Gumshoos #735: the trench-coat sleuth that tails Rattata

A sleuth in a trench coat, staked out on the trail of Rattata. Gumshoos ("Argouste" in French) is Alola's Stakeout Pokémon: 70 centimeters of brown fur whose tufts form an open raincoat, and the patience of a true detective that only gives out at sunset.

Contents

• Who is Gumshoos?
• Type and abilities
• Evolution: level 20, and only during the day
• Totem Gumshoos, the giant of Verdant Cavern
• Mongoose, honey badger and an old rumor
• Gumshoos at a glance
• Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Gumshoos?

Listed as #735 in the National Pokédex, Gumshoos is the seventh generation's "Stakeout Pokémon," fourteenth in the Alola Pokédex. It stands 0.7 meters tall and weighs 14.2 kilos and completes the line started by Yungoos.

It walks on all fours but can rise up on its hind legs, front paws folded behind its back like a human. Its yellow belly and the tufts of fur on its shoulders, hips and the base of its tail create the illusion of an open trench coat.

Its way of hunting is a stakeout: it posts itself along its prey's route and waits without moving until sunset. Once night falls, it loses all its strength and falls asleep on the spot — quite a handicap, since the Rattata it loves to hunt are nocturnal.

Type and abilities

Gumshoos is a pure Normal type. It has just one weakness, Fighting, which deals double damage, and just one immunity, but a total one: Ghost can't touch it.

On the other hand, it resists no types at all : the remaining sixteen deal normal damage to it, without the slightest reduction. It's an attacker's profile, as confirmed by its 110 base Attack out of a total of 418.

Its abilities are the same as Yungoos's, with a delightful coincidence: the main one is called Stakeout, just like its Pokédex category, and doubles the damage dealt to a target that has just entered the field. Next comes Strong Jaw, which powers up its biting moves, with Adaptability as its hidden ability.

Evolution: level 20, and only during the day

Gumshoos is the evolution of Yungoos, reached at level 20 and only during the day. Train it at night and Yungoos stays Yungoos no matter its level: that's the classic trap with this line.

No stone, no held item, no trade: leveling up at the right time of day is all it takes, and the line ends there. Its size goes from 0.4 to 0.7 meters, and its base stat total from 253 to 418 points.

In the wild, you'll run into it further along in the archipelago: in the Akala Outskirts around level 20, on Routes 10, 11, 15, 16 and 17, in Tapu Village, and all the way to the Poni Plains above level 54.

It does not, however, have a Mega Evolution, a regional form or a Gigantamax form. The seventh generation did eventually get five Mega Evolutions with Pokémon Legends: Z-A, four of them in the Mega Dimension expansion, but Gumshoos isn't one of them.

🎁 Want to treat an Island Challenge fan? Alola's sleuth and its friends are waiting for you in our Pokémon gift ideas.

Totem Gumshoos, the giant of Verdant Cavern

Alola replaces Gyms with the Island Challenge and its trials, and each one ends in a showdown with a Totem Pokémon : a one-of-a-kind specimen, far more imposing than others of its species, that you have to defeat to complete the trial.

Gumshoos is the one from the very first trial, in Verdant Cavern on Melemele Island, run by Captain Ilima. It waits there at level 12, holds a Pecha Berry and calls Yungoos for backup. Moon and Ultra Moon swap it out for an Alolan Raticate.

What Totem status changes, first and foremost, is its size, not its stats. Totem Gumshoos stands 1.4 meters tall and weighs 60 kilos, twice the height and more than four times the weight, but its base stats and abilities don't budge by a single point.

The real difference plays out in battle: a special aura raises its Defense by one stage, and you can neither catch it — Poké Balls are forbidden — nor flee from it. Much later, the game reveals that these traits come from its exposure to Ultra Space.

Defeating it earns you the Normalium Z, the Normal-type Z-Crystal. And in Ultra Sun, collecting twenty Totem Stickers gets you one as a gift, at level 20.

Mongoose, honey badger and an old rumor

Its design blends two animals and a profession: Poképédia cites the Javan mongoose and the ratel, the honey badger famous for being nearly indestructible, along with the visual codes of the private detective.

The name drives the point home: Gumshoos comes from "gumshoe," slang for a detective, and "mongoose," while its French name, "Argouste," is said to blend "argousin," an old, derogatory slang term for a police officer, with the end of "mangouste" (mongoose). The German name goes all the way and slips in the word Inspektor.

That leaves the most persistent rumor of the seventh generation: its hairdo supposedly makes it a caricature of Donald Trump. Junichi Masuda denied it, since its design had started well before the election, and director Shigeru Ohmori added that Pokémon designs never follow current events.

On screen, it made history: in the ninth episode of the Sun & Moon series, Totem Gumshoos knocks out the Rowlet belonging to Ash Ketchum before falling to Pikachu, then hands the Trainer his first Z-Crystal won in a trial, since the Electrium Z he had received from Tapu Koko shattered back in SM002. That's enough to earn it a place among the Pokémon figures and the collectible plushies.

Gumshoos at a glance

Frequently Asked Questions

• How do you get Gumshoos?
  By evolving Yungoos from level 20 onward, and only during the day: at night, the evolution doesn't trigger. You can also catch it in the wild in Alola, in the Akala Outskirts around level 20, on Routes 10, 11, 15, 16 and 17, in Tapu Village or on the Poni Plains.
• What is a Totem Pokémon?
  Known as "Pokémon Dominant" in the French games, it's a mechanic unique to Alola. A Totem Pokémon is a one-of-a-kind specimen, more imposing than others of its species, that appears at the end of each trial of the Island Challenge and must be defeated to complete the trial. You can neither catch it, since the captain forbids Poké Balls, nor flee from it. Gumshoos is the one from the first trial, in Verdant Cavern on Melemele Island, in Pokémon Sun and Ultra Sun.
• Does Gumshoos's Totem form change its stats?
  No. What changes is its size and weight: 1.4 meters and 60 kilos, versus 0.7 meters and 14.2 kilos for a regular Gumshoos. Its base stats and its three abilities stay exactly the same. What makes it tough in battle is something else: an aura that raises its Defense by one stage, a held item, a Pecha Berry, and Yungoos it can call for backup at any time.
• What are Gumshoos's weaknesses?
  As a pure Normal type, it fears only one type, Fighting, which deals double damage, and it's completely immune to the Ghost type. Don't get it wrong, though: it doesn't resist any type, with the other sixteen dealing normal damage.
• Does Gumshoos have a Mega Evolution?
  No, and it has no regional form or Gigantamax form either. Its only alternate form is its Totem Pokémon form. The seventh generation did get five Mega Evolutions — those of Crabominable, Golisopod, Drampa, Magearna and Zeraora, four of them in the Mega Dimension expansion of Pokémon Legends: Z-A and Drampa's in the base game — but neither Gumshoos nor Yungoos is among them.
• Is Gumshoos based on Donald Trump?
  No, despite a widespread belief among fans. Junichi Masuda, producer of Pokémon Sun and Moon, explained that the Pokémon's design had started well before the US election and that there was never any question of making it look like the president, while admitting he understood the confusion because of their similar hairstyles. Director Shigeru Ohmori confirmed that Pokémon designs are never based on current world events. Its real inspirations are the Javan mongoose, the honey badger and the figure of the detective.

In short

Patient, tenacious and unable to stay awake after sunset, Gumshoos is Alola's first big hurdle. In its giant Totem Pokémon form, it remains one of the most memorable moments of the Island Challenge.