Zubat is a blue, chiropteranPokémon. While it lacks eyes, it has pointed ears with purple insides and a mouth with two sharp teeth on each jaw. A male will have larger fangs than a female. It has purple wing membranes supported by two elongated fingers and two long, thin legs without feet.
Zubat lives in abundance in dark caves, although it has also been known to dwell in forests and under the eaves of old buildings. Due to its habitat, Zubat has evolved to have neither eyes nor nostrils. It instead navigates through dark environments and tight caves with echolocation, emitting ultrasonic cries to detect targets and obstacles. The frequency of these cries can vary slightly between Zubat colonies. As demonstrated in the Pokémon the Series episode Clefairy and the Moon Stone, it will leave its abode at night with a mass of other Zubat to seek prey. Zubat is nocturnal and sleeps hanging upside down during the daytime, avoiding sunlight at all costs. Daylight causes Zubat to become unhealthy; prolonged exposure can even burn its skin. However, captured and trained Zubat have been recorded as much more tenacious in the daytime, even when directly exposed to sunbeams. While sleeping, or in colder conditions, Zubat gathers for warmth with others of its kind.
Zubat hanging upside-down
Zubat using its echolocation
Evolution
Zubat evolves into Golbat, which evolves into Crobat.
While flying, it constantly emits ultrasonic waves from its mouth to check its surroundings. (Pokémon Red, Silver, or Crystal inserted) Capable of flying safely in dark places, it emits ultrasonic cries to check for any obstacles. (Pokémon Blue, Gold, or Yellow inserted)
Zubat remains quietly unmoving in a dark spot during the bright daylight hours. It does so because prolonged exposure to the sun causes its body to become slightly burned.
Zubat avoids sunlight because exposure causes it to become unhealthy. During the daytime, it stays in caves or under the eaves of old houses, sleeping while hanging upside down.
Zubat remains quietly unmoving in a dark spot during the bright daylight hours. It does so because prolonged exposure to the sun causes its body to become slightly burned.
Zubat avoids sunlight because exposure causes it to become unhealthy. During the daytime, it stays in caves or under the eaves of old houses, sleeping while hanging upside down.
Makes its home in gloomy caves. Atrophied eyes have left this Pokémon blind, so it scans its surroundings via sound waves that it emits from its mouth as it flies.
No other Pokémon has the same type combination as Zubat and its evolved forms.
Zubat and Golbat are the only Pokémon introduced in Generation I and alongside Crobat the only Flying-type Pokémon to currently have a unique type combination.
Zubat and its evolved forms share their category with Woobat. They are all known as the Bat Pokémon.
Zubat's evolutionary line has several similarities with Woobat's.
All of the members of both lines are called the Bat Pokémon (excluding Swoobat), live in caves or other dark places, and have no visible eyes at their respective unevolved states.
Members of both lines reach their respective fully evolved forms by friendship and both have similar Shiny forms (with green main bodies).
Woobat and Zubat have somewhat similar English names, both having rhyming prefixes and bat as a suffix.
Zubat can also be seen as a parallel to Noibat, as they are both Flying-type Pokémon based on bats and can have Infiltrator as a possible Ability. They also share the same base stats, with their Attack and Special Attack switched around.
Despite its lack of eyes, Zubat is still capable of learning Mean Look.
Due to its lack of eyes, Zubat is the only Pokémon in Legends: Arceus that does not bear glowing red eyes as an Alpha Pokémon. Additionally, it and Greavard are the only Pokémon in Legends: Z-A that don't bear glowing red eyes as Alpha Pokémon.
In order to highlight shortcomings in the review process for scientific papers, in 2020, entomologist Matan Shelomi submitted a paper titled "Cyllage City COVID-19 Outbreak Linked to Zubat Consumption" to a biomedical journal. Even though that paper rather obviously presents fabricated information, and was allegedly co-authored by fictional scientists like "Nasu Joy" of the Veterinary Virology department of Cyllage City Pokecenter, it was eventually published, before being removed shortly thereafter.[1][2][3]
Origin
Zubat seems to be based on a bat, particularly vampire bats, which bite other animals to feed on their blood. Its Poison type may be inspired by either the anticoagulant properties of vampire bat saliva or the fact that bats are infamous for spreading deadly diseases such as rabies. Its lack of eyes could be a reference to troglomorphism and may additionally be influenced by the misconception that bats are blind due to their use of echolocation to navigate. The claim that Zubat will suffer burns when exposed to sunlight may be inspired by mythological vampires.
Name origin
Zubat may be a combination of bat and ずばっと zubatto (piercingly). Zubat also shares a name with the 1977 tokusatsu superhero series Kaiketsu Zubat.
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.
Zubat hanging upside-down
Zubat using its echolocation
Berry (100%)
For other sprites and images, please see Zubat images on the Bulbagarden Archives.
