Is Metapod Good in Yellow Playthrough?
Every level between Caterpie and Butterfree feels slow, but the payoff matters more in Yellow than anywhere else. Brock is waiting and Pikachu can't help you.
Brock's Pokemon outpace and outclass Caterpie here.
Misty's typing presses Butterfree's defenses.
Lt. Surge's team hits Butterfree's weaknesses hard.
Butterfree has the type edge here and should clean up Erika's team.
Butterfree resists most of Koga's coverage and hits back hard.
Butterfree trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Blaine's team