Rockruff (Pokmon) - Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokmon encyclopedia

Rockruff (Japanese: イワンコ Iwanko) is a Rock-type Pokémon introduced in Generation VII.

It evolves into Lycanroc starting at level 25. The form of Lycanroc that it evolves into depends on the time, as well as its Ability, which corresponds to one of Rockruff's two visually indistinct forms.

• Rockruff with the Abilities Keen Eye, Vital Spirit, or Steadfast evolve into:
  • Midday Form Lycanroc when leveled up during the day.
  • Midnight Form Lycanroc when leveled up at night.
• Rockruff with the Ability Own Tempo evolve into Dusk Form Lycanroc when leveled up during the evening.

(Specifics may differ in past games. Refer to Game data→Evolution data for these details.)

Biology

Rockruff is a quadrupedal, canine Pokémon. It is primarily light brown with a darker brown muzzle, paws, and ear tips. It has large blue eyes, button ears, a short muzzle with a triangular pink nose, and a short tuft of fur on each cheek. Around its neck is a ruff of grayish-white fur stubbed with dark brown pebbles. The dark brown markings on its paws extend to a thin point on each wrist and ankle. It has a grayish-white tail that curls tightly over its back and is covered in fluffy fur.

Rockruff has an excellent sense of smell and will never forget an odor after smelling it once. There are tales of it reuniting with its Trainer after becoming lost by following the faintest traces of scent. It has lived with humans since ancient times. Rockruff is often recommended as a good Pokémon for beginner Trainers due to its friendly nature and ability to bond with Trainers easily. However, Rockruff is said to be a challenging Pokémon to raise, to the point where some Trainers abandon it due to being unable to handle it. This Pokémon is very sociable and will greet others by rubbing them with the rocks around its neck. As it ages, Rockruff becomes wilder and more independent. Once it is close to evolving, it will begin to howl when the sun goes down. It has been said to leave its Trainer's side and return once it has evolved. Despite becoming more vicious as it matures over time, Rockruff never forgets its master's kindness. Wild Rockruff travels in packs until it evolves. A persistent Pokémon, it will keep going until it outlasts foes that are even more powerful.[1] Rockruff intimidates opponents by using the rocks on its neck to hit the ground. As mentioned in the anime, Rockruff trains itself by running around. It attacks foes the moment they flinch. It has been known to fight with Growlithe over territory.

Evolution

Rockruff can evolve into Midday Form, Midnight Form, or Dusk Form Lycanroc.

(For specifics on this Pokémon's evolution in the games, refer to Game data→Evolution data.)

Game data

Pokédex entries

Game locations

In side games

In events

Held items

Stats

Base stats

Type effectiveness

Learnset

By leveling up

By TM

By breeding

Special moves

Side game data

Pokémon Rumble Rush Walking Speed: 1.55 seconds Base HP: 46 Base Attack: 67 Base Defense: 45 Base Speed: 60

New Pokémon Snap Photodex entry #226 Rockruff is really good at making friends, which we saw when it was playing happily with some other Pokémon. But it’s also brave enough to protect its friends if something were to threaten them.

Form data

While Rockruff does not have visually distinct forms, Rockruff with the Abilities Keen Eye, Vital Spirit, and Steadfast are internally considered to be a distinct form from Rockruff with the Ability Own Tempo.

Rockruff with Own Tempo cannot be traded on Wonder Trade, likely due to Pokémon Sun and Moon not being programmed with Rockruff's alternate form. Due to being a separate form, Rockruff with Own Tempo behave according to form inheritance rules when bred, rather than Ability inheritance rules. Rockruff with Own Tempo and Dusk Form Lycanroc can breed to produce more Rockruff with Own Tempo. After initially being event-exclusive, Own Tempo Rockruff and Dusk Form Lycanroc were later made accessible within normal gameplay starting in Generation VIII.

In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Rockruff with Own Tempo will not have its Pokédex number displayed when viewed from the Boxes, similar to species not found in the Paldean Pokédex. This quirk doesn't occur for all visually indistinct forms or forms without separate Pokédex entries. For example, Scatterbug and Spewpa each have 20 separate forms internally (one for each Vivillon pattern), but will display their Pokédex number regardless if they would evolve into a form other than Fancy Pattern Vivillon, which is the only form native to Paldea.

