Raticate. Its gluttonous behavior, ability to command groups of Rattata to steal, and hostile relationship with the detective-inspired Gumshoos are reminiscent of a stereotypical crime boss. It has cheek pouches similar to chipmunks and hamsters.
Name origin
Raticate may be a combination of rat and eradicate (to destroy or exterminate) or masticate (to chew).
Berry (100%)
Oran Berry (50%)
Sitrus Berry (5%)
Chilan Berry (5%)
Pecha Berry (5%)
For other sprites and images, please see Raticate images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
