Biology
Cubone is a small, bipedal, dinosaur-like Pokémon with a light brown hide that covers most of its body, except for its cream-colored belly. Two small claws, one on each hand, serve as its thumbs, and one large nail on each foot make up its toes. It has two small spikes on its back and a short tail. On its head, Cubone wears the skull of its dead mother as a helmet. Because of this, much of its actual face has never been seen, except for its triangular, black eyes and a small area surrounding them. The skull has two rounded horns on the top of its head and a tooth-like point on the lower sides. Under the skull, Cubone has a brown snout. The small Cubone survives only through the immense skill it possesses in wielding the bone it carries as a weapon. The bone allows it to learn Bone Club and Bonemerang, two moves exclusive to Cubone and its evolution Marowak. It and its evolution are also the only Pokémon capable of using the Thick Club item.
It is called the Lonely Pokémon because of its tendency to keep to itself and avoid social situations, due to the trauma caused by the death of its mother. Cubone will often weep at night in mourning of its mother. When Cubone cries, the skull that it wears on its head vibrates and emits "a plaintive and mournful sound." On the night of a full moon, the cries are said to be especially terrible. Cubone seems to recognize its mother in the full moon, and so it howls with a particular sadness. Its cries attract Mandibuzz, a natural predator. It is said a Cubone will evolve into a Marowak once it comes terms with its mother's death. The dreams Cubone have make it cry, but crying makes it stronger. Cubone lives in rocky areas, usually on mountains or in caves. It also once inhabited the Pokémon Tower in Lavender Town where deceased Pokémon were buried and mourned.
In the anime
In the main series
Major appearances
In The School of Hard Knocks, Giselle used a Cubone in a battle against Ash. It battled Pikachu but lost.
In Pikachu's Vacation, a Cubone was part of a group of troublemakers causing trouble for Pikachu and his friends until they came to a truce.
In Pichu Bros. in Party Panic, a Cubone helped Meowth prepare his party and played the drums in his band. Cubone would get easily sad and gloomy whenever Meowth yelled it, but it was also easily consolable.
In PK15, a Cubone was the leader of a group of Pokémon who took up residence in a haunted house. They would attempt to scare visitors out of the house.
In Battling With a Clean Slate!, Alvin used a Cubone in a Gym battle against Clembot and managed to defeat Magneton and Heliolisk.
In A Snow Day for Searching!, Goh helped a Cubone retrieve its stolen bone before catching it. It has since made further appearances in Pokémon Journeys: The Series.
Minor appearances
In Hypno's Naptime, a Cubone was seen in HopHopHop Town's Pokémon Center.
In Pokémon Fashion Flash, a Cubone was on Scissor Street.
In A Chansey Operation a Cubone was injured and had to be treated at the human hospital.
In Princess vs. Princess, a Cubone competed in the Queen of the Princess Festival.
A Cubone appeared in The Breeding Center Secret.
In The Power of One, multiple Cubone sensed the disturbance caused by Lawrence III.
A wild Cubone appeared in Pikachu's Rescue Adventure.
A Cubone appeared in a flashback in Ignorance is Blissey, under the ownership of the Pokémon Nurse School.
In Wired for Battle!, a Trainer's Cubone came up as an image in Shingo's laptop.
In Pikachu & Pichu, a Cubone was living in Big Town.
In The Heartbreak of Brock, a Cubone was living at Temacu's father's lab.
In Doin' What Comes Natu-rally, a Cubone participated in a street festival.
A Cubone appeared in Bulbasaur's flashback in Bulbasaur... the Ambassador!.
In Gonna Rule The School!, the Pokémon Trainers' School lent a Cubone to the school's underage students for use in lessons.
A Cubone appeared in the opening sequence of Destiny Deoxys.
In Showdown at Linoone, a fantasy explaining the function of a Thick Club featured a Cubone.
A Cubone appeared in the opening sequence of Lucario and the Mystery of Mew.
A Coordinator's Cubone appeared in Harley Rides Again.
In Dawn's Early Night!, a Coordinator's Cubone was used along with a Marowak for the Double Performance required during the Hearthome Contest.
In a flashback in Dealing With a Fierce Double Ditto Drama!, a Trainer's Cubone was going to battle Narissa alongside a Marowak, but they retreated when her Ditto transformed into Zapdos.
