Toedscruel is a large mushroom-like Pokémon whose physical appearance heavily resembles Tentacruel, although the two species are biologically unrelated.[1] Its upper body resembles a mushroom cap and is black in color, with three circular pink protrusions on top; one of these protrusions is much smaller than the others and sits in the front and center of the cap. The rim on Toedscruel's cap is beige in color and has multiple folds, and serves as a popular food item. Below Toedscruel's cap is its beige-colored lower body, which contains two slanted eyes, a black tube-like mouth with yellow lips, and ten tentacles resembling mycelium. The tentacles are beige on top and yellow at the bottom.
Toedscruel eats by wrapping prey with its tentacles and sucking out their nutrients, which causes the prey pain. Toedscruel form colonies deep within forests, and they do not appreciate incoming strangers. Rather than walking, it jumps forward on its springy tentacles.
Toedscruel and its pre-evolution, Toedscool, are the only known Pokémon that can have Mycelium Might as an Ability.
Evolution
Toedscruel evolves from Toedscool.
(For specifics on this Pokémon's evolution in the games, refer to Game data→Evolution data.)
- Toedscruel is tied with Claydol for the highest base Special Defense stat of all Ground-type Pokémon.
- Toedscruel, Tentacruel, and their respective evolutions have exactly the same base stats in the same distribution. They also have the same levels for evolution.
- In the game code of Scarlet and Violet, Toedscool and Toedscruel are referred to as "OKAKINGU" and "OKAGYARADOSU" respectively, suggesting they replaced a scrapped idea of an evolution line based on the Magikarp line.
- Toedscool and Toedscruel continue the trend of odd-numbered generations introducing a Pokémon line that appears to be based on fungi, with Paras, Shroomish, Foongus, and Morelull lines before them.
Origin
Toedscruel appears to be based on mushrooms — specifically a wood ear mushroom, known as 木耳 / キクラゲ kikurage (lit. "tree jellyfish") in Japan, hence its similarities to the jellyfish-based Tentacruel. The fact that it physically resembles Tentacruel may also be a reference to convergent evolution or parallel evolution, which can lead to separate organisms independently developing similar or identical characteristics and body plans.
Toedscruel's pink protrusions may derive from the guttation droplets of certain fungi, such as the Hydnellum peckii which produces red droplets similar in appearance to Tentacool and Tentacruel's red orbs.
Name origin
Toedscruel may be a combination of toadstool (another name for mushroom), toed (having toes), and Tentacruel.
Rikukurage may be a combination of 陸 riku (land), 木耳 kikurage (jelly ear), and ドククラゲ Dokukurage (Tentacruel).