Special
Sweeper
ATier
125Speed · Very Fast

Stats & Training

Everything pushes toward special damage here. Darkrai's Sp. Atk does the work, HP pays the price. But you're still getting 3 Sp. Atk and Speed EVs per KO. Near-impossible to catch, on a slow 1.25M XP grind.

Base Stats
Legend
HP70
C
Attack90
B
Defense90
B
Sp. Atk135
A
Sp. Def90
B
Speed125
A
Total600
Details
Catch Rate
Legendary3 / 255
Growth Rate
Slow1.25M XP
Height1.5 m
4'11"Average
Weight50.5 kg
111.3 lbsStandard
Base XP270
Elite Yield
Abilities
Bad DreamsTop Pick
Damages sleeping opponents for 1/8 their max HP after each turn.
EV Yield
HPAtkDefSpA+2SpDSpe+1
Strong Special Attack training target
Pokedex Entries
No Legends Z A entries available

On a moonless night, a strange incident occurred in which every one of a village’s inhabitants suffered nightmares. The villagers attested that Darkrai appeared before them in these nightmares.

Legends: Arceus

Darkrai Weakness

Darkrai's Dark typing leaves it vulnerable to Fighting, Bug, and Fairy. It shrugs off Psychic-type attacks completely. With 70 HP and balanced defenses, Darkrai can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.

Darkrai Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Fighting, Bug, Fairy
0.5x (Resist)Ghost, Dark
0x (Immune)Psychic
Type ChartAvg
3Weak
2Resist
1Immune
Score-1
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
FightingBugFairy
½xResist
GhostDark
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
Psychic
STAB (2)
PsychicGhost
How to Beat Darkrai in Legends: Z-A (Best Counters)
Scizor
Scizor
BugSteel
A
Bug is super effective against DarkraiView Scizor →

Legends: Z-A Evolution

A Dark-type mythical at 600 base stats, Darkrai can't breed or evolve. Event distribution is the standard way to obtain one. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

No Evolution
Darkrai
#491DarkraiDoes not evolve
Breeding is not available in this game

Legends: Z-A Darkrai Best Moveset

One boost from Nasty Plot and Darkrai gets dangerous fast. The Timid nature targets max Sp. Atk and Speed, and Baddreams backs the whole approach. Dark Pulse and the remaining moves handle most of what's left standing.

Best Build

Highly recommended
Ability
Bad Dreams
Item
Heavy Duty Boots
Best Nature for Darkrai
Timid+SPE

Darkrai best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed

EVs

Special Setup Sweeper Moveset

  • Dark PulseSTAB
  • Ice Beam
  • Sludge Bomb
  • Nasty PlotSTAB

Moves

The level-up pool is slim, so TMs matter here. Darkrai's coverage across 9 types all comes from technical machines, built on top of Dark Pulse and Crunch for same-type damage. Future Sight and Phantom Force are the payoff moves.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Confuse Ray
C—10010Ghost
Lv 1
Confusion
C5010025Psychic
Lv 1
Shadow Sneak+1
D4010030Ghost
Lv 10
Brutal Swing
C6010020Dark
Lv 11
Quick Attack+1
D4010030Normal
Lv 16
Snarl
C559515Dark
Lv 20
Hypnosis
A—6020Psychic
Lv 32
Psybeam
—6510020Psychic
Lv 47
Double Team
———15Normal
Lv 50
Future Sight
B12010010Psychic
Lv 57
Haze
C——30Ice
Lv 66
Dark Void
S—5010Dark
Lv 70
Phantom Force
C9010010Ghost
Lv 75
Nasty Plot
A——20Dark
Lv 84
Dream Eater
A10010015Psychic
Lv 93
Dark Pulse
S8010015Dark

TM Moves

TM
TM105
Blizzard
C110705Ice
TM10
Brick Break
C7510015Fighting
TM06
Calm Mind
C——20Psychic
TM130
Charge Beam
C509010Electric
TM25
Crunch
C8010015Dark
TM91
Curse
C——10Ghost
TM90
Dark Pulse
S8010015Dark
TM32
Double Team
———15Normal
TM131
Drain Punch
C7510010Fighting
TM127
Dream Eater
A10010015Psychic
TM35
Endure+4
C——10Normal
TM109
Facade
C7010020Normal
TM102
Focus Blast
B120705Fighting
TM60
Future Sight
B12010010Psychic
TM55
Giga Impact
B150905Normal
TM44
Hyper Beam
B150905Normal
TM13
Ice Beam
S9010010Ice
TM149
Icicle Spear
D2510030Ice
TM49
Icy Wind
C559515Ice
TM45
Knock Off
C6510020Dark
TM83
Nasty Plot
A——20Dark
TM119
Ominous Wind
C601005Ghost
TM77
Poison Jab
C8010020Poison
TM17
Protect+4
S——10Normal
TM63
Psychic
B9010010Psychic
TM03
Psyshock
C8010010Psychic
TM145
Razor Wind
—8010010Normal
TM12
Rock Slide
C759010Rock
TM36
Rock Tomb
D609515Rock
TM74
Shadow Ball
C8010015Ghost
TM61
Shadow Claw
C7010015Ghost
TM118
Shadow Punch
D60—20Ghost
TM53
Sludge Bomb
S9010010Poison
TM85
Substitute
B——10Normal
TM27
Swift
C60—20Normal
TM30
Swords Dance
C——20Normal
TM95
Taunt
C—10020Dark
TM106
Thunder
C1107010Electric
TM08
Thunder Wave
C—9020Electric
TM67
Thunderbolt
B9010015Electric
TM121
Torment
D—10015Dark
TM150
Vacuum Wave+1
D4010030Fighting
TM57
Will-O-Wisp
C—8515Fire
TM81
X-Scissor
C8010015Bug

Egg Moves

Darkrai doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Darkrai can't learn any Tutor moves

How to Get Darkrai in Legends: Z-A

Darkrai doesn't appear in Legends: Z-A. Transfer it from Diamond, Platinum, or Legends: Arceus to add it to your collection. Check the source games below for encounter details.

Darkrai is not available as a wild encounter in this game.

Also found in:

DiamondPlatinumLegends: Arceus

Darkrai Guide

  • For the Legends: Z-A meta, At 600 BST, Darkrai is built different. We rank it A-Tier. As a Mythical Pokemon, the raw stats back up the reputation. Best used as a sweeper. Dark Pulse with Heavy-Duty Boots is the standard set.

  • In Legends: Z-A, watch for Lucario (Fighting), Scyther (Bug), and Gardevoir (Fairy) when using Darkrai. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB.

  • Bad Dreams damages sleeping opponents for 1/8 their max HP after each turn. That's the one you want on Darkrai. It's the only ability Darkrai has.

  • Darkrai is a special attacker with base 135 Sp. Atk. Enough bulk to take a hit or two, too. Speed tells the real story. Base 125 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. Fits the sweeper role.

  • For Legends: Z-A, Darkrai has answers, but so do you. Priority moves (Mach Punch, Aqua Jet, Ice Shard) bypass its speed. Bulky walls that resist its STAB also shut it down.

Game Availability

Introduced in Diamond & Pearl, Darkrai shows up in 13 games across 7 generations. Mythical status keeps it locked behind events or specific story content in most appearances.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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