| Wobbuffet | |
|---|---|
| Pokémon character | |
 Wobbuffet artwork byKen Sugimori | |
| First game | Pokémon Gold andSilver (1999) |
| Designed by | Hironobu Yoshida Ken Sugimori (finalized) |
| Voiced by | English Kayzie Rogers (2001–2017) Erica Schroeder (2017–2023) Japanese Yūji Ueda |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Pokémon |
| Type | Psychic |
Wobbuffet, known in Japan asSonans (Japanese:ソーナンス), is aPokémon species inNintendo andGame Freak'sPokémon media franchise, and theevolved form ofWynaut. First introduced in the 1999 video gamesPokémon Gold andSilver, it has since appeared in multiple games includingPokémon Go and thePokémon Trading Card Game, as well as different pieces of merchandise. Wobbuffet is a major recurring character in thePokémon TV series, belonging to theTeam Rocket member Jessie, and has become the official fourth member of the group.
Classified as a Psychic-type Pokémon, featuring a blue body with a black tail. It is a primarily reactive Pokémon, able to do damage only in reaction to being attacked. It also prevents other Pokémon from fleeing battle due to an ability, which has resulted in their use in competitivePokémon play becoming contentious. Its design is said to be based on aokiagari-koboshi doll, and its Japanese name is based on therakugo comedianSanpei Hayashiya I'scatchphrase, "sō nansu, okusan". It has been generally well received, with praise given to its efficacy in combat and design. Its TV series appearance was particularly praised, with critics attributing its popularity to this appearance.
Wobbuffet is a species of fictional creatures called Pokémon created for thePokémon media franchise. Developed byGame Freak and published byNintendo, the Japanese franchise began in 1996 with the video gamesPokémon Red andGreen for theGame Boy, which were later released in North America asPokémon Red andBlue in 1998.[1] In these games and their sequels, the player assumes the role of a Trainer whose goal is to capture and use the creatures' special abilities to combat other Pokémon. Some Pokémon can transform into stronger species through a process calledevolution via various means, such as exposure to specific items.[2] Each Pokémon have one or two elemental types, which define its advantages and disadvantages when battling other Pokémon.[3] A major goal in each game is to complete thePokédex, a comprehensive Pokémon encyclopedia, by capturing, evolving, and trading with other Trainers to obtain individuals from all Pokémon species.[2]
Wobbuffet was first introduced inPokémon Gold andSilver. When developing the games, around 300 individual Pokémon designs were drafted by various development team members, with each deciding their names and features and revising the drafts as needed. During this process, the team actively tried to avoid vague design concepts, as they felt this had caused difficulty creating completed Pokémon during the development ofRed andBlue. Once the team selected which Pokémon designs to included, the design was drawn and finalized by lead artist Ken Sugimori.[4] Wobbuffet's original designer was Hironobu Yoshida.[5][6] To maintain balance, many of the newer species did not appear in the early stages of the game. Additionally, many of the Pokémon were designed with merchandise in mind, taking into account the relatedPokémon toy line and anime series. As a result, designs often had to be kept simplistic, something that caused strain for Sugimori and affected his approach with the nextPokémon franchise titles,Pokémon Ruby andSapphire.[7] Compared to the species introduced in the first generation, many of the second generation species have more obvious origins based on animals, plants, or myths; they were also designed with a rural Japanese influence due to a significant amount being based on animals known to live in a "temperate forest environment."[8]
