Buzzwole in depth
A mosquito designed like a bodybuilder
Buzzwole was designed by James Turner based on a mosquito, taken to a completely disproportionate scale and shape. The clearest inspiration lies in its bulging muscles, fluid-filled sacs and black areas that recall the shading used in comics to define musculature. The result contrasts the fragility and small size of the real insect with the silhouette of a bodybuilder or superhero.
The English name combines “buzz”, the sound made by an insect, with “swole”, a colloquial way of saying “muscular”. The Japanese マッシブーン is read as Masshibūn and evokes the idea of something massive combined with the buzz of a mosquito. The “Swollen Pokémon” category fits the sacs covering its arms, legs, chest and back.
An Ultra Beast of contrasts
Its design follows a common Ultra Beast idea: bringing together elements that would not normally appear in a creature from the series. The mosquito, associated with a small and irritating insect, is turned into a bulky figure that seems to pose in order to be admired. The Pokédex entries preserve that contradiction. It can be a threat capable of smashing a truck, but it also shows off its body as if it were waiting for praise.
Buzzwole debuted in Pokémon Sun and Moon as UB-02 and returned in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon. Its availability changed in the following generation: in Pokémon Sword and Shield, it became obtainable through Dynamax Adventures in the Crown Tundra. It also shares the UB-02 code and the Bug and Fighting types with Pheromosa, although its stats go in opposite directions. Buzzwole focuses on power and physical bulk; Pheromosa relies on speed.
Finding it a place on the team
On a standard team, it is best reserved for matchups against physical attackers. Its 107 HP and 139 Defense let it switch into hits that would knock out a frailer attacker, raise its stats with Bulk Up and restore HP with Drain Punch. If it needs to deal damage immediately, Close Combat and Superpower make use of its 139 Attack. Leech Life provides Bug-type damage and recovery, although its power is lower than that of its best Fighting-type attacks.
Its coverage should be chosen according to the switches you expect. Ice Punch punishes Flying-, Ground- and Dragon-type opponents; Poison Jab threatens Fairy types; Earthquake covers several Poison and Fire types. Taunt is useful against defensive opponents that want to use status moves, but it does not fix its low Speed or poor Special Defense.
The cost of switching in
The 139-139-53-53 spread leaves it with a structural weakness: it handles physical attacks well, but takes heavy damage from special ones. A Fire-, Psychic- or Fairy-type attacker can force it out even if it is not particularly fast. Flying-type opponents are even more troublesome, because their attacks hit its most severe weakness and they usually outspeed its 79 Speed.
It also competes for a team slot with Heracross, which shares the Bug and Fighting types and offers a similar offensive profile. Buzzwole stands out for its Defense and for moves such as Ice Punch, Poison Jab and Earthquake, while Heracross has better tools for making the most of its role as a Bug-type attacker. Beast Boost rewards knockouts, but losing a turn against a special attacker or a Flying-type threat is often enough to halt its progress.