Ash's Muk
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Ash's Muk (Japanese:サトシのベトベトンSatoshi's Betbeton) was the tenth overallPokémon thatAsh obtained in theKantoregion.
In animation
History
Pokémon the Series: The Beginning
Kanto
InSparks Fly for Magnemite, Ash andhis friends were traveling throughGringey City, which was in the midst of a power failure. The local power plant was being overrun by the mysteriousPoison-typePokémonGrimer. After the swarm was located, the Grimer's leader, a Muk, challenged the group, immediately ordering the Grimer to attack the kids. However, the vast numbers ofMagnemite andMagneton in the city combined attacks to clear out the Grimer, leaving only Muk. With the aid ofPikachu and a Magnemite that was following it due to an electrical build-up, Ash defeated and captured the Muk. It was then immediately sent toProfessor Oak's Laboratory because its stench was so rancid that it could seep through thePoké Ball. However, Muk's horrid smell seemed to have disappeared by its later appearances as neither Ash, nor anyone around him, has been affected by it since its debut.
Muk reappeared inShowdown at the Po-ké Corral when Ash,Misty,Brock, andGary visited Professor Oak's Laboratory. It was revealed that Muk's personality had become more like Oak's after spending so much time with him, and it lovingly tackled him to the ground to hug him.
Muk's firstbattle was inThe Fourth Round Rumble, where it was selected for use in theIndigo Plateau Conference. AfterJeanette Fisher's high-levelBellsprout had trouncedBulbasaur and Pikachu, Muk made a surprise appearance as Ash's third Pokémon. Muk easily absorbed Bellsprout's physical moves andRazor Leaf and then simply smothered it withBody Slam, winning the match for Ash.
Orange Islands
InThe Mystery Menace, Ash used Muk to help him andTracey find Misty,Togepi, and Bulbasaur, who were kidnapped by a giantBulbasaur in the sewers ofTrovitopolis. Muk andKingler also offered to fight for Ash in theWinner's Trophy match againstDrake inHello, Pummelo!, but Ash choseTauros instead.
Muk was reunited with Ash when he returned home inA Tent Situation. Muk insisted on fightingTeam Rocket, and Ash ordered it into battle instead of choosing Bulbasaur. Muk managed to resistRazor Leaf attacks fromJames's Victreebel andLickitung'sLick was even less effective, wiping Muk's face ineffectively to the point of causing pleasure instead of damage. It was then put to sleep bySleep Powder but awoke after Gary intervened and drove Team Rocket away.
Pokémon the Series: Gold and Silver
InA Farfetch'd Tale, Muk crowded into Ash's screen with Kingler, Tauros, andSnorlax to wish him luck for his next Gym battle withWhitney. InAir Time!, Muk listened toDJ Mary's talk show when she interviewed Ash about his Pokémon and aspirations. InWhy? Wynaut!, it, along with Bulbasaur, Kingler, and Snorlax, abruptly ended a call with Ash when they crushed Professor Oak in their excitement.
Muk's only other major battle was when Ash called it up from Oak's Lab inCan't Beat the Heat!, along with Tauros, Snorlax, andHeracross to fightGary in theSilver Conference. It was sent out originally to fightBlastoise, and the two fought to a stalemate, with Muk'sSludge Bomb deflected byRapid Spin and Blastoise's physical attacks absorbed into Muk's body. Ash pulled Muk for hisBayleef quickly after. It was sent out to fightScizor later, who dodged a Sludge Bomb easily. Muk absorbed bothQuick Attack andMetal Claw, but Scizor was able to throw Muk using the latter attack, ultimately defeating it withSwift.
Pokémon Chronicles
InShowdown at the Oak Corral, Muk was seen crushingCassidy,Butch, and all of the stolen Poké Balls. InJourney to the Starting Line!, Muk was seen smothering Tracey when he opened the door to Oak's Lab forDelia.
Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire
InThe Right Place and the Right Mime, Muk welcomedProfessor Birch toPallet Town with its usual friendliness.
Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl
InAn Old Family Blend!, Muk appeared at Professor Oak's lab. It was then transferred to Ash for a brief reunion. However, Muk was not seen participating in theLily of the Valley Conference.
Pokémon the Series: Black & White
InNew Places... Familiar Faces! andFarewell, Unova! Setting Sail for New Adventures!, Muk smothered Professor Oak while Ash called him fromProfessor Juniper's laboratory.
Muk was reunited with Ash inThe Dream Continues!, where it and the rest of Ash's Pokémon posed for a group photo with him.
Pokémon the Series: Sun & Moon
InAlola, Kanto!, Muk was sent out of its Poké Ball so it could be compared with itsAlolan form. It immediately smothered Ash upon seeing him.
