Physical
Balanced
DTier
30Speed · Very Slow

Stats & Training

Nothing fancy in Metapod's spread. It leans mixed with Defense out front. And you'll get 2 Defense stat exp per KO for it. Follows a medium-fast 1M XP curve.

Base Stats
Below
HP50
D
Attack20
F
Defense55
D
Sp. Atk25
F
Sp. Def25
F
Speed30
F
Total205
Details
Catch Rate
Moderate120 / 255
Growth Rate
Medium Fast1M XP
Height0.7 m
2'04"Small
Weight9.9 kg
21.8 lbsFeather
Base XP72
Low Yield
Abilities
Abilities were introduced in Generation III. Shown below for reference.
Shed Skin
Has a 33% chance of curing any major status ailment after each turn.
EV Yield
HPAtkDef+2SpASpDSpe
Defense training target
Pokedex Entries

This POKéMON is vulnerable to attack while its shell is soft, exposing its weak and tender body.

Metapod Weakness

Metapod's Bug typing leaves it vulnerable to Fire, Poison, Flying, and Rock. Metapod's physical bulk (base 55 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.

Metapod Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Fire, Poison, Flying, Rock
0.5x (Resist)Grass, Fighting, Ground
Type ChartVulnerable
4Weak
3Resist
0Immune
Score-5
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
FirePoisonFlyingRock
½xResist
GrassFightingGround
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
None
STAB (2)
GrassPoison
How to Beat Metapod in Red & Blue (Best Counters)
Pidgey
Pidgey
NormalFlying
D
Available Move
Moves
  • GustLv. 1
Damage vs Metapod
Gust 2x
43-52%
View Pidgey builds →

Red & Blue Evolution

Metapod connects Caterpie to Butterfree as a Bug type. Can't breed at 205 stats, just keep evolving. So far, Defense got the biggest boost (+20 from Caterpie). The final form adds another 190 stats on top. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

3 Forms
Caterpie
#010Caterpie
7
Level 7
Metapod
#011Metapod
10
Level 10
Butterfree
#012Butterfree
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Caterpie
Bug
Metapod
Bug
Butterfree
BugFlying
HP
45
50+5
60+10
ATK
30
20-10
45+25
DEF
35
55+20
50-5
SP.ATK
20
25+5
90+65
SP.DEF
20
25+5
80+55
SPE
45
30-15
70+40
BST
195D-Tier
205D-Tier+10
395C-Tier+190
ROLE
Balanced
Balanced
Balanced
TYPE
Utility
Utility
Special
Breeding not available · Introduced in Gen 2

Red & Blue Metapod Best Moveset

Best Build

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

Utility Moveset

  • Unknown
  • String ShotSTAB
  • TackleCoverage
  • HardenUtility

Recommended Teammates

Pikachu
PikachuExcellent
Pidgeotto
PidgeottoExcellent
Eevee
EeveeDecent

Moves

A compact toolkit overall. The offense runs through Bug STAB for Metapod, with limited coverage doing what it can. Don't expect versatility from this one.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Harden
A——30Normal

TM Moves

Metapod can't learn any TM moves

Egg Moves

Metapod doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Metapod can't learn any Tutor moves

How to Get Metapod in Red & Blue

Metapod is available from early-game routes onward at high spawn rates. 5 encounter spots give you plenty of options. Grab one early and it'll be ready to evolve or train by mid-game.

Where To Catch Metapod in Red & Blue

To get Metapod, start by catching Caterpie through walking encounters at Lv. 3-9. The chain covers 2 catchable stages before reaching the final form.

  1. Caterpie
    Step 1Catch Caterpie
    Viridian Forest
    BlueGrass Lv.3-5 Forest
    40%Early
    Route 2
    BlueGrass Lv.3-5 Route
    20%Early
    Route 24
    BlueGrass Lv.7 Route
    20%Early
    Route 25
    BlueGrass Lv.8 Route
    20%Early
    Viridian Forest
    RedGrass Lv.3 Forest
    5%Early
    Route 25
    RedGrass Lv.8 Route
    5%Early
  2. Metapod
    Step 2Metapod ✓
    Viridian Forest
    BlueGrass Lv.4-6 Forest
    40%Early
    Route 24
    BlueGrass Lv.8 Route
    20%Early
    Route 25
    BlueGrass Lv.9 Route
    20%Early
    Viridian Forest
    RedGrass Lv.4 Forest
    5%Early
    Route 25
    RedGrass Lv.7 Route
    5%Early
    or evolve from Caterpie (Step 1)

Metapod Guide

  • Get Metapod to Butterfree at level 10. At 205 BST, Metapod is just the starting point.

  • Level 10 gets you Butterfree. Quick enough that Metapod barely slows you down.

  • In Red & Blue, For a casual playthrough, Metapod works as a placeholder. Bug coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Butterfree. That's where the stats start mattering.

  • You can find Metapod in Red & Blue. The Locations section has the full breakdown of routes and encounter details. It also appears in 18 other games across the series.

Game Availability

Present since Red & Blue, Metapod appears in 19 games spanning 10 generations. Gen 1 originals like Metapod have the longest track record of availability in the series.

Click a game to view version-specific details

Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Want to tell us more?
What was most useful?
What could be improved?
Thanks for your feedback