POTW Pokémon of the Week #67: Zubat, Golbat, and Crobat

SirOni · Nov 4, 2017

In the World of Pokémon, there lives a vast number and variety of amazing creatures to befriend and collect. Every week, we will be focusing on a single one of these Pokémon or evolutionary line and talking about what makes it special. This week's Pokémon of choice is the Crobat line!

Zubat, Golbat, and Crobat are Poison/Flying-type Pokémon that are instantly familiar to any and all who have ever played a Pokémon game. Found in literally every game in the series, and with a unique type combo to boot, these Pokémon have a reputation for being nuisances to both players and non-player characters alike. Zubat and Golbat are well-known bloodsuckers that often flock in colonies. Signs are posted in caves warning travelers to be aware of any of these bat Pokémon flying too close. Golbat especially love to gorge on the blood of their incapacitated prey even to the point of no longer being able to take off the ground. Zubat have no eyes or nose so they emit ultrasonic waves to navigate safely and swiftly through the night. As mentioned earlier these Pokémon are found in every game and every region making them a very common sight in caves, old buildings, and other dark places. It’s pretty much a guarantee that one of these Pokémon will be encountered with any time spent in a cave. Their sheer abundance can make dungeon travel a test of endurance for many with some people eager to describe the experience as a dense sea of poison and confusion. For players this is due to the annoyance factor of their inherent traits as Poison-types that use sound waves during flight and reputation as a sinister species. Put simply that means moves like Supersonic, Mean Look, flinching moves, and attacks that inflict Poison.

When a Golbat has grown happy with its trainer it can evolve into Crobat. Evolving into Crobat these Pokémon’s feet are said to transform into a second pair of wings though sprites and artwork do reveal a small pair of feet. They can fly for days on end by alternating between each pair of wings. Crobat are well regarded among players compared to Zubat and Golbat for being very fast Pokémon with a lot of utility. Not only can they utilize the same tactics the previous forms are known for but Crobat have access to expert moves like Brave Bird, Nasty Plot, and Defog that they can put to great use. Saying they're very fast is quite an understatement as Crobat are one of the fastest of all non-Legendary Pokémon just behind speedsters like Accelgor, Electrode, and Ninjask. Yet even being so astonishingly fast Crobat are well-known for being incredibly silent during flight effortlessly snatching prey before they even know what hit them.

This family of Pokémon also have the sole distinction of being utilized by every single villain team in the series. Zubat and Golbat are a common sight among the rosters of grunts while Crobat are reserved for the heads of a team. This likely contributes to the reputation as a nuisance these Pokémon have boosting their number encounters players have with them and also heightening the dastardly image of the villain team for using such annoying Pokémon. The fact that many of the villain team leaders use Crobat has lead to speculation about how they actually treat their Pokémon and in return what their Pokémon think about them. With kindness and friendship trainers can turn pesky Zubat into long-time Crobat allies. Perhaps this is a way of saying that even bad people can have some good in them?

Here are some questions to consider to get conversation rolling. You don't have to answer all of them or any of them in your post as long as you're staying on topic and within global forum rules.
-Do you like or dislike this Pokémon? Why?
-How is this Pokémon in-game?
-How is this Pokémon in competitive play? Are there any interesting strategies you like to use for them?
-Do you like this Pokémon's representation in the anime? Are there any moments or qualities in particular you enjoy/dislike?
-How do you think this Pokémon would interact with our world?
-If given the power to, would you change anything about this Pokémon and if so, what would you change?
-Would you like to see their unique type combination used on another Pokémon? How well do you think this type combo fits this Pokémon?
-How do you think this Pokémon compares to others with its types?
-To Repel, or not to Repel?
If you have any suggestions for Pokémon you'd like to discuss in the future just leave your ideas at the bottom of your post. Make sure you give your thoughts about the current Pokémon first!

Previous Pokémon of the Week:

ocelotlrama jaguar · Nov 5, 2017

I have a love/hate relationship with this line. I love them for their useful Speed EVs and Crobat is not too bad to use in battle, but I hate how common they pop up (Zubat in particular), they have the most annoying moves that cause confusion or poisoning, and they're so fast that escaping is almost impossible if my team is around the same level as these guys. They can be great but they can be horrible, too.

In-game, they're not bad. Crobat's Attack is adequate and his high Speed can be useful. In competitive play, he's not too useful. His adequate Attack just isn't great for a competitive environment. He could be a great Pokemon to scout out in Singles, but Doubles... not so much. He's also a bit too frail for my liking. There are better Poison-type Pokemon to use in competitions.

