Itevolved off-screen betweenRiding the Winds of Change! andLost Leader Strategy!. It battledMaylene in a flashback, easily defeatingMeditite with Sky Attack, and then clashing with herMachoke and overpowering it.
InAiding the Enemy!, it battledTurtwig. It charged up a Sky Attack, but the charge up time allowed Turtwig to hit withEnergy Ball. Turtwig managed to dodge Sky Attack andNight Slash, but Honchkrow managed to reverse its angle and struck with another Night Slash. It also hit consecutiveAerial Aces. Just then, Turtwig evolved intoGrotle, but Paul and Honchkrow were undeterred and continued their onslaught of Aerial Ace, which Grotle was unable to dodge due to its drastically increased mass and reduced speed. Honchkrow powered up and struck with a Sky Attack, Grotle stumbling and allowing Honchkrow to strike. A finalDark Pulse was enough to finish off Grotle, severely damaging Grotle's self-esteem.
Super Luck activated
InPursuing a Lofty Goal!, Paul entered it in theSquallville PokéRinger competition. It was immediately put up against the reigning champion,Provo and hisDragonite. However, Paul and Honchkrow immediately proved to be deadly opponents as Honchkrow outflew Dragonite at every turn and dodged its powerfulFire Punch andDragon Pulse. It managed to get the ring before Dragonite, but dropped it when Dragonite'sDragon Rush landed a hit. Both Pokémon raced for the ring; Honchkrow got it first and flew for the goal. As Dragonite prepared another Dragon Rush, Paul had Honchkrow ride the wind and land a Sky Attack, which knocked out Dragonite in onecritical hit thanks to Honchkrow'sSuper LuckAbility. With a knockout, Paul won the round easily. It was also shown defeating aSwellow andSteveland'sSkiploom to reach the final.
Honchkrow vs Staraptor
In the final round, it battledAsh's Staravia, who managed to beat it to the ring. However, Honchkrow attacked with Sky Attack and overpowered Staravia'sBrave Bird, but Staravia managed to hold onto the ring and recovered. Honchkrow tried again to get the ring with a Dark Pulse, but Staravia once again kept hold of it. Riding the wind, Honchkrow struck with Aerial Ace and took possession of the ring but lost it again when Staravia used Quick Attack to steal it straight out of Honchkrow's beak. Honchkrow struck with a Sky Attack and then, anticipating that Ash would counter with Quick Attack, Paul ordered Honchkrow to dodge and flatten Staravia with a Night Slash.
As Honchkrow prepared a Sky Attack to finish Staravia, it evolved intoStaraptor and reclaimed the ring. Honchkrow managed to knock the ring out of Staraptor's beak, and stalled Staraptor by using Night Slash. However, Honchkrow took a beating from Staraptor's newly learnedClose Combat and the two clashed with Sky Attack and Brave Bird once more. Staraptor managed to recover quicker this time and chased Honchkrow to the ring. Just as Honchkrow was about to close its beak on the ring, Staraptor swatted the ring onto the goal with his wing, meaning that Honchkrow came second. On the ground, Paul lay the blame for the loss on Honchkrow, saying that its response time was too slow.
It was used to battle Ash as Paul's fourth Pokémon inPedal to the Mettle!, where it foughtGrotle again. Everyone knew that Ash putting Grotle up against Honchkrow to avenge its loss was a mistake, but Ash persisted. Shielded byElectabuzz'sLight Screen, it managed to block the hit fromEnergy Ball. Honchkrow used Haze to blind Grotle and then hit with another Night Slash. When Grotle usedSynthesis, Honchkrow used the delay to charge its Sky Attack, which crashed againstRock Climb. Honchkrow proved far more powerful and knocked Grotle out again.
Honchkrow is considered to be the backbone of Paul's team since it has rarely ever failed him, except inTop-Down Training! as Murkrow where it lost in battle toCynthia's Garchomp, and finally inPursuing a Lofty Goal! where it lost thePokéRinger contest toAsh's Staraptor. Although Honchkrow shows the ruthlessness typical of its species and Paul's common attitude, the latter episode also showcased a sensitive side to Honchkrow, where it appeared openly upset to have let Paul down.
Its aerial prowess and strength were shown on several occasions, most notably during theSquallville PokéRinger competition, where it was able to take down the four-time defending champion'sDragonite in a single attack.
A† shows that the move was used recently, unless all moves fit this case or there are fewer than five known moves.
Trivia
As Murkrow was featured in the openingTogether for 37 weeks before its actual debut, there was a common misconception that Murkrow was received in a trade with the boy that Paul gavehis Azumarill to inA Gruff Act to Follow!. In fact, Murkrow was caught normally at some point during Paul's journey throughKanto,Johto, andHoenn.
