Dragonair

Dragonair in the anime: Clair's ace and a Dragonite in the making

In Beauty is Skin Deep, Clair's Dratini evolved into Dragonair while the Blackthorn City Gym Leader was protecting it from Team Rocket. In Better Eight Than Never it was the last Pokémon she sent out in her Gym rematch with Ash, and it lost to Charizard's Seismic Toss, earning Ash the Rising Badge.

Much later, in A Test in Paradise!, a wild Dragonair on Dragonite Island evolved into Dragonite, and Ash caught it soon afterward.

Dragonair on cards: Dark, Light and Delta Species versions

Dragonair's first card is Base Set #18 from January 1999, a non-holo Rare illustrated by Mitsuhiro Arita, who has drawn four of its cards. The Team Rocket set (2000) printed Dark Dragonair among its Dark Pokémon, and Gym Heroes the same year gave it a Holo Rare as Erika's Dragonair, illustrated by Atsuko Nishida.

Neo Destiny (2002) added Light Dragonair to its Light Pokémon, the counterpart to the Dark Pokémon cards. Delta Species (2005) printed two Dragonair δ cards as Lightning types, part of that era's Holon story in which familiar Pokémon took on new types. Most of Dragonair's run is Uncommon (21 of 29 cards); 151 (2023) gave it an illustration rare by rika.

Cards to know

• Dragonair (Base Set #18)

  Dragonair's first card, a 1999 non-holo Rare illustrated by Mitsuhiro Arita.

• Dark Dragonair (Team Rocket #33)

  One of the Team Rocket set's 2000 Dark Pokémon, illustrated by Kagemaru Himeno.

• Erika's Dragonair (Gym Heroes #4)

  A Holo Rare Owner's Pokémon card from the Gym series, illustrated by Atsuko Nishida.

• Light Dragonair (Neo Destiny #22)

  Part of Neo Destiny's Light Pokémon, the counterpart to the Dark Pokémon cards.

• Dragonair δ (Delta Species #42)

  A Lightning type Dragonair from the 2005 Delta Species set, illustrated by Mitsuhiro Arita.

• Dragonair (151 #181)

  An illustration rare from the 2023 151 set, illustrated by rika.