I remember Brock's Zubat and it didn't leave any impression on me. It was just there. I hardly remember Golbat and Crobat.

Zubat would probably just as common in the real world as they are in the Pokemon world. They'd probably be just as annoying, too. Golbat and Crobat would be far more deadly and people would be wise to stay away due to their favorite food being blood. They're also not small. Imagine a 5'11" Pokemon trying to suck your blood. *shiver*

If I could change anything, I'd probably beef up Crobat a bit. Give it a higher Attack power so it can make better use of its moves that just don't rely on causing status conditions.

The combo is nice. A Poison/Flying-type isn't weak to Ground-type moves so that's a plus. They're weak to a few common moves, but it's not too terrible. I like the combination and would love to see more Pokemon with these types.

Repel when playing in-game! Always have them handy. They're a nightmare to deal with in a playthrough. If you are EV training, hold off on the Repels.

Nicolas721 · Nov 6, 2017

I don't like Zubat. Not only because its high appareance rate but also because it's rather boring. Golbat is decent, but I don't understand where it's big mouth comes from. Crobat is Ok, he looks quite cool with its four wings. A decent faimly anyway, but not worthy of the title of appearing in every dex.

Poison/flying fits a bat very well, but I'd like seeing a dark-type bat someday.

DoctorWhy · Nov 11, 2017

I'm a really big fan of Crobat. Crobat is one of my favorite Pokemon overall, I'd say top 20 for sure. I like Crobat's design a lot, it's pretty cool. It's also speedy and has decent attacking power. I wish Crobat would get a Mega Evolution, would be even cooler. I also really like the fact that it's a friendship evolution - my personal favorite method. Zubat and Golbat I don't particularly care for - I only like them because of Crobat tbh.

Enzap · Nov 12, 2017

I've always liked this line and I've trained them a couple times. They work pretty well in-game, especially after they finally got Fly in Gen IV. While they have their use in competitive play, I think Crobat would benefit a lot from having a Mega Evolution. It's not a necessity but just imagine Crobat's toolkit with even higher speed, a sizable attack boost, and perhaps a nice ability to help it out (though Infiltrator isn't bad as is).

Zexy · Nov 13, 2017

I'd swear I wrote a post about this but apparently it didn't send, wow:

-Do you like or dislike this Pokémon? Why?
Like and dislike, probably more leaning towards like though. They're very cool all around... except being annoying to encounter in caves all the time

-How is this Pokémon in-game?
In earlier games it's not that good... B2W2 is where it's the best, I really enjoyed using it there. It also was nice to catch Golbat towards the end of Hoenn in Victory Road after solo-running most of the game with Swampert and using it in the Elite Four alongside other Victory Road easy-to-get Pokemon such as Aggron, Exploud, Hariyama...
-How is this Pokémon in competitive play? Are there any interesting strategies you like to use for them?
Haven't ever tried it in competitive.
-Do you like this Pokémon's representation in the anime? Are there any moments or qualities in particular you enjoy/dislike?
I liked Brock's Crobat a lot, but wish it'd evolve sooner and have some more showtime.
-How do you think this Pokémon would interact with our world?
People would consider it annoying...
-If given the power to, would you change anything about this Pokémon and if so, what would you change?
Poison/Dark typing with Levitate; I believe it fits it fine and it gives it no weaknesses, Crobat would be much better than Drapion that way.
-Would you like to see their unique type combination used on another Pokémon? How well do you think this type combo fits this Pokémon?
I almost forgot that their type combination is unique... I wish they'd be Poison/Dark so I'd rather get some other Pokemon that gets Poison/Flying too.
-How do you think this Pokémon compares to others with its types?
It's hard to compare it to Flying-types because almost all of them have a second type so that's what really matters when trying to compare them.
I think Crobat is better than your average fully evolved Poison-type, though

-To Repel, or not to Repel?
REPEL (except those few cases I mentioned above)

MegaPod · Nov 13, 2017

I have fond memories of raising a Crobat out of a little Zubat I caught from the Oreburgh Mine. Crobat is both one of my favorite Poison types and Flying types. It's got a really cool design and I recall using it a lot playing through Diamond.

