Is Mankey Good in Red & Blue Playthrough?
Red version only. Fighting types are rare this early, and Mankey gives you a real answer to Brock right from Route 22. Fragile but hits hard. Primeape is the goal.
Brock's typing presses Mankey's defenses.
Misty's typing presses Mankey's defenses.
Mankey has the type edge here and should clean up Lt. Surge's team.
Erika's typing presses Mankey's defenses.
Primeape trades roughly evenly with Koga's team.
Sabrina's team hits Primeape's weaknesses hard.
Primeape has the type edge here and should clean up Blaine's team.
Primeape has the type edge here and should clean up Giovanni's team.
Primeape has the type edge here and should clean up Lorelei's team.
Primeape has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Primeape trades roughly evenly with Agatha's team.
Primeape trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Primeape trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Catch Mankey on Route 5 (walking, Lv 10-16, common).
- After Brock
- TM28GroundDig80100%10
- After Misty
- TM08NormalBody Slam85100%15
- After Lt. Surge
- TM24ElectricThunderbolt90100%15
- After Erika
- TM40NormalSkull Bash130100%10
- TM10NormalDouble-Edge120100%15
- LV 39NormalThrash120100%10
- After Giovanni
- TM17FightingSubmission12080%20
- TM05NormalMega Kick12075%5
Your Mankey should hit Level 28 before you reach Koga, at typical leveling pace.
- After Misty
- TM08NormalBody Slam85100%15
- After Lt. Surge
- TM24ElectricThunderbolt90100%15
- After Erika
- TM15NormalHyper Beam15090%5
- TM40NormalSkull Bash130100%10
- TM10NormalDouble-Edge120100%15
- LV 46NormalThrash120100%10
- After Giovanni
- TM17FightingSubmission12080%20
- TM05NormalMega Kick12075%5
How to Get Mankey in Red & Blue
Mankey is available from early-game routes onward at high spawn rates. 4 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 Mankey in RB
Mankey is your first catch on the way to Mankey. You'll find walking encounters from Lv. 10-20 across 4 total spots in the chain.
Step 1Mankey ✓Route 5Lv.10-16GrassRedRate 30%Route 6Lv.10-16GrassRedRate 30%Route 7Lv.17-20GrassRedRate 30%Route 8Lv.18-20GrassRedRate 30%
Step 2Evolve into Primeape
Mankey Weakness
Mankey is weak to Flying and Psychic. Not many exploitable gaps in the Fighting typing defensive chart. Mankey's Fighting typing only leaves 2 gaps to cover.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Flying, Psychic |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Bug, Rock |
- 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
What is Mankey Weak Against
AvgBest Pokemon Against Mankey
 Pidgey Normal | D | |
 Kadabra Psychic | B | |
 Butterfree Bug | C | |
 Spearow Normal | C | |
Pidgey Normal | D | |
 Zubat Poison | D | |
Kadabra Psychic | B | |
Butterfree Bug | C | |
Spearow Normal | C | |
Pidgey Normal | D | |
Zubat Poison | D | |
 Hypno Psychic | C | |
Kadabra Psychic | B | |
 Golbat Poison | C | |
Butterfree Bug | C | |
Spearow Normal | C | |
Hypno Psychic | C | |
Kadabra Psychic | B | |
Butterfree Bug | C | |
Golbat Poison | C | |
Spearow Normal | C | |
 Moltres Fire | B | |
Obtain MethodVictory Road Interact Encounter | ||
 Zapdos Electric | A | |
Obtain MethodPower Plant Interact Encounter | ||
 Exeggutor GrassPsychic | S | |
 Aerodactyl Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodCinnabar Island Gift | ||
 Dodrio Normal | B | |
 Mewtwo Psychic | S | |
Obtain MethodCerulean Cave Interact Encounter | ||
Moltres Fire | B | |
Obtain MethodVictory Road Interact Encounter | ||
Zapdos Electric | A | |
Obtain MethodPower Plant Interact Encounter | ||
Exeggutor GrassPsychic | S | |
Aerodactyl Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodCinnabar Island Gift | ||
Mankey Evolutions
Mankey evolves into Primeape, but can't breed. At 295 stats as a Fighting type, evolution is the only path. Evolving adds up to 160 stat points total. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
RB Mankey Best Moveset
Fighting pre-evolution with 80 Attack and 70 Speed, not terrible but the Fighting type is a liability when Psychic dominates the top. Physical attacks toward Primeape while hoping to avoid Psychic matchups.
Best Build
Utility Moveset
- Submission
- Karate Chop
- Dig
- Body Slam
Moves List
Most of Mankey's flexibility comes from TMs. Same-type output runs through Submission and Karate Chop, but Normal and Ground and the rest of the TM pool push it from predictable to genuinely threatening.
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
Base Stats
Extremely quick to anger. It could be docile one moment then thrashing away the next instant.
Mankey Red & Blue Guide
In Red & Blue, For a casual playthrough, Mankey works as a placeholder. Fighting coverage is useful early. The real payoff is Primeape. That's where the stats start mattering.
Game Availability
Present since Red & Blue, Mankey appears in 20 games spanning 10 generations. Gen 1 originals like Mankey have the longest track record of availability in the series.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RBDebut
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RS
Ruby & Sapphire - Gen 3E
Emerald - Gen 3FRLG
FireRed & LeafGreen - Gen 4DP
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