Bouffalant #626: the bison with an afro that charges head-on

An afro and a headbutt that could derail a train. Bouffalant (called "Frison" in French) is the fifth generation's Bash Buffalo Pokémon, a pure Normal-type bison that lives in herds in the grasslands of Unova. Its mane isn't just a hairdresser's whim: the Pokédex states in black and white that it absorbs impacts and lets it deliver even the most violent charges without flinching.

Contents

• Who is Bouffalant?
• Pure Normal type and Abilities: a single weakness
• Evolution: Bouffalant stands alone
• Head Charge, its signature move
• Bouffalant in Unova, in the anime and in Pokémon GO
• Bouffalant at a glance
• Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Bouffalant?

Listed as #626 in the National Pokédex, Bouffalant arrived with Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version. It holds the 132nd spot in the Unova Pokédex, then the 269th in the expanded Pokédex of Pokémon Black 2 and White 2.

The inspiration is obvious: it's a brown bison standing 1.6 m tall and weighing 94.6 kg, whose two broad horns point out to the sides, each circled by two golden rings. But the whole character comes down to its mane, a full-blown afro that swallows up its head and shoulders.

Its official category doesn't mince words: Bouffalant is the Bash Buffalo Pokémon. Its French name, Frison, blends "frisé" (curly) and "bison"; the English name Bouffalant crosses bouffant, a very voluminous hairstyle, with buffalo ; the German name, Bisofank, looks toward funk.

The Pokémon Sword Pokédex explains that the more voluminous its mane, the higher its rank within the herd. Pokémon Shield adds a troubling rule: Bouffalant live in groups of about twenty, and any that betrays its own loses its mane, though no one knows why.

Its Shiny version simply darkens its coat without touching the hairdo. It's that shaggy bison silhouette that gives it all its charm, and makes it so tempting to recreate as Pokémon plushies.

Pure Normal type and Abilities: a single weakness

Bouffalant is a pure Normal type, which makes the math much simpler: a single weakness, Fighting, no resistances, and complete immunity to Ghost. Nothing else catches it off guard.

Its stats paint the picture of a sturdy bruiser. 110 Attack, and above all 95 HP, 95 Defense and 95 Special Defense: a rarely seen evenness in bulk. On the flip side, 40 Special Attack and 55 Speed, for a base stat total of 490.

Its two regular Abilities are Reckless, which boosts the power of moves that cause recoil, and Sap Sipper, which nullifies incoming Grass-type attacks and gives it an extra stage of Attack in the process.

Its hidden ability is Soundproof, which makes it immune to all sound-based moves. Those three are the species' only Abilities: Bouffalant has no protection against the recoil from its own attacks, a detail that matters a lot given what it can do.

Evolution: Bouffalant stands alone

Bouffalant does not evolve and does not evolve from any Pokémon. Its evolution chain has just one slot: no level to reach, no stone to use on it and no pre-evolution to hunt for in tall grass.

When it was revealed, though, many players thought they were looking at Tauros's evolution. The resemblance ends there: the two bovines have no direct connection, and nothing, neither an item nor a trade, turns one into the other.

There's no Mega Evolution, Gigantamax form or regional form of Bouffalant either. You can indeed find it in Pokémon Sword and Shield, on the Isle of Armor and in Max Raid Battles in the Crown Tundra, but these are perfectly ordinary Bouffalant : no Galarian variant has ever seen the light of day.

The question comes up again with every new wave of Mega Evolutions, and Pokémon Legends: Z-A brought a long series of them. Bouffalant isn't among them, for a simple reason: the species is absent from the game, just as it is from Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

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Head Charge, its signature move

Bouffalant is the only Pokémon that can learn Head Charge. This physical Normal-type move has 120 power with 100 accuracy and 15 PP: it lowers its neck and slams its whole mane into the opponent.

The game describes it bluntly: a blow delivered with a head "crowned with a proud mane," which also slightly hurts the user. The recoil costs only a quarter of the damage dealt, whereas other 120-power moves, such as Double-Edge, cost a third.

Its Japanese name, アフロブレイク, reads Afro Break : it doesn't get more explicit than that. Combined with its Ability Reckless, which specifically boosts recoil moves, it has made this bison a fearsome battering ram since the fifth generation.

Bouffalant in Unova, in the anime and in Pokémon GO

In Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version, Bouffalant grazes on Route 10, the last route before Victory Road and the League. And you'll run into it again right on the other side: Alder, the Unova League Champion, fields a level 75 Bouffalant armed with Head Charge.

The anime gave it an entire episode, known in France as "Sur le territoire des Frison !", which aired there in September 2012. In it, a herd charges every Trainer who sets foot on its territory, until Nurse Joy comes up with the answer: put on an afro wig, and the Bouffalant stop attacking.

Pokémon GO takes the geographic logic all the way: there, Bouffalant is a regional exclusive, reserved for Trainers in the New York area — the very metropolis that inspired Unova. A rarity that has only boosted its popularity, in Pokémon figures as everywhere else.

Bouffalant at a glance

Frequently Asked Questions

• Does Bouffalant evolve?
  No. Bouffalant does not evolve and does not evolve from any Pokémon: it makes up its entire line on its own. The one you catch is already its final form, with no level to reach and no item to use.
• Is Bouffalant Tauros's evolution?
  No, even though many people thought so when it was revealed. The two bovines have no direct connection: Bouffalant has no pre-evolution, and no Pokémon evolves into Bouffalant.
• What are Bouffalant's Abilities?
  Its two regular Abilities are Reckless, which boosts the power of moves that cause recoil, and Sap Sipper, which nullifies incoming Grass-type attacks and raises its Attack. Its Hidden Ability is Soundproof, which protects it from all sound-based moves.
• Is there a Mega Evolution, a Gigantamax form or a Galarian form of Bouffalant?
  No, none of the three. Bouffalant has only one official appearance, apart from its Shiny form, in which its coat is darker. You can indeed encounter it in the Galar region, on the Isle of Armor and in Max Raid Battles in the Crown Tundra, but these are ordinary Bouffalant, not a regional form. It is also absent from Pokémon Legends: Z-A, even though that game introduced many new Mega Evolutions.
• What is Bouffalant's afro for?
  It works as a shock absorber. According to the Pokédex, its thick fur absorbs impacts and lets it deliver even the most violent headbutt without flinching; it also keeps it from getting hurt when a fight breaks out within its herd. Its size has a social function too: the bigger the mane, the higher its owner's rank in the group.
• What is the move Head Charge?
  It's Bouffalant's signature move, and Bouffalant is the only species that can learn it. A physical Normal-type move, it has 120 power, 100 accuracy and 15 PP. It deals recoil damage to the user, but only a quarter of the damage dealt instead of the usual third for an attack this powerful. Its Japanese name literally means Afro Break.

In short

No evolution, no alternate form and no rival in the hair department: Bouffalant comes down entirely to a mane and a headbutt. A bison's build, a shock-absorbing fleece : that's all it took.