Physical
Sweeper
STier
110Speed · Fast

Stats & Training

The stat budget goes to damage. Special and Speed carry the offense, HP doesn't even come close. A Shadow Pokemon on a 1.06M XP medium-slow curve, worth 3 Special stat exp per KO.

Base Stats
High
HP60
C
Attack65
C
Defense60
C
Sp. Atk130
A
Sp. Def130
A
Speed110
B
Total555
Details
Catch Rate
Challenging45 / 255
Growth Rate
Medium Slow1.06M XP
Height1.5 m
4'11"Average
Weight40.5 kg
89.3 lbsLight
Base XP250
High Yield
Abilities
Abilities were introduced in Generation III. Shown below for reference.
Cursed Body
Has a 30% chance of Disabling any move that hits the Pokémon.
EV Yield
HPAtkDefSpA+3SpDSpe
Strong Special Attack training target
Pokedex Entries

Under a full moon, this POKéMON likes to mimic the shadows of people and laugh at their fright.

Gengar Weakness

Type-wise, Gengar takes extra damage from Ground, Psychic, and Ghost. Normal and Fighting moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity. Gengar's special bulk (base 130 Special) helps absorb special-type weaknesses, though physical moves exploit the lower Defense.

Gengar Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Ground, Psychic, Ghost
0.5x (Resist)Grass
0.25x (Resist)Poison
0x (Immune)Normal, Fighting
Type ChartGood
3Weak
2Resist
2Immune
Score+3
Gen I Type Chart
  • Only 15 types exist — Dark, Steel, and Fairy are absent
  • Ghost has no effect on Psychic (a known bug, fixed in Gen II)
  • Special stat governs both offense and defense — no Sp.Atk / Sp.Def split
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
GroundPsychicGhost
½xResist
Grass
¼xResist
Poison
0xImmune
NormalFighting
STAB (3)
GhostGrassBug
How to Beat Gengar in Red & Blue (Best Counters)
Pinsir
Pinsir
Bug
B
Recommended Build
Moves
  • Swords Dance
  • Hyper Beam
  • Submission
  • Bind
View Pinsir builds →

Red & Blue Evolution

Gastly's chain leads to Gengar (by trading). A Ghost/Poison type at 555 stats, sitting in the Undiscovered group. Special grew the most through evolution (+95 over Gastly), and Gengar peaks at 555 total stats. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Gastly
#092Gastly
25
Level 25
Haunter
#093Haunter
Trade
Gengar
#094Gengar
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Gastly
GhostPoison
Haunter
GhostPoison
Gengar
GhostPoison
HP
30
45+15
60+15
ATK
35
50+15
65+15
DEF
30
45+15
60+15
SP.ATK
100
115+15
130+15
SP.DEF
35
55+20
75+20
SPE
80
95+15
110+15
BST
310C-Tier
405C-Tier+95
500A-Tier+95
ROLE
Attacker
Cannon
Sweeper
TYPE
Special
Special
Special
Breeding not available · Introduced in Gen 2

Red & Blue Gengar Best Moveset

Best Build

Recommended
Utility
Ability
Not in Gen 1
Item
Not in Gen 1
Nature
Not in Gen 1

Utility Moveset

  • HypnosisUtility
  • ExplosionCoverage
  • ThunderboltCoverage
  • PsychicCoverage

Recommended Teammates

Tauros
TaurosGood
Snorlax
SnorlaxGood
Exeggutor
ExeggutorGood

Moves

TMs carry this one. Gengar learns Lick and Night Shade naturally for STAB, but the offensive range comes almost entirely from technical machines. Psychic and Normal and beyond give it real matchup play.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Confuse Ray
B—10010Ghost
Lv 1
Lick
—2010030Ghost
Lv 1
Night Shade
A—10015Ghost
Lv 29
Hypnosis
S—6020Psychic
Lv 38
Dream Eater
—10010015Psychic

