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Mudkip
Wikipe-tan Wikipe-tan says, "You can't use fair-use images outside of articlespace!" National Pokédex Blaziken - Mudkip (#258) - Marshtomp Hoenn Pokédex Blaziken - Mudkip (#007) - Marshtomp
Japanese name	Mizugorou
Evolves from	None
Evolves into	Marshtomp
Generation	Third
Species	Mud Fish Pokémon
Type	Water
Height	1 ft 4 in (0.5 m)
Weight	17 pounds (7.7 kg)
Ability	Torrent

Mudkip (ミズゴロウ, Mizugorou) is one of the 493 fictional species of Pokémon creatures from the multi-billion-dollar Pokémon media franchise – a collection of video games, anime, manga, books, trading cards and other media created by Satoshi Tajiri. Mudkip are famous for being one of the three species of Pokémon players can choose from at the beginning of their adventure in the Pokémon Ruby & Pokémon Sapphire and Pokémon Emerald versions of the Pokémon series. The purpose of Mudkip in the games, anime and manga, as with all other Pokémon, is to battle both wild Pokémon, untamed creatures encountered while the player passes through various environments, and tamed Pokémon owned by Pokémon trainers.

Mudkip's name is a portmanteau of mud, being a surrounding of its natural habitat - the swamp, and skip, relating to the Mudskipper, the fish it resembles. The "-kip" part of it's name may come from the fish-species Kipper, as well. The name Mudkip refers to both the overall species, and to individual Mudkip within the games, anime and manga series.

Characteristics

The fin on Mudkip's head acts as highly sensitive radar, using this fin to sense movements of water and air, Mudkip can determine what is taking place around it without using its eyes. When in water, Mudkip breathes using the gills on its cheeks. If it is faced with a tight situation in battle, Mudkip will become strong enough to crush rocks bigger than itself. On land, it can powerfully lift large boulders by planting its four feet and heaving. It sleeps by burying itself in soil at the water's edge. Its large tail fin propels it through water with powerful acceleration. It is strong in spite of its size.

In the video games

One of the consistent aspects of most Pokémon games—spanning from Pokémon Red and Blue on the Nintendo Game Boy to the un-released Nintendo DS game, Pokémon Diamond and Pearl—is the choice of three different Pokémon at the start of the player's adventures; these three are often labelled Starter Pokémon. Players can choose a Water-type, a Fire-type, or a Grass-type Pokémon indigenous to that particular region; an exception to this rule is Pokémon Yellow (a remake of the original games that follows the story of the Pokémon anime), where players are given a Pikachu, an Electric-type mouse famous for being the mascot of the Pokémon media franchise.

[[:Image:Torchic_GBA.jpg|thumb|left|250px|A battle screenshot showing a Mudkip and a Taillow, against an opponent's Torchic and Zigzagoon, (shown left and right respectively) in Pokemon Ruby.]]

Mudkip is the Water-type choice in Pokémon Ruby, Pokémon Sapphire and Pokémon Emerald for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance. Choosing one as the player's starting Pokémon is considered easier than choosing the Fire-type (Torchic), but equally as difficult as choosing the Grass-type (Treecko), primarily because of the advantage it has in defeating the first Gym-leader, Roxanne, a powerful trainer whom the player must defeat to progress in the game. Roxanne uses Rock-type Pokémon—such as Geodude—that have a natural weakness to Grass and Water attacks.

It is a Water-type Pokémon, meaning it specialzes in firing water (in bubbles or in jet spurts) to attack foe. Mudkip evolve, a metamorphic change within a Pokémon caused by gaining experience in battle, into Marshtomp, its Stage-1 (middle) form at level 16, and evolves into its Stage-2 (final) form, Swampert, at Level 36. Mudkip is often chosen as a starter because its evolved forms, Marshtomp and Swampert are Water-type and Ground-type, meaning they specialize in ground-based moves as well as water-based moves. Being part ground-type gives Swampert and Marshtomp immunity to electricity-based moves, which water types would normally take a lot of damage from. Also, Swampert is considered an "overused Pokémon", meaning that it is used very often in battles.

One interesting thing about Mudkip is that its evolved forms, Marshtomp and Swampert, cannot learn Hydro Pump, which is a powerful water-based attack. On the other hand, Mudkip would learn this move at Level 42, if the player doesn't evolve it into Marshtomp.

Mudkip is also one of the main characters in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, for the Nintendo DS and Nintendo Game Boy Advance. At the beginning of the game, the player takes a personality quiz. Depending on the answers to the questions, the player could begin the game as one of many characters, including Pikachu, Bulbasaur and Mudkip. If Bulbasaur or another Pokémon is selected as the player, however, Mudkip can become one of the player's "partners" at the beginning of the game.

In the Pokémon anime

right|thumb|Brock saving Mudkip prior to capturing it during Episode 301. "A Mudkip Mission".

The Pokémon anime series and films are a set of adventures separate from most other versions of Pokémon, featuring Ash Ketchum as the main character, and various companions that accompany him through the lands of Kanto, Johto and Hoenn. During the Hoenn adventures, Brock, a Pokémon breeder and former Gym leader who travels with protagonist Ash Ketchum, obtains a Mudkip in Dewford Town during Episode 301. "A Mudkip Mission". As Ash and his companions climb a waterfall, they come across a group of young Mudkip, Brock rescues a young Mudkip from being washed away in a stream. Brock's Lotad and Mudkip work together to defeat Team Rocket, at which point the Mudkip decides to join Brock's team.

Mudkip's primary role is to assist Brock during water related situations, such as searching for objects in the ocean, such as an Illumise and a pearl belonging to a Spoink. Mudkip also guides the Pokémon when Brock, Ash and May aren't around. It evolves into Marshtomp during Episode 425. "Mudkip & Flaafy! Wonder Drug of Love!"

A separate Mudkip also appears in Episode 281 "In the Knicker of Time!", when the group meet a trainer called Nicolai, a young trainer, who is training his first Pokémon, Mudkip, which later defeats May's Torchic in a battle. Nicolai connects with his Pokémon in battle by dressing up in a suit resembling his Pokémon, wearing both Mudkip and Zigzagoon outfits in the episode.

In other media

left|thumb|150px|Mudkip (as "Mudkip Star") in the Pokémon Trading Card Game (EX Team Rocket Returns set). Ruby, the male protagonist in Pokémon Adventures during the arc based off of Pokémon Ruby amd Sapphire, obtains a Mudkip named Zuzu as his starter from Professor Birch. Ruby is a Pokémon coordinator, a person who uses their pokémon for contests rather than battles, and uses Zuzu in those contests. Zuzu evolved into Marshtomp unexpectedly while Ruby was in Slateport City and again into Swampert while training near Fortree City. Zuzu was first used to battle in "Chapter 183 VS. Torchic", against Sapphire, his rival in the manga.

The Pokémon Trading Card Game is a collectable card game first published by Wizards of the Coast in North America, in 1999. The concept is similar to that of a Pokémon battle in the video games in that each player takes turns to hit the opponent’s Pokémon. In the card game, Mudkip is a Water-type Basic pokémon, just like it's video game counterparts. As a basic pokémon, it can be played in a battle, as the competitions of the card game are called, without the use of a special card. If the player has a Marshtomp card in their hand, they can play it on top of the Mudkip card, which is the card game's equivilant of evolving.

Mudkip has appeared several times in the Pokémon Trading Card Game. It has appeared in the sets EX Ruby & Sapphire (two different cards), EX Dragon, and EX Emerald. It also appears in EX Team Rocket Returns, but as "Mudkip Star". This card is different then the other Mudkip cards in that it is rarer than the rest of the cards in the set.

One rule when playing with Star cards—including Mudkip Star from the EX Team Rocket Returns set—is that Pokémon with significant terms in their titles (often used to denote Pokémon that are all part of one set) can only evolve into Pokémon that also share this term. Though there is no mention on how to evolve Star Pokémon, if the rule for other suffixes is followed, Mudkip Star could only be replaced by a Marshtomp card with Star in its title—a card which, at this point, does not exist. This makes Star cards somewhat impractical, since they cannot be upgraded from their Basic stage state; they are primarily savoured for their rarity instead.