Physical
Balanced
DTier
40Speed · Very Slow

Stats & Training

Nothing fancy in Nincada's spread. It leans mixed with Defense out front. And you'll get 1 Defense EV per KO for it. Follows a standard growth curve.

Base Stats
Below
HP31
F
Attack45
D
Defense90
B
Sp. Atk30
F
Sp. Def30
F
Speed40
D
Total266
Details
Catch Rate
Guaranteed255 / 255
Growth Rate
Erratic600,000 XP
Height0.5 m
1'08"Tiny
Weight5.5 kg
12.1 lbsFeather
Base XP53
Low Yield
Abilities
Compound Eyes
Increases moves' accuracy to 1.3×.
Run AwayHANot in game
Ensures success fleeing from wild battles.
EV Yield
HPAtkDef+1SpASpDSpe
Defense training source
Pokedex Entries

Because it lived almost entirely underground, it is nearly blind. It uses its antennae instead.

Nincada Weakness

Type-wise, Nincada takes extra damage from Fire, Water, Ice, and Flying. Electric moves do nothing thanks to a full immunity. Nincada's physical bulk (base 90 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.

Nincada Weakness and Resistance Chart
DamageTypes
2x (Weak)Fire, Water, Ice, Flying
0.5x (Resist)Fighting, Poison, Ground
0x (Immune)Electric
Type ChartAvg
4Weak
3Resist
1Immune
Score-2
Gen III Type Chart
  • Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
  • Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
4xCritical
None
2xWeak
FireWaterIceFlying
½xResist
FightingPoisonGround
¼xResist
None
0xImmune
Electric
STAB (8)
GrassPsychicDarkFireElectricPoisonRockSteel
How to Beat Nincada in FireRed & LeafGreen (Best Counters)

In FireRed & LeafGreen, Charizard can KO Nincada with Fire Blast (385-454%). Regice's Ice Beam also KOs at 300-353%.

Charizard
Charizard
FireFlying
B
Recommended Build
AbilityBlaze
ItemLeftovers
NatureHasty
Moves
  • Fire Blast
  • Hidden Power Grass
  • SubstituteUtility
  • Focus Punch
Damage vs Nincada
Fire Blast 2x
385-454%KO
View Charizard builds →

FireRed & LeafGreen Evolution

Nincada can evolve into Ninjask and Shedinja. Nincada sits before the split, so check the evolution methods below to pick your path. Evolving adds up to 190 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

2 Evolutions
Nincada
#290Nincada
Ninjask
#291NinjaskLevel 20
Shedinja
#292ShedinjaLevel 20
Stat Comparison 3 Stages
Nincada
BugGround
Ninjask
BugFlying
Shedinja
BugGhost
HP
31
61+30
1-30
ATK
45
90+45
90+45
DEF
90
45-45
45-45
SP.ATK
30
50+20
30
SP.DEF
30
50+20
30
SPE
40
160+120
40
BST
266D-Tier
456C-Tier+190
236C-Tier-30
ROLE
Balanced
Pivot
Trick Room
TYPE
Utility
Physical
Physical

Breeding

Very Easy

Breed Nincada easily with 37 breeding partners from the Bug egg group. Pass egg moves like Endure, Feint Attack, Gust and 1 more to offspring.

Egg Groups
Bug
Gender
♂50.0%♀50.0%
Hatch Time
15 cycles·3,855 steps
Quick~4 min with Flame Body
Egg Moves
4moves
Breed With (best first)
flygonmasquerainvolbeatillumiseparasectvibravaparastrapinchsurskitshuckleforretressvenomoth
12 of 37·

FireRed & LeafGreen Nincada Best Moveset

Best Build

No build content available for this Pokemon in Gen 3.

Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.

Moves

The egg pool carries weight here. Endure and Feint Attack aren't available any other way for Nincada, and they meaningfully change what it threatens. Stack those on top of Leech Life and Dig for solid options.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1
Harden
D——30Normal
Lv 1
Scratch
—4010035Normal
Lv 5
Leech Life
—2010010Bug
Lv 9
Sand Attack
D—10015Ground
Lv 14
Fury Swipes
—188015Normal
Lv 19
Mind Reader
——1005Normal
Lv 25
False Swipe
—4010040Normal
Lv 31
Mud-Slap
D2010010Ground
Lv 38
Metal Claw
—509535Steel
Lv 45
Dig
—6010010Ground

TM Moves

TM
TM40
Aerial Ace
D60—20Flying
HM01
Cut
—509530Normal
TM28
Dig
—6010010Ground
TM32
Double Team
———15Normal
TM42
Facade
D7010020Normal
HM05
Flash
——7020Normal
TM21
Frustration
——10020Normal
TM19
Giga Drain
D751005Grass
TM10
Hidden Power
—6010015Normal
TM17
Protect+4
C——10Normal
TM44
Rest
C——10Psychic
TM27
Return
D—10020Normal
TM37
Sandstorm
———10Rock
TM43
Secret Power
—7010020Normal
TM30
Shadow Ball
D8010015Ghost
TM22
Solar Beam
D12010010Grass
TM11
Sunny Day
C——5Fire
TM06
Toxic
C—8510Poison

Egg Moves

Egg
Egg
Endure+4
D——10Normal
Egg
Feint Attack
—60—20Dark
Egg
Gust
—4010035Flying
Egg
Silver Wind
D601005Bug

Tutor Moves

Tut
Tutor
Double-Edge
D12010015Normal
Tutor
Mimic
———10Normal
Tutor
Substitute
C——10Normal

How to Get Nincada in FireRed & LeafGreen

Nincada doesn't appear in FireRed & LeafGreen. Transfer it from Ruby, Emerald, or Brilliant Diamond to add it to your collection. Check the source games below for encounter details.

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

Catch in the wild in:

RubyWalking · Route 116EmeraldWalking · Route 116

Then trade to FireRed & LeafGreen.

Also found in:

DiamondPlatinumHeartGoldXOmega RubySword

Nincada Guide

  • Nincada has 2 evolution paths: Ninjask at level 20 and Shedinja at level 20. Different conditions, different results.

  • Nincada has 2 evolution paths: Ninjask at level 20 and Shedinja at level 20. Different method for each one.

  • In FireRed & LeafGreen, For a casual playthrough, Nincada works as a placeholder. Bug/Ground coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Ninjask. That's where the stats start mattering.

  • Nincada is catchable in FireRed & LeafGreen. Check the Locations section above for specific routes, encounter rates, and methods. It also appears in 13 other games across the series.

Game Availability

Debuting in Ruby & Sapphire, Nincada appears in 14 games across 8 generations. A reliable presence in a solid number of games, typically found through catching or hatching as a base form.

Click a game to view version-specific details

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