Volcanion #721: the only Fire and Water Pokémon in the series

A Pokémon that's both Fire and Water, and the only one of its kind. Volcanion is the Mythical Pokémon that closes out the sixth generation: a red quadruped standing 1.7 meters tall and weighing 195 kilos, with two cannons joined in a ring on its back. Inside its body, water boils; outside, it bursts out in jets of scalding steam.

Contents

• Who is Volcanion?
• Fire and Water: a combination unique in the series
• Steam Eruption, the move only it knows
• No evolution, no Mega: a Mythical to unlock
• The movie, the Tarasque and the Shiny
• Volcanion fact sheet
• Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Volcanion?

Listed as No. 721 in the National Pokédex, Volcanion is the "Steam Pokémon" of Generation VI, the generation of Pokémon X and Pokémon Y. It holds that generation's very last number : right after it, the Pokédex moves on to the Alola region.

It's a red quadruped with three yellow claws on each foot, with its lower jaw and the rims of its blue eyes outlined in yellow. The most spectacular part is on its back: two cannons joined in a ring, which can detach to fire.

Pokémon X describes it as able to generate a cloud of steam to hide in, and as living in uninhabited mountains. Pokémon Y adds that it expels the steam built up inside its body through the arms on its back, in a blast powerful enough to level mountains.

Its stats add up to 600 points, the usual total for Mythical Pokémon: 80 HP, 110 Attack, 120 Defense, 130 Special Attack, 90 Special Defense and 70 Speed. The species is genderless and can't breed.

Fire and Water: a combination unique in the series

That's its claim to fame, and it holds up: no other Pokémon combines Fire and Water. The check is conclusive — cross-reference the full list of Fire Pokémon with the full list of Water Pokémon, and Volcanion stands alone, regional forms and Paradox Pokémon included.

Each type covers the other's gaps: Ice, Fire and Steel deal it only a quarter of the damage, Bug and Fairy half, and it has only three weaknesses: Ground, Rock and Electric. Contrary to what you sometimes read, none of them is a 4× weakness : Fire's weak points and Water's never overlap.

Its only Ability completes the picture. Volcanion has nothing butWater Absorb, with no Hidden Ability at all: Water-type moves, which would only deal it normal damage anyway, no longer hurt it one bit and instead restore its HP. A Fire Pokémon that heals itself with water.

Steam Eruption, the move only it knows

Its signature move is called Steam Eruption, and only it can learn it: a special Water-type move boasting 110 power with 95 accuracy and 5 PP, which engulfs the target in scorching heat.

Its effect is out of the ordinary on two counts. It has a 30% chance to burn — a burn inflicted by a Water attack, which you don't see every day — and, stranger still, it thaws out a frozen target.

Apart from Scald, it's the only Water-type move that can both burn and thaw. The user benefits too: if it's frozen, Volcanion thaws out by using it, even if the attack misses. As a Dynamax move, it becomes Max Geyser and climbs to 140 power.

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No evolution, no Mega: a Mythical to unlock

As for its evolutionary line, there's nothing to remember: Volcanion does not evolve and isn't the evolution of any Pokémon. No regional form, no Gigantamax, and no Mega Evolution : it isn't among the 93 known Mega Pokémon.

That's what sets it apart within its own group: it's the only Generation VI Mythical without an alternate form, whereas Diancie Mega Evolves and Hoopa goes Unbound. A Mythical, then, and not a Legendary.

Like all Mythicals, it was first available through event distributions. In France, a code gave it away at level 70 in October 2016, at Paris Games Week and then at Micromania; a second Micromania distribution followed in September 2022 for Pokémon Sword and Shield.

It has since become easier to get. Pokémon GO offers it through the "Full Steam Ahead!" Special Research, and Mega Dimension, the Pokémon Legends: Z-A expansion, finally lets you encounter and catch it during side mission 194, no code required.

The movie, the Tarasque and the Shiny

Its big moment came at the movies. Volcanion headlines Pokémon the Movie: Volcanion and the Mechanical Marvel, released in Japan on July 16, 2016 and in France the following November 11, alongside Magearna.

In it, Volcanion lives hidden in a misty valley, surrounded by Pokémon that were abandoned or fled mistreatment at the hands of humans. Hot-tempered and rough, convinced that all humans are evil, it nonetheless forms a very strong bond with Magearna, who has been abducted by the Azoth Kingdom.

Its name blends "volcano," "cannon" and "lion" — or "canyon." Its silhouette is said to owe a lot to the Tarasque of Provençal folklore: a lion's head, short bear legs, a turtle shell and a scorpion's tail. As a Shiny, its body takes on a yellowish tint, enough to delight fans of Pokémon figures and Pokémon plushies.

Volcanion fact sheet

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is Volcanion really the only Fire- and Water-type Pokémon?
  Yes. To date, Volcanion is the only Pokémon in the series with the Fire and Water combination, and that holds true even when you count regional forms, Mega Evolutions and the Paradox Pokémon of recent generations. Cross-referencing the list of Fire-type Pokémon with the list of Water-type Pokémon turns up only Volcanion.
• Is Volcanion a Legendary or a Mythical Pokémon?
  Mythical. It belongs to the Mythical Pokémon, a group distinct from Legendary Pokémon, alongside Diancie and Hoopa for Generation VI. Like most of them, it has a base stat total of 600, has a signature move and was first obtainable through events.
• What are Volcanion's weaknesses?
  It's weak to Ground, Rock and Electric, which deal double damage. It has no 4× weakness, because Fire's weak points and Water's don't overlap. On the other hand, it takes only a quarter of the damage from Fire, Ice and Steel, and half from Bug and Fairy. Water-type moves would deal it normal damage, but its Water Absorb Ability cancels them out and heals it.
• What does Steam Eruption, its signature move, do?
  It's a Water-type move in the Special category, with 110 power, 95 accuracy and 5 PP, that only Volcanion can learn. It has a 30 percent chance to burn the target and, if the target is frozen, it thaws it out. Volcanion itself thaws out by using it, even if the attack misses its target. Along with Scald, it's the only Water move that can both burn and thaw.
• Does Volcanion have a Mega Evolution?
  No. Volcanion isn't among the 93 existing Mega Pokémon, and it has no regional form or Gigantamax form either. In fact, it's the only Mythical Pokémon of Generation VI without any different form, whereas Diancie has Mega Diancie and Hoopa has its Unbound form. Pokémon Legends: Z-A, despite greatly expanding the list of Kalos Megas, didn't give it one.
• How do you get Volcanion?
  Historically, through event distributions: in France, a code handed out at Paris Games Week and then at Micromania in October 2016 gave a level 70 Volcanion for the sixth-generation games, and a new Micromania distribution took place in September 2022 for Pokémon Sword and Shield. Today, you can also catch it in Pokémon GO through the Full Steam Ahead! Special Research, and you can encounter and catch it during side mission 194 of Mega Dimension, the Pokémon Legends: Z-A expansion.

In short

Not quite a volcano, not quite a geyser, Volcanion closes out the sixth generation with a case unique in the Pokédex: a type pairing no one else shares, and a living boiler that heals itself with water.