Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: How Pokémon react to weather conditions

In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, players are having fun observing previously unknown Pokémon behaviors, and these discoveries are attracting a lot of attention. The world within these games includes both a day and night cycle and changing weather, and Pokémon react to these changes.

For example, in the tweet below, you can see a number of wild Sudowoodo frantically run for cover after it begins to rain.

Sudowoodo is a Pokémon that will normally stand very still in the field and attempt to imitate a tree. It will focus all of its attention into the task and will not move an inch—at least until you approach one from the front. Likely believing that it has been found out, the Sudowoodo will panic and abruptly start running away. But the tweet shows that Sudowoodo will also behave like this when it starts to rain. This makes perfect sense when you realize that Sudowoodo is a Rock-type and therefore weak to water. This is likely the reason it is not fond of rain.

Sandygast is another Pokémon that shows a surprising reaction to rain. When caught in a downpour, a Sandygast will begin to panic and there will be sweat-like reaction marks above its head. Eventually, it will let out a wail, melt into the sand, and disappear. As Sandygast is a Ghost/Ground-type Pokémon, it too is weak to water. Both Sudowoodo and Sandygast show behaviors on the field that reflect their types.

During strong gales of wind, Pokémon such as Hoppip, Jigglypuff, and their respective evolutionary lines will be blown away. The spectacle of how they are rapidly blasted away drew a good deal of attention from players shortly after the games were released. Hoppip’s Pokédex entry explains that the Pokémon is blown across vast distances by the wind, so it makes sense that this aspect is being displayed on the field. On the other hand, Jigglypuff’s Pokédex entry does not make any mention of wind, so in this case it may reflect its classification as a balloon Pokémon or its portrayal in the anime series. 

Additionally, a YouTube video created by @R_GameTV shows that a number of Pokémon display distinctive reactions to being washed. During a picnic, you have the option to wash your Pokémon. The process involves first scrubbing them with a soapy sponge before rinsing them off with water.

Normally, Pokémon will react as if they are enjoying it when they are being scrubbed. However, Pokémon like Sudowoodo and Grimer will show displeasure at being lathered up. Other Pokémon, like Maushold, Tinkaton, and Fuecoco, will also show displeasure or outright refuse to let you wash specific areas of their bodies. It’s clear that the unique individual behaviors of different Pokémon can also be witnessed during a wash.

In Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Pokémon show a wide variety of different behaviors, such as those that live in groups led by an evolved Pokémon and those like Zorua and Ditto that transform their appearance to mimic the Pokémon around them. By observing or interacting with Pokémon on the field, you may discover new aspects to them—even things that aren’t mentioned in their Pokédex entries. You might like to take a break from battling and hunting for Shiny Pokémon and instead devote some time to investigating the different behaviors that they exhibit in the wild.

Written by. Marco Farinaccia based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2022-12-22 17:50 JST)