Zapdos (Pokémon)


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Zapdos (Japanese: サンダー Thunder) is a dual-type Legendary Pokémon introduced in Generation I.

It is not known to evolve into or from any other Pokémon.

In Galar, Zapdos has a regional form, set to debut in The Crown Tundra expansion of the.

Along with and, it is one of the three Legendary birds of Kanto.

Biology
Zapdos is a large, avian Pokémon with predominantly yellow plumage. It has small, triangular eyes with black around them and a long, thin, light orange beak. Its wings and tail are a mass of spiky feathers and there are black feathers covering the back of its wings and inner tail feathers. A large crest of spiked feathers surrounds its head. Its thighs are tan, and it has thin, light orange legs. It has feet with three forward-facing toes and one backward-facing toe; each toe has a short talon.

When Zapdos flaps its glittering wings, it releases electricity that can potentially cause thunderstorms. It produces massive crackling and snapping sounds when it flies; these are attributed to the lightning bolts it sheds when airborne. Zapdos reportedly appears only during thunderstorms and gains power when struck by lightning. It is said to live among thunderclouds, but it is.

Galarian Zapdos is mostly orange with black plumage, with yellow eyes and claws. Belligerent by nature and always on the hunt for strong opponents, its powerful legs allow it to perform devastating kicks and run at high speed. Its wings have atrophied to the point that it can barely fly, but its movements are so swift that they have been compared to a lightning strike. It is migratory and appears in the Crown Tundra once every few decades.

Galarian Zapdos is the only Pokémon that can learn the move.

In The Power of One, Lawrence III sought a Zapdos, the other two Legendary birds, and their master for his own personal collection.

Other
In As Clear As Crystal, when made an attempt to steal a crystal that gave a lake the ability to heal  Pokémon, they were sidetracked when a Zapdos showed up. As a result, they changed their objective to capture Zapdos instead.

In The Mastermind of Mirage Pokémon, the Mirage Master briefly used a Mirage Zapdos.

In An Electrifying Rage!, and  witnessed a Zapdos flying across the sky. later made an attempt to capture the Zapdos, which infuriated it, forcing Ash to battle it with, , and the newly-evolved. When Team Rocket continued their attempt, Noivern and helped save Zapdos and calm it down.

In JN040, a Zapdos caused power outages in Vermilion City. Ash and Goh encountered it at the Kanto Power Plant and had a Raid Battle against it with the assistance of Team Rocket. Goh was able to weaken it with his and, but he wasn't able to  it like he had hoped.

Minor appearances
A Zapdos appeared in 's fantasy in An EGG-sighting Adventure!.

In the ending credits of Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea, Jackie captured a Zapdos with his Capture Styler and flew away on its back.

In Doc Brock!, a Zapdos roamed around Sinnoh.

In a flashback in Dealing With a Fierce Double Ditto Drama!, Narissa's ed into a Zapdos, intimidating a potential opponent.

A Zapdos appeared in the opening sequence of Lucario and the Mystery of Mew.

In the opening sequence of The Rise of Darkrai, a Zapdos was flying across the sky.

A Zapdos appeared in the opening sequence of Zoroark: Master of Illusions.

A Zapdos appeared in I Choose You!.

In Pokémon Origins
In File 4: Charizard,  a Zapdos in the Power Plant.

In Pokémon Generations
In The Adventure, a Zapdos briefly flew by during a battle between  and a wild.

In the GOTCHA! music video
A Zapdos briefly appeared as a silhouette in GOTCHA!.

In the movie adaptations
Zapdos appeared in of The Power of One.

Zapdos also appeared in of the same movie.

In the Pocket Monsters DP manga
A Zapdos appeared in PMDP11.

In the Pocket Monsters HGSS Jō's Big Adventure manga
A Zapdos appeared as a silhouette in JBA5.

