Dondozo, the Big Catfish Pokémon. This Pokémon is a glutton, but it’s bad at getting food. It teams up with a Tatsugiri to catch prey. It treats Tatsugiri like its boss and follows it loyally. Though powerful, Dondozo is apparently not very smart.

Overview

The bulky water type has been a long-lauded role in Pokémon for many generations and Dondozo is arguably the pinnacle of this archetype. 150 HP and 115 Defense is utterly absurd, ensuring Dondozo can take plenty of physical attacks, and as a Water type, super effective Physical Attacks are rare. And recovery in Rest ensures that Dondozo can pivot in repeatedly and heal the damage back. Unaware is what really pushes Dondozo over the edge. Not only being an amazing stop to dangerous setup sweepers like Roaring Moon, Baxcalibur, and Great Tusk, but also invalidates boosting to muscle past Dondozo in the first place. Rest wiping away status as well means that Dondozo walls large swaths of the metagame who have no counterplay. And Dondozo is far from passive. Water STAB coupled with Curse, for boosting, wide coverage, and disruptive options like Yawn gives Dondozo a lot of variety that can punish would be counters or outright take over a game.

For all of Dondozo's highs, its lows are just as severe. Base 65 Special Defense is a noticeable Achilles Heel, with Special Attackers able to easily KO or force Dondozo out. And force out they most likely will, as Dondozo’s pitiful Base 35 Speed all but guarantees it is moving second taking damage before it can act. Lacking reliable recovery outside of Rest is another liability, shutting Dondozo down for multiple turns or forcing it to rely on the whims of Sleep Talk. Dondozo also suffers from its own success, many of its favored targets having Terastalization or Special Coverage specifically to lure in and eliminate Dondozo. However, that is a small price to pay, for Dondozo is still the current gold standard as an Unaware Wall and must be planned for no matter where you go.
Positives
Base 150 HP /115 Defense with Water typing turns Dondozo into a physical wall par excellence, able to repeated tank physical attacks without issue.
Unaware is an absurd ability, invalidating many setup sweepers.
Usable Base 100 Attack is complimented by Curse and wide coverage, leaving few safe answers to Dondozo.


Negatives
Base 65 Special Defense leaves Dondozo struggling to take multiple Special Attacks
Abysmal base 35 Speed forces Dondozo to take hits before acting, further cutting into its bulk.
Lacks reliable recovery outside of Rest which opens up opportunities for opponents to freely switch counters in.
Four Moveslot Syndrome hits Dondozo hard ensuring there are always gaps in its moveset.

Movesets

Accursed Catfish

-Curse
-Rest
-Wave Crash
-Body Press
Ability: Unaware
Item: Chesto Berry
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 4 Def / 252 SDef Careful Nature

Dondozo pulls double duty as wall and sweeper with this set, using targets like Garchomp, Dondozo, Great Tusk, and Landorus-Therian it normally walls as setup bait to safely accrue Curses, making Dondozo near impossible to break through physically as well as push its usable Attack to dangerous levels. Rest compliments this set well, ensuring an untimely Burn or Toxic can’t stop Dondozo’s sweep as well as recover any damage accrued while setting up. Wave Crash is Water STAB of choice, having incredible power after cursing and Dondozo’s high HP helps soak up the recoil. Body Press rounds out the set, offering fantastic coverage against Roaring Moon, Baxcalibur, Tera Normal Dragonite, and Kingambit running off of Dondozo’s higher Defense stat.

Tera Types:
Dondozo is not reliant on Terastalization to sweep, but if it is available, can help Dondozo gain ground in otherwise disadvantageous matchups. Tera Steel is always a good standby for Dondozo, having a wide array of resistances, an immunity to Poison which can force Dondozo to Rest early, while bolstering possible coverage in Heavy Slam. Tera Grass is another fantastic Tera, resisting both Grass and Electric and potentially providing valuable coverage against opposing Water types.

EVs and Items:
Max HP and Special Defense are recommended to make Dondozo as Bulky as possible post Curse, relying on Curse to bolster Dondozo’s Attack and Defense. You can invest in Defense or Attack over Special Defense to get more bang for your buck after Curse, but at the cost of making Dondozo less reliable against opposing Special Attackers when it is time to go for the sweep. Chesto Berry is recommended to give Dondozo a one time free Rest, which can accelerate setting up and ensuring your opponent can damage Dondozo significantly with physical attacks when it is time to Rest again. Otherwise, Leftovers is great for keeping Dondozo healthy while setting up Curse.

