Muk

For other uses, see Muk (disambiguation).

Muk
File:Muk.png National Pokédex Grimer - Muk (#089) - Shellder Johto Pokédex Grimer - Muk (#177) - Magnemite Hoenn Pokédex Grimer - Muk (#107) - Koffing
Japanese name	Betbeton
Evolves from	Grimer
Evolves into	None
Generation	First
Species	Sludge Pokémon
Type	Poison
Height	3 ft 11 in (1.2 m)
Weight	66.0 pounds (29.9 kg)
Ability	Stench / Sticky Hold

Muk (ベトベトン, Betobeton, Betbeton in original Japanese language versions) is one of Template:Pokenum fictional species from the Pokémon franchise. "Muk" is a derivation of the word "muck", meaning dirt or slime, as per its body structure and appearance. Its Japanese name is a play on べとべと betobeto, the word for "sticky".

Biology

Muk is a living manifestation of sludge and waste. Muk thrives in toxic waste and garbage. It inhabits any polluted area; including abandoned factories, garbage dumps and sewers. It is said that its smell is comparable to that of reeking kitchen garbage, especially during hot summers.

Muk itself is also a source of pollution. As Muk slides across the ground, it leaves behind a trail of highly poisonous sludge. Muk and Grimer are known for traveling into water and polluting it and killing plants with their sludge. Muk could be considered antagonistic of Suicune, a Pokémon with the ability to purify dirty or polluted water. It can also be considered antagonistic of Celebi, which can bring dead plants back to life.

Muk's thick, sticky sludge can be used to trap foes in battle. Muk can Body Slam the foe, entangling them in its sludgy belly. It can appear suddenly, ensuing panic. It's characteristic resembles like a slime or a blob.

In the video games

In Pokémon Red and Blue and Fire Red and Leaf Green, Muk is available for capture in Cinnabar Island's Pokémon Mansion. In Ruby and Sapphire Muk can be obtained by having a Grimer reach level 38.

In addition to the Pokémon-repelling Stench ability, Muk can possess the Sticky Hold ability, which keeps foes from stealing Muk's held-item with attacks like Trick or Thief.

To find Muk in Pokémon Snap, the player has to throw pester balls at a Grimer until it evolves.

In the anime

Ash and friends encounter a horde of Grimer in an abandoned power plant. As Pikachu is suffering from a nasty electrical cold, Pikachu's electrical attacks are useless against the Grimer. When a Muk appears, all seems hopeless until a group of friendly Magnemites and Magnetons arrive to help. They all shock the Grimer into submission. Ash seizes the opportunity to capture the Muk leader.

When Ash first caught Muk, its smell was able to escape the PokeBall, much to everyone's displeasure. For this reason, Muk was given to Professor Oak. Strangely, however, in all of Ash's future use of Muk, the smell does not bother anyone.

A running gag in the series involves Muk and his overly affectionate personality. He constantly expressing gratitude towards Professor Oak by hugging him, and in the process smothering him with its gooey body, he also started to do this with Professor Birch (however, it is this same technique that helps Ash later beat an Indigo League trainer with an almost undefeatable Bellsprout.) Also smothers Ash and friends after returning to Pallet Town and after battle victories where Muk is used.

In other properties

In the card game

Muk makes the following appearances in the Pokémon Trading Card Game:

• Fossil
• Team Rocket (as Dark Muk)
• Gym Challenge (as Koga's Muk)
• Aquapolis
• EX Team Rocket Returns (as Dark Muk; as a Dark/Grass dual-type)
• EX Legend Maker

Muk's first appearance in the Fossil set featured a useful Pokémon Power that caused the Pokémon Powers of all other Pokémon in play to stop working.

References

• The following games and their instruction manuals: Pokémon Red, Green, and Blue; Pokémon Yellow; Pokémon Stadium and Pokémon Stadium 2; Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Crystal; Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald; Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen; Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness

Publications

• Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., 1998. ASIN B000CQP8FE
• Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Player’s Guide Special Edition for Yellow, Red and Blue. Nintendo of America Inc., 1999. ASIN B000CQT878
• Barbo, Maria. The Official Pokémon Handbook. Scholastic Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-439-15404-9.
• Loe, Casey, ed. Pokémon Special Pikachu Edition Official Perfect Guide. Sunnydale, CA: Empire 21 Publishing, 1999. ISBN 1-930206-15-1.
• Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Snap Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., 1999. ASIN B000CDZP9G
• Nintendo Power. Super Smash Bros. Melee Official Nintendo Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., 2001. ISBN 1930206194
• Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Ruby Version & Sapphire Version Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., 2003. ISBN 1930206313
• Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Colosseum Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., March 2004. ISBN 193020647X
• Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon FireRed & Pokémon LeafGreen Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., August 2004. ISBN 1-930206-50-X
• Mylonas, Eric. Pokémon Pokédex Collector’s Edition: Prima’s Official Pokémon Guide. Prima Games, September 21 2004. ISBN 0-7615-4761-4
• Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon Emerald Version Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., April 2005. ISBN 1-930206-58-5
• Chiba, Akira et al. The Official Pokémon Emerald Version Strategy Guide. Pokémon USA, Inc., 2005. ISBN 3937336060
• Nintendo Power. Official Nintendo Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness Player’s Guide. Nintendo of America Inc., September 22 2005. ISBN 1598120026

Manga volumes

• Ono, Toshihiro. Pokémon: The Electric Tale of Pikachu! Graphic Novel. VIZ Media LLC, September 9 1999. ISBN 1569313784
• Ono, Toshihiro. Pokémon: Pikachu Shocks Back Graphic Novel. VIZ Media LLC, December 6 1999. ISBN 156931411X
• Ono, Toshihiro. Pokémon: Electric Pikachu Boogaloo Graphic Novel. VIZ Media LLC, April 5 2000. ISBN 1569314365
• Ono, Toshihiro. Pokémon: Surf’s Up, Pikachu Graphic Novel. VIZ Media LLC, June 2000. ISBN 1569314942
• Kusaka, Hidenori, & Mato. Pokémon Adventures, Volume 1: Desperado Pikachu. VIZ Media LLC, July 6 2000. ISBN 1569315078
• Kusaka, Hidenori, & Mato. Pokémon Adventures, Volume 2: Legendary Pokémon. VIZ Media LLC, December 6 2000. ISBN 1569315086
• Kusaka, Hidenori, & Mato. Pokémon Adventures, Volume 3: Saffron City Siege. VIZ Media LLC, August 5 2001. ISBN 1569315604
• Kusaka, Hidenori, & Mato. Pokémon Adventures, Volume 4: The Yellow Caballero: A Trainer in Yellow. VIZ Media LLC, January 9 2002. ISBN 1569317100
• Kusaka, Hidenori, & Mato. Pokémon Adventures, Volume 5: The Yellow Caballero: Making Waves. VIZ Media LLC, April 2002. ISBN 1591160278
• Kusaka, Hidenori, & Mato. Pokémon Adventures, Volume 6: The Yellow Caballero: The Cave Campaign. VIZ Media LLC, September 5 2002. ISBN 1591160286
• Kusaka, Hidenori, & Mato. Pokémon Adventures, Volume 7: The Yellow Caballero: The Pokémon Elite. VIZ Media LLC, January 2003. ISBN 1569318514

External links

• Official Pokémon website
• Bulbapedia (a Pokémon-centric Wiki)’s article about Muk as a species
• Template:Serebiidex
• Pokémon Dungeon Pokédex entry, full of statistics analysis
• PsyPoke - Muk Pokédex entry and Usage Overview