In the Pokémon Adventures manga
Team Rocket Commander Lt. Surge Zapdos at the abandoned Power Plant in Holy Moltres. He later used it as an infinite source of electricity for his Pokémon while battling at Silph Co. Red managed to defeat Surge by using Saur's  to cut his insulation suit, causing Zapdos to unintentionally shock him unconcious. Zapdos was later merged with and  into  that was defeated by Red,, and , causing it to split up again and freeing the Legendary birds

Green later caught Zapdos before the as a part of overcoming her fear of birds. She used it and the other Legendary birds to battle and  in Ilex Forest.

In the Pokémon Battrio: Aim to be Battrio Master! manga
A Zapdos appeared in ABM01.

In the Pokémon Gotta Catch 'Em All manga
A Zapdos appeared in GDZ74.

In the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Ginji's Rescue Team manga
A Zapdos appeared in I Want to be Human Again!. It reappeared in a flashback in Why I Became a Pokémon. The Answer Finally Revealed!!.

In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga
Zapdos debuted in Regain the Deserted Power Plant!.

A Zapdos appeared in Get Lugia!.

In the Pokémon Zensho manga
A silhouette of a Zapdos appeared in PZ07.

Super Smash Bros. Melee
When released from a, Zapdos uses a powerful that hits opponents several times to produce a substantial amount of damage.

Trophy information
''Zapdos flaps its wings, and summer storms appear, throwing lightning every which way. It's said that you can hear this legendary Pokémon coming, as its wings make a very distinctive popping sound as it flies. In addition to electrical moves like the dreaded, it also wields a vicious move called .''

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
Zapdos appears in the background of the stage in the 3DS version of the game.

Trophy information
NA: ''Gazing up at dark storm clouds gathering in the sky, many children must have once wondered if the Pokémon they saw in the second Pokémon movie was in the clouds. An innocent and childish dream, perhaps... but even today as adults, the sound of thunder might just bring back memories of this Legendary bird Pokémon.''

PAL: ''Gazing up at dark storm clouds gathering in the sky, many children must once have wondered if the Pokémon they just saw in the latest movie was lurking somewhere in their depths. An innocent and childish dream, perhaps...but even today as adults, the sound of thunder might just bring back memories of this Legendary Bird Pokémon.''

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
Zapdos appears as a alongside  and.

NPC appearances

 * Zapdos is the first Legendary Pokémon encountered in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon. After it kidnaps, the player must fight it at the top of Mt. Thunder. It is possible to recruit Zapdos by returning for another fight after the credits.

Pokédex entries

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Game locations

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In side games

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In events

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Side game data















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Trivia

 * Out of all the Legendary Pokémon with fixed in-game locations, Zapdos can be obtained with the fewest number of Badges: two. The undefined can catch Zapdos with only the and either the  or the.
 * Zapdos shares its with  and . They are all known as the Electric Pokémon.
 * Zapdos and 's Japanese names are almost exactly the same as each other's, with a final s being the only difference.
 * Zapdos possesses a type advantage over all of the other members of its trio, as well as its trio master.
 * This is reversed with the trio's regional forms, with Galarian Zapdos possessing a type disadvantage against the other members.
 * In The Bridge Bike Gang, Chopper's bike is decorated to resemble a Zapdos.

Origin
Zapdos may be based on the legend of the, a spirit of thunder, lightning, and rain that took the form of a giant. The beating of the wings was said to create thunder. It may also have been based on the, a bird created from wherever lightning hits the earth. Aesthetically, it may be based on s, due to the long beak, the rather simple wings, and described violent behavior.

Zapdos appears to be based on ratite birds, with kiwis in particular matching its brown feathers and long beak.

Name origin
Zapdos is a combination of zap and dos ( for two, indicating that it is the second in the series of Kanto Legendary birds).

Thunder is literally thunder.

Related articles

 * Zapdos (M02)
 * Zapdos (Adventures)
 * Legendary birds
 * Legendary Pokémon
 * Regional form