Evolution data

Rockruff evolves into Lycanroc starting at level 25. The form Rockruff evolves into depends on the time, as well as its Ability, which corresponds to one of Rockruff's two visually indistinct forms.

Rockruff with the Abilities Keen Eye, Vital Spirit, or Steadfast evolve into Midday Form Lycanroc when leveled up during the day, and Midnight Form Lycanroc when leveled up at night. In Generation VII, Rockruff only evolves into Midday Form Lycanroc in Pokémon Sun and Ultra Sun, and Midnight Form Lycanroc in Pokémon Moon and Ultra Moon.

Rockruff with the Ability Own Tempo is a separate form that can only evolve into Dusk Form Lycanroc. It evolves into this form when leveled up during the evening: from 5:00 to 5:59 PM in in-game time in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon (equating to 5:00 to 5:59 PM in real-time in Ultra Sun and 5:00 to 5:59 AM in real-time in Ultra Moon), from 7:00 to 7:59 PM in real-time in Sword and Shield, and for a period lasting 3 minutes out of the 72-minute day/night cycle in Scarlet and Violet.

Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon run a third check due to Own Tempo Rockruff being event exclusive: if the byte 0x1D doesn't match to 0B (Fateful Encounter, Own Tempo "form"), then it will pretend it's a normal Rockruff, and it won't evolve into Dusk Form.

Sprites

In the anime

Main series

Major appearances

Ash's Rockruff

Rockruff debuted in The Guardian's Challenge!, under the care of Professor Kukui. In Rocking Clawmark Hill!, Ash officially caught Rockruff. It evolved into a Dusk Form Lycanroc in Rising from the Ruins!.

Murdock's Rockruff

Murdock owns a Rockruff, which first appeared in The Pendant That Starts It All (Part Two).

Minor appearances

A Trainer's Rockruff appeared in Crystal-Clear Sleuthing!.

Two Trainers' Rockruff appeared in A Young Royal Flame Ignites!.

Two Trainers' Rockruff appeared in I Choose Paradise!, where they were among the Pokémon seen at the Pokémon Paradise Resort.

A Trainer's Rockruff appeared in Turning the Other Mask!.

A Trainer's Rockruff appeared in a flashback in Battling the Beast Within! as a resident of what is now the Ultra Ruin.

A Trainer's Rockruff appeared in Secrets of the Jungle.

Pokédex entries

Pokémon Masters Animated Trailer

A Rockruff briefly appeared in the Pokémon Masters Animated Trailer, under the ownership of Paulo.

In the manga

Pokémon Adventures

Rockruff debuted in The Decision and the Tournament of Six with its Trainer in Iki Town.

A Rockruff first appeared in The Decision and the Tournament of Six, under the ownership of Professor Kukui. It was used to battle Sun at an Iki Town festival tournament.

A Rockruff appeared in a video in Homecoming and the Brilliant Professional Golfer.

A Rockruff appeared in Unleashing the Incredible Z-Move, where it starred in a commercial for the Aether Foundation.

Pokémon Horizon

Akira, the protagonist of Pokémon Horizon, has a Rockruff. It has the unique ability to evolve into Lycanroc and then devolve into Rockruff again, thanks to the strange red stone on its neck. It also has the ability to change in between its Midday and Midnight Forms while being evolved.

In the TCG

Trivia

Origin

Rockruff appears to be based on the spitz breed of dogs. It may also be based on the Japanese wolf, which is often associated with rocks and mountains. The fur with rocks around its neck may be based on a dog collar.

Name origin

Rockruff may be a combination of rock, ruff (onomatopoetic word for barking, or the fur around its neck), and rough.

Iwanko may be a combination of 岩 iwa (rock), ワン wan (onomatopoetic word for barking), わんこ wanko (doggy), and 子 ko (young animal).

In other languages

More languages Hindi पपरॉक Puprock From pup or puppy and rock Russian Рокрафф Rokraff Transcription of English name Thai อิวังโค Iwangkho Transcription of Japanese name

Related articles

References

External links

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