50 Fun Facts About Pokemon Sword and Shield

Besides a fish, which Pokémon can Cramorant gulp down and spit at its foes in Pokémon Sword and Shield?

Pikachu ends up stuck head-first in the bird's beak, legs kicking, when Cramorant dives at low health, and a foe hit by the spat-out mouse is left paralysed.

Which corgi-like Electric puppy from Pokémon Sword and Shield may nod to Queen Elizabeth II's favourite dogs?

Yamper is a herding dog with an Ability all its own, Ball Fetch, which retrieves used Poké Balls.

Which fluffy sheep Pokémon from Sword and Shield escapes danger by simply rolling away?

Wooloo became a fan favourite the day it was revealed, and game director Shigeru Ohmori admitted its popularity caught him by surprise.

Which armoured raven Pokémon carries passengers across Galar as a Flying Taxi in Pokémon Sword and Shield?

Corviknight takes its look from the legend of the ravens that guard the Tower of London.

Which Sword and Shield Pokémon has a long tongue and a star-patterned eye resembling Gene Simmons of Kiss?

Obstagoon got the rock star's blessing: Simmons acknowledged the likeness himself and called it flattering.

Which starter from Pokémon Sword and Shield cries tears said to be as potent as 100 onions?

Sobble was made timid on purpose, as a contrast with the other two starters, and went on to win an official popularity poll of the trio.

Which wolf-like Legendary Pokémon helps stop the Darkest Day in Sword and Shield with a blade held in its mouth?

Zacian has often been compared with Sif, the great wolf of Dark Souls, another beast that fights with a sword between its jaws.

Which dish do Trainers cook over a campfire with their Pokémon in Pokémon Sword and Shield?

Curry cooked on the player's own birthday arrives with a birthday candle stuck in their portion.

Which gang of hooligans in Pokémon Sword and Shield is really rival Marnie's overzealous fan club?

Team Yell turns out to be a Gym's own Trainers in disguise, blocking roads and hotel lobbies to slow down the challengers competing against her.

Which Kanto starter's final form is Champion Leon's undefeated partner in Pokémon Sword and Shield?

Charizard has been at Leon's side since he set out as a Trainer aged ten, and he turns it into a giant in the exhibition match that opens the games.

In which farming town does Milo award the first badge of the Gym Challenge in Pokémon Sword and Shield?

Turffield comes first because its gentle Leader struggles to go all out on weaker opponents, though he can roll 770-pound hay bales with ease.

Which Water-type Gym Leader in Pokémon Sword and Shield also has a successful career as a model?

Nessa has declared Milo her rival, a claim he shrugs off by insisting that his only rival is himself.

Fire-type Gym Leader Kabu of Pokémon Sword and Shield was invited to Galar from which earlier region?

Hoenn-born Kabu is the Gym Challenge's first real wall, and many challengers give up after failing to beat him.

What does Allister, the shy Ghost-type Gym Leader of Pokémon Shield, never remove in public?

His mask is one of at least a hundred identical ones, kept as spares in case the one he is wearing ever falls off.

Which elderly Fairy-type Gym Leader in Pokémon Sword and Shield tests challengers with deliberately tricky quizzes?

Opal inherited the Gym at eighteen and ran it for seventy years before going in search of a successor.

How are Gordie and Melony, the two version-exclusive Gym Leaders of Circhester in Pokémon Sword and Shield, related?

Mother and son fell out when Gordie chose Rock types over her Ice types, yet Melony is said to have become the first member of his fan club.

Which Dark-type Gym Leader in Pokémon Sword and Shield is the only one who never uses Dynamax?

Piers refused when Chairman Rose asked him to move his Gym onto a faraway Power Spot, so his battles stay normal-sized and few fans visit his town.

Which Galar city, home to a vault of ancient tapestries, hosts Raihan's Dragon-type Gym in Pokémon Sword and Shield?

Hammerlocke's Raihan is rated the strongest Gym Leader in Galar, even though he has lost all ten of his battles with Leon.

Unlike the pin badges of earlier regions, the Gym Badges of Pokémon Sword and Shield are pieces of what?

A medallion takes shape as each piece slots into a metal ring, and once all eight are set the finished reverse shows the Gym Challenge logo.

Which karate prodigy leads the Stow-on-Side Gym only in Pokémon Sword, replaced by Allister in Shield?

Bea was drilled so strictly from childhood that fans think she feels nothing, though she hides a secret weakness for sweets.

Which blocky Rock-type exclusive to Pokémon Sword is modelled on a prehistoric monument on England's Salisbury Plain?

Stonjourner is modelled on Stonehenge: they gather in a ring at the same time every year and simply stand there, and their slabs can move like arms and legs.

Which penguin Pokémon exclusive to Pokémon Shield protects its heat-sensitive head inside a block of ice?

Eiscue fishes with the single long hair on its head, and a physical hit shatters the ice to reveal its speedier Noice Face.

Which Pokémon does Applin become when given a Tart Apple in Pokémon Sword and Shield?

Flapple wears the halves of its old home as wings, and can pull them shut to pass itself off as an ordinary piece of fruit.

Which final evolution of Scorbunny in Pokémon Sword and Shield resembles a soccer player and kicks a flaming ball?

Cinderace makes its own ball, pouring fire energy into a stone before booting it at opponents.

Which final evolution of the Water starter in Pokémon Sword and Shield is classed as the Secret Agent Pokémon?

Inteleon fires water from its fingertips at Mach 3 and is skilled at finding an opponent's weak points.

