Many Pokemon have been on the box art of Pokemon games, or have been considered flagships of the series. Though one of them is a bit more forgotten than others, perhaps due to the illusions they are known to surround themselves. Revealed before any other Pokemon in generation 5, it's the dark type Zoroark.
About Zoroark
| First appearance in anime | In the Pokemon movie ‘Zoroark: Master of Illusions’ |
| First appearance in game | Black and White |
| Region | Unova |
| Evolution | Zorua--> Zoroark |
| 1st Evo level | 30 |
| Pokedex Entry | This Pokémon cares deeply about others of its kind, and it will conjure terrifying illusions to keep its den and pack safe. Seeking to ease the burden of solitude, lonely Trainers tell Zoroark to show illusions to them. |
Zoroark’s Base Stats
| HP | 60 |
| Attack | 105 |
| Defense | 60 |
| Sp. Attack | 120 |
| Ap. Defense | 60 |
| Speed | 105 |
Appearance of Zoroark
Zoroark is based on the Japanese legendary creature the kitsune, and it shows in its design. It's a very fox-like Pokemon with dark grey fur with red accents. It also has a mane that is almost completely red, running down its back with messy spikes jutting out of it. The whole design is informed by creatures who transform, like kitsune and werewolves, due to its illusory ability.
Behavior of Zoroark
Zoroark is hard to know details about due to its illusion ability. It frequently is transformed into other Pokemon in order to keep itself or its pack safe. One thing very well known is that Zoroark is incredibly caring and protective over others of their kind.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Zoroark is a pure dark type, which is one of the types which has the least strengths and weaknesses of any type. Though this doesn’t mean it's bad, it's a very effective type to use. Zoroark is strong against ghost and dark type moves, taking only half damage from them. It's also completely immune to psychic-type moves. It has the same number of weaknesses though, taking double damage from the fighting, bug, and fairy-type moves.
Shiny Zoroark
Shiny Zoroark is the incredibly rare, recolored version of Zoroark. Shiny Zoroark has a few more noticeable changes but also some smaller details. All the red on Shiny Zoroark has been changed to a deep purple color. Some of the grey fur tufts on Shiny Zoroark are now a very dark red color, complimenting the purple. And the final, smallest detail is in its eyes. Shiny Zoroark has yellow eyes instead of the normal form’s blue eyes.
Pokemon Zoroark Master Of Illusions
Pokemon Zoroark Master Of Illusions is the 13th Pokemon Movie. Zoroark is the star of the film, though this isn’t apparent from the beginning. Pokemon Zoroark Master Of Illusions begins with a competition in a place called Crown City which is interrupted by the three legendary dogs, Entei, Raikou, and Suicune, rampaging through the city streets. Pokemon Zoroark Master Of Illusions goes on to reveal that these were actually Zoroark trying to take revenge on a character named Kodai who stole her baby Zorua.
Best Moveset for Zoroark
Nasty Plot set: Zoroark is considered to be a rather lackluster Pokemon in battle, with its unique illusion ability not adding much. However, in lucky cases where the illusion fools the opposing player, it can be a decent Pokemon to set up with, boosting its high special attack in order to sweep opponents.
| Nasty Plot | Dark Pulse |
| Focus Blast | Sludge Bomb |
How to Catch Zoroark in Pokemon Go
While slightly rarer than most Pokemon, Zoroark is not much of a hassle to obtain in Pokemon Go. It requires evolving a Zorua, as it cannot appear in the wild. Catching Zorua until you can use 50 Zorua candy on one of them will evolve the Zorua into a Zoroark.
Video Guide
Trivia
Zoroark and its pre-evolution is one of the only Pokemon which isn’t mythical or legendary which had an event dedicated to them.
Zoroark was revealed by starring in a movie before it appeared in a game, this is similar to Lucario, who did the same for generation 4 and also was interestingly not mythical or legendary.
Zoroark and Lucario also have the same gender ratio, egg group, and exp curves.
FAQs
Q. Is Zoroark a legendary Pokemon?
Though Zoroark can be caught in an event like some mythical and legendary Pokemon, it itself is not considered to be either.
Q. What is Zoroark’s hidden ability?
Zoroark as well as its pre-evolution, Zorua, possess the ability Illusion, which makes them take on the appearance of an opponent’s Pokemon when first sent out.
Q. Is there a Mega Zoroark?
While there a few fan iterations of Mega Zoroark, most notable of which being from Pokefarm Q, the mainline games never feature such a form for the Pokemon.
Conclusion
Zoroark was very much pushed as a flagship Pokemon, though with unfortunately little success. It may have captured the attention of a few people, but nowadays people have moved on, even in the competitive scene. Sometimes Pokemon get left behind in popularity, though it still has its fans, those who still use it in battle and even have enough care for the Pokemon to write an entire article on it.