InShow Me the Metal!, Muk joined Professor Oak in observing the data aboutMeltan thatRotom sent to him.
Pokémon Journeys: The Series
InAdvice to Goh!, Muk reunited with Ash during his visit to Professor Oak's Laboratory withGoh, smothering him on sight.
Muk, along with the rest of Ash's Pokémon at the lab, reunited with Ash inFriends, Rivals, Lend Me Your Spirit!. During the visit, it watched the battle between Ash andPaul. Before Ash left, it posed with the rest of Ash's Pokémon in a group photo with him.
FromBattling as Hard as Stone! onwards, Muk watched Ash'sMasters Eight Tournament matches againstSteven,Cynthia, andLeon. InPartners in Time!, Muk appeared as a vision to Pikachu during his battle againstLeon's Charizard. After Ash won the battle, Muk joined the rest of Ash's Pokémon at the lab in celebrating their Trainer's victory.
InHeroes Unite!, Muk, along with the rest of the Pokémon at the lab, welcomed Ash back to Pallet Town after his victory over Leon.
InThe Rainbow and the Pokémon Master!, Muk assisted Ash in looking for a missingCharmander around Oak's lab, but to no avail.
Personality and characteristics
While in the wild, Muk was a very strong, authoritative leader, as shown by it ordering itsGrimer followers to attack and chase downAsh,Misty, andBrock in the power plant where it was first encountered. It was also a highly aggressive Pokémon, willing to harm anyone, human or Pokémon, who stood in its way.
However, after its capture, Muk's personality seemed to shift dramatically. It became an extremely happy and affectionate Pokémon. It is particularly affectionate towardsProfessor Oak. As a recurring gag first seen inWho Gets To Keep Togepi?, it would always smother the Professor whenever Ash would make a call to thelab.
Muk's affection also extends to itsTrainer, second in enthusiasm only toBayleef, despite only having fought for him on three occasions. Muk obligingly crushes Ash in excitement whenever Ash returns to the lab or summons it to his party. Its affection also extends to strangers, as was seen when it completely ignoredJessie's Lickitung to hugJessie, also smotheringJames's Victreebel in excitement. It also smotheredProfessor Birch upon meeting him inThe Right Place and the Right Mime. Professor Oak suggests that Muk's overwhelming display of affection is simply because it loves humans.
Muk differs from most of Ash's other Pokémon in that it is a defensive Pokémon with low attack power and a small array of moves. It has never been shown to be damaged by a physical attack, with its opponents'moves always absorbed by its sludge body. Despite being quite powerful and good in battle, it has only ever defeated one opponent:Jeanette Fisher'sBellsprout.
Moves used
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- In the Englishdub ofA Tent Situation, Ash commanded Muk to usePoison Gas. In the original Japanese version, he simply called Muk by its name.
Artwork
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| Poster for Pokémon: To Be a Pokémon Master |
In the manga
Ash & Pikachu
Muk only appeared on the scoreboard inOne Half Of A Poké Ball.
The Electric Tale of Pikachu
Ash caught Muk off-panel and later used it as his last Pokémon in hisPokémon Leaguebattle againstJeanette inWelcome to the Big Leagues. Jeanette'sBellsprout'saikido techniques were useless against Muk's slimy body, and Ash won the battle.
Pokémon Journeys
Muk appeared inAdvice to Goh! atProfessor Oak's Laboratory.
Trivia
- Muk is currently Ash's only purePoison-type Pokémon.
- Pokémon the Series: XY is the onlyseries with Ash as the protagonist in which Muk has not appeared.
- ExcludingPrimeape, who didn't have an evolved format the time, Muk is the first fully evolved Pokémon caught by Ash.
- Out of all the Pokémon that Ash has obtained in their evolved forms, Muk has been in his possession the longest, excluding Pikachu, who didn't have a pre-evolved form at the time.
- InPokémon Yellow, a game highly based onPokémon the Series: The Beginning, Muk can be found while walking in thePower Plant, making a directreference to Ash's Muk, which was also found in a power plant.
- Muk is Ash's onlyPokémon consisting of a head and arms.
- Muk is tied withLapras for having used the least amount of moves out of any Pokémon that Ash has owned for longer than one episode, with only two.
- Muk is Ash's only Pokémon to appear in the Japanese version of thePokémon movies, but not in the international dub of these movies.
Related articles
For more information on this Pokémon's species, seeMuk.
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| For a list of Pokémon Ash has temporarily owned, used, or commanded, seehere | ||||||
 | This article is part ofProject Anime, aBulbapedia project that covers all aspects ofPokémon animation. |
