Tyrantrum #697: the crowned tyrannosaur that crushed metal

A hundred million years ago, nothing could measure up to it. Tyrantrum (Rexillius in French) is the evolution of Tyrunt, and the Pokédex finds it no rival at all: its jaws make confetti out of thick metal plates.

Contents

• Who is Tyrantrum?
• Type and abilities
• Evolution: Tyrunt at level 39, daytime only
• King of the prehistoric world… covered in feathers?
• A two-bone name, a French reveal and Diantha's Pokémon
• Tyrantrum Fact Sheet
• Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Tyrantrum?

Listed as #697 in the National Pokédex, Tyrantrum is the "Despot Pokémon" of the sixth generation, the generation of Pokémon X and Pokémon Y. At 2.5 meters tall and 270 kilos, it weighs more than ten times as much as the Tyrunt it evolved from.

Its body is a reddish brown, protected by plates on its knees, back and tail, with orange hexagonal markings on some of its scales. Its gray belly is trimmed with white.

Two details give it all its prestige: the five spikes above its eyes create the illusion of a crown, and the large tuft of white feathers around its neck drapes down like a royal cape.

The rest is a pure war machine: a gray lower jaw lined with rows of sharp teeth and a beard of feathers, tiny forelegs with two black claws, and massive hind legs with three big claws.

Type and abilities

Tyrantrum shares a rare privilege with Tyrunt: they are the only Rock/Dragon-type Pokémon in the entire series. No regional form and no Mega Evolution has ever come along to challenge this exclusive combination.

Six types hit it twice as hard — Ice, Fighting, Ground, Dragon, Steel and Fairy — and none of them deals quadruple damage. On the flip side, it halves the damage from Normal, Electric, Poison and Flying moves, and quarters the damage from Fire.

Its Ability Strong Jaw boosts the power of its biting moves by 50%, and it knows seven of them, from Bite to Psychic Fangs. With an Attack stat of 121, a Crunch pumped up to 120 power becomes a serious threat.

Its hidden ability, Rock Head, negates recoil damage. And Tyrantrum learns Head Smash, a 150-power Rock move that normally sends half of the damage dealt back to its user: the combination of the two is fearsome.

✨ Know someone who loves dinosaurs and Pokémon? The king of Kalos reigns over our Pokémon gift ideas.

Evolution: Tyrunt at level 39, daytime only

Tyrantrum evolves from Tyrunt at level 39, and only during the day. The condition is easy to miss: at night, level 39, then 40, then 50 will change absolutely nothing.

It's the exactopposite of Amaura, the other Kalos fossil, which becomes Aurorus at level 39 but at night. Both lines also climb to the same base stat total: 362 before, 521 after.

Tyrantrum can't be revived directly. You first need to get Tyrunt by handing the Jaw Fossil over to the scientists: the Fossil Lab in Ambrette Town brings it back at level 20, so there are still nineteen levels to go.

Its profile changes character along the way: HP rises to 82, Defense to 119 and Attack to 121, up from 89 for its pre-evolution. Its catch rate stays at 45, and it keeps its two Egg Groups, Monster and Dragon.

King of the prehistoric world… covered in feathers?

The Pokédex doesn't do nuance: before it went extinct more than 100 million years ago, Tyrantrum ruled the Pokémon world, and its jaws, strong enough to tear apart thick metal plates, made it invincible.

Pokémon Sword softens the portrait with a nice turn of phrase: it is extremely violent, but its noble bearing gives it a regal air. Pokémon Shield, more blunt, has it crushing a car to pieces with a single bite.

Ultra Sun slips in a fascinating doubt: reconstructing Pokémon is an imperfect art, and some believe it was actually covered in feathers. Its white feathers echo the work of paleontologists, who believe the Tyrannosauridae were feathered.

New Pokémon Snap shows another side of it: there, Tyrantrum are the masters of the land on the volcano where prehistoric Pokémon live, and their strength makes them so reckless that they let their guard down when they sleep.

A two-bone name, a French reveal and Diantha's Pokémon

Its French name is a clever little find: Rexillius, unlike the English Tyrantrum , reportedly blends Tyrannosaurus rex and the maxilla, the jawbone. The German name, Monargoras, leans toward the monarch, while the English name plays on a temper tantrum.

The main model is indeed Tyrannosaurus, with a few borrowings from Carnosauria and Cryolophosaurus. Its orange crest and white feathers, for their part, evoke the popular image of a king.

A nice nod for a Pokémon from a France-inspired region: it was JeuxVideo.com that revealed it on September 19, 2013, relaying information from Nintendo. Its design is by Hitoshi Ariga, just like Tyrunt's.

In the anime, Tyrantrum appear in episode XY087, and Diantha owns one, seen in LV122 during her match against Leon. Another one appears among the Pokémon ofFaraway Island, in LV134.

As a Shiny, its red body turns blue and the orange areas above its eyes and at the tip of its tail turn gray. Enough to make you want to display it as a Pokémon figure, or adopt it as a cuddly plush.

Tyrantrum Fact Sheet

Frequently Asked Questions

• How do you get Tyrantrum?
  No fossil gives you Tyrantrum directly: you have to go through Tyrunt. In Pokémon X and Y, a Scientist hands you the Jaw Fossil deep inside Glittering Cave, then the Fossil Lab in Ambrette Town revives Tyrunt at level 20. All that's left is to evolve it at level 39, during the day. In Pokémon Legends: Z-A, fossils are revived at the Pokémon Lab.
• At what level does Tyrunt evolve into Tyrantrum?
  At level 39, and only during the day. Reaching level 39 at night does nothing: you'll then need to gain another level during the day. It's the opposite of the condition for Kalos's other fossil line, where Amaura becomes Aurorus at level 39 at night.
• What are Tyrantrum's Abilities?
  Strong Jaw, its only regular Ability, which boosts the power of its biting moves by 50%, and Rock Head as its hidden Ability, which protects it from recoil damage. Watch out for a common mix-up: Strong Jaw does not raise Attack after knocking out an opponent. That Ability does exist, it's called Moxie, but neither Tyrantrum nor Tyrunt has it. Also note that Tyrunt's hidden Ability is different: it's Sturdy.
• What are Tyrantrum's weaknesses?
  As a Rock/Dragon type, it takes double damage from Ice, Fighting, Ground, Dragon, Steel and Fairy moves. No type hits it for quadruple damage. In return, it takes half damage from Normal, Electric, Poison and Flying moves, and only a quarter of the damage from Fire-type moves. The remaining seven types deal normal damage to it.
• Does Tyrantrum have a Mega Evolution?
  No. Neither Tyrantrum nor Tyrunt has a Mega Evolution, a regional form or a Gigantamax form, even after the Mega Evolutions added by Pokémon Legends: Z-A and its expansion, although both Pokémon do appear in the Lumiose Pokédex. The Mega Tyrantrum images you come across online are fan creations.
• Is Tyrantrum really the only Rock/Dragon-type Pokémon?
  Along with Tyrunt, yes. No other Pokémon in the series has this combination, regional forms and Mega Evolutions included. It's actually one of the rare dual types that belongs to a single evolutionary line.

In short

A crown of scales, a cape of feathers and jaws that shred metal : Tyrantrum has truly earned its title of king. Evolve your Tyrunt in broad daylight, and the throne is yours.