Stats & Training
The stat line revolves around HP. Percentage recovery gets extra mileage here. Defense backs it up, though Speed doesn't pull its weight. Worth 3 HP EVs on a slow 1.25M XP grind to max out.
This Pokémon is a glutton, but it’s bad at getting food. It teams up with a Tatsugiri to catch prey.
It treats Tatsugiri like its boss and follows it loyally. Though powerful, Dondozo is apparently not very smart.
Dondozo Weakness
Electric and Grass moves hit Dondozo for super-effective damage. The Water typing picks up 4 resistances to work with. Dondozo's physical bulk (base 115 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Electric, Grass |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Fire, Water, Ice, Steel |
 Wo-Chien DarkGrass | B | |
Obtain MethodSouth Province Area One Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dondozo View Wo-Chien builds →Power Whip 2x48-57% Solar Beam 2x83-97% Giga Drain 2x52-61% Mega Drain 2x28-33% | ||
 Meowscarada GrassDark | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Sprigatito (Cabo Poco Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dondozo View Meowscarada builds →Leaf Storm 2x78-92% Solar Beam 2x72-85% Energy Ball 2x55-65% Seed Bomb 2x40-47% | ||
 Leafeon Grass | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dondozo View Leafeon builds →Solar Beam 2x58-68% Leaf Blade 2x45-53% Giga Drain 2x37-44% Magical Leaf 2x29-35% | ||
 Toedscruel GroundGrass | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dondozo View Toedscruel builds →Power Whip 2x42-49% Solar Beam 2x72-85% Seed Bomb 2x28-33% Giga Drain 2x45-53% | ||
 Gogoat Grass | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Dondozo View Gogoat builds →Solar Beam 2x84-99% Leaf Blade 2x42-49% Seed Bomb 2x37-44% Horn Leech 2x35-41% | ||
 | A | |
Recommended Build AbilityLibero ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Dondozo View Cinderace builds →U Turn9-11% Sucker Punch9-11% | ||
 | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityNatural Cure ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureBold Moves View Blissey builds →
| ||
 | B | |
Recommended Build AbilitySlushrush ItemSitrus Berry NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Dondozo View Cetitan builds →Earthquake14-17% Ice Shard4-5% | ||
 | B | |
Recommended Build AbilityQuarkdrive ItemBooster Energy NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Dondozo View Iron Boulder builds →Close Combat16-19% Earthquake13-16% | ||
 | B | |
Recommended Build AbilitySlushrush ItemLoaded Dice NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Dondozo View Beartic builds →Close Combat19-22% Earthquake16-18% Icicle Spear3-4% | ||
Scarlet & Violet Evolution
Dondozo is what you get. No evolutions, but it breeds through one egg group with a decent partner pool. Hatching is takes forever to hatch. It's got 4 egg moves worth looking into. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
Breed Dondozo with 24 breeding partners from the Water2 egg group. Pass egg moves like Curse, Fissure, Thrash and 1 more to offspring.
Scarlet & Violet Dondozo Best Moveset
max HP and Defense EVs and Impish nature turn Dondozo into a wall that doesn't fold easily. Leftovers brings passive recovery each turn for the long game, and Rest handles sustain. Unaware fills in the gaps.
Best Build
Dondozo best EVs are HP and Defense
Doubles Wall Moveset
- Fissure
- Wave Crash
- Rest
- Protect
Recommended Teammates
Doubles Physical Tank Moveset
- Protect
- Wave Crash
- Order Up
- Earthquake
Recommended Teammates
Wall Moveset
- Rest
- Sleep Talk
- Curse
- Body Press
Recommended Teammates
Doubles Bulky Support Moveset
- Protect
- Wave Crash
- Order Up
- Earthquake
Recommended Teammates
Moves
Don't skip the egg moves. Dondozo picks up Curse and Fissure only through breeding, and both fill gaps the natural movepool can't. STAB runs through Wave Crash and Hydro Pump while coverage across 9 types adds range.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Scarlet & Violet Dondozo Locations
low spawn rates across 2 encounter spots for Dondozo. That's the kind of hunt where you pick one location and settle in. Sort by Best below to see where the odds are highest.
Best Locations to Catch Dondozo in Scarlet & Violet
Dondozo Guide
In Scarlet & Violet, Dondozo looks average on paper at 530 BST. But Unaware is why it sees play. Build around that and it pulls its weight. A-Tier tank on our tier list. Fissure with Leftovers is the standard set.
In Scarlet & Violet, watch for Miraidon (Electric) and Venusaur (Grass) when using Dondozo. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Only 2 weaknesses means fewer dedicated counters to worry about. At base 35 Speed, Dondozo won't outrun any of these threats so switching to a resist is usually the safer play.
Dondozo gets Unaware, Oblivious, and Water Veil. But Unaware is the one that matters. It's the centerpiece of every viable set. Build around that.
Dondozo is leaning toward the physical side (base 100 Attack). Tanky enough to absorb a few hits, too. Speed tells the real story. Base 35 Speed is low. Priority moves or Trick Room are the way to go. Fits the tank role.
For Scarlet & Violet, Dondozo has answers, but so do you. Status moves (Toxic, Will-O-Wisp) wear it down. Setup sweepers can use it as a boost opportunity. Special attackers bypass its physical bulk.
Game Availability
Since Scarlet & Violet, Dondozo has been obtainable in 2 games. A Generation 9 debut means a shorter history, but Dondozo has appeared steadily across every generation since.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 4DP
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 9SVDebut
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves