Donphan (Pokémon)


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Donphan (Japanese: ドンファン Donfan) is a  introduced in Generation II.

It evolves from starting at level 25.

Biology
Donphan is a gray, elephant-like Pokémon with a thick, black band of hide running down the length of its back and extending to the tip of its long trunk. When this Pokémon curls up, the band resembles a car tire. This tough hide prevents regular attacks from inflicting even a scratch. A pair of white tusks, which are smaller on the female, extend from the corners of its mouth. It has thin, elongated ears held out almost perpendicular to its body. Its four short legs are each encircled with a broken, black band and have three toes.

Donphan has the ability to curl up into a ball and violently roll around like a wheel. These rolling tackles are strong enough to knock down a house. Once it starts its rampage, it will be almost unstoppable. The anime shows that this ability is further used as a form of courtship. The male Donphan have rolling competitions to demonstrate their toughness to the females. It has been demonstrated that Donphan has a keen sense of smell, capable of sniffing out a gem known as amberite. Donphan travels in herds with a ranking system. The larger its tusks, the higher its rank in the herd. It lives in, mountainous terrain.

Ash's Donphan
In Reversing the Charges, 's Phanpy evolved into Donphan. It proved to be an excellent member of his team, showing its strength in every.

Other
Donphan debuted briefly in the beginning of Mewtwo Strikes Back, under the ownership of Raymond. At the time, it was an unknown Pokémon.

Four Donphan made their main series debut in Roll On, Pokémon!, under the ownership of Rochelle. She would use them to find amberite.

Multiple Donphan appeared in Date Expectations, including a. The Shiny Donphan was the center of romantic attention for the other Donphan. Ash and eventually helped one such Donphan mate with the Shiny Donphan.

used a Donphan during the Ever Grande Conference; it debuted in Chose It or Lose It!. Donphan was used in his battle against Ash, where it went up against but was soon defeated.

In Pokémon Ranger and the Kidnapped Riolu! (Part 2), Kellyn had a Donphan smash through the cave-ins that were caused by an belonging to.



Minor appearances
A Donphan appeared in Tricks of the Trade as one of the Pokémon seen at the Pokémon Swap Meet in Palmpona.

A Donphan was seen in the wild in The Legend of Thunder!.

A Donphan appeared in Pikachu's PikaBoo.

Multiple Donphan appeared in 's flashback in Gotta Catch Ya Later!.

A Donphan appeared in Beg, Burrow and Steal.

A 's Donphan appeared in Deceit and Assist.

A Coordinator's Donphan appeared in Battling The Generation Gap!, where it was competing in the.

A 's Donphan appeared in Challenging a Towering Figure!, where it battled a during the Festival Battle Challenge.

A Donphan briefly appeared in An Old Family Blend!, under the ownership of a Trainer in the Lily of the Valley Conference.

battled Ash and with a Donphan in the beginning of Zoroark: Master of Illusions.

A Trainer's Donphan appeared in Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel.

A Trainer's Donphan appeared in The Power of Us, where it was competing in the Pokémon Catch Race.

Pokédex entries

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In the Pokémon Adventures manga
A silhouette of a Donphan appeared in Ponyta Tale, where Professor Oak mentioned new Pokémon beyond the previously known 151 species.

A herd of Donphan were used by a thieving ruffian in Number One Donphan, but they were defeated by afterwards. They appeared again in Bellsprout Rout.

In Quilava Quandary, the Day-Care Couple used a Donphan to.

A Donphan appeared in The Last Battle XIII as one of the Pokémon sent to participate in the fight in Ilex Forest.

In I'm Your Biggest Fan, Donphan, Wattson accidentally  in a trap designed to catch a wild, rampaging Donphan. After coming across New Mauville, Sapphire uses the wild Donphan to help Wattson shut down a power generator, adding it to her team in Plugging Past Electrike II and naming it.

A Donphan appeared in a flashback as a Pokémon trained by the International Police in Innocent Scientist.

In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga
A Donphan appeared in Clefairy, the Battle Instructor under the ownership of a Trainer who had trouble controlling it. Donphan would usually fall asleep and did so since its loss to 's.

Pokédex entries

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Game locations

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In side games

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Side game data















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Trivia

 * Donphan shares its with . They are both known as the Armor Pokémon.
 * Donphan and, along with their pre-evolutions, are the only Pokémon to swap version-exclusive status between localizations. While Phanpy and Donphan are found only in the Japanese and Korean Gold, they are not found in Gold in other languages, being found in the Silver Version of those languages instead, with Teddiursa and Ursaring getting the opposite treatment. This is corrected in the remakes , where they follow the Japanese and Korean Gold and Silver.

Origin
It appears to have been based on an adult, although it resembles the tire of an automobile when curled up or using its trademark attack. As both Phanpy and Donphan are much smaller compared to humans than conventional African or Asian elephants, they may have actually been inspired by the or.

Name origin
Donphan and Donfan are a combination of don and elephant. Don may refer to lord; a root word meaning teeth, referring to its tusks; or , a prehistoric elephant. Don may have also been included to reflect Donphan's robust physique and great strength, especially in comparison to.

Related articles

 * Ash's Donphan