Is Darkrai Good in Scarlet & Violet Playthrough?
Darkrai resists most of Katy's coverage and hits back hard.
Darkrai resists most of Brassius's coverage and hits back hard.
Darkrai resists most of Iono's coverage and hits back hard.
Darkrai has the type edge here and should clean up Kofu's team.
Darkrai resists most of Larry's coverage and hits back hard.
Darkrai resists most of Ryme's coverage and hits back hard.
Darkrai has the type edge here and should clean up Tulip's team.
Darkrai resists most of Grusha's coverage and hits back hard.
Darkrai has the type edge here and should clean up Rika's team.
Darkrai has the type edge here and should clean up Poppy's team.
Darkrai has the type edge here and should clean up Larry's team.
Darkrai resists most of Hassel's coverage and hits back hard.
Darkrai has the type edge here and should clean up Geeta's team.
Darkrai cannot be caught in this game. It must be traded in from a compatible game where it appears in the wild. Cross-region trading typically becomes available after defeating the Elite Four.
How to Get Darkrai in Scarlet & Violet
No wild encounters for Darkrai in Scarlet & Violet. It's available in Diamond & Pearl, Platinum, or Legends: Arceus and can be transferred over. The details below show where to find it.
Darkrai is not available as a wild encounter in this game.
Also Obtainable In:
Pokemon transfers only go forward through generations, never backward. Direct cross-gen trades aren't supported.
Darkrai Weakness
Darkrai's Dark typing leaves it vulnerable to Fighting, Bug, and Fairy. It shrugs off Psychic-type attacks completely. With 70 HP and balanced defenses, Darkrai can afford to eat a neutral hit or two.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fighting, Bug, Fairy |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Ghost, Dark |
| 0x (Immune) | Psychic |
What is Darkrai Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Darkrai
 Vivillon Bug | C | |
 Spidops Bug | C | |
 Makuhita Fighting | C | |
 Crabrawler Fighting | C | |
 Flabébé Fairy | C | |
 Wigglytuff NormalFairy | C | |
Vivillon Bug | C | |
 Scyther Bug | B | |
 Flamigo Fighting | C | |
Spidops Bug | C | |
 Florges Fairy | B | |
 Hariyama Fighting | B | |
 Lokix BugDark | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Darkrai View Lokix builds →Lunge 2x71-84% Double Kick 2x20-24% | ||
Wigglytuff NormalFairy | C | |
 Breloom GrassFighting | B | |
Hariyama Fighting | B | |
 Grimmsnarl DarkFairy | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Darkrai View Grimmsnarl builds →Spirit Break 2x74-88% Body Press 2x52-62% Leech Life 2x52-62% | ||
 Primeape Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Darkrai View Primeape builds →Close Combat 2x106-124%KO U-turn 2x41-49% | ||
Florges Fairy | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Darkrai View Florges builds →Moonblast 2x89-105%KO Pollen Puff 2x56-67% | ||
 Gallade PsychicFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Darkrai View Gallade builds →Sacred Sword 2x91-107%KO Fury Cutter 2x28-34% Draining Kiss 2x20-24% | ||
Hariyama Fighting | B | |
Grimmsnarl DarkFairy | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Darkrai View Grimmsnarl builds →Play Rough 2x91-107%KO Body Press 2x53-63% Leech Life 2x53-63% | ||
Primeape Fighting | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Darkrai View Primeape builds →Close Combat 2x107-126%KO U-turn 2x42-50% | ||
Florges Fairy | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Darkrai View Florges builds →Moonblast 2x89-105%KO Pollen Puff 2x56-67% | ||
Gallade PsychicFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Darkrai View Gallade builds →Sacred Sword 2x93-109%KO Fury Cutter 2x29-34% Draining Kiss 2x21-26% | ||
Breloom GrassFighting | B | |
Hariyama Fighting | B | |
 Heracross BugFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Darkrai View Heracross builds →Close Combat 2x124-147%KO Megahorn 2x124-147%KO | ||
 Crabominable FightingIce | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Darkrai View Crabominable builds →Close Combat 2x130-153%KO | ||
Grimmsnarl DarkFairy | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Darkrai View Grimmsnarl builds →Play Rough 2x90-106%KO Body Press 2x54-64% Leech Life 2x54-64% | ||
Breloom GrassFighting | B | |
Hariyama Fighting | B | |
 Scrafty DarkFighting | C | |
 Hitmonchan Fighting | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Darkrai View Hitmonchan builds →Focus Punch 2x128-151%KO | ||
Heracross BugFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Darkrai View Heracross builds →Close Combat 2x119-141%KO Megahorn 2x119-141%KO | ||
Breloom GrassFighting | B | |
Hariyama Fighting | B | |
Scrafty DarkFighting | C | |
Hitmonchan Fighting | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Darkrai View Hitmonchan builds →Focus Punch 2x131-155%KO | ||
Heracross BugFighting | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Darkrai View Heracross builds →Close Combat 2x122-144%KO Megahorn 2x122-144%KO | ||
In Scarlet & Violet, Cyclizar's U-turn hits Darkrai for 48-57%.
