For Red & Blue, we rate Pinsir B-Tier: a solid option in Red & Blue for the right team. At 485 BST, it fits the wallbreaker role. Swords Dance anchors the moveset.

Does Pinsir mega evolve?

Mega Evolution isn't available in Red & Blue, but Pinsir does have a Mega form in Gen 6-7 games (X/Y, ORAS, Sun/Moon). Mega Pinsir hits 585 BST.

What is Pinsir weak to?

In Red & Blue, watch for Arcanine (Fire), Gengar (Poison), and Aerodactyl (Flying) when using Pinsir. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Rock-type attackers are also a problem.

What role does Pinsir play in battle?

Base 85 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Pinsir is a physical attacker with base 125 Attack. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a wallbreaker.

What counters Pinsir?

For Red & Blue, Pinsir 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.

Pinsir - Weakness, Evolution, Moveset, EVs & Stats

Physical

Wallbreaker

BTier

85Speed · Above Avg

Stats & Training

Attack and Defense carry most of Pinsir's stat budget. Special's the obvious dump stat. Tough to catch and yields 2 Attack stat exp. Follows a slow 1.25M XP grind.

Base Stats

Above

HP65

Attack125

Defense100

Sp. Atk55

Sp. Def55

Speed85

Total485

Details

Catch Rate

Challenging45 / 255

Growth Rate

Slow1.25M XP

Height1.5 m

Weight55.0 kg

Base XP175

Abilities

Abilities were introduced in Generation III. Shown below for reference.

Hyper Cutter

Prevents Attack from being lowered by other Pokémon.

Mold Breaker

Bypasses targets' abilities if they could hinder or prevent a move.

MoxieHA

Raises Attack one stage upon KOing a Pokémon.

EV Yield

HPAtk+2DefSpASpDSpe

Attack training target

Pokedex Entries

If it fails to crush the victim in its pincers, it will swing it around and toss it hard.

Pinsir Weakness

Pinsir's Bug typing leaves it vulnerable to Fire, Poison, Flying, and Rock. Pinsir's physical bulk (base 100 Def) helps cushion physical weakness hits, but special attackers are the bigger threat.

Pinsir Weakness and Resistance Chart
Damage	Types
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

Fire Poison Flying Rock

½xResist

Grass Fighting Ground

¼xResist

None

0xImmune

None

STAB (2)

Grass Poison

How to Beat Pinsir in Red & Blue (Best Counters)

Nidorina Poison	D
Obtain MethodCeladon City Gift Available Move Moves Poison StingLv. 14 Damage vs Pinsir Poison Sting 2x 12-14% View Nidorina builds →
Nidorino Poison	D
Obtain MethodCeladon City Gift Available Move Moves Poison StingLv. 14 Damage vs Pinsir Poison Sting 2x 14-18% View Nidorino builds →
Growlithe Fire	D
Available Move Moves EmberLv. 18 Damage vs Pinsir Ember 2x 41-49% View Growlithe builds →
Oddish GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves AcidLv. 24 Damage vs Pinsir Acid 2x 24-28% View Oddish builds →
Charmander Fire	D
Obtain MethodPallet Town Gift Available Move Moves EmberLv. 9 Damage vs Pinsir Ember 2x 39-46% View Charmander builds →

Red & Blue Evolution

Pinsir is a standalone Bug type at 485 total. It can't breed, which makes catching one the only real option. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.

How to Evolve

No Evolution

#127PinsirDoes not evolve

Breeding not available · Introduced in Gen 2

Red & Blue Pinsir Best Moveset

Best Build

Situational pick

Utility

Ability

Not in Gen 1

Item

Not in Gen 1

Nature

Not in Gen 1

Utility Moveset

Swords Dance
Hyper Beam
SubmissionCoverage
BindCoverage

Recommended Teammates

TaurosGood

SnorlaxGood

ExeggutorGood

Moves

Level-up moves are just the starting point for Pinsir. TMs unlock Normal and Fighting coverage and turn a straightforward STAB kit around Bug STAB into something with actual range.

