Breeding Pokémon is a cornerstone of raising strong teams, and it all begins at the Pokémon Daycare. By leaving two compatible Pokémon with the Daycare Lady, you’ll soon find an egg ready for collection. While the specifics remain playfully vague in the games, the requirements for Pokémon compatibility are clear:
- Exclusions: Legendary Pokémon, baby Pokémon, Unown, Nidorina, and Nidoqueen are unable to breed.
- Gender Diversity: Breeding requires Pokémon of opposite genders.
- Egg Group Harmony: Pokémon must share at least one egg group to be compatible (refer to the egg group table for details).
A Pokémon meeting the initial criteria can also breed with Ditto. Notably, genderless Pokémon can only breed with Ditto.
Once you receive an egg and walk a certain distance, it will hatch into a Level 1 Pokémon (Level 5 in Generations 2-3). The hatched Pokémon will always be the same species as the female Pokémon, in its base evolutionary stage. For instance, breeding a female Blastoise with a compatible male will produce a Squirtle egg. When breeding with Ditto, the egg will always yield the non-Ditto Pokémon species; breeding Ditto with a male Charizard results in a Charmander egg.
Breeding Exceptions
There are unique breeding behaviors for specific Pokémon pairs. The Nidoran♀/Nidoran♂ and Illumise/Volbeat pairs are notable examples. Breeding one of these with a compatible partner can result in either the male or female variant offspring. For instance, breeding a male Golduck with Nidoran♀ could produce either a Nidoran♀ or Nidoran♂ egg.
In Generations 2-4, breeding the male variant with Ditto exclusively produces a male egg.
Some Pokémon can produce different baby Pokémon based on held items. Certain Incenses, when held by the parent, will result in a baby Pokémon, otherwise, the offspring will be the next evolutionary stage. For example, a female Roserade usually produces a Roselia egg, but if Roserade holds a Rose Incense, it will produce a Budew egg. Check the baby Pokémon list below for specifics.
Manaphy and Phione, while listed in the Water 1 and Fairy egg groups, can only breed with Ditto, not with others in their egg groups. Breeding either Manaphy or Phione with Ditto will always produce a Phione egg. Phione does not evolve into Manaphy.
Passing Down Moves
A primary goal of Pokémon breeding is to create Pokémon with specific moves. If the male Pokémon knows moves that the baby Pokémon can inherently learn, these moves will be present when the egg hatches. Before Generation 5, this was a vital method for reusing TMs, which were single-use at the time. Now, TMs are reusable, but move inheritance remains a powerful breeding tool.
The baby Pokémon will automatically know any move it naturally learns at Level 1. Furthermore, if both parents know a move that the baby Pokémon would learn through leveling up, the baby will also hatch knowing that move. For example, breeding two Ampharos that both know Thunder will result in a Mareep that knows Thunder at Level 1.
Moreover, some moves can only be learned through breeding. These are known as egg moves. Our Pokédex lists these moves alongside regular moves. Often, another Pokémon within the same egg group learns the egg move by leveling up and can pass it down through breeding. Sometimes, this requires chain breeding across multiple Pokémon species.
When there’s an excess of potential moves to inherit, the game prioritizes them as follows, with each subsequent category overwriting earlier ones if there are move conflicts:
- Level 1 moves.
- Moves learned by level up that both parents know.
- In Generations 2-5 only, compatible TM and HM moves known by the father.
- Egg moves known by either parent (or only the father in Generations 2-5).
Passing Down Abilities
A female Pokémon (or a male Pokémon when bred with Ditto) has a 60% chance of passing down its ability to its offspring. If the ability isn’t passed down this way, the offspring’s ability is randomly selected from its standard abilities. In practice, if the parent has a regular ability, there is an 80% likelihood the offspring will have the same ability slot (60% chance of inheriting + 20% chance of randomly getting the same slot), and a 20% chance of getting the other standard ability slot. For Hidden Abilities, there’s a 60% chance the offspring gets the Hidden Ability and a 20% chance for each of its regular abilities (or 40% if it only has one regular ability).
Note that ability options can change through evolution. For instance, Poochyena can have Run Away or Quick Feet, while Mightyena can have Intimidate or Quick Feet. A Poochyena bred from a Mightyena with Intimidate has an 80% chance of having Run Away and a 20% chance of Quick Feet. If the Mightyena has Quick Feet, the Poochyena will have an 80% chance of Quick Feet and a 20% chance of Run Away.
In Generations 3-4, the hatched Pokémon’s ability was randomly chosen from the two possibilities (50% each) regardless of the parents’ abilities. In Generation 5, only female Pokémon could pass down abilities; males bred with Ditto reverted to the 50/50 chance for each ability.
Passing Down Natures
Pokémon can inherit natures through breeding. Natures, which influence stat growth, are normally randomly assigned from 25 options. If a Pokémon holds an Everstone, its offspring is guaranteed to have the same nature. If both parents hold an Everstone, the nature is randomly selected from the two parent’s natures.