A Cubone made brief cameo appearances in Giratina and the Sky Warrior and Arceus and the Jewel of Life.
A Cubone appeared in A Jolting Switcheroo!.
Two Trainers' Cubone appeared in Alola to New Adventure!.
In Lillie's Egg-xhilarating Challenge!, a Cubone was playing in Lillie's garden.
Two Cubone appeared in I Choose You!. One of them took shelter from the rain in a cave with Pokémon including Entei.
A Trainer's Cubone appeared in Balloons, Brionne, and Belligerence!.
A Trainer's Cubone appeared in Alola, Kanto!.
A Cubone appeared in The Power of Us.
In I Choose Paradise!, a Cubone was at the Pokémon Paradise Resort.
In Securing the Future!, four Trainers' Cubone joined the rest of Alola in showering Necrozma with light so it could return to its true form.
A Trainer's Cubone appeared in The Dealer of Destruction!.
A Cubone appeared in Enter Pikachu!.
Pokédex entries
| Episode
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Pokémon
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Source
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Entry
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| PK01
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Cubone
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Dexter
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A Ground-type Pokémon, Cubone. Cubone has earned its classification as the Lonely Pokémon from its usual attitude of caring only for itself.
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| Episode
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Pokémon
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Source
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Entry
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| JN015
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Cubone
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Goh's Rotom Phone
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Cubone, the Lonely Pokémon. A Ground type. Cubone wears a skull as a helmet, concealing its face as it sheds tears for its long-lost mother. It cries loudly to express its loneliness. It also always carries a long, thick bone.
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In Pokémon Origins
In File 2: Cubone, a Cubone was in the Pokémon House in Lavender Town. It is the child of the ghostly Marowak, who died while defending it from Team Rocket.
In the manga
In the Pocket Monsters DP manga
A Cubone appeared in PMDP16.
In the Pokémon Adventures manga
- Main article: Bonee
Cubone made a cameo in Onix is On!, under the ownership of a Trainer at the Pewter Gym. It battled Red's Bulbasaur.
A Cubone appeared as a silhouette when Green talks about Mew in The Jynx Jinx.
Multiple Cubone were under the control of Team Rocket Grunts in Piloswine Whine. They attack Gold and Silver but are easily defeated.
Crystal owns a Cubone nicknamed Bonee, which first appeared in Slugging It Out With Slugma. It notably has a star-shaped crack in his skull. Cubone's main role in the team is to take out targets from afar using his bone-based attacks. In Lively Larvitar, the origin of Crystal's Cubone is revealed: it, along with Crystal's Natu, Hitmonchan, and Parasect, were wild Pokémon living in Mt. Mortar and had fought with a local Arcanine that had gone berserk from a severe eye injury. Bonee had used several bone clubs for Crystal to use as arm casts.
A Cubone appeared in The Last Battle XIII as one of the Pokémon sent to participate in the fight in Ilex Forest.
A Cubone appeared in Weavile Wobbles But It Won't Fall Down, under the ownership of a Youngster at the Safari Zone.
A Cubone appeared in a fantasy in PASS01.
In the Pokémon Gotta Catch 'Em All manga
Ken owns a Cubone, as seen in GDZ16.
In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga
A Cubone appeared in Fierce Competition at the Pokémon Baseball Tournament!, where it was one of the Pokémon that took part in a baseball match. It was seen with Green during the game.
A Cubone appeared in Clefairy's Christmas Present?!.
Giovanni has a Cubone, which was used in his Gym battle against Red in Get The Last Badge!!.
Red caught a Cubone prior to Red VS Green?!.
A Cubone appeared in Pikachu's Birthday Party.
A Cubone appeared in Demanding Tests at the Pokémon School!.
In the Pokémon Zensho manga
A Cubone appeared in PZ05.
In the TCGOther appearances
In the Pokémon Stadium 2 stage, a Cubone can be seen on the Ground Terrain standing atop the highest platform built into a rock. Dugtrio and Pokémon Fossils can also be seen on the Ground Terrain.
It appears again on Pokémon Stadium 2.
It appears again on the same stage and as a Spirit.
