# Psyduck (コダック)
**Psyduck** (コダック) is a fictional creature in the [Pokémon](https://www.edgepedia.org/pokemon) media franchise, a Water-type Pokémon numbered 0054 in the National Pokédex and classified as the Duck Pokémon. It is a yellow, platypus-like creature created by [Ken Sugimori](https://www.edgepedia.org/ken-sugimori), known for its blank stare and its habit of holding its hands to its temples as if suffering a headache, and it evolves into Golduck (No. 0055).[1](https://sg.portal-pokemon.com/pokedex/0054/) • [2](https://www.creativebloq.com/art/digital-art/what-artists-can-learn-from-30-years-of-pokemon-character-design)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Pokédex number and category | No. 0054, the Duck Pokémon[1](https://sg.portal-pokemon.com/pokedex/0054/) |
| Type and weaknesses | Water; weak against Grass and Electric attacks[1](https://sg.portal-pokemon.com/pokedex/0054/) |
| Size and weight | 0.8 m tall, 19.6 kg[1](https://sg.portal-pokemon.com/pokedex/0054/) |
| Abilities | Damp and Cloud Nine[1](https://sg.portal-pokemon.com/pokedex/0054/) |
| Evolution | Evolves into Golduck, No. 0055[1](https://sg.portal-pokemon.com/pokedex/0054/) |
| First appearance | Generation 1, in Pokémon Red, Blue & Yellow[3](https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/psyduck) |
| Designer | Ken Sugimori, the franchise's longtime art director and character designer[2](https://www.creativebloq.com/art/digital-art/what-artists-can-learn-from-30-years-of-pokemon-character-design) |
| Notable fan of the character | Junichi Masuda, Game Freak's director for the third-generation games, calls Psyduck his favorite Pokémon[4](https://lavacutcontent.com/sugimori-masuda-gen-3-interview/) |
## Design and concept
Psyduck was created by Ken Sugimori, the [Game Freak](https://www.edgepedia.org/game-freak) artist who has been responsible for official Pokémon art assets since the series began.[2](https://www.creativebloq.com/art/digital-art/what-artists-can-learn-from-30-years-of-pokemon-character-design) The design is a platypus-like creature with a vacant expression and hands clamped to its temples, an image that has been described as a headache meme before memes were a thing; one design commentary notes that the character feels like a refined doodle, and that its unpolished quality is part of why fans respond to it.[2](https://www.creativebloq.com/art/digital-art/what-artists-can-learn-from-30-years-of-pokemon-character-design)
The headache motif is built into the character's official description. According to the Pokédex, Psyduck is constantly wracked by a headache, and when the headache turns intense it begins using mysterious powers.[1](https://sg.portal-pokemon.com/pokedex/0054/) An academic study of the franchise's humor observes the irony directly: Psyduck is a duck who, rather than being psychic as his name implies, simply has the ability to appear and sigh.[5](https://researchbank.swinburne.edu.au/items/a75c124d-8c0d-4b72-8ac4-cf39e94ff0bd/1/PDF%20%28Published%20version%29.pdf)
## Game characteristics
Psyduck debuted in [Generation](https://www.edgepedia.org/generation) 1, appearing in Pokémon Red, Blue & Yellow.[3](https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/psyduck) In battle it is a Water type with the abilities Damp, which prevents self-destructive explosions, and Cloud Nine, which suppresses weather effects; its listed weaknesses are Grass and Electric.[1](https://sg.portal-pokemon.com/pokedex/0054/) It evolves into Golduck, No. 0055 in the Pokédex.[1](https://sg.portal-pokemon.com/pokedex/0054/)
The character has an unusual place in the series' development history. In a 2003 Nintendo Dream interview about Pokémon Ruby & Sapphire, the game's director [Junichi Masuda](https://www.edgepedia.org/junichi-masuda) said that when older Pokémon were being selected for the new games, "there was no way I wasn't going to add Psyduck," and the interviewer noted that Psyduck is printed on Masuda's business card as his favorite Pokémon.[4](https://lavacutcontent.com/sugimori-masuda-gen-3-interview/) Masuda also named Psyduck among the Pokémon he is emotionally attached to, alongside the Ruby & Sapphire newcomers Torchic, Lotad, and Wailord.[4](https://lavacutcontent.com/sugimori-masuda-gen-3-interview/)