Partners:
Great Tusk is a standout partner for Dondozo, offering excellent Hazard Control that enables many setup sweepers like Dondozo to go off, and is a reliable pivot and answer into Electric type attackers. In turn, Dondozo stops setup sweepers that like to exploit Great Tusk Rapid Spinning to setup, as well as being a reliable pivot into some Water and Ice attacks. Gholdengo is a fantastic partner, a reliable pivot into Grass types and offers potent Special Offense to break through physical walls that can slow down Dondozo’s sweep. It preserving Entry Hazards also greatly facilitates the Dondozo sweep in the end as well. In turn, Dondozo offers a reliable pivot into some Fire and most Ground type Attackers. Hatterene deserves mention as a Trick Room setter, turning Dondozo into a blisteringly fast threat under Trick Room. Being able to punish most hazard setters with Magic Bounce and having complimentary Special Attack to Dondozo’s physical enables Hatterene to help eliminate opposing physical walls in the early game.

Other Options:
Avalanche -Ice coverage is always fantastic and Dondozo’s low speed means the negative priority is barely noticeable
Liquidation -if one doesn’t like the recoil, Liquidation is a reasonable option. While Liquidation’s Defense drop does nothing for Dondozo, Dondozo’s teammates can capitalize on the lower defense.
Protect -helps stall for Leftovers recovery and can scout for moves and switches.

Rest in Pisces

-Rest
-Sleep Talk
-Yawn
-Body Press
Ability: Unaware
Item: Heavy Duty Boots
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 252 Def / 4 SDef
Impish Nature

Dondozo’s walling set forgoes the offense provided by Curse for pure walling power, stopping physical threats such as Hisuain Samurott, Great Tusk, Landorus-Therian, Baxcalubir, Dragonite, Azumarill, Cinderace, Roaring Moon and more. RestTalk is key to this set, giving Dondozo the longevity and seeming immortality that Dondozo is famed for. The downsides of Rest are partially mitigated by Sleep Talk, so Dondozo is not completely passive while Asleep. Yawn is a fantastic disruption tool forcing an opponent to Sleep or turn into setup fodder for one of Dondozo’s allies. Body Press rounds out the set utilizing Dondozo’s above average Defense and the fantastic base coverage of Fighting to apply pressure.

Tera Types:
Dondozo gets a lot of mileage out of its Mono-Water typing, so even when it might be advantageous to Terastalize, keep in mind your opponent’s team and weigh whether or not that switching out may be more prudent. If you have to Tera, Grass and Steel are again excellent options, turning all/most of its weaknesses into resistances as well as granting a bevy of other vital resistances as well. Tera Fighting is also worth consideration, giving Dondozo a Rock resistance in addition to buffing the power of Body Press.

EVs and Items:
Max HP and Defense are mandatory. Dondozo’s job is to wall physical threats. Leave Special Attackers to Dondozo’s teammates. Heavy Duty Boots is heavily recommended -Dondozo being chipped on the way in can mean the difference between successfully walling an opponent or being forced to Rest or even KO’d. If you want to keep your Boots for your dedicated Hazard clearer, Leftovers is a good fallback option, giving Dondozo much needed passive recovery and reducing the number of times it needs to Rest. Covert Cloak is also worth consideration, stopping Garganacl’s Salt Cure and Sneasler’s Dire Claw from disrupting Dondozo too badly.

Partners:
Clodsire is Dondozo’s best friend, forming a solid Unaware backbone that can stop almost any setup sweeper, Clodsire’s special bulk pairing beautifully with Dondozo’s physical. Clodsire pivots in Electric attacks while Dondozo answers Water and Ice attacks. Clodsire throwing up Toxic Spikes and Stealth Rocks helps place opponents on a timer, further accentuating the walling prowess these two provide. Other special walls like Blissey also work well, as Tank Dondozo really can’t stomach special attacks. Ting-Lu is another fantastic partner for Dondozo, having the same Ground-Water synergies that Clodsire provides but offers more direct chip with Ruination and Whirlwind stacking up Hazard damage. Any other hazard setter also works well here taking advantage of all the switches Dondozo forces.

Other Options:
Liquidation -Water STAB is invaluable especially with the number of powerful Ground types running around. Wave Crash is not recommended -you want Dondozo to tank, and the recoil is counter productive.