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Wobbuffet is a blue blob-like Pokémon,[9] featuring closed eyes,[10] and a black tail with eyes.[11][12] Wobbuffet are highly protective of their tails; when the tail is attacked, its normally docile disposition is replaced by ferocious aggression, said to be proof that the tail "hides a secret".[11] This design has multiple claimed origins, including being based on apunching bag and aokiagari-koboshi doll.[13][14][15] Starting withPokémon Diamond andPearl, certain Pokémon have gender differences.[16][17] Male Wobbuffet retain its original design, while female Wobbuffet gain lips resemblinglipstick.[11] Both male and female Wobbuffet have a "Shiny" variant that causes its body to be all pink besides the tail.[18] It has the ability Shadow Tag, which prevents other Pokémon from fleeing a battle. It has no attacking moves in its moveset, using either Mirror Coat or Counter in battle. Both attacks do retributive damage,[19] with Mirror Coat working if Wobbuffet is damaged by a special attack, while Counter works if hit by a physical attack.[20] It is the only fully evolved Pokémon that is unable to be taught moves by items called "Technical Machines".[21] The gamesPokémon Ruby andSapphire introduced a "Baby" form of Wobbuffet calledWynaut.[22] Its Japanese name is Sonans, which is based on thecatchphrase ofrakugo comedianSanpei Hayashiya "sō nansu, okusan", which translates to "That's the way it is, ma'am". Wobbuffet also shares the quirk of holding a limb to its head like asalute, similar to Hayashiya.[23][13][24][25] Wynaut's Japanese is "Sohnano", which is meant to sound like "really?" in Japanese, serving as a response to Wobbuffet's name. Whilst the interplay between their names was retained in Korean and Chinese releases, it was not retained in the English localization.[21] The English name is a combination ofbuffet and wobble, a reference to its ability to handle taking multiple hits.[21] The name was chosen by English localizer Jeff Kalles.[26]
It is voiced in Japanese byYūji Ueda starting in the 1998Pokémon TV series.[27] In English, it was originally voiced byKayzie Rogers[28] and later byErica Schroeder[29][28]
Wobbuffet first appeared inPokémon Gold andSilver, originally a single-stage Pokémon.[20] In the remakesHeartGold andSoulSilver, Wobbuffet again appears alongside its pre-evolution Wynaut,[30] which was introduced inPokémon Ruby andSapphire.[19] In 2006, an event was held atPokémon Center stores across Japan that allowed players ofPokémon Ruby,Sapphire, andEmerald, as well asPokémon FireRed, andLeafGreen, to obtain a free Wobbuffet.[31] InPokémon Platinum, a mini-game is featured focused on Wobbuffet.[32] It has appeared in most mainline entries since. It became unavailable inPokémon Scarlet andViolet.[33] It has also appeared in the mobile gamePokémon Go, both in its regular form and a party hat variant.[34] InGo, an outbreak ofPikachu encounters inYokohama featured Wobbuffet, believed to be due to its apparent connection to Japanese culture.[14] as well as the physicalPokémon Trading Card Game.[35] Wobbuffet appears in multiple spin-offs, including thePokémon Mystery Dungeon series,[36]Pokémon Ranger series, andPokémon Channel, where it hosts a game show.[37] In 2006, amedal game calledWobbuffet Fell Down was created byNamco Bandai. It features several Pokémon attempting to cross a finish line without being seen by aMeowth; when successful, a Wobbuffet appears at the bottom of the screen.[38] Outside thePokémon series, a Wobbuffet appears as a summonable Pokémon inSuper Smash Bros. Melee, bouncing back and forth when hit and damaging anyone it touches. A collectible trophy of Wobbuffet can also be obtained.[39]
Wobbuffet appears in thePokémon TV series. A member of the villain groupTeam Rocket, Jessie, unknowingly trades her PokémonLickitung for a Wobbuffet, only discovering it during battle when she sent it out, expecting it to be Lickitung.[40] This Wobbuffet providescomic relief, and often appearing to either simply say its name or cause trouble for Team Rocket.[9] It became the official fourth member of the group, after Jessie, James, and Meowth. While the team originally rode in a balloon based on Meowth, they rode a Wobbuffet-themed balloon for a time.[41] In theBlack & White season, Jessie does not include Wobbuffet in her team.[42] It returns inPokémon the Series: XY. In the first episode, Jessie almost defeats protagonistAsh Ketchum's Pikachu with it.[43] In Team Rocket's final episode ofPokémon Journeys: The Series, the final season of the series, Wobbuffet and the others are reunited with many of the Pokémon Jessie and James had met over the series.[44][45]
Wobbuffet has received multiple pieces of merchandise, including plushes,[46] figures,[47][48]McDonald's Happy Meal toy,[49] and bath items.[50] A merchandise line called "Everybody is Wobbuffet" was released, featuring Wobbuffet and other Pokémon, like Pikachu andEevee, with its expression in various forms, including plushes, bags, a phone case, mug, and charms.[51] It was also included in a set of plushes themed after the PokémonDitto.[52]