Psyduck remains active in current games. A limited-time mass outbreak event in [Pokémon Scarlet and Violet](https://www.edgepedia.org/pokemon-scarlet-and-violet) ran from Friday, July 17, 2026, at 00:00 UTC to Thursday, August 6, 2026, at 23:59 UTC, featuring Psyduck with the Absent-Minded Mark and the title "The Spacey" in the Paldea region, alongside [Slowpoke](https://www.edgepedia.org/slowpoke), Feebas, White-Striped Form Basculin, and Lapras.[6](https://sv-news.pokemon.co.jp/en/page/465.html)
## Anime role
In the animated series, Misty, one of [Ash Ketchum](https://www.edgepedia.org/ash-ketchum)'s traveling companions, owns a Psyduck that becomes one of her signature Pokémon. The episode "Sitting Psyduck" in the series' eighth season centers on protecting a Psyduck from Team Rocket's Jessie, James, and Meowth, and on the mystery of its depression once its over-protective trainer arrives.[7](https://www.pokemon.com/us/animation/seasons/8/episode-47-sitting-psyduck)
## Trading Card Game and merchandise
Psyduck has appeared on [Pokémon Trading Card Game](https://www.edgepedia.org/pokemon-trading-card-game) cards since the game's early era. A Platinum-set Psyduck card (collector number 87/127, illustrated by Tomokazu Komiya) is a Basic Water Pokémon with 60 HP, the attack Headache, which can stop the opponent from playing Trainer, Supporter, or Stadium cards on the next turn, and Latent Power, a 30-damage attack that confuses Psyduck itself if a coin flip comes up tails; the card lists a [Lightning](https://www.edgepedia.org/lightning) weakness and a retreat cost of two Colorless energy.[8](https://assets.pokemon.com/assets/cms/pdf/tcg/carddex/Platinum.pdf) In the digital game [Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket](https://www.edgepedia.org/pokemon-trading-card-game-pocket), a Mystery Selection event ran from November 26 to December 6, 2025, offering promo cards of Torchic and Psyduck together with accessories highlighting the Duck Pokémon.[9](https://www.pokemon.com/br/noticias/evento-escolha-misteriosa-do-pokemon-estampas-ilustradas-pocket-torchic-e-psyduck)
The character is also a fixture of official merchandise. The Pokémon Center's 2025 holiday exclusives included a Psyduck holiday sweater vest featuring the Duck Pokémon wondering what to do with its present.[10](https://www.pokemon.com/uk/pokemon-news/pokemon-center-2025-holiday-exclusives-now-available)
## References
1. [Psyduck | Pokédex, The official Pokémon Website in Singapore](https://sg.portal-pokemon.com/pokedex/0054/)
2. [What artists can learn from 30 years of Pokémon character design, Creative Bloq](https://www.creativebloq.com/art/digital-art/what-artists-can-learn-from-30-years-of-pokemon-character-design)
3. [Psyduck Pokédex: stats, moves, evolution & locations, Pokémon Database](https://pokemondb.net/pokedex/psyduck)
4. [Translation: Sugimori and Masuda on Gen 3's Development, Lava Cut Content](https://lavacutcontent.com/sugimori-masuda-gen-3-interview/)
5. [The IAFOR Journal of Asian Studies (Swinburne Research Bank)](https://researchbank.swinburne.edu.au/items/a75c124d-8c0d-4b72-8ac4-cf39e94ff0bd/1/PDF%20%28Published%20version%29.pdf)
6. [Prepare for Mass Outbreaks of Water-Type Pokémon with Various Marks, Pokémon Co.](https://sv-news.pokemon.co.jp/en/page/465.html)
7. [Sitting Psyduck, Pokemon.com animation episode page](https://www.pokemon.com/us/animation/seasons/8/episode-47-sitting-psyduck)
8. [Pokémon TCG Card Dex: Platinum set, The Pokémon Company](https://assets.pokemon.com/assets/cms/pdf/tcg/carddex/Platinum.pdf)
9. [Evento Escolha Misteriosa do Pokémon Estampas Ilustradas Pocket: Torchic e Psyduck, Pokemon.com Brasil](https://www.pokemon.com/br/noticias/evento-escolha-misteriosa-do-pokemon-estampas-ilustradas-pocket-torchic-e-psyduck)
10. [Pokémon Center 2025 Holiday Exclusives Now Available, Pokemon.com UK](https://www.pokemon.com/uk/pokemon-news/pokemon-center-2025-holiday-exclusives-now-available)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Video games and digital play › Games and gameplay › Individual game titles › In-game subjects: characters, levels, items, and locations within single games › Creatures and monster species*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license