B | ||
Recommended Build AbilityRegenerator ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureJolly Moves
Damage vs Darkrai View Cyclizar builds →Rapid Spin17-21% U Turn 2x48-57% Knock Off11-13% Draco Meteor28-34% | ||
C | ||
Recommended Build AbilityNatural Cure ItemHeavy-Duty Boots NatureModest Moves View Altaria builds →
| ||
C | ||
Recommended Build AbilityWatercompaction ItemLeftovers NatureBold Moves
Damage vs Darkrai View Palossand builds →Shadow Ball11-13% Scorching Sands20-23% | ||
C | ||
Recommended Build AbilityDrizzle ItemDamprock NatureRelaxed Moves
Damage vs Darkrai View Pelipper builds →Hurricane30-35% U Turn 2x23-28% | ||
C | ||
Recommended Build AbilityLevitate ItemFocus Sash NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Darkrai View Haunter builds →Shadow Ball15-18% Thunderbolt35-41% | ||
Darkrai Evolutions
A Dark-type mythical at 600 base stats, Darkrai can't breed or evolve. Event distribution is the standard way to obtain one. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Breeding
SV Darkrai Best Moveset
135 Sp. Atk at 125 Speed on Dark with AbilityBad Dreams draining sleeping opponents 12.5% each turn. Held ItemHeavy Duty Boots blocks TermEntry Hazards damage. NatureTimid outspeeds nearly everything. MoveDark Void puts multiple opponents to sleep with 50% accuracy, and Bad Dreams chips them while they sleep. The moveset is a speed demon with a devastating status game. S-Tier.
Best Build
Darkrai best EVs are Sp. Atk and Speed
Special Setup Sweeper Moveset
- Dark Pulse
- Ice Beam
- Sludge Bomb
- Nasty Plot
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
The level-up pool is slim, so TMs matter here. Darkrai's coverage across 9 types all comes from technical machines, built on top of Foul Play and Dark Pulse for same-type damage. Dream Eater and Blizzard are the payoff moves.
How to Read the Moves Table
Tabs
- Level-Up
- Learned by leveling up.
- TM
- Taught by a Technical Machine.
- Egg
- Inherited via breeding.
- Tutor
- NPC tutor (cost: items, BP, money).
- Reminder
- An NPC reteaches any move this Pokemon could have learned by leveling up.
- Transfer
- Carried over from an older game using Pokemon HOME.
- Event
- Given out through Mystery Gift events.
Visual Signals
CAT (Category)
How the move deals damage and which stats it uses.
A small dot on the icon's corner marks the move as contact. That triggers abilities like Static, Flame Body, Rough Skin, or Iron Barbs, plus items like Rocky Helmet and Sticky Barb.
Tier (S to D)
Each move's competitive rank in RankedBoost's system. TM, Egg, and Tutor sort by tier by default (best first). On Level-Up, click the Tier header to do the same.
PWR (Power)
Base damage. Numbers shown in a type color include STAB (base × 1.5). Hover any colored number to see the math.
— means no power (status moves) or variable power.
Sorting & Filter
Click any column header to sort. Level-Up opens with Lv 1 at the top. TM, Egg, and Tutor open with the highest-tier moves at the top.
Search filters by move name or type. The Filter button limits the list to STAB, Physical, Special, or Status moves.
Level-Up Moves
TM Moves
Egg Moves
Tutor Moves
Event Moves
Base Stats
Everything pushes toward special damage here. Darkrai's Sp. Atk does the work, HP pays the price. But you're still getting 3 Sp. Atk and Speed EVs per KO. Near-impossible to catch, on a slow 1.25M XP grind.
Darkrai Scarlet & Violet Guide
For the Scarlet & Violet meta, At 600 BST, Darkrai is built different. We rank it A-Tier. As a Mythical Pokemon, the raw stats back up the reputation. Best used as a sweeper. Dark Pulse with Heavy-Duty Boots is the standard set.
Bad Dreams damages sleeping opponents for 1/8 their max HP after each turn. That's the one you want on Darkrai. It's the only ability Darkrai has.
Darkrai is a special attacker with base 135 Sp. Atk. Enough bulk to take a hit or two, too. Speed tells the real story. Base 125 Speed lets it outrun most of the field. Fits the sweeper role.
For Scarlet & Violet, Darkrai has answers, but so do you. Priority moves (Mach Punch, Aqua Jet, Ice Shard) bypass its speed. Bulky walls that resist its STAB also shut it down.
Game Availability
Introduced in Diamond & Pearl, Darkrai shows up in 13 games across 7 generations. Mythical status keeps it locked behind events or specific story content in most appearances.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DPDebut
Diamond & Pearl - Gen 4Pt
Platinum - Gen 4HGSS
HeartGold & SoulSilver - Gen 5BW
Black & White - Gen 5B2W2
Black 2 & White 2 - Gen 6XY
X & Y - Gen 6ORAS
Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire - Gen 7SM
Sun & Moon - Gen 7USUM
Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon - Gen 7LGPE
Let's Go Pikachu & Eevee - Gen 8SwSh
Sword & Shield - Gen 8BDSP
Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl - Gen 8PLA
Legends: Arceus - Gen 9SV
Scarlet & Violet - Gen 9LZA
Legends: Z-A - Gen 10WW
Winds & Waves