Bidoof
Encyclopedia
Bidoof, known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species in Nintendo
and Game Freak
's Pokémon
franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori
, Bidoof first appeared in the video games Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
and in subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise.
as an early Pokémon encountered by players. It later appears in HeartGold and SoulSilver
as well as Pokémon Black and White
. It eventually evolves into Bibarel. In the main games, Bidoof is often considered an "HM slave", a term which refers to a Pokémon that is only good for its ability to use most "Hidden machines". Outside of the main series, it also appears in some of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon
titles, some of the Pokémon Ranger
titles, Pokémon Rumble
, and PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure. In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness
, Bidoof is a major supporting character; in the remake Explorers of Sky, a series of side missions called "Bidoof's Wish" is available to players.
. First randomly appearing in the wild and then having a whole episode where a Steelix
is destroying a Bidoof village
. Since then they have had many more appearances such as one being under care of Reggie, Paul's older brother. In the Pokémon Adventures
manga, Platinum was attacked by a group of Bidoof in her own house.
called Bidoof, along with Rattata
, Sentret, and Zigzagoon an "infestation", and an "ideal Pokémon to mess around with", though stated that its evolution "can be a solid Normal-type Pokémon". Fellow GamesRadar editor Paul Ryan called Bidoof an "inbred offspring of a teddy bear and a beaver" and a Pokémon that "relies on cuteness and the pity of others to avoid being eaten by other Pokemon." 1UP.com
's Kat Bailey wrote that she would forgive Bidoof because it fulfilled a need for a Pokémon meant for the early stages of the game. Norm Scott of the humor comic Hsu and Chan
mocked Bidoof and wrote that "nobody ever chooses you, Bidoof." Official Nintendo Magazines Chris Schilling called the Pokémon Patrat from Black and White the "new Bidoof". IGN
's Audrey Drake wrote about Bidoof and commented that it was an early-game challenge. Fellow IGN editor Lucas M. Thomas described it as a "dimwitted, buck-toothed rodent", a "resident pest of Sinnoh", and that it serves the same purpose as Rattata
, Sentret, and Zigzagoon; he added that while it did not have "cool factor", he was a "loyal and trustworthy companion" in the early game. Joystiq
's JC Fletcher described Bidoof as "dopey-looking". The Escapists Keane Ng called Bidoof "everyone's favorite bucktoothed, ubiquitous and completely useless and trash-tier Pokemon".
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
and Game Freak
Game Freak
is a Japanese video game developer that currently creates games exclusively for Nintendo. It has developed the Pokémon series of role-playing games and several other games.-History:...
's Pokémon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori
Ken Sugimori
is a Japanese video game designer, illustrator, manga artist, and director. He is most famous as the character designer and art director for the Pokémon franchise. Sugimori is also credited with the art direction for other titles, including Pulseman. Sugimori drew all of the original 151 Pokémon...
, Bidoof first appeared in the video games Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
are role-playing games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. With the enhanced remake Pokémon Platinum, the games comprise the fifth installment and fourth generation of the Pokémon series of RPGs...
and in subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise.
Concept and characteristics
Bidoof are small brown rodent-like creatures with large front teeth which they use for gnawing on wood. Bidoof need to constantly gnaw on hard substances to keep their teeth ground down, since they grow constantly. Without something to gnaw on, they become violent because of the pain and inconvenience the unwieldy growing teeth cause. A comparison revealed that Bidoof's front teeth grow at the same rate as Rattata's. They have tufts of fur on their tails and a ring of them on their faces. They also have slightly webbed paws. Males have five lumps on their tails, unlike females, who have three. Bidoof build their nests along the side of bodies of water. With nerves of steel, nothing can perturb it. It is more agile and active than it appears. Bidoof feed mainly on seeds, roots, berries, and plants. Occasionally they eat tree bark.In the video games
Bidoof first appears in Pokémon Diamond and PearlPokémon Diamond and Pearl
are role-playing games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. With the enhanced remake Pokémon Platinum, the games comprise the fifth installment and fourth generation of the Pokémon series of RPGs...
as an early Pokémon encountered by players. It later appears in HeartGold and SoulSilver
Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
are enhanced remakes of the 1999 video games Pokémon Gold and Silver. The games are part of the Pokémon series of role-playing video games, and were developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS...
as well as Pokémon Black and White
Pokémon Black and White
are role-playing games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. They are the first installments in the fifth generation of the Pokémon series of role-playing games...