Prior to Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, natures only had a 50% chance of being passed down. In Pokémon Emerald, this 50% chance only applied to the female parent or Ditto. In Generation 4, both parents needed to be from games of the same language for nature inheritance to function.
Passing Down IV Stats
Starting from Generation 3 (Ruby/Sapphire), Pokémon offspring can inherit Individual Values (IVs) from their parents. IVs are hidden stats that significantly impact a Pokémon’s potential.
The offspring will inherit three IV stats from either parent. For instance, breeding a male Infernape and a female Ninetales could result in a Vulpix inheriting HP and Defense IVs from Infernape and Speed IV from Ninetales.
The IVs chosen are random. If the same IV is selected twice (once from each parent for example), the first selection is overwritten by the second. For example, if the game initially selects Ninetales’ HP and Attack, then Infernape’s Attack, the baby will only inherit two IVs: HP from Ninetales and Attack from Infernape.
From HeartGold/SoulSilver onwards, a mechanic using EV-training Power items was introduced to provide more control over IV inheritance. If a parent holds a Power item, the child will inherit the corresponding IV. Two additional IVs are randomly inherited from either parent as normal, and the remaining three IVs are completely random. If both parents hold a Power item, one of the two corresponding stats is chosen at random for inheritance. The Power items are:
Item | Stat |
---|---|
Power Weight | HP |
Power Bracer | Attack |
Power Belt | Defense |
Power Lens | Sp. Atk |
Power Band | Sp. Def |
Power Anklet | Speed |
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For example, holding a Power Belt ensures the baby Pokémon inherits the parent’s Defense IV, along with two other random non-Defense IVs from either parent.
From X and Y onward, holding a Destiny Knot dramatically improves IV inheritance. A parent holding a Destiny Knot ensures the baby inherits five IVs from that parent. If one parent holds a Destiny Knot and the other holds a Power item, the baby will inherit the IV associated with the Power item and then four random IVs from the Destiny Knot parent.
Baby Pokémon
Certain Pokémon, known as baby Pokémon, can only be obtained through breeding. While many baby Pokémon have become available in the wild in later games, breeding remains a consistent method. Some baby Pokémon require a specific incense item to be held by the parent during breeding.
Pichu, the tiny mouse Pokémon.
Cleffa, the star shape Pokémon.
Igglybuff, the balloon Pokémon.
Togepi, the spike ball Pokémon.
Azurill, requires Sea Incense for breeding.
Wynaut, requires Lax Incense for breeding.
Budew, requires Rose Incense for breeding.
Chingling, requires Pure Incense for breeding.
Bonsly, requires Rock Incense for breeding.
Mime Jr., requires Odd Incense for breeding.
Happiny, requires Luck Incense for breeding.
Munchlax, requires Full Incense for breeding.
Mantyke, requires Wave Incense for breeding.
Toxel, the baby electric Pokémon.
Egg Group Connections
The table below illustrates the connections between egg groups, showing how moves can be passed between different Pokémon species. While a visual graph was once used, the current complexity of connections makes a table more readable.
Egg Group | Connected to |
---|---|
Amorphous | Dragon, Fairy, Grass, Human-Like, Mineral, Water 1 |
Bug | Dragon, Fairy, Grass, Human-Like, Mineral, Water 1, Water 3 |
Dragon | Amorphous, Bug, Field, Flying, Grass, Mineral, Monster, Water 1, Water 2 |
Fairy | Amorphous, Bug, Field, Flying, Grass, Human-Like, Mineral, Water 1 |
Field | Dragon, Fairy, Flying, Grass, Human-Like, Mineral, Monster, Water 1, Water 2 |
Flying | Dragon, Fairy, Field, Human-Like, Water 1, Water 3 |
Grass | Amorphous, Bug, Dragon, Fairy, Field, Human-Like, Mineral, Monster, Water 1 |
Human-Like | Amorphous, Bug, Fairy, Field, Flying, Grass, Water 1 |
Mineral | Amorphous, Bug, Dragon, Fairy, Field, Grass, Monster |
Monster | Dragon, Field, Grass, Mineral, Water 1 |
Water 1 | Amorphous, Bug, Dragon, Fairy, Field, Flying, Grass, Human-Like, Monster, Water 2, Water 3 |
Water 2 | Dragon, Field, Water 1 |
Water 3 | Bug, Flying, Water 1 |
Example: If you want to transfer a move from a Fairy egg group Pokémon to a Dragon egg group Pokémon, you’ll notice no direct overlap. Using the table, Field, Flying, and Water 1 groups connect to both Fairy and Dragon. You could breed the move onto a Pokémon like Pikachu (Fairy/Field), then to a Pokémon like Arbok (Field/Dragon).
Egg Groups
Each Pokémon is assigned to one or more egg groups, determining breeding compatibility. Only Pokémon sharing an egg group can breed together.
Name | Pokémon Count |
---|---|
Amorphous | 86 |
Bug | 99 |
Dragon | 81 |
Fairy | 76 |
Field | 330 |
Flying | 85 |
Grass | 93 |
Human-Like | 77 |
Mineral | 96 |
Monster | 99 |
Water 1 | 124 |
Water 2 | 42 |
Water 3 | 38 |
Ditto | 1 |
Undiscovered | 196 |
Breeding Examples
Let’s explore some examples to clarify Pokémon breeding mechanics.
