Oranguru #765: the old sage who gives the forest its orders

An old sage perched in the canopy, fan in hand. Oranguru (Gouroutan in French) is the Sage Pokémon of the seventh generation, a 1.5 m, 76 kg simian that meditates in the treetops, tends to the wounded and gives orders to the Pokémon of the forest.

Contents

• Who is Oranguru?
• Type and abilities
• Instruct, the move only it knows
• Oranguru and Passimian: one sage per version
• No evolution, no Mega Evolution
• Oranguru at a Glance
• Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Oranguru?

Listed as #765 in the National Pokédex, Oranguru is the "Sage Pokémon" of the seventh generation, the generation of Pokémon Sun and Moon. It holds the 176th spot in the Alola Pokédex, 215th in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, then 342nd in Galar and 313th in Paldea.

Under a thick white coat, its gray body leaves only its hands, feet and face bare; the hair on its chin gives the illusion of a beard. A cape of purple fur fringed with orange and blue hangs down its back, and a yellow star marks its forehead.

It never lets go of its fan of green leaves, woven together with its own fur. With a wave of this fan, says the Pokédex in Pokémon Sword, it manipulates other Pokémon and forces them to do its bidding.

Its name blends guru and orangutan, an ape whose name means "person of the forest"; Poképédia adds the satori, an ape-like yōkai that reads minds. The elders of Alola believed it was human and called it the "forest people": the perfect subject for a Pokémon plush full ofquiet authority.

Type and abilities

Oranguru's types are Normal and Psychic. Only two types deal double damage to it, Bug and Dark, and Normal's weakness to Fighting is exactly canceled out by Psychic's resistance: Fighting deals it neutral damage.

Better still, the Normal type's immunity to Ghost overrides the Psychic type's vulnerability, so Ghost-type attacks do absolutely nothing to it. The tally fits on one line: two weaknesses, a single resistance — it takes half damage from Psychic attacks — and an immunity to Ghost.

Its stats match this defensive profile: 90 HP, 60 Attack, 80 Defense, 90 Special Attack, 110 Special Defense — its best stat, and also the one it yields as effort points — and 60 Speed, for 490 points in total.

As for Abilities, nothing exclusive: it hasInner Focus, which keeps it from flinching, or Telepathy, which lets it dodge its allies' attacks in Double and Multi Battles. Its hidden Ability is Symbiosis : when an ally uses up its item, Oranguru hands over its own as a replacement.

Instruct, the move only it knows

Oranguru is the only Pokémon in the series that can learn Instruct, a Psychic-type status move introduced in the seventh generation. It learns it at level 32 in Sun and Moon, and at level 50 since Sword and Shield.

Its effect is devastatingly simple: it forces the target to immediately use the last move it used again. This repeat is separate from the target's normal action for the turn, so the target can act twice, with PP deducted as usual.

But note what it doesn't do: Instruct doesn't affect the field and doesn't swap anything's position. With no power or accuracy, 15 PP and zero priority, it targets an adjacent Pokémon and fails in many cases : Z-Moves, two-turn moves, recharge turns, Dynamaxed targets.

✨ Looking to spoil a fan of Alola's Pokémon? The great sage of the forest and its neighbors are waiting for you in our Pokémon gift ideas.

Oranguru and Passimian: one sage per version

Oranguru has a counterpart, and only one: Passimian, #766, the "Teamwork Pokémon", a pure Fighting-type primate. The two species have exactly the same base stat total, 490 points, distributed in opposite ways.

Each one belongs to its own version, and it's Oranguru that goes to Pokémon Moon, in Lush Jungle, while Passimian takes Pokémon Sun. The split then repeats: Ultra Moon, Shield and Scarlet for Oranguru, Ultra Sun, Sword and Violet for Passimian.

They're also opposites in temperament: Passimian plays as a team, while Oranguru keeps to itself. It doesn't get along with others of its kind, challenging them to duels to compare their intelligence, and sometimes heads down to the coast to challenge a Slowking to the same contest.

No evolution, no Mega Evolution

Let's be clear: Oranguru doesn't evolve and isn't the evolution of any Pokémon. Its chain has a single link, with no stone, no held item, no trade and no level to reach.

No Mega Evolution either. The seventh generation has only five: Crabominable, Golisopod, Drampa, Magearna and Zeraora. Oranguru isn't one of them, and it has neither a regional form nor a Gigantamax form.

That leaves the character. It appears in episode SM039, where it takes in Mallow and tends to her before running a small tavern deep in the forest. As a Shiny, its fur turns pink and its yellow markings turn blue — a contrast that collectible figures restore especially well.

Oranguru at a Glance

Frequently Asked Questions

• What is Oranguru's signature move?
  It's Instruct, a Psychic-type status move introduced in the seventh generation, and Oranguru is the only Pokémon in the series that can learn it. It forces the target to immediately use the last move it used again, independently of that target's normal action for the turn, so the target can act twice. PP are deducted as usual. Watch out for a common mix-up: Instruct has no effect on the battlefield and doesn't swap anything's position. It has 15 PP, no power, no accuracy and zero priority, and it targets an adjacent Pokémon. Oranguru learns it at level 32 in Sun and Moon, and at level 50 since Sword and Shield.
• Does Oranguru have a signature Ability?
  No, and it's an often misunderstood point. Its regular Abilities are Inner Focus, which keeps it from flinching, and Telepathy, which lets it anticipate and avoid its allies' attacks in Double and Multi Battles. Its hidden Ability is Symbiosis: when an ally uses up its held item, Oranguru gives it its own as a replacement. None of the three is exclusive to it; Symbiosis, for example, is also the hidden Ability of the Flabébé line. What's signature about Oranguru is its move Instruct, not an Ability.
• Which version can you catch Oranguru in?
  Oranguru is exclusive to Pokémon Moon and Pokémon Ultra Moon, where it lives in Lush Jungle on Akala Island. Its counterpart Passimian holds the mirror spot in Pokémon Sun and Ultra Sun. The split carried over into later generations: Oranguru is on the Pokémon Shield and Pokémon Scarlet side, Passimian on the Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Violet side. In versions where it doesn't appear, you can still get it by trading.
• Does Oranguru evolve?
  No. Oranguru has no evolution and isn't the evolution of any Pokémon: its chain has a single link. No stone, held item, trade or level will change its form. It also has no regional form and no Gigantamax form.
• What are Oranguru's weaknesses?
  As a Normal- and Psychic-type, it has only two weaknesses: Bug and Dark, which deal double damage to it. It has a single resistance, Psychic, from which it takes half damage, and an immunity to Ghost, which does absolutely nothing to it, because the Normal type's immunity overrides the Psychic type's vulnerability. A special case worth knowing: Fighting deals it neutral damage, since the Normal type's weakness is offset by the Psychic type's resistance.
• Does Oranguru have a Mega Evolution?
  No. Oranguru has no Mega Evolution, no regional form and no Gigantamax form. Among seventh-generation Pokémon, only five have received a Mega Evolution: Crabominable, Golisopod, Drampa, Magearna and Zeraora.

In short

Oranguru has neither an evolution nor a Mega Evolution, and it clearly doesn't need them : a fan, a glance, and the whole forest obeys.