Steelix
Encyclopedia
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 adaptations of the franchise.
or more, then the pressures exercised on its stone body become so high that it is compressed into a composition harder than diamond
. Steelix continues to burrow underground like it did as an Onix, but it reaches far greater depths, reaching records of up to 0.6 miles (900 metres) while heading for the Earth
's core.
and in its remakes Pokémon Crystal and Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver
. It evolves from Onix
which had no evolution until Gold and Silver by being traded to another copy of the game while holding an item called a "Metal Coat". It has since appeared in every main Pokémon title since, notably Pokémon Diamond and Pearl
where it was made available in the wild for the first time. Outside of the main series, Steelix appears in Pokémon Trozei!
, the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon
titles, and Pokémon Ranger
.
manga, Jasmine also owns a Steelix which was disguised as an Onix. When it went up against Brock's Onix, Brock's Onix was defeated. Jasmine explained that she wanted to avoid making it a spectacle since it was a newly discovered Pokémon by hiding it.
named Steelix the 80th best Pokémon species by IGN
users. IGN's Audrey Blake wrote that while she was skeptical of the idea of Onix having an evolution due to her affinity to it (particularly the character Brock
's Onix in the anime) and a worry that she wouldn't like it as well. She eventually found it to be "definitely good enough to accept as a legitimate evolution" though not "quite as classic as good ole Onix". IGN's Pokémon Chick stated that it was a favourite among trainers due to its high defense. She later wrote that it was "horrible-yet-grossly-overused-anyway". Official Nintendo Magazine named Steelix one of the ten best Pokémon in the game as of 2010, stating it "is almost untouchable thanks to its stupidly high Defense stat". Author Ash Dekirk wrote that Steelix resembles a "great wurm" of steel. GamesRadar
's Brett Elston wrote that Steelix made up for Onix's low level of usefulness due to its increased attack power and "outrageous defense".
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...
, Steelix first appeared in the video games Pokémon Gold and Silver
Pokémon Gold and Silver
are the second installments of the Pokémon series of role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color. The games have dual-mode capabilities allowing them to also be played on earlier Game Boy models. They were first released in Japan in 1999 and to...
and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise.
Concept and characteristics
Steelix is a large serpentine Pokémon that has a steel body with several spikes and a large jaw. The male has two spikes on each side of its jaw while the female only has one spike on each side. It is said that an Onix evolves into Steelix when one lives to be 100Centenarian
A centenarian is a person who is or lives beyond the age of 100 years. Because current average life expectancies across the world are less than 100, the term is invariably associated with longevity. Much rarer, a supercentenarian is a person who has lived to the age of 110 or more, something only...
or more, then the pressures exercised on its stone body become so high that it is compressed into a composition harder than diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
. Steelix continues to burrow underground like it did as an Onix, but it reaches far greater depths, reaching records of up to 0.6 miles (900 metres) while heading for the Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
's core.
In the video games
Steelix first appeared in the video games Pokémon Gold and SilverPokémon Gold and Silver
are the second installments of the Pokémon series of role-playing video games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color. The games have dual-mode capabilities allowing them to also be played on earlier Game Boy models. They were first released in Japan in 1999 and to...
and in its remakes Pokémon Crystal and Pokémon 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...
. It evolves from Onix
Onix (Pokémon)
Onix, known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Onix first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and in subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed adaptations...
which had no evolution until Gold and Silver by being traded to another copy of the game while holding an item called a "Metal Coat". It has since appeared in every main Pokémon title since, notably 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...
where it was made available in the wild for the first time. Outside of the main series, Steelix appears in Pokémon Trozei!
Pokémon Trozei!
, released as Pokémon Link! in Europe, is a Pokémon-themed puzzle video game for the Nintendo DS. It was released in Japan on October 20, 2005, in North America on March 6, 2006, in Australia on March 30, 2006, and in Europe on May 5, 2006.-Gameplay:...
, 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, and 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...
.
In other media
In the anime, Brock owns a Steelix that is kept at the Pewter Gym. Brock first met the newly evolved Pokémon in the season 9 episode Grating Spaces!, when he used it to defend the gym from Team Rocket. In both the games and the anime, the Olivine City Leader Jasmine also owns a Steelix. In the Pokémon AdventuresPokémon 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, Jasmine also owns a Steelix which was disguised as an Onix. When it went up against Brock's Onix, Brock's Onix was defeated. Jasmine explained that she wanted to avoid making it a spectacle since it was a newly discovered Pokémon by hiding it.
Reception
IGNIGN
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...
named Steelix the 80th best Pokémon species by 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...
users. IGN's Audrey Blake wrote that while she was skeptical of the idea of Onix having an evolution due to her affinity to it (particularly the character Brock
Brock (Pokémon)
Brock, known as in Japanese versions, is a video game character in the Pokémon franchise. In the Pokémon video games, he is the Gym Leader of Pewter City and mainly uses Rock -type Pokémon; in the anime series, he left his position as a Gym Leader to travel alongside Ash Ketchum and become a...
's Onix in the anime) and a worry that she wouldn't like it as well. She eventually found it to be "definitely good enough to accept as a legitimate evolution" though not "quite as classic as good ole Onix". IGN's Pokémon Chick stated that it was a favourite among trainers due to its high defense. She later wrote that it was "horrible-yet-grossly-overused-anyway". Official Nintendo Magazine named Steelix one of the ten best Pokémon in the game as of 2010, stating it "is almost untouchable thanks to its stupidly high Defense stat". Author Ash Dekirk wrote that Steelix resembles a "great wurm" of steel. GamesRadar
GamesRadar
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...
's Brett Elston wrote that Steelix made up for Onix's low level of usefulness due to its increased attack power and "outrageous defense".