. It eventually evolves into Bibarel. In the main games, Bidoof is often considered an "HM slave", a term which refers to a Pokémon that is only good for its ability to use most "Hidden machines". Outside of the main series, it also appears in some of the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon
- Manga :*Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Ginji's Rescue Team, manga adaption of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team and Red Rescue Team*Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blazing Exploration Team, manga adaption of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time, Explorers of Darkness, and Explorers of Sky.-...
titles, some of the Pokémon Ranger
Pokémon Ranger
is an action/role-playing video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS video game console. The game was released at various dates, varying between continents. The game was first released in Japan on March 22, 2006 and was later released in North America and...
titles, Pokémon Rumble
Pokémon Rumble
Pokémon Rumble is a Pokémon video game for WiiWare. It was developed by Ambrella. Pokémon Rumble was rated "E10+" by the ESRB, making it the first Pokémon video game to be given an ESRB rating higher than "E" for Everyone...
, and PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure. In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness
and are a matched pair of Pokémon games for the Nintendo DS. The two games were released in Japan on September 13, 2007, and were released in North America on April 20, 2008...
, Bidoof is a major supporting character; in the remake Explorers of Sky, a series of side missions called "Bidoof's Wish" is available to players.
In other media
Bidoof have appeared a few times in the Pokémon animePokémon (anime)
, abbreviated from , is a children's TV anime series, which has since been adapted for the North and South American, Australian and European television markets...
. First randomly appearing in the wild and then having a whole episode where a Steelix
Steelix
Steelix, known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Steelix first appeared in the video games Pokémon Gold and Silver and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed...
is destroying a Bidoof village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
. Since then they have had many more appearances such as one being under care of Reggie, Paul's older brother. In the Pokémon Adventures
Pokémon Adventures
Pokémon Adventures, released in Japan as , is a Pokémon-related manga based on the video games. Satoshi Tajiri once stated that the Pocket Monsters Special series is closest to what he imagined the Pokémon world to be:...
manga, Platinum was attacked by a group of Bidoof in her own house.
Reception
Bidoof has received generally negative reception since it appeared in Diamond and Pearl, GamesRadarGamesRadar
GamesRadar is a multi-format video game website featuring regular news, previews, reviews, videos, and guides. It is owned and operated simultaneously in the UK and US by worldwide publisher Future Publishing...
called Bidoof, along with Rattata
Rattata
Rattata, known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise linked through evolution. Rattata evolves into Raticate after gaining enough experience in battle...
, Sentret, and Zigzagoon an "infestation", and an "ideal Pokémon to mess around with", though stated that its evolution "can be a solid Normal-type Pokémon". Fellow GamesRadar editor Paul Ryan called Bidoof an "inbred offspring of a teddy bear and a beaver" and a Pokémon that "relies on cuteness and the pity of others to avoid being eaten by other Pokemon." 1UP.com
1UP.com
1UP.com is a video game website owned by IGN Entertainment, a division of News Corporation. Previously, the site was owned by Ziff Davis before being sold to UGO Entertainment in 2009....
's Kat Bailey wrote that she would forgive Bidoof because it fulfilled a need for a Pokémon meant for the early stages of the game. Norm Scott of the humor comic Hsu and Chan
Hsu and Chan
Hsu and Chan is a comic strip created by Jeremy "Norm" Scott that appeared in the video game magazine Electronic Gaming Monthly from October 1999 until the September 2008 issue. The strip has appeared at 1UP.com until September 30, 2009 when the blog ended and Norm promised to continue the comic at...
mocked Bidoof and wrote that "nobody ever chooses you, Bidoof." Official Nintendo Magazines Chris Schilling called the Pokémon Patrat from Black and White the "new Bidoof". IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Audrey Drake wrote about Bidoof and commented that it was an early-game challenge. Fellow IGN editor Lucas M. Thomas described it as a "dimwitted, buck-toothed rodent", a "resident pest of Sinnoh", and that it serves the same purpose as Rattata
Rattata
Rattata, known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise linked through evolution. Rattata evolves into Raticate after gaining enough experience in battle...
, Sentret, and Zigzagoon; he added that while it did not have "cool factor", he was a "loyal and trustworthy companion" in the early game. Joystiq
Joystiq
Joystiq is a video gaming blog founded in June 2004 that has since become one of the most successful sites within the Weblogs, Inc. family of weblogs. It is the centerpiece of WIN's own network of video gaming blogs, which also includes a blog dealing specifically with the popular MMORPG World of...
's JC Fletcher described Bidoof as "dopey-looking". The Escapists Keane Ng called Bidoof "everyone's favorite bucktoothed, ubiquitous and completely useless and trash-tier Pokemon".