Tatsugiri, the Mimicry Pokémon. This is a small dragon Pokémon. It lives inside the mouth of Dondozo to protect itself from enemies on the outside. Tatsugiri is an extremely cunning Pokémon. It feigns weakness to lure in prey, then orders its partner to attack. This species' differing colors and patterns are apparently the result of Tatsugiri changing itself to suit the preferences of the prey it lures in. This Pokémon tricks its opponents by playing dead. It is small and weak, but it uses its smarts to survive. Bird Pokémon are its main prey. This Pokémon knows it's weak, so it hunts with a partner. It's one of the most intelligent dragon Pokémon. It camouflages itself by inflating its throat sac.

Overview

While Tatsugiri may have made a huge splash as the true False Dragon Titan, it struggles to stand on its own without Dondozo. Base 68 HP is on the low side but add in 60 Defense and Tatsugiri gets squished by physical attacks like the sushi it looks like. In the light of such frailty, one would think Tatsugiri would have the speed to make up for it, but no. An average base 82 Speed forces Tatsugiri to rely on its lacking bulk against most offensive threats, leaving Tatsugiri near dead weight against such teams. Such flaws make taking advantage of Tatsugiri’s good points incredibly difficult. Base 120 Special Attack is potent, and Tatsugiri can push it to explosive levels with Nasty Plot. Add in fantastic Water-Dragon typing and Tatsugiri boasts incredibly wide coverage from its STABs alone. Said typing also provides Tastsugiri a great set of resistances and very few weaknesses to exploit, ensuring Tatsugiri can get something out of its good Special Defense. Yet these positive points falter in the face of Tatsugiri’s flaws, making this sushi schemer the catch of day in solo outings.
Positives
Base 120 Special Attack is immense and Tatsugiri can easily push it further with Nasty Plot.
Water Dragon typing is incredible both offensively and defensively with wide coverage from its STABs and hard to exploit weaknesses.
95 Special Defense allows Tatsugiri to take a Special Attack or two.

Negatives
68 HP almost ruins any defensive utility Tatsugiri has and Base 60 Defense with that ensures any non-resisted Physical attacks will end it.
82 Speed is just not enough for such a frail Pokémon, leaving Tatsugiri struggling against many offensive staples.

Movesets

Power Plot

-Rapid Spin
-Nasty Plot
-Draco Meteor
-Hydro Pump
Ability: Storm Drain
Item: Heavy-Duty Boots
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Timid Nature

With Rapid Spin, Tatsugiri can address its crippling Speed issues and provide utility to its team in one fell swoop, making for a unique Double Dance set. Despite Tatsugiri’s lacking defenses, Storm Drain offers opens pivoting opportunities for Tatsugiri, allowing it to come in on predicted Water attacks for a Special Attack boost and offering a little defensive utility, allowing Tatsugiri to setup safely. This gives Tatsugiri a niche on more offensive teams by being such an aggressive Rapid Spin user. Nasty Plot pushes Tatsugiri’s power to the roof and with both Nasty Plot and Rapid Spin under Tatsugiri’s belt it becomes incredibly difficult to handle, though its frailty makes getting both moves up easier said than done. Draco Meteor is Tatsugiri’s strongest STAB move, outright deleting any non-Steel or Fairy type if boosted, and punching a hole into such targets if not, making it viable to use even after a use of Rapid Spin. Hydro Pump is Water STAB for those that resist Draco Meteor and doesn’t drop Tatsugiri’s Special Attack, giving it a potent and spammable attack that can potentially wash away teams after a Nasty Plot, though both moves imperfect accuracy leave quite a bit to be desired.

Tera Types:
Tatsugiri’s base typing is fantastic, initially making it an unnattactive to Terastalize, though the built in immunity with Storm Drain offers unique combinations that can let Tatsugiri wall out select Pokémon. Tera Fairy is potent, allowing Tatsugiri to turn threats like Tauros-Aqua, Kingdra, and opposing Tatsugiri into setup fodder. Tera Dark also boasts incredible merit against the likes of Bruxish, Veluza, and Basculegion. Otherwise going for Tera Dragon allows Tatsugiri to deal obscene damage with Draco Meteor, especially after a Nasty Plot obliterating anything non Steel or Fairy type short of Snorlax, Frosmoth, Wo-Chien, Chansey, Umbreon and Porygon2.

