Rockruff evolves into Midday Form Lycanroc when leveled up during the day. In Generation VII, Rockruff only evolves into this form in Pokémon Sun and Ultra Sun.
Rockruff evolves into Midnight Form Lycanroc when leveled up at night. In Generation VII, Rockruff only evolves into this form in Pokémon Moon and Ultra Moon.
A Rockruff with Own Tempo evolves into Dusk Form Lycanroc when leveled up from 7 PM to 7:59 PM in real-timeVIII or 5 PM to 5:59 PM in in-game timeUSUM (equating to 5 PM to 5:59 PM in real-time for Ultra Sun and 5 AM to 5:59 AM in real-time for Ultra Moon).
Rockruff is a quadrupedal, canine Pokémon. It is primarily light brown with a darker brown muzzle, paws, and ear tips. It has large blue eyes, button ears, a short muzzle with a triangular pink nose, and a short tuft of fur on each cheek. Around its neck is a ruff of grayish-white fur stubbed with dark brown pebbles. The dark brown markings on its paws extend to a thin point on each wrist and ankle. It has a grayish-white tail that curls tightly over its back and is covered in fluffy fur.
Rockruff has an excellent sense of smell and will never forget an odor after smelling it once. There are tales of it reuniting with its Trainer after becoming lost by following the faintest traces of scent. It has lived with humans since ancient times. Rockruff is often recommended as a good beginner due to its friendly nature. It can bond with Trainers easily. However, Rockruff is said to be a challenging Pokémon to raise, to the point where some Trainers abandon it due to being unable to handle it. This Pokémon is very sociable and will greet others by rubbing them with the rocks around its neck. As it ages, Rockruff becomes wilder and more independent. Once it is close to evolving, it will begin to howl when the sun goes down. It has been said to leave its Trainer's side and return once it has evolved. A persistent Pokémon, it will keep going until it outlasts foes that are even more powerful.[1] Rockruff intimidates opponents by using the rocks on its neck to hit the ground. As mentioned in the anime, Rockruff trains itself by running around. It attacks foes the moment they flinch. It has been known to fight with Growlithe over territory.
Rockruff, the Puppy Pokémon. A Rock type. Rockruff have lived with humans since ancient times. They train themselves by running around. Rockruff evolves into Lycanroc, which has two different forms based on when it evolves. It evolves into Midday Form Lycanroc during the day and Midnight Form Lycanroc during the night. Furthermore, when it gets close to evolving, Rockruff's temperament becomes more aggressive, and it tends to act more independent. It's common for it to disappear and then return after it has evolved.
Akira, the protagonist of Pokémon Horizon, has a Rockruff. It has the unique ability to evolve into Lycanroc and then devolve into Rockruff again, thanks to the strange red stone on its neck. It also has the ability to change in between its Midday and Midnight Forms while being evolved.
Rockruff is really good at making friends, which we saw when it was playing happily with some otherPokémon. But it’s also brave enough to protect its friends if something were to threaten them.
Despite no visual differences, Rockruff with Own Tempo are internally treated as their own form, rather than having an additional ability slot.
Due to being a separate form, Own Tempo Rockruff behave according to form inheritance rules when breeding, rather than ability inheritance rules.
Origin
Rockruff appears to be based on the spitz breed of dogs. It may also be based on the Japanese wolf, which is often associated with rocks and mountains.
Name origin
Rockruff may be a combination of rock, ruff (onomatopoetic word for barking, or the fur around its neck), and rough.
Iwanko may be a combination of 岩 iwa (rock), ワン wan (onomatopoetic word for barking), わんこ wanko (doggy), and 子 ko (young animal).