Vulpix
Encyclopedia
Vulpix, known in Japan as is a Pokémon species in Nintendo
and Game Freak
's Pokémon
franchise. Vulpix evolves into Ninetales
when exposed to a special item. Created by Ken Sugimori
, they first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue
and later appear in subsequent sequels, various merchandise, spinoff titles, and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise. It is known as the Fox
Pokémon.
Vulpix, known as Fox
Pokémon, is a fox-like creature with six curled tails, based on the Japanese fox spirit kitsune
. From birth, Vulpox starts out with only one tail, which is white in color; this tail splits apart as it grows and turns red. Most commonly female, Vulpix are especially known for having beautiful fur and tails. Vulpix have a flame in their bodies, which when the temperature outside increases, they let out of their mouths to prevent their body temperature from getting too hot. They can control this fire, and make them fly like will-o-wisps. In the wild, Vulpix will feign injury to escape from more powerful predators.
, though it was only obtainable in Blue without trading. It has since appeared in every main Pokémon title since, including remakes of the original games including Pokémon Yellow and Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
. Outside of the main titles, it appears in the Pokémon Pinball
titles, Pokémon Trozei!
, the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon
titles, the Pokémon Ranger
titles, Pokémon Rumble
,PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure, Pokémon Snap
, and Pokémon Channel
. Vulpix is a starter/partner in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky.
, Vulpix appears often as one of Brock
's Pokémon. It is given to him by a girl named Suzy who feels she cannot take care of it as well as Brock could. Brock later meets up with Suzy in Johto and returns it to her. In Magical Pokémon Journey
, Kiaraway, a Fire-type Pokémon Trainer, owns a female Vulpix. She is one of his most used Pokémon, first appearing with Cyndaquil. In Pokémon Adventures
, Flannery owns a Vulpix that she used to battle Shelly's Ludicolo, but only succeeded in sealing its Nature Power attack before fainting. Years earlier, in the Yellow chapter, Bill also has a Vulpix, which is beaten easily by Green's Blastoise
. In Pokémon Battle Frontier, the main character, Enta, has a powerful and loyal Vulpix.
's Kristine, while playing Pokémon, was driven by her desire to own a Vulpix. IGN
described Vulpix as "one of the most adorable things you've ever seen", arguing that they felt the character was cuter than series icon Pikachu
. IGN wrote that it was deceptively "cute and harmless" but became more powerful when it evolved. They added however that it doesn't "show its worth" at lower levels. IGN's Pokémon Chick called Vulpix "second place" for her and cited examples such as being second to Rapidash as a Fire type Pokémon, second to Cubone as an unevolved Pokémon, and second to Onix
in terms of Pokémon owned by Brock
in the anime. However, she noted that this was not an insult and that she intended to raise it to level 100 because it is "too cute to pass up". Author Loredana Lipperini called it "totally kawaii", as well as "round and graceful". GamesRadar
's Brett Elston called it "undeniably cute" but inferior to Growlithe in terms of Fire type moves; however, he noted that it had more variety in its moves. Authors Tracey West and Katherine Noll named Vulpix the fifth best Fire type Pokémon and wrote that Vulpix was "cute and cuddly" and "special". Author Maria S. Barbo wrote that Vulpix had a "cute exterior" which "hides inner strength".
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. Vulpix evolves into Ninetales
Ninetales
Ninetales, known as is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Ninetales evolves from Vulpix when exposed to a special item. Created by Ken Sugimori, it first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and later appear in subsequent sequels, various merchandise,...
when exposed to a special item. 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...
, they first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue
Pokémon Red and Blue
Pokémon Red Version and Blue Version, originally released in Japan as , are role-playing games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. They are the first installments to the Pokémon series. They were first released in Japan in 1996 as Red and Green, with Blue being...
and later appear in subsequent sequels, various merchandise, spinoff titles, and animated and printed adaptations of the franchise. It is known as the Fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
Pokémon.
Concept and characteristics
Nintendo decided to give the various Pokémon species "clever and descriptive names" related to their appearance or features when translating the game for western audiences as a means to make the characters more relatable to American children. It was originally going to be named Foxfire in the English versions until Nintendo of America settled with Vulpix, which is based on "vulpus", the Latin word for fox.Vulpix, known as Fox
Fox
Fox is a common name for many species of omnivorous mammals belonging to the Canidae family. Foxes are small to medium-sized canids , characterized by possessing a long narrow snout, and a bushy tail .Members of about 37 species are referred to as foxes, of which only 12 species actually belong to...
Pokémon, is a fox-like creature with six curled tails, based on the Japanese fox spirit kitsune
Kitsune
is the Japanese word for fox. Foxes are a common subject of Japanese folklore; in English, kitsune refers to them in this context. Stories depict them as intelligent beings and as possessing magical abilities that increase with their age and wisdom. Foremost among these is the ability to assume...
. From birth, Vulpox starts out with only one tail, which is white in color; this tail splits apart as it grows and turns red. Most commonly female, Vulpix are especially known for having beautiful fur and tails. Vulpix have a flame in their bodies, which when the temperature outside increases, they let out of their mouths to prevent their body temperature from getting too hot. They can control this fire, and make them fly like will-o-wisps. In the wild, Vulpix will feign injury to escape from more powerful predators.
In the video games
Vulpix first appeared in Pokémon Red and BluePokémon Red and Blue
Pokémon Red Version and Blue Version, originally released in Japan as , are role-playing games developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. They are the first installments to the Pokémon series. They were first released in Japan in 1996 as Red and Green, with Blue being...
, though it was only obtainable in Blue without trading. It has since appeared in every main Pokémon title since, including remakes of the original games including Pokémon Yellow and Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen
are enhanced remakes of the original Pokémon Red and Blue video games, which were released in 1996. The new titles were developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Advance and have compatibility with the Game Boy Advance Wireless Adapter, which originally came bundled with...
. Outside of the main titles, it appears in the Pokémon Pinball
Pokémon Pinball
is a pinball-based Pokémon spin-off video game for the Game Boy Color. It was released in Japan on April 14, 1999, and in North America on June 28, 1999. In it, the ball is a Poké Ball, and most of the objects on the table are Pokémon-related....
titles, 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, 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...
,PokéPark Wii: Pikachu's Adventure, Pokémon Snap
Pokémon Snap
is a first-person rail shooter and simulation video game developed by HAL Laboratory with Pax Softnica and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 video game console. It is part of the Pokémon series, and one of the first console games based on the Pokémon series...
, and Pokémon Channel
Pokémon Channel
Pokémon Channel, released in Japan as is a virtual pet video game for the GameCube, developed by Ambrella. Its focus is the adventures the player has with Pikachu, most of them involving a new television network...
. Vulpix is a starter/partner in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky.
In other media
During the first season of 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...
, Vulpix appears often as one of 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 Pokémon. It is given to him by a girl named Suzy who feels she cannot take care of it as well as Brock could. Brock later meets up with Suzy in Johto and returns it to her. In Magical Pokémon Journey
Magical Pokémon Journey
Magical Pokémon Journey, known in Japan as , is a shōjo manga series set in the fictional universe of the Pokémon franchise. The manga is by Yumi Tsukirino and serialized by Shogakukan in the manga magazine Ciao, and collected in ten bound volumes.The main character, Hazel , sets off to catch...
, Kiaraway, a Fire-type Pokémon Trainer, owns a female Vulpix. She is one of his most used Pokémon, first appearing with Cyndaquil. In 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:...
, Flannery owns a Vulpix that she used to battle Shelly's Ludicolo, but only succeeded in sealing its Nature Power attack before fainting. Years earlier, in the Yellow chapter, Bill also has a Vulpix, which is beaten easily by Green's Blastoise
Blastoise
Blastoise, known in Japan as , is a Pokémon species in Nintendo and Game Freak's Pokémon franchise. Created by Ken Sugimori, Blastoise first appeared in the video games Pokémon Red and Blue and subsequent sequels, later appearing in various merchandise, spinoff titles and animated and printed...
. In Pokémon Battle Frontier, the main character, Enta, has a powerful and loyal Vulpix.
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...
's Kristine, while playing Pokémon, was driven by her desire to own a Vulpix. 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...
described Vulpix as "one of the most adorable things you've ever seen", arguing that they felt the character was cuter than series icon Pikachu
Pikachu
is one of the species of Pokémon creatures from the Pokémon media franchise—a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards, and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. As do all Pokémon, Pikachu fight other Pokémon in battles central to the anime, manga, and games of the series...
. IGN wrote that it was deceptively "cute and harmless" but became more powerful when it evolved. They added however that it doesn't "show its worth" at lower levels. IGN's Pokémon Chick called Vulpix "second place" for her and cited examples such as being second to Rapidash as a Fire type Pokémon, second to Cubone as an unevolved Pokémon, and second to 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...
in terms of Pokémon owned by 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...
in the anime. However, she noted that this was not an insult and that she intended to raise it to level 100 because it is "too cute to pass up". Author Loredana Lipperini called it "totally kawaii", as well as "round and graceful". 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 called it "undeniably cute" but inferior to Growlithe in terms of Fire type moves; however, he noted that it had more variety in its moves. Authors Tracey West and Katherine Noll named Vulpix the fifth best Fire type Pokémon and wrote that Vulpix was "cute and cuddly" and "special". Author Maria S. Barbo wrote that Vulpix had a "cute exterior" which "hides inner strength".