1. Basic Breeding
If you have a female Raichu and want another, breeding is your answer! To start, you’ll need a compatible Pokémon. A Pikachu or Raichu of the opposite gender is always a direct match. Alternatively, check the egg groups.
Raichu belongs to the Fairy and Field egg groups, offering numerous breeding partners. A male Shinx, Bidoof, Umbreon, Granbull, or over 130 other Pokémon from these groups would work perfectly.
2. Breeding with Ditto
Consider breeding a male Primeape with Ditto. The resulting egg will hatch into a Mankey. If Primeape were bred with a female Pokémon instead, the egg would produce that female species’ base form, not Mankey.
Genderless Pokémon like Magneton must breed with Ditto to produce Magnemite, as Ditto is their only breeding option.
3. Charizard with Dig & Iron Tail (Gen 2-5)
Note: TM inheritance applies to Generations 2-5. TMs are now reusable and not inherited in later generations.
Charizard can learn Dig via TM28. If you’ve already used your TM28, breeding might be the solution to get Dig onto a Charmander.
Imagine you taught TM28 (Dig) to a male Aggron, which also knows Iron Tail (learned by level up). You also have a female Charmeleon. Both Charmeleon and Aggron are in the Monster egg group, making them compatible for breeding.
Breeding these two will produce a Charmander that knows Dig and Iron Tail. Charmander can learn both moves by TM, even though Iron Tail wasn’t taught via TM. Depending on other moves the parents know, Dig and Iron Tail might replace basic moves like Growl or Scratch.
4. Drapion with Night Slash
Drapion’s Sniper ability, which triples damage on critical hits, pairs well with moves that have a high critical-hit ratio like Night Slash.
Skorupi and Drapion learn Night Slash only as an egg move. Since there’s no TM for Night Slash, breeding with a compatible Pokémon that knows the move is necessary. Drapion is in the Bug and Water 3 egg groups.
Scyther learns Night Slash at level 45. (Yanmega and Heracross can also learn it from the Move Relearner, which might be easier.)
Breeding a male Scyther that knows Night Slash with a female Drapion will produce a Skorupi that knows Night Slash from birth!
Note: Drapion now learns Night Slash by level up, making this specific breeding example unnecessary in current games.
5. Utilizing Smeargle
In Example 3, Dig was taught to a male Aggron. If Dig was taught to a female Aggron, normally there’d be no way to pass it down through breeding. This is where Smeargle becomes invaluable.
Smeargle uniquely learns only one move directly – Sketch. Sketch permanently copies the last move used in battle. Using a male Smeargle, you can Sketch Dig from your Aggron, then breed Smeargle with a female Pokémon to pass Dig down.
Smeargle can Sketch any move from any Pokémon (including wild Pokémon). For reliable results, engage in a double battle with Smeargle and your Pokémon that knows the desired move. Double battle trainers are common in the games; Generation 5 even has wild double battles, and Generation 6 has Double Battle cafes. Competitive areas like the Battle Subway, Battle Maison, Battle Tree, or Wi-Fi battles do not allow permanent move copying. In a double battle, use Sketch on your partner Pokémon, and the move is ready to be bred onto any Pokémon.
Smeargle belongs to the Field egg group, allowing breeding with a vast number of Pokémon. This also means Pokémon in the Field group can inherit egg moves without complex chain breeding.
6. Chain Breeding
Chain breeding can become intricate, but here’s a straightforward example. Sometimes, a Pokémon can learn an egg move, but no directly compatible Pokémon learn it naturally. This is the case with Umbreon and Wish. Umbreon learns Wish only as an egg move, but no Pokémon in its egg group naturally learns Wish by leveling up.
Umbreon is in the Field egg group. Other Eevee evolutions learn Wish via breeding, which isn’t helpful here. However, the Pikachu/Raichu line also learns Wish through breeding, and they are in both the Field and Fairy groups. Togetic in the Fairy group learns Wish at level 28.
This creates a chain: Togetic to Pikachu, then Pikachu to Umbreon. Here’s the process:
- Train a male Togetic (or Togepi) to level 28 to learn Wish.
- Breed Togetic with a female Pikachu or Raichu to get a Pichu that knows Wish.
- To pass Wish to Umbreon, you need a male Pichu. Breed Pichus until you get a male (50/50 chance).
- Pichu can’t breed, so level it up and increase its happiness to evolve it into Pikachu.
- Breed your male Wish Pikachu with a female Umbreon to get an Eevee with Wish.
- Level up Eevee and evolve it into Umbreon (or any other Eeveelution if you change your mind).
This process can be lengthy, but it’s often the only way to achieve a perfect moveset. Smeargle can simplify this; Sketch Wish from Togetic and breed directly onto Umbreon, bypassing Pichu breeding, though the number of Pokémon involved remains similar.