EVs and Items:
The usual sweeper order of max Special Attack and Max Speed serves Tatsugiri well, allowing it to outspeed as many targets before and after Rapid Spin and giving it as much power as possible to get the most out of Nasty Plot. As a hazard remover, Heavy-Duty Boots is strongly recommended so Tatsugiri isn’t wrecked by the hazards it is tasked with removing. If wanting an even more aggressive Tatsugiri, one can opt for Eject Pack instead, allowing Tatsugiri to use Draco Meteor as a one time pivoting move, maintaining positioning. Life Orb remains a good standby for a flat boost to Tatsugiri’s power without compromising move variety, though Dragon Fang is an alternative to just boost Draco Meteor without the HP drain.

Partners:
: Tatsugiri’s biggest issues are targets that resist its fearsome Draco Meteor and getting in safely. Fire types solve both issues, obliterating Steel types, able to enter against Fairy typed offenses and attracting Water attacks that Tatsugiri can use to come in and let alone Rock and Ground attackers scared by Tatsugiri’s Water STAB. Fire types in turn appreciate Tatsugiri and its hazard removing abilities as well as its ability to stuff their weaknesses, making for a solid Fire-Water core. Hisuian Typholosian is a shining example, either ripping holes into opposing teams with Scarf Eruption, or crippling foes with Will-O-Wisp opening setup opportunities for Tatsugiri. Tauros-Blaze is another excellent example, easing setup with Intimidate or Will-O-Wisp while smashing traditional sponges like Chansey, Umbreon and Snorlax with its Fighting STAB. Ground types like Rhydon, Golurk and Mudsdale may lack the good matchup into Fairy types, but otherwise share the same traits with Fire types and can often setup hazards, reducing the damage thresholds Tatsugiri needs to reach for knock outs.

Other Options:
Surf is a weaker, but far more reliable Water STAB option. Dragon Pulse is a weaker alternative to Draco Meteor, but given Dragon’s lack of Super Effective coverage, the high power of Draco Meteor is greatly preferred.

Doubles and VGC Options

Tatsugiri in Doubles formats is a very different big fish tale, enabling the game ending Commander Dondozo, a huge ball of stats that can easily run over entire teams if unprepared. However, Tatsugiri is very much a cost to using this powerful combination, its frailty and mediocre speed making Tatsugiri relatively easy to remove once divested of Dondozo’s protection. Not to say that Tatsugiri is completely dead weight, its potent Special Attack and good STAB combination more than capable of cleaning up Dondozo’s leftovers. Tatsugiri’s support movepool is also just deep enough that it can use its partners in a similar manner to Dondozo, turning them into engines of destruction.

Strike the Sun

-Helping Hand
-Draco Meteor
-Muddy Water
-Protect
Form: Droopy Form
Ability: Commander
Item: Focus Sash
Tera Type: Stellar
EVs and Nature:
4 HP / 252 SAtk / 252 Spe
Modest Nature

Tatsugiri Droopy has surged in popularity for enabling Body Press Dondozo, a massive threat to some of the strongest physical attackers around like Zamazenta, Calyrex-Ice Rider as well as Terapagos, allowing Dondozo to start picking up KOs with Body Press after an Order Up or two while being completely unbreakable physically. Tatsugiri's job isn't done when Dondozo falls, however. Helping Hand is a fantastic enabling tool for powerful attackers, allowing them to pick up unexpected KOs, while its high priority means Tatsugiri can reliably do this despite its lacking defenses and unimpressive Speed. Draco Meteor is an absurdly powerful STAB option that enables Tatsugiri to blow up opposing Dragons like Miraidon, Koraidon, Roaring Moon, and Raging Bolt, albeit requiring speed control to get the jump on the former three. Muddy Water is a spread STAB option that is good for accumulating damage and pushing foes into KO range, and the accuracy drop can be ruinous. Protect earns a slot as one of the best attacks in Doubles, blocking Fake Out, scouting for moves or Terastalization, stalling out opposing field conditions or for allied setup, any Pokémon Protect is considerably more durable than those without.

Max Special Attack and Speed EV investment is recommended to maximize Tatsugiri's offensive precense and thus ability to win once Dondozo falls. While Tatsugiri is very low on the priority to Terastalize, Tera Stellar is amazing for the one-time boost to both attacks, allowking Tatsugiri to reach for KOs otherwise out of its reach while its comparitive frailty and good base typing mean that the downsides of Tera Stellar don't impact Tatsugiri as much. Focus Sash is recommended for the item, enabling Tatsugiri to survive at least one blow and strike back with its own offenses and potentially follow up with a Helping Hand next turn, or just throw out two helping hands.

