Cubone is a small, bipedal, dinosaur-like reptilianPokémon 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.
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.
Cubone and its evolved form, Marowak, are the only known Pokémon capable of learning the moves Bone Club and Bonemerang. Cubone and Marowak are also the only known Pokémon capable of using the Thick Club item. In Generations II and III, Bone Rush was another one of their signature moves.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
While Alolan Marowak shares the Rock HeadAbility with Cubone, Cubone is unable to retain this Ability after evolving in the Alolaregion. 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.
In the second episode of Pokémon Origins, a mother Marowak is shown protecting her child Cubone from Team Rocket. Even though the Marowak is alive, the Cubone is still wearing a skull.
Origin
Cubone was created out of the thought of how sad it would be for a Pokémon to die.[1] In its design, it 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 derived from カラカラ karakara (onomatopoeia for light clattering), contrasting with the ガラガラ garagara (onomatopoeia for heavy clattering) in Marowak's Japanese name.
This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon as a species.
↑Satoshi Tajiri: "There's also Cubone, who was born from the thought of how sad it would be for a Pokémon to die. The bone Cubone holds is actually the bone of its dead mother. Cubone treasures it." Translation: Satoshi Tajiri Cuts Loose (1997 Interview)
Thick Club (2%)
For other sprites and images, please see Cubone images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
