Zorua is a Dark-type Pokémon we’ve recently almost got in Pokémon GO, but an unfortunate bug with Zorua’s CP forced Niantic to pull back on the global rollout of the Tricky Fox Pokémon.
Niantic has finally released Zorua worlwide, and we wanted to spend some time and dive into Zorua’s, and Zoroark’s, lore, inspiration and general story behind this Pokémon. We also dive into how to get Zorua and Zoroark, what CPs to expect, and how their moves look like.
Background and inspiration
Zorua and Zoroark take central stage in Pokémon Movie number 13, titled “Zoroark: Master of Illusions”. Check out Pokémon—Zoroark: Master of Illusions on iTunes, Amazon, and Google Play.
Background in Main Series Games
Zorua and Zoroark are Fox-like Pokémon, both known for Illusion, their main series games (MSG) ability. Illusion is quite handy in MSG:
When sent out into battle, it takes the name and appearance of the last non-fainted Pokémon within your party. It breaks when an attack does damage on the Pokémon but not from Weather Effects or Entry Hazards.
Aside from Illusion, their signature ability, both Pokémon can primarily learn Dark and Normal type moves, with Agility and Imprison (both Psychic) tossed in at higher levels.
Japanese folklore inspiration
Lore-wise, Zorua and Zoroark are believed to be based on Ninjas and Kitsune, both core tenant of the Japanese folklore.
In Japanese folklore, kitsune, are foxes that possess paranormal abilities that increase as they get older and wiser. According to yōkai folklore, all foxes have the ability to shapeshift into human form.
While some folktales speak of kitsune employing this ability to trick others—as foxes in folklore often do—other stories portray them as faithful guardians, friends, and lovers.
How to get Zorua in Pokémon GO
Zorua takes the appearance of your Buddy Pokémon and spawns on the overworld map just as any other Pokémon. Your buddy doesn’t have to be out in order for Zorua to appear. Some Trainers actually prefer that, as it avoids the confusion of having two Buddies out at the same time.
Tapping on your “fake Buddy” will start a regular catch encounter with the Pokémon, and you still won’t know that you’re catching Zorua. If you manage to catch it, you will be greeted with a Ditto-style “Oh!” screen, and Zorua will reveal itself.
There are a few tricks you can use to help you find Zorua with ease:
- Use a Shiny Pokémon as your Buddy Pokémon. Shiny Pokémon cannot appear normally on the overworld map, so seeing one should be a clear sign of Zorua appearing
- Use a large Shadow Pokémon as your Buddy. I personally prefer Shadow Aerodactyl, as it’s large, easy to tap, and quite contrasting with the Halloween map style.
Zorua evolves into Zoroark for 50 Candy.
Moves in Pokémon GO
Zorua
| Fast moves | Charged moves |
|---|---|
|
|
Zoroark
| Fast moves | Charged moves |
|---|---|
|
|
Zoroark’s move pool has a few surprises in Pokémon GO. Snarl could end up as the default go-to move for both PvP and PvE, but… Shadow Claw remains a mystery, as it is super effective versus same types as Snarl (Ghost and Psychic), and more simulation and hands-on experience is needed to understand how it will perform.
In the charged moves department, the inclusion of Sludge Bomb Poison can provide coverage against Fairy-types, which are notoriously dangerous in PvP. Flamethrower Fire is quite odd, as it’s not clear what PvP matchups or raids this would be a good option. We expect most players will go with Snarl / Foul Play / Sludge Bomb combination for most scenarios.
Combat Power charts
Here are the following Max Combat Power values for obtaining Zorua and Zorark. Wild Pokémon can be encountered at Levels 1 – 30 with no weather boost, and Levels 5 – 35 with weather boost. We are displaying Max CP for L30 and L35 Zorua, and L50 Zoroark.
| Method | Max CP | |
|---|---|---|
|
Zorua
|
Catch | 1007 CP |
| Catch during Fog | 1091 CP | |
|
Zoroark
|
Evolve from Zorua for 50 Candy and power-up | 2907 CP |
Zorua Combat Power chart (max CP at each level)
A complete Combat Power chart for Zorua is available below:
Zorua
| 1 | 16 | 2 | 52 | 3 | 87 | 4 | 123 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 158 | 6 | 194 | 7 | 229 | 8 | 265 |
| 9 | 300 | 10 | 336 | 11 | 369 | 12 | 403 |
| 13 | 436 | 14 | 470 | 15 | 503 | 16 | 537 |
| 17 | 571 | 18 | 604 | 19 | 638 | 20 | 671 |
| 21 | 705 | 22 | 739 | 23 | 772 | 24 | 806 |
| 25 | 839 | 26 | 873 | 27 | 907 | 28 | 940 |
| 29 | 974 | 30 | 1007 | 31 | 1024 | 32 | 1041 |
| 33 | 1058 | 34 | 1074 | 35 | 1091 | 36 | 1108 |
| 37 | 1125 | 38 | 1142 | 39 | 1158 | 40 | 1175 |
| 41 | 1190 | 42 | 1205 | 43 | 1220 | 44 | 1235 |
| 45 | 1251 | 46 | 1266 | 47 | 1282 | 48 | 1297 |
| 49 | 1313 | 50 | 1329 |
Initial rollout and problems
On Tuesday, 25th October, during the Shuppet Spotlight Hour, Trainers noticed strange behaviour from their Buddy Pokémon. During the first and last 5 minutes of the Spotlight Hour, Buddy Pokémon were appearing in large numbers on the in-game map.
Among the masses of Buddy Pokémon, an occasional Zorua appeared when clicked, and Trainers were given the opportunity to catch it. Trainers reported issues with Zorua’s CP, height and moves showing incorrectly, and Niantic shared the following update a bit later:
Trainers, we are aware of a bug where Zorua, a Pokémon with a planned surprise encounter during October 25th’s Shuppet Spotlight Hour, retains stats such as the height, CP, and attacks of the Pokémon it originally took on the form of.
The Zorua surprise that occurred in time zones including and prior to GMT+13 will not occur in time zones after while we fix this. Shuppet Spotlight Hour will still occur. Zorua already caught by Trainers will not be able to be Traded, sent to Pokémon HOME, or allowed in GO Battle League until this issue is resolved.
Please stay tuned for further details. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this has caused.