TM Moves

TM
TM34
Bide+1
———10Normal
TM08
Body Slam
D8510015Normal
TM18
Counter-5
D—10020Fighting
TM32
Double Team
———15Normal
TM10
Double-Edge
C12010015Normal
TM42
Dream Eater
—10010015Psychic
TM47
Explosion
S2501005Normal
TM15
Hyper Beam
B150905Normal
TM21
Mega Drain
D4010010Grass
TM05
Mega Kick
D120755Normal
TM01
Mega Punch
D808520Normal
TM35
Metronome
D——10Normal
TM31
Mimic
———10Normal
TM29
Psychic
S9010010Psychic
TM46
Psywave
——10015Psychic
TM20
Rage
—2010020Normal
TM44
Rest
C——10Psychic
TM19
Seismic Toss
D—10020Fighting
TM36
Self-Destruct
B2001005Normal
TM40
Skull Bash
C10010010Normal
HM04
Strength
—8010015Normal
TM17
Submission
D808025Fighting
TM50
Substitute
C——10Normal
TM09
Take Down
—908520Normal
TM25
Thunder
C1107010Electric
TM24
Thunderbolt
S9510015Electric
TM06
Toxic
C—9010Poison

Egg Moves

Gengar doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Gengar can't learn any Tutor moves

How to Get Gengar in Red & Blue

A trade step sits in Gengar's 3-stage chain from Gastly. The step cards below map each stage with catch locations and evolution methods. Gastly shows up at solid rates, so the starting catch is the easy part.

Trade Evolution Required — Requires trading with another player

How to Obtain Gengar in Red & Blue

The path to Gengar starts with Gastly at Lv. 18-30 via walking encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.

  1. Gastly
    Step 1Catch Gastly
    Pokémon Tower - 3F
    BlueGrass Lv.18-24 Building
    85%Mid
    Pokémon Tower - 3F
    RedGrass Lv.18-24 Building
    85%Mid
    Pokémon Tower - 4F
    BlueGrass Lv.18-24 Building
    85%Mid
    Pokémon Tower - 4F
    RedGrass Lv.18-24 Building
    85%Mid
    Pokémon Tower - 5F
    RedGrass Lv.18-24 Building
    85%Mid
    Pokémon Tower - 5F
    BlueGrass Lv.18-24 Building
    85%Mid
    Pokémon Tower - 6F
    RedGrass Lv.19-24 Building
    80%Mid
    Pokémon Tower - 6F
    BlueGrass Lv.19-24 Building
    80%Mid
    Pokémon Tower - 7F
    RedGrass Lv.20-24 Building
    70%Mid
    Pokémon Tower - 7F
    BlueGrass Lv.20-24 Building
    70%Mid
  2. Haunter
    Step 2Catch or Evolve Haunter
    Pokémon Tower - 7F
    RedGrass Lv.28-30 Building
    20%Mid
    Pokémon Tower - 7F
    BlueGrass Lv.28-30 Building
    20%Mid
    Pokémon Tower - 6F
    RedGrass Lv.26-28 Building
    10%Mid
    Pokémon Tower - 6F
    BlueGrass Lv.26-28 Building
    10%Mid
    Pokémon Tower - 3F
    BlueGrass Lv.25 Building
    5%Mid
    Pokémon Tower - 3F
    RedGrass Lv.25 Building
    5%Mid
    Pokémon Tower - 4F
    BlueGrass Lv.25 Building
    5%Mid
    Pokémon Tower - 4F
    RedGrass Lv.25 Building
    5%Mid
    Pokémon Tower - 5F
    RedGrass Lv.25 Building
    5%Mid
    Pokémon Tower - 5F
    BlueGrass Lv.25 Building
    5%Mid
    or evolve from Gastly (Step 1)
  3. Gengar
    Step 3Gengar ✓

Gengar Guide

  • For Red & Blue, we rate Gengar S-Tier: one of the best picks in the Red & Blue meta. At 555 BST, it fits the sweeper role. Hypnosis anchors the moveset.

  • Mega Evolution isn't available in Red & Blue, but Gengar does have a Mega form in Gen 6-7 games (X/Y, ORAS, Sun/Moon). Mega Gengar hits 655 BST.

  • In Red & Blue, Gengar's biggest threats include Golem (Ground), Starmie (Psychic), and Misdreavus (Ghost), all carrying super-effective STAB moves.

  • Base 110 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. On offense, Gengar is a physical attacker with base 65 Attack. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a sweeper.

  • In Red & Blue, the best way to handle Gengar: Priority moves (Mach Punch, Aqua Jet, Ice Shard) bypass its speed. Bulky walls that resist its STAB also shut it down.

Game Availability

Since debuting in Red & Blue, Gengar has appeared in 22 titles over 10 generations. Along the way, it received a Mega form in Generation 7 and a Gigantamax form in Generation 8, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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