Doubles and VGC Options

When Scarlet/Violet VGC first started, Dondozo took the format by storm, it and Tatsugiri forming a potent win condition that thanks to Dondozo's incredible bulk, self buffing with Curse and Order Up, and denying opposing setup with Unaware, and wide coverage with Water STAB, Order Up, Body Press and the amount of teams Dondozo could just roll over was terrifying. And even if the opposing team had answers, once they were removed, killer sushi was back on the table. Then the Paradox pokémon were released and Dondozo's issues started to show. Flutter Mane and Iron Bundle both preyed on Dodozo's far weaker Special Defense with Thunderbolt and STAB Freeze Dry respectively. Intimidate users like Arcanine and Gyarados started to pick up in popularity. People learned how to deal with Dondozo, adding in tech options like Clear Smog Amoongus and Haze Palafin. However, just because people know how to deal with Dondozo doesn’t always mean they can. And even without Tatsugiri, Dondozo is still a fantastic Pokémon, its sheer bulk staving off many assaults.

Fale Dragon Titan

-Order Up
-Wave Crash
-Earthquake
-Protect
Ability: Unaware
Item: Leftovers
Tera Type: Grass or Steel
EVs and Nature:
252 HP / 252 Atk / 4 Def
Adamant Nature

Pair up this Dondozo for Tatsugiri-Curly for maximum effect, getting an Attack boost when using Order Up, placing your opponent on a very short clock to answer Dondozo or lose. Wave Crash is the preferred Water STAB, its power great for reaching KOs and has fantastic neutral coverage with Order Up with only a handful of Pokémon able to resist both. Earthquake rounds out coverage -threatening opposing Electric types and thanks to Tatsugiri’s commander, Dondozo rarely has to worry about hitting a teammate. Protect rounds out the set as the best move in Doubles, stalling out Screens, Weather, Trick Room, Leftovers recovery, etc as well as stall for time until it is safe for Tatsugiri come in.

EVs are to maximize bulk and Attack though Speed investment can be considered; 156 Speed EVs guarantees Dondozo outruns Gholdengo after the Commander Boost, while 188 guantees the outspeed of Annihilape. Leftovers or any HP recovery Item is recommended as hold item for Longevity.

Other Options & Partners:
Yawn -Fantastic disruptive tool in Doubles forcing an opponent to switch or lose a turn or two to Sleep.
Heavy Slam -Smashes Flutter Mane and Chien Pao two common and serious threats.
Rest +Sleep Talk -gives Dondozo its famed longevity and gives Dondozo a niche as a Sleep Absorber.
Oblivious -gives invaluable immunities to Intimidate and Taunt.
Chien-Pao -Chien Pao pairs well with Dondozo, Ruinous Sword helping patch up Dondozo’s Attack while Dondozo acts as a stellar pivot into Fire, the predominantly physical Fighting and Rock attacks running arounds.

Countering Dondozo

Special Attackers are heavily recommended to deal with Dondozo. Dondozo’s poor Special Defense and pitiful Speed make Dondozo an easy meal for so many Special Attackers it would take too long to list. Of course, Dondozo isn’t likely to stay in front of a Special Attacker which can make it maddening to deal with.

The best way to deal with Dondozo, as with many dedicated walls is to employ a lure. Draco Meteor Garchomp is a good example, with Dondozo’s Unaware ignoring Draco Meteor’s own drops. Landorus-Therian with Grass Knot, adding a Tera Grass with Tera Blast to a physical sweeper, etc. are other such examples.

Dondozo is also far from an invincible wall. Pokémon with enough sheer force behind their attacks like Banded Hisuian Arcanine, Zamazenta and Guts Ursaluna can easily 2HKO even tank Dondozo with their STABs of choice. Pokémon with Super Effective STABs like Meowscarada, Iron Hands and Breloom also work well at this role.

If Dondozo is not running Rest, Toxic and Toxic Spikes are ruinous, preventing it from tanking attacks effectively, while Will-O-Wisp can neuter Curse sets. Clodsire is especially good against Curse Sets, its own Unaware ignoring their boosts long enough to get a Toxic off. Garganacl’s Salt Cure is also worth mention, forcing Dondozo to switch out or be eaten alive by the salt, though Garganacl needs to Terastalize to avoid being smashed by Water STAB.

If Dondozo has gotten a Commander boost, there are still a few options including the status options from above. While niche, Meowscarada’s Flower Trick ignores the Defense boost from Dondozo, and if not KO Dondozo, push it down to KO range for Meowscarada’s partner. Haze from Palafin and Clear Smog from Amoongus and Armarouge can also wipe away the Commander boosts and leave Dondozo a sitting duck in a 2 versus 1 situation.

Anime Appearences

Dondozo has yet to make an appearance in the anime # -English Episode Name- -Jp. Episode Name- Pics