Level-Up Moves

Lv 1

Vise Grip

—5510030Normal

Lv 25

Seismic Toss

D—10020Fighting

Lv 30

Guillotine

——305Normal

Lv 36

Focus Energy

———30Normal

Lv 43

Harden

D——30Normal

Lv 49

Slash

C7010020Normal

Lv 54

Swords Dance

S——30Normal

TM Moves

TM34

Bide+1

———10Normal

TM08

Body Slam

C8510015Normal

HM01

Cut

—509530Normal

TM32

Double Team

———15Normal

TM10

Double-Edge

B12010015Normal

TM15

Hyper Beam

S150905Normal

TM31

Mimic

———10Normal

TM20

Rage

—2010020Normal

TM44

Rest

C——10Psychic

TM19

Seismic Toss

D—10020Fighting

HM04

Strength

—8010015Normal

TM17

Submission

S808025Fighting

TM50

Substitute

C——10Normal

TM03

Swords Dance

S——30Normal

TM09

Take Down

—908520Normal

TM06

Toxic

C—9010Poison

Egg Moves

Pinsir doesn't have any Egg moves

Tutor Moves

Pinsir can't learn any Tutor moves

Red & Blue Pinsir Locations

Finding Pinsir at moderate rates takes patience. 3 spots are available in mid-game routes, but the rate difference between them matters. Lock in the top one from the sorted list below.

Best Locations to Catch Pinsir in Red & Blue

Pinsir isn't a quick catch. 3 walking and gift encounters from Lv. 20-28 with slim rates across the board. Commit to one spot instead of jumping between areas.

Safari Zone - Center

Grass Lv.23 Facility

5%Mid

Safari Zone - East

Grass Lv.28 Facility

5%Mid

Celadon City - Game Corner

Gift from NPC Lv.20 City

LimitedMid

Purchase: 2,500 coins

Pinsir Guide

For Red & Blue, we rate Pinsir B-Tier: a solid option in Red & Blue for the right team. At 485 BST, it fits the wallbreaker role. Swords Dance anchors the moveset.
Mega Evolution isn't available in Red & Blue, but Pinsir does have a Mega form in Gen 6-7 games (X/Y, ORAS, Sun/Moon). Mega Pinsir hits 585 BST.
In Red & Blue, watch for Arcanine (Fire), Gengar (Poison), and Aerodactyl (Flying) when using Pinsir. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Rock-type attackers are also a problem.
Base 85 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. On offense, Pinsir is a physical attacker with base 125 Attack. Defensively? Enough bulk to take a hit or two. Best used as a wallbreaker.
For Red & Blue, Pinsir 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 debuting in Red & Blue, Pinsir has appeared in 20 titles over 10 generations. Along the way, it received a Mega form in Generation 7, keeping it relevant across different competitive metas.

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?

About:

What could be improved?

About:

Thanks for your feedback

Pidgey NormalFlying	D
Available Move Moves GustLv. 1 Damage vs Pinsir Gust 2x 40-48% View Pidgey builds →
Weedle BugPoison	D
Available Move Moves Poison StingLv. 1 Damage vs Pinsir Poison Sting 2x 20-24% View Weedle builds →
Charmander Fire	D
Obtain MethodPallet Town Gift Upcoming Move Moves EmberLv. 9 Learns Ember at Level 9 View Charmander builds →

Charmander Fire	D
Obtain MethodPallet Town Gift Available Move Moves EmberLv. 9 Damage vs Pinsir Ember 2x 39-47% View Charmander builds →
Ekans Poison	D
Available Move Moves Poison StingLv. 10 Damage vs Pinsir Poison Sting 2x 14-18% View Ekans builds →
Spearow NormalFlying	D
Available Move Moves PeckLv. 1 Damage vs Pinsir Peck 2x 24-29% View Spearow builds →
Pidgey NormalFlying	D
Available Move Moves GustLv. 1 Damage vs Pinsir Gust 2x 24-29% View Pidgey builds →
Weedle BugPoison	D
Available Move Moves Poison StingLv. 1 Damage vs Pinsir Poison Sting 2x 14-18% View Weedle builds →