Trophy information
"A Lonely Pokémon. It wears its mother's skull as a helmet--for this reason, no one has ever seen its face. It sometimes sees its departed mother's face in the full moon, which causes it to grow sad and cry. The stains on the skull are tracks of its tears. When it cries, the skull shakes and emits a mournful sound. When it levels up, it evolves into Marowak."
A Cubone appeared in Detective Pikachu. Tim Goodman attempted to catch it at the behest of his friend Jack, but the effort went awry and the Cubone attacked Tim before escaping.
Merchandise
Cubone was one of the first four Pokémon designs revealed when the Pokémon 151 brand was first announced. In the shirt design, Cubone's skull is in the center of the shirt, with two Thick Clubs in crossing below it.
Game data
NPC appearances
- Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, FireRed, and LeafGreen: An orphaned Cubone appears in the care of Mr. Fuji. It lost its mother, a Marowak, while she was defending her charge from Team Rocket.
- Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!: The same orphaned Cubone plays an expanded role in Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, where it is kidnapped by Archer after wandering from Lavender Town. After being rescued by the player from Team Rocket Hideout, it returns to Pokémon Tower, where it helps the player and Trace calm his mother's spirit. Trace later adopts Cubone into his party, motivating himself to become stronger to stop Team Rocket and avenge Marowak. Cubone later evolves under Trace's ownership.
Pokédex entries
| Generation I
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Kanto
#104
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| Red
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Because it never removes its skull helmet, no one has ever seen this Pokémon's real face.
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| Blue
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| Yellow
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Wears the skull of its deceased mother. Its cries echo inside the skull and come out as a sad melody.
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| Stadium
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Always wears the skull of its deceased mother on its head and never shows its face. It cries mournfully in the moonlight.
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| Generation II
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Johto
#203
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| Gold
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If it is sad or lonely, the skull it wears shakes, and emits a plaintive and mournful sound.
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| Silver
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It always wears the skull of its dead mother, so no one has any idea what its hidden face looks like.
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| Crystal
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It lost its mother after its birth. It wears its mother's skull, never revealing its true face.
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| Stadium 2
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If it is sad or lonely, the skull it wears shakes, and emits a plaintive and mournful sound.
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| Generation III
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Hoenn
#—
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Kanto
#104
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| Ruby
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Cubone pines for the mother it will never see again. Seeing a likeness of its mother in the full moon, it cries. The stains on the skull the Pokémon wears are made by the tears it sheds.
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| Sapphire
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| Emerald
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It pines for the mother it will never see again. Seeing a likeness of its mother in the full moon, it cries. The stains on the skull it wears are from its tears.
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| FireRed
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It wears the skull of its dead mother on its head. When it becomes lonesome, it is said to cry loudly.
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| LeafGreen
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Because it never removes its skull helmet, no one has ever seen this Pokémon's real face.
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| Generation IV
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Sinnoh
#—
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Johto
#208
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| Diamond
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When it thinks of its dead mother, it cries. Its crying makes the skull it wears rattle hollowly.
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| Pearl
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| Platinum
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| HeartGold
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If it is sad or lonely, the skull it wears shakes, and emits a plaintive and mournful sound.
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| SoulSilver
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It always wears the skull of its dead mother, so no one has any idea what its hidden face looks like.
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| Generation V
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Unova
#—
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| Black
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When it thinks of its dead mother, it cries. Its crying makes the skull it wears rattle hollowly.
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| White
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| Black 2
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When it thinks of its dead mother, it cries. Its crying makes the skull it wears rattle hollowly.
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| White 2
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| Generation VI
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Kalos
Coastal #060
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Hoenn
#—
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| X
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It wears the skull of its dead mother on its head. When it becomes lonesome, it is said to cry loudly.
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| Y
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It always wears the skull of its dead mother, so no one has any idea what its hidden face looks like.
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| Omega Ruby
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Cubone pines for the mother it will never see again. Seeing a likeness of its mother in the full moon, it cries. The stains on the skull the Pokémon wears are made by the tears it sheds.
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| Alpha Sapphire
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| Generation VII
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Alola
SM: #163
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Alola
USUM: #197
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Kanto
#104
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| Sun
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When it thinks of its deceased mother, it weeps loudly. Mandibuzz that hear its cries will attack it from the air.
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| Moon
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The skull it wears on its head is that of its dead mother. According to some, it will evolve when it comes to terms with the pain of her death.
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| Ultra Sun
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At night, it weeps loudly for its dead mother, but those cries only attract its natural enemy—Mandibuzz.
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| Ultra Moon
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It wears its mother's skull on its head, so no one knows what its bare face looks like. However, it's clear that it's always crying.
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| Let's Go Pikachu
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Wears the skull of its deceased mother. Its cries echo inside the skull and come out as a sad melody.
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| Let's Go Eevee
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| Generation VIII
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Galar
Isle of Armor #170
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| Sword
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When the memory of its departed mother brings it to tears, its cries echo mournfully within the skull it wears on its head.
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| Shield
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This Pokémon wears the skull of its deceased mother. Sometimes Cubone's dreams make it cry, but each tear Cubone sheds makes it stronger.
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Game locations
In side games
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| Generation II
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| This Pokémon is unavailable in Generation II side games.
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In events
Held items
Stats
Base stats
| Stat
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Range
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| At Lv. 50
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At Lv. 100
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| 50
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110 - 157
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210 - 304
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| 50
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49 - 112
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94 - 218
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| 95
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90 - 161
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175 - 317
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| 40
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40 - 101
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76 - 196
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| 50
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49 - 112
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94 - 218
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| 35
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36 - 95
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67 - 185
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| Total: 320
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Other Pokémon with this total
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- Minimum stats are calculated with 0 EVs, IVs of 0, and (if applicable) a hindering nature.
- Maximum stats are calculated with 252 EVs, IVs of 31, and (if applicable) a helpful nature.
- This Pokémon's Special base stat in Generation I was 40.
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Pokéathlon stats
Type effectiveness
| Under normal battle conditions in Generation VIII, this Pokémon is:
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Learnset
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- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Cubone
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution of Cubone
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see level-up moves from other generations
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- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Cubone
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution of Cubone
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see TM moves from other generations
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- Moves marked with an asterisk (*) must be chain bred onto Cubone in Generation VIII
- Moves marked with a double dagger (‡) can only be bred from a Pokémon who learned the move in an earlier generation.
- Moves marked with a superscript game abbreviation can only be bred onto Cubone in that game.
- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Cubone
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution of Cubone
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see Egg moves from other generations
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- Bold indicates a move that gets STAB when used by Cubone
- Italic indicates a move that gets STAB only when used by an evolution of Cubone
- Click on the generation numbers at the top to see Move Tutor moves from other generations
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TCG-only moves
Side game data
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Pokémon Rumble Rush
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Walking Speed: 1.97 seconds
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Base HP: 48
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| | Base Attack: 69
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Base Defense: 54
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Base Speed: 60
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Evolution
Sprites
Trivia
Cubone's face partially revealed
- In the Pokémon Red and Blue beta, Cubone was originally known as "Orphon", a corruption of the word "orphan", based on its abandonment at birth.
- Cubone is Midori Harada's favorite Pokémon.
- Cubone is one of the Pokémon that appears in the Pokémon 151 clothing line.
- Cubone is the only Pokémon that can evolve into a dual-type Pokémon that doesn't share any types with its evolution.
- A Japanese trading card, which features Cubone using the move Growl, partially reveals Cubone's face.
- While Alolan Marowak shares the Rock Head Ability with Cubone, Cubone is unable to retain this Ability after evolving in the Alola region. This is because Cubone's Rock Head is its first Ability, while Alolan Marowak's Rock Head is its Hidden Ability. It shares this trait with Tyrogue and Hitmontop's Ability Steadfast.
Origin
Cubone is reptilian in nature and seems to be loosely based on bipedal dinosaurs. It also could be based on primitive cultures that wore bones for decoration and used them for weapons. The use of its bone as a boomerang and as a weapon at the same time seems to be a reference to the boomerang's original use for hunting in Indigenous Australian cultures.
Name origin
Cubone may be a combination of cub or cute, and bone.
Karakara may be taken to mean からから (clattering). It is worth noting that karakara denotes lighter clattering than がらがら garagara.
In other languagesRelated articlesExternal links
Thick Club (2%)
For other sprites and images, please see Cubone images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