USgamer writer Caty McCarthy felt that Wobbuffet was a unique Pokémon among the earlier generations, stating that it was not a "creature born to fight, nor to defend" and that it "takes everything as it comes". She felt it important to have a very defensive Pokémon in her team, and that Wobbuffet did this well to help support her other team members.[53] As part of their "Pokémon of the Day" series,IGN stated that, while it had a limited selection of moves, it can be an "absolute nightmare" to defeat without the right Pokémon on a person's team.[20]Pocket Tactics writer Kayleigh Partleton similarly regarded it as a strong tank for use in battle, though noted that it was limited in usefulness due to a lack of speed and strength. She considered it among the bestPokémon from the second generation, praising its design and the ambiguity about whether its body was the tail or not. Despite any issues, she felt fond of Wobbuffet due to its role in the anime.[54] Kevin Slackie and Moises Taveras fromPaste similarly mentioned the theory regarding Wobbuffet's tail, describing that aspect as "an extra bit of weirdness" to what they already felt to be an awkward and off-looking design; however, the pair did praise its appearance in the anime as being "wonderfully comedic".[9] Because of the theory, artist Christopher Stoll created art on what an anatomically realistic Wobbuffet could look like, with the blue body made of muscle and fat whilst the tail houses the brain and a sealed jaw. Darryn Bonthuys fromGameSpot believed the design to be distressing due to resemblance of it being "a trapped face [with] no mouth on its tail",[55] whereasGamesRadar+'s Hope Bellingham declaring that the art was "nightmare fuel".[56]
Its competitive viability has also been discussed.TheGamer Chris Littlechild believed that Wobbuffet should be banned, stating that while he enjoyed having Pokémon that break the mold, Wobbuffet was "designed to be annoying", stating that its stats and moveset lend itself to not being fun in competitive play.[57] In competitive play, Wobbuffets holding the item Leftovers, which heals some health every turn, have been banned to preventtrolling.[58] It saw bans in competitive play, withGamesRadar writer Carolyn Gudmundson noting that a Wobbuffet vs. Wobbuffet fight effectively ended in a draw.[21] FellowTheGamer writer Andrew Scariati felt that its gimmick was among the most iconic, stating that how powerful it is depends on how well the player can predict their opponent's decisions.[59]GamesRadar+ writer Michael Grimm stated that Wobbuffet was his favorite Pokémon of all time, stating that he came to love him before finding out how competitively viable he was.[21]
Its role in the anime has been the subject of discussion by critics.Beckett Pokémon Unofficial Collector writer Alex Lucard attributed its popularity to its role in the anime, stating that it "never fails to provide comic relief."[60]Dot Esports writer David Gealogo considered it an iconic Pokémon, stating that it was among the anime's most memorable Pokémon particularly due to how it says its name as Team Rocket is defeated.[61]Nintendo World Report writer Matt West stated that, despite never having used Wobbuffet on his team, he considered it one of his favorite Pokémon. He attributed his love for it to the anime, particularly its "weird" behavior of appearing at inopportune times and saying its name. He was particularly enamored by it due to how powerful it was, citing its ability to reflect attacks, struggling only due to it and its owner's incompetence. He also praised its design, particularly its always-closed eyes and salute when it appears. He stated that Wobbuffet always made him laugh as a kid, and that he still finds him funny.[10]The Mary Sue writer Sarah Fimm stated that, despite being one of the most memorable "running gags" in the anime, she never found it funny, adding that Wobbuffet never caused her to so much as smile. She felt that it was useless, never helping Team Rocket win a battle. She particularly felt that it took attention from Meowth as being Team Rocket's mascot, which she described as an "infinitely more iconic and likable character". She also felt that it was used as a "signal" that the writers were running out of ideas by the end of the episode, who she believed used it as a "reversedeux ex machina" to cause any advantage Team Rocket had to be invalidated.[62]
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