Charmander Fire	D
Obtain MethodPallet Town Gift Available Move Moves EmberLv. 9 Damage vs Pinsir Ember 2x 39-47% View Charmander builds →
Ekans Poison	D
Available Move Moves Poison StingLv. 10 Damage vs Pinsir Poison Sting 2x 14-18% View Ekans builds →
Spearow NormalFlying	D
Available Move Moves PeckLv. 1 Damage vs Pinsir Peck 2x 24-29% View Spearow builds →
Pidgey NormalFlying	D
Available Move Moves GustLv. 1 Damage vs Pinsir Gust 2x 24-29% View Pidgey builds →
Weedle BugPoison	D
Available Move Moves Poison StingLv. 1 Damage vs Pinsir Poison Sting 2x 14-18% View Weedle builds →

Fearow NormalFlying	C
Available Moves Moves FlyHM02 PeckLv. 1 Damage vs Pinsir Fly 2x 69-81% Peck 2x 29-34% View Fearow builds →
Nidorina Poison	D
Obtain MethodCeladon City Gift Available Move Moves Poison StingLv. 14 Damage vs Pinsir Poison Sting 2x 13-16% View Nidorina builds →
Nidorino Poison	D
Obtain MethodCeladon City Gift Available Move Moves Poison StingLv. 14 Damage vs Pinsir Poison Sting 2x 13-16% View Nidorino builds →
Growlithe Fire	D
Available Move Moves EmberLv. 18 Damage vs Pinsir Ember 2x 42-50% View Growlithe builds →
Oddish GrassPoison	D
Available Move Moves AcidLv. 24 Damage vs Pinsir Acid 2x 23-28% View Oddish builds →

Articuno IceFlying	B
Obtain MethodSeafoam Islands Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves FlyHM02 PeckLv. 1 Damage vs Pinsir Fly 2x 64-75% Peck 2x 27-32% View Articuno builds →
Magmar Fire	C
Available Moves Moves Fire BlastTM38 Fire PunchLv. 43 EmberLv. 1 Damage vs Pinsir Fire Blast 2x 139-164%KO Fire Punch 2x 94-111%KO Ember 2x 52-61% View Magmar builds →
Golbat PoisonFlying	C
Available Move Moves Wing AttackLv. 32 Damage vs Pinsir Wing Attack 2x 40-48% View Golbat builds →
Fearow NormalFlying	C
Available Moves Moves FlyHM02 Drill PeckLv. 34 PeckLv. 1 Damage vs Pinsir Fly 2x 67-80% Drill Peck 2x 60-70% Peck 2x 27-32% View Fearow builds →
Ponyta Fire	C
Available Moves Moves Fire BlastTM38 EmberLv. 1 Fire SpinLv. 39 Damage vs Pinsir Fire Blast 2x 98-116%KO Ember 2x 39-45% Fire Spin 2x 33-39% View Ponyta builds →

ChanseyCures status via Natural Cure Normal	S
Recommended Build Moves Soft Boiled Thunder Wave Ice Beam Thunderbolt Damage vs Pinsir Ice Beam 17-21% Thunderbolt 17-21% View Chansey builds →
Exeggutor GrassPsychic	S
Recommended Build Moves PsychicSTAB Sleep Powder Explosion Stun Spore Damage vs Pinsir Psychic 70-83% Explosion 63-75% View Exeggutor builds →
RhydonThreatens with Rock Slide, walls physical sets GroundRock	S
Recommended Build Moves EarthquakeSTAB Rock Slide Body Slam SubstituteUtility Damage vs Pinsir Earthquake 25-30% Rock Slide 2x 76-90% Body Slam 28-34% View Rhydon builds →
AlakazamRecovers with Recover, outspeeds Psychic	S
Recommended Build Moves PsychicSTAB RecoverRecovery Thunder Wave Seismic Toss Damage vs Pinsir Psychic 75-89% View Alakazam builds →
JynxOutspeeds IcePsychic	A
Recommended Build Moves Lovely Kiss BlizzardSTAB PsychicSTAB RestRecovery Damage vs Pinsir Blizzard 80-94% Psychic 65-77% View Jynx builds →