The Origins of 8 Bat Pokemon & the Legends They Came From

Bats come into Pokemon mostly through vampire stories. The first of them was said to burn in sunlight, and the last may be a nod to Dracula, whose name comes from the Latin draco, meaning dragon. Still, the real animals show up in the details, such as a Honduran white bat that sleeps curled up together under leaves.

See all 8 bat Pokemon together in one place.

All 8 Bat Pokemon

#041

Zubat

Zubat, the Bat Pokemon, is based on vampire bats, which bite other animals to feed on their blood. Its Poison type may come from the anticoagulant in vampire bat saliva, or from the diseases bats are known for spreading, such as rabies. The rest of the design leans on myth as much as biology. Its missing eyes could echo the misconception that bats are blind because they navigate by echolocation, which means finding their way from the echoes of their own calls, and the old claim that Zubat burns in sunlight may come from mythological vampires.

The games take that blindness literally. It makes its home in gloomy caves, and atrophied eyes have left it blind, so it scans its surroundings via sound waves it emits from its mouth as it flies. It isn't quick about it either, since its Speed, the stat that decides who moves first in a turn, is only 55.

#042

Golbat

Golbat keeps Zubat's vampire bat roots and pushes them further, since its gaping maw could be a caricature of mythological vampires. Its feeding habits back that up. It sinks its sharp fangs into other creatures and slurps up their blood, and a closer look at the fangs reveals that they are hollow and akin to straws. (We switched to reusable straws, and Golbat has made that feel a lot less noble.)

It stands 1.6 m tall and weighs 55 kg. Infiltrator, one of its abilities, lets its attacks slip past Light Screen and Reflect, the barrier moves other Pokemon put up to cut the damage they take.

#169

Crobat

Crobat carries the same vampire bat roots as the rest of its line and adds raw speed. Its extra set of wings may come from the fact that a bat's front legs and hind legs are joined by a skin membrane called the patagium, which turns all four limbs into wing. Meanwhile, its very high Speed could be modeled on the Mexican free-tailed bat, which is said to have the fastest horizontal flight speed of any animal.

In the games, its hind limbs have become another set of wings, and Crobat maneuvers its four wings to dart through even the most confined caves without losing any speed. The stat line agrees with that. Its Speed of 130 is the highest of any bat Pokemon, well past the 55 its line starts with, and brakes seem to have been left off the design.

#472

Gliscor

Gliscor, the Fang Scorpion Pokemon, is based on a combination of scorpions and vampires, which in turn share traits with bats. Its bat-like build and Ground type may also make it a gargoyle. From Japanese folklore, it could borrow from the nobusuma, a vampiric yokai that glides through the sky and is often described as a monstrous bat.

It glides soundlessly on pitch-black wings and sinks sharp fangs into the throat of its prey. Once it has entirely drained its prey of blood, it takes on a look of satisfaction. Its apparent resistance to poison may refer to the immune system of bats, and Poison Heal, one of its abilities, heals it each turn while poisoned instead of hurting it. At full height, it stands 2 m tall.

#527

Woobat

Woobat, the Bat Pokemon, is based on Honduran white bats, and its round shape resembles how these bats look when they're curled up together. Those bats explain its coloring too. Sunlight filtering through the leaves they sleep on makes their white fur look green during the day, which would mirror Woobat's Shiny form, its rare alternate coloring. Its nose may be a literal heart-nosed bat, and it resembles a rubber stamp, which suits its signature move, Heart Stamp.

Despite the soft look, it emits ultrasonic waves as it flutters about, searching for its prey. Its sharp central tooth also resembles a baby tooth, a possible nod to its low base stats. It stands 0.4 m tall and weighs 2.1 kg. (We have owned houseplants with more heft.)

#528

Swoobat

Swoobat, the Courting Pokemon, is based on a New World leaf-nosed bat, though its fur makes it look in particular like a Honduran white bat. It also resembles a horseshoe bat, and its prominent fangs may be inspired by vampire bats.

The nose is where the folklore comes in. The auspicious shape of its nose apparently led some regions to consider Swoobat a symbol of good luck. In battle, Simple, one of its abilities, doubles its stat changes, the raises and drops that moves put on a stat, so a single boost counts twice. On the stat side, its Speed, the stat that decides who moves first, is 114.

#714

Noibat

Noibat, the Sound Wave Pokemon, is based on bats, with a mix of traits from various fruit bats and insect-eating bats, as well as wyverns, the two-legged dragons of heraldry. Its ears suit the category name, since their design could be modeled on speakers.

Sound is the whole point of this little bat. No wavelength of sound is beyond Noibat's ability to produce, and the ultrasonic waves it generates can overcome much larger Pokemon. Any parent of a toddler knows how little size has to do with volume. Its Attack, the stat behind physical blows, is 30.

#715

Noivern

Noivern is based on a combination of a wyvern and a long-eared bat, with a fruit bat or a leaf-nosed bat mixed in, plus a loudspeaker or tweeter. Its design may also borrow from gargoyles. That blend of bat-like and draconic traits could possibly be an allusion to Dracula, whose name ultimately stems from the Latin draco, meaning dragon.

It flies through the darkness and weakens enemies with ultrasonic waves that could crush stone, and its fangs finish the fight. It weighs 85 kg, and its Special Attack, the stat that powers energy attacks rather than physical ones, is 97.

Seven of the 8 Bat Pokemon Point Back to Vampires

Every bat Pokemon except Noibat leads back to vampires somehow. The Zubat line comes from vampire bats and from mythological vampires. Gliscor is part vampire and part scorpion. Woobat's sharp tooth and Swoobat's fangs could trace to vampire bats, and Noivern could reach Dracula through the Latin word for dragon.

Even the bat myths with no blood in them made it in. Zubat's missing eyes and the hair over Woobat's eyes could both trace back to the myth that bats are blind, a misconception that grew out of bats finding their way by echolocation.

Bat Pokemon FAQ

How many bat Pokemon are there?

The bat Pokemon are Zubat, Golbat, Crobat, Gliscor, Woobat, Swoobat, Noibat and Noivern. Zubat and Woobat are both filed as the Bat Pokemon, while Gliscor is the Fang Scorpion Pokemon.

What is the strongest bat Pokemon?

Crobat and Noivern share the highest base stat total of the group, 535, which is the sum of all their base stats. Crobat is faster, with a Speed of 130 against Noivern's 123, while Noivern's Special Attack of 97 sits well above Crobat's 70.

Is Gliscor a bat?

No, Gliscor is the Fang Scorpion Pokemon, a mix of scorpions and vampires, though it shares many traits with bats.

Is Noivern a dragon?

It is, because Noivern is Flying and Dragon type, and its design mixes a bat with a wyvern.