Preferred Partners:
If one is running Commander Tatsugiri, you are running Dondozo, for the insane boosts that Commander provides, which is a potent win conditin, even against the strongest Pokémon in the game. Tatsugiri turning Order Up into both damage and further setup is just icing on the cake. As such, partners that are good for Dondozo are also good for Tatsugiri. Attackers that can take advantage of Tatsugiri's Helping Hand also work well. Calyrex-Shadow Rider is the most notable, as Helping Hand + Astral Barrage does obscene damage and helps Calyrex-Shadow Rider grab Chilling Neigh boosts to escalate from out of control, though it is far from the only one. Miraidon and Zamazenta also love the instant boost from Helping Hand, defying opponents EV'd to survive the former and allowing the latter to start Body Pressing everything without setting up. Choice Scarf is another method for Tatsugiri to ensure its attacks land before the opponent acts, providing extra offensive pressure. Icy Wind is excellent Speed control, especially with Choice Scarf. Hydro Pump is powerful single target Water STAB that doesn't drop Tatsugiri's Special Attack unlike Draco Meteor. Taunt is always a good move in Doubles, where status moves can drastically alter the course of a battle. One can always throw a Toxic Orb on Tatsugiri so it faints while in Dondozo so you can have a Commander Boosted Dondozo and a second Pokémon out at the same time, but effectively forces you into a 3v4.

Countering Tatsugiri

Between Tatsugiri’s low HP and Defense and unimpressive speed, removing it is often a simple chore, though its great Water Dragon typing, Storm Drain and respectable power can cause some snarls.

Pokémon that can resist both of Tatsugiri’s STABs are reliable in walling it given how little Tatsugiri runs coverage outside of them. Whimsicott is an excellent example, naturally outspeeding and threatening with Fairy STAB, but truly the best of the best are Tera Fairy Gastrodon and ironically Tera Fairy Tatsugiri, whose Storm Drain make them immune to both of Tatsugiri’s STABs, though opposing Tatsugiri need a non-STAB move in case Tatsugiri also Terastalizes into Fairy.

Fairy types in general work well against Tatsugiri, resisting its far more dangerous Dragon STAB and generally having the special bulk to endure boosted Surfs and Hydro Pumps while having super effective STAB to quickly gobble up Tatsugiri in turn. Florges, Sylveon and Scream Tail can all easily stomach an unboosted Hydro Pump. Other sponges like Wo-Chien, Snorlax, and Porygon2 boast the sheer bulk to stomach Tatsugiri’s unboosted blows and bar Wo-Chien, overwhelm it with their own STABs and recovery.

This metric changes once Tatsugiri gets a Nasty Plot boost, its attacks becoming horrifically strong to the point of one to two shotting anything not immune to both STABs. However Tatsugiri’s poor defenses and only decent speed makes it quite vulnerable to being revenge KO’d by faster attackers. Pokémon with Freeze-Dry are anathema to Tatsugiri, having a quad effective move to quickly ice Tatsugiri. Alolan Ninetails, and Cryogonal are excellents wielders that naturally outspeed Tatsugiri and OHKO it. Though they are far from the only ones with Kingdra, Staraptor, Flygon, Bruxish, Banded Paldean Tauros, Banded Infernape, Specs Espeon, Heracross, and Specs Porygon-Z being just some of the Pokémon that can outright OHKO Tatsugiri while outrunning it.

In Doubles formats, Galarian Weezing is notable for being a great stop to Commander Tatsugiri, with Neutralizing Gas outright preventing Tatsugiri from hopping into Dondozo and has the Fairy STAB to quickly remove Tatsugiri before it can be removed itself. Note that Neutralizing Gas does not force Dondozo and Tatsugiri apart if already activated, so one must open or be prepared to pivot Galarian Weezing against the combination.

Anime Appearences

Tatsugiri has made a couple of appearances in the anime. Most notably, a trio of Tatsugiri joined the Rising Volt Tacklers and joined Murdock in the kitchen and cafeteria # -English Episode Name- -Jp. Episode Name- Pics 68 Into a New Sky! The Brave Olivine! Taking to New Skies! The Brave Olivine!! Pics 74 TBC The Three Explorers Pics 76 TBC Wynaut? Sohdayo! Pics 77 TBC Ludlow Returns to His Hometown Pics 82 TBC At the End of the Shining Rainbow Pics 88 TBC The White Zygarde Causes Shock Waves Pics