While it is not known to evolve into or from any other Pokémon, Raging Bolt is said to be either an ancient relative of Raikou or a version of it from a parallel timeline.
Raging Bolt is a massive quadrupedal, yellow, sauropod-like Pokémon with feline features. It has black stripes and a white underside with red lines surrounding it. Raging Bolt's head is connected to a long neck with black stripes and a white bottom with red lines. It has a thin, light blue tail with sharp angles and a spark-shaped spiky ball at the end. It has three blue triangle spikes on the back. Most of its face consists of thick, white fur and shorter red fur around its blue eyes. The top of its head has seven tufts of hair shaped like a crown. Raging Bolt's muzzle is a light blue "X", the top part is shaped like lightning bolts. Its head has a black faceplate with two black spikes that cover its forehead, nose, and ears. The mouth has muzzle has two long fangs similar to saber-toothed cats. Its large claws converge to form a single point and never retract. The front feet have three red feathers connected to the red lines. The back feet have a red line surrounding the claws and feet. Raging Bolt's face is covered by a circle mane across its back that resembles dull purple rain clouds. The mane can extend to form a normal-looking mane.
It is said that Raging Bolt can cover the skies with dark clouds before using its neck to call down lightning strikes on its targets.[1] The lightning strikes discharged from Raging Bolt's fur are rumored to be powerful enough to disintegrate any object.[2] Found in Area Zero, it gained attention when a paranormal magazine touted it as Raikou's ancestor.
According to AI Sada, Raging Bolt is indeed an ancient Pokémon related to Raikou. However, according to a version of Professor Sada that appeared at the Crystal Pool, Raging Bolt is rather a counterpart of Raikou from another timeline. Raging Bolt's true origin is unknown. Raging Bolt was brought to the depths of Area Zero by a time machine built by Professor Sada ten years ago. 200 years ago, Heath also encountered Raging Bolt, as seen in the Scarlet Book, though it is unclear how it arrived there at the time.
Raging Bolt can be considered the counterpart of Iron Crown as both were revealed to the public on August 8, 2023, via Pokémon Presents.
Origin
Raging Bolt is based on Raikou. It also resembles sauropods such as the Brontosaurus (whose name literally means "thunder lizard"), giraffes, and storm clouds. Its bodily proportions (with longer forelimbs and shorter hind limbs) may be based on the Brachiosaurus, another sauropod.
It may also be based on mythical creatures such as the Qilin, who shares the Japanese-to-English translation with giraffes - further explaining its long neck - as well as the serpopard, a mythical animal resembling a leopard with a long, serpent-like neck. In particular, Raging Bolt resembles the Mokele-mbembe, a cryptid usually depicted as an aggressive modern-day sauropod, which corresponds to the treatment of Paradox Pokémon as similar to real-world cryptids. Raging Bolt may also take its inspiration from an archaic word for giraffe, camelopard, which is derived from "camel" and "leopard". Its Dragon typing comes from its saurian and/or Qilin design basis, as dinosaurs as well as the Qilin are equated to dragons in various media.
It also may be a literal interpretation of the expression "(to have your) head in the clouds", perhaps referencing the fantastical nature of Paradox Pokémon.
Raging Bolt's ability to incinerate everything in its surroundings with lightning may allude to how several rock and coal samples imply that wildfires were very frequent in the Jurassic era, in which most sauropods like Brontosaurus and Brachiosaurus lived. Soil studies also implied that the Jurassic period had abundant rainfall and storms.
Name origin
Raging Bolt is literally raging bolt.
Takeruraiko can be taken as 猛る雷鼓 takeru raiko (furious thunderclap or furious thunder drum). It may also come from Raikou.
↑Perrin: "Rumor has it that this fellow can cover the whole sky with dark clouds and bring lightning crashing down, just by swinging that long neck around!" (Pokémon Scarlet and Violet)
This Pokémon article is part of Project Pokédex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each Pokémon species, as well as Pokémon groups and forms.
For other sprites and images, please see Raging Bolt images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