Which Kanto Poison-type wears smokestacks like top hats in its Galarian form in Pokémon Sword and Shield?

Weezing in Galar is part Fairy-type: it breathes in polluted air and puffs purified air back out of its smokestacks.

Which Kanto Pokémon's Galarian form, found only in Pokémon Shield, was first revealed during a 24-hour livestream?

Ponyta in Galar is a Psychic-type with the look of a unicorn, and its mane stores the life energy of the forest.

Which tap-dancing Pokémon from Sword and Shield, with a cane of ice, appears modelled on Charlie Chaplin's Tramp?

Mr. Rime has a pattern on its belly that looks like a second face, and it tends to be more expressive than the real one.

Which Steel and Dragon Pokémon from Sword and Shield appears to be based on The Shard skyscraper in London?

Duraludon is unusually light for its size, and it shares a habitat with Tyranitar, which it frequently battles for territory.

The Gyms of Pokémon Sword and Shield, packed with roaring crowds, are styled after which real sporting venues?

Football stadiums leave room for the games' giant Dynamax Pokémon, a mechanic designed to stage bigger battles than the series had shown before.

What is the name of Galar's open expanse in Pokémon Sword and Shield where the weather decides which Pokémon appear?

Wild Area visitors can swing the camera freely, and its weather changes every real-world day so that each return trip feels different.

Which extraterrestrial Legendary does Chairman Rose awaken to trigger a second Darkest Day in Pokémon Sword and Shield?

Eternatus crashed to earth inside a meteor some 20,000 years ago, and it seems to be connected to the Dynamax phenomenon itself.

Which country inspired the Crown Tundra, the snowy second expansion for Pokémon Sword and Shield?

Scotland was named as the model by the official Pokémon UK account, and the frozen land hides a forgotten king of Galar and its lost steed.

What are the four-Trainer co-op fights against a giant wild Pokémon called in Pokémon Sword and Shield?

Max Raid Battles are lost if the team's Pokémon faint four times or ten turns pass, and any empty seats are filled by computer-controlled Trainers.

Which long-running series feature was left out of Pokémon Sword and Shield, sparking a fan backlash before launch?

National Pokédex cuts were nicknamed Dexit, a play on Brexit that suited a region with a British theme.

What career does rival Hop decide to train for in the post-game of Pokémon Sword and Shield?

Professor is the title he now wants, after a whole journey spent chasing his brother Leon's crown, and he trains for it alongside Sonia.

Which energy conglomerate, run by Chairman Rose, powers the Galar region in Pokémon Sword and Shield?

Macro Cosmos has Rose as its president and his secretary, Oleana, as its vice president.

Which rival, first endorsed by Chairman Rose, ends up inheriting the Fairy-type Gym in Pokémon Sword and Shield?

Bede had his Gym Challenger status revoked before Ballonlea's ageing Leader picked him out and thrust her duties onto him.

Toby Fox, creator of which indie game, composed a track for Pokémon Sword and Shield?

Undertale's creator supplied a single track for a soundtrack that otherwise drew on the sound of UK rock.

Which hamster-like partner of rival Marnie flips into a violent Hangry Mode in Pokémon Sword and Shield?

Morpeko's signature move, Aura Wheel, switches from Electric to Dark whenever hunger tips it into its angry form.

Which whipped-cream Pokémon in Sword and Shield evolves from Milcery when its Trainer spins around on the spot?

Alcremie can turn out in dozens of flavours, set by the direction and length of the spin, the time of day and the Sweet it holds.

Which Dragon and Ghost Pokémon from Sword and Shield launches its own young from its horns like missiles?

Dragapult calls the trick Dragon Darts, firing the Dreepy it shelters at supersonic speed, and it is the series' ninth pseudo-legendary.

Which Johto Pokémon turned Ghost-type in Sword and Shield, a Galarian form read as a warning about climate change?

Corsola's pale Galarian form is built on the idea of coral bleaching, and it evolves into Cursola when its spirit energy finally breaks the shell.

Which Galar fossil Pokémon did fan-run Smogon rules ban from standard singles play over its Fishious Rend attack?

Dracovish and its three patchwork cousins appear to send up early dinosaur reconstructions such as London's Crystal Palace Dinosaurs.

Which Unova Pokémon's Galarian form evolves by taking 49 damage and walking under a stone arch in Sword and Shield?

Yamask in Galar is a spirit possessed by a clay slab with cursed engravings, and the arch that turns it into Runerigus stands in the Dusty Bowl.

Which real island inspired the setting of the first Pokémon Sword and Shield expansion, home to the Master Dojo?

Isle of Man was confirmed as the model by the official Pokémon UK account, and the two expansions took the place of the usual enhanced third version.

Which game did Pokémon Sword and Shield overtake as the fastest-selling Nintendo Switch release at launch?

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate lost the record when the pair sold more than six million copies worldwide in their opening weekend.

Which former Galar Champion runs the Master Dojo in The Isle of Armor expansion for Pokémon Sword and Shield?

Mustard rates Leon the best student he ever had, though Leon never finished the course because his awful sense of direction kept him from the towers.

In which Crown Tundra location do Sword and Shield players take rental Pokémon to reach Legendaries from older games?

Max Lair runs end with a Legendary that is certain to be caught, part of the developers' wish to change how such Pokémon are captured.

Which Fighting-type from Pokémon Sword and Shield is really a troop of little soldiers marching as one?

Falinks borrows its drill from the phalanx battle formation, and the member with the longest horn is the leader.