Camille · Nov 18, 2017

Zubat and Golbat are really annoying in caves, but I rarely use Repels unless I'm in a hurry. They are quite good for EV training in Speed, if nothing else. Crobat, on the other hand, is great, and I like it, unlike Swoobat. I love its sky-high Speed and decent, albeit not amazing, Attack. I find it interesting that Cyrus, Maxie and Archie all have Crobat on their teams, showing they do care for their Pokemon. Silver's Golbat evolving in G/S/C and their remakes was a nice touch, too.

Zeb · May 9, 2018

An iconic Pokemon just because of how common and annoying it was. It only gets worse once it evolves into Golbat, because Golbat is really quite fast and can stop a lot of Pokemon running away and then spams confusion moves. The line's notoriety definitely is deserving. I wouldn't mind seeing them take a backseat in another generation, like it did in BW, if it means we get another bat Pokemon. We've had Poison, Psychic and Dragon so far (and I guess Gligar/Gliscor have a few bat-like traits, so you can maybe count Ground), Dark would be fitting for another bat, but they could also do something like Grass/Flying with "fruit" bats, leaf-nosed bats, or bat flowers. Just get creative, the Zubat line is famous, but it doesn't mean we need it in every game.

In terms of design I think they're all rather average, though I do like how Zubat has no eyes. Golbat is the goofy stage, then evolving into the more refined Crobat. I used a Crobat recently in the VC Gen 2 games and once you get Zubat high enough that it learns something that isn't Leech Life, the line is really good and easy to use. I had to teach it the Sludge Bomb TM though, since they didn't learn any Poison STAB through level, which is one reason the older games can be annoying to go back and replay. I haven't used the line in the most recent generations though, I think Gen 4 (when I found a shiny Zubat in that cave just north of Jubilife City) was the most recent generation.

It is interesting that this is the only Poison/Flying line we've had. I hope they aren't trying to keep it unique just because of how "popular" it is (I worry the same with Gengar line's Ghost/Poison combination). I'd really like to see another Poison/Flying line in the future, it's a good type combination with lots of uses.

RTLfan · May 12, 2018

I love Zubat's simple and aerodynamic design and he's one of my top favorite Pokemon and I'm really tired of people giving it c**p because you run into it so often....

Incinerawr · May 13, 2018

SirOni said:
Do you like or dislike this Pokémon? Why?

I do like the aesthetic behind it that it takes genuine friendship to evolve it, and characters like Silver and Cyrus own them--meaning they must, in some way, bond with their Pokemon.

SirOni said:
How is this Pokémon in-game?

I'm going to have to be the unpopular one and say I can't stand its repetitiveness in wild encounters. Same with Geodude and possibly Magikarp, they make for some of the most annoying, and in the case of S/M, their naturally high speed stat makes it harder for slow mons to escape. (Zubat, that is. Not Geodude.) I usually throw on Repels for this very reason.

SirOni said:
How is this Pokémon in competitive play? Are there any interesting strategies you like to use for them?

Didn't see too many of them either time I was involved in Competitive, so I dunno.

SirOni said:
Do you like this Pokémon's representation in the anime? Are there any moments or qualities in particular you enjoy/dislike?

Don't watch the anime, so N/A.

SirOni said:
How do you think this Pokémon would interact with our world?

Likely it would divert to caves and other dark places, but its final evolution's size would put it on a level beyond normal bats. I don't know if Crobat are blind or not, but if not, that would certainly stand out.

SirOni said:
If given the power to, would you change anything about this Pokémon and if so, what would you change?

Hmm... I'm not sure what there would be to change. It's such an old mon that any changes would be weird. Maybe expand its moveset a bit to give it more of a niche?

SirOni said:
Would you like to see their unique type combination used on another Pokémon? How well do you think this type combo fits this Pokémon?

I'd like to see it on Aerodactyl, since the two share the same base Speed. That would also reduce its 4x weaknesses, so doubly intriguing.

SirOni said:
How do you think this Pokémon compares to others with its types?

One of the fastest Poison types around, if not THE fastest, so pretty good.

SirOni said:
To Repel, or not to Repel?

Repel away.

POTW Pokémon of the Week #67: Zubat, Golbat, and Crobat

More options

SirOni

Driving You Batty

ocelotlrama jaguar

Fluffy with 80% more spots!

Nicolas721

Well-Known Member

DoctorWhy

Long Lost Member

Enzap

No thoughts, head empty

Zexy

Quaxly Boy

MegaPod

Ancient Arrow Avian

Camille

Call of Fate

Zeb

what is your spaghetti policy here?

RTLfan

Well-Known Member

Incinerawr

I'm back for you, Star Fox.

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