Blacephalon #806: the clown that blows its own head off

A 1.8-meter clown that blows up its own head. Blacephalon (Pierroteknik in French) is one of Alola's eleven Ultra Beasts, which came from another world. Under the codename UB Burst, it startles its opponents with a detonation — then steals their energy.

Contents

• Who is Blacephalon?
• UB Burst, an Ultra Beast from Ultra Space
• Fire and Ghost: two immunities and an offensive Ability
• Mind Blown, the only signature move among the Ultra Beasts
• A pyrotechnic Pierrot, and what it does after the explosion
• Blacephalon at a Glance
• Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Blacephalon?

Listed as #806 in the National Pokédex, Blacephalon is the "Fireworks Pokémon" of the seventh generation. It stands 1.8 meters tall and weighs just 13 kilograms, and its main color is white.

Its slender torso and wide hips are yellow, streaked with blue and pink. Its thin arms end in hands shaped like candle flames, and a huge ruff hides its shoulders.

Its head is a white ball dotted with pink and blue spots, framed by stars whose yellow centers serve as its eyes. Above all, it isn't attached to its body — it can take it off and use it as a weapon.

Its six stats are all prime numbers — 53, 127, 53, 151, 79 and 107 — a trait shared by the Ultra Beasts. Out of 570 total points, everything goes into Special Attack and Speed, at the cost of very frail defenses.

UB Burst, an Ultra Beast from Ultra Space

The Ultra Beasts form a family of eleven Pokémon discovered in Alola, originating from other worlds grouped under the name Ultra Space. They owe their name to the Ultra Wormholes they burst out of, and the islands' guardians drove them back long ago.

The Aether Foundation studies them, and the UB Task Force gave each one a codename: Blacephalon's is UB Burst. It was only revealed on September 14, 2017, at the same time as Stakataka.

These two are inseparable. Blacephalon is exclusive to Pokémon Ultra Sun and Stakataka to Pokémon Ultra Moon; neither appears in Sun and Moon, and yet both are found in the same place.

That place is Poni Grove, which only opens up after you defeat the League. Blacephalon appears there at level 60, and there are only two of them, encountered during the Ultra Beast quest.

Fire and Ghost: two immunities and an offensive Ability

This dual type's defensive profile is full of contrasts. Two types don't affect it at all, Normal and Fighting, and Bug moves deal it only a quarter of the damage.

Six other types have their damage halved: Poison, Steel, Fire, Grass, Ice and Fairy. On the other side, five types hurt — Ground, Rock, Ghost, Water and Dark — and the last four, Flying, Electric, Psychic and Dragon, hit it normally.

As for Abilities, all eleven Ultra Beasts share the same one: Beast Boost. Blacephalon has no other Ability and has no hidden ability — none of its fellow Ultra Beasts has one, for that matter.

Don't get this one wrong: Beast Boost doesn't reduce any damage. It raises the Pokémon's highest stat by one stage whenever it knocks out another Pokémon, which here means its Special Attack with its 151 points.

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Mind Blown, the only signature move among the Ultra Beasts

Introduced in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Mind Blown is a Fire-type special move: 150 power, 100 accuracy, 5 PP, and it hits all adjacent Pokémon.

The trade-off is brutal. The user sacrifices half of its max HP, rounded up — if it has half its HP or less left, it faints after the attack.

Worse: it loses that HP even when the move is blocked by Protect or Detect. Since this damage doesn't count as recoil, Rock Head doesn't protect against it; only Magic Guard spares it.

No other Pokémon learns it, and that makes it one of a kind: Blacephalon is the only Ultra Beast with a signature move. It learns it at level 59 in the seventh generation, then at level 70 in Sword and Shield.

Beyond that, there's little to add: Blacephalon does not evolve and isn't the evolution of any Pokémon. Genderless, it can't breed, and it has no Mega Evolution, no regional form and no Gigantamax form.

A pyrotechnic Pierrot, and what it does after the explosion

The Ultra Sun Pokédex shows it approaching people with a jerky, disjointed gait before suddenly making its head explode. The Ultra Moon entry completes the picture: it sets off these explosions to catch its enemy by surprise and takes the opportunity to steal its energy.

So the explosion isn't a sacrifice but a trick. The anime shows that it can move its head around at will and that the head grows back afterward — it amuses its opponents with its antics, then steals their life force.

Its name is thought to blend Pierrot, the stock character of Italian theater, and pyrotechnique, French for "pyrotechnic" — that is its French name, Pierroteknik. Its design borrows from clowns, fireworks and dandelions, while its detachable head recalls the Nukekubi yokai and the Celtic Dullahan.

Pokémon Refresh adds a charming detail: the color of its sparks changes with its mood. It made its anime debut in France on December 1, 2018, in the episode "Un spectacle sans précédent !", in front of a spellbound crowd.

As a Shiny, its usually white areas turn navy blue. A showman that more than deserves a spot among your Pokémon figures and your Pokémon plushies.

Blacephalon at a Glance

Frequently Asked Questions

• Does Blacephalon have an evolution?
  No. Blacephalon doesn't evolve and isn't the evolution of any Pokémon: its evolutionary line has just one link, with no level to reach, no stone, no held item and no trade. It's genderless and belongs to the Undiscovered Egg Group, which also means it can't breed. Of the eleven Ultra Beasts, only one can evolve: Poipole, which becomes Naganadel.
• What are Blacephalon's weaknesses?
  As a Fire and Ghost type, it takes double damage from five types: Ground, Rock, Ghost, Water and Dark. On the other hand, it has two full immunities, to Normal and Fighting, and Bug moves deal it only a quarter of the damage. Six types have their damage halved: Poison, Steel, Fire, Grass, Ice and Fairy. The last four, Flying, Electric, Psychic and Dragon, hit it normally. With only 53 Defense, even the weakest Ground- or Water-type attack remains very dangerous for it.
• What does the Beast Boost Ability do?
  It raises the Pokémon's highest stat by one stage when it knocks out another Pokémon during its turn. For Blacephalon, that means its Special Attack, at 151, goes up. Contrary to a stubborn misconception, this Ability doesn't reduce any damage: the Ability that softens super-effective hits is called Prism Armor and belongs to Necrozma. Beast Boost is the Ability shared by all eleven Ultra Beasts, and none of them has a Hidden Ability.
• How do you get Blacephalon?
  It can't be found in Pokémon Sun or Pokémon Moon: it only appears in the Ultra versions, and only in Pokémon Ultra Sun. Its counterpart Stakataka, a.k.a. UB Assembly, is exclusive to Pokémon Ultra Moon. You encounter it at level 60 in Poni Grove, on Poni Island, which only becomes accessible after you defeat the Pokémon League, during the Ultra Beast quest. Only two are available, and the Ultra Recon Squad hands you five Beast Balls on the spot. It shows up again later in the Dynamax Adventures of the Max Lair, in The Crown Tundra expansion for Pokémon Sword and Shield, this time in both versions.
• What does the move Mind Blown do?
  It's Blacephalon's signature move, introduced in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. A special Fire-type move, it has 150 power, 100 accuracy and 5 PP, and it hits all adjacent Pokémon. In return, the user sacrifices half of its max HP, rounded up: if it already has half its HP or less, it faints after using it. It loses that HP even if the move is blocked by Protect or Detect, or if the target is semi-invulnerable. Since this damage doesn't count as recoil, Rock Head doesn't protect the user and Reckless doesn't boost the move's power; only Magic Guard prevents the HP loss.
• Does Blacephalon have a Mega Evolution?
  No, and no Ultra Beast has one. Of the 93 Mega Pokémon on record, the only Mega Evolutions from the seventh generation are those of Crabominable, Golisopod, Drampa, Magearna and Zeraora. Blacephalon has no regional form or Gigantamax form either: its only variation in appearance is its Shiny coloring, with its white areas turning navy blue. Watch out for a common mix-up: Scolipede does have a Mega Evolution, but it's #545, a fifth-generation Pokémon, not an Alolan Ultra Beast.

In short

Part white-faced Pierrot, part fireworks master, Blacephalon is anything but clumsy: every detonation is calculated. It puts on a show, takes a bow to the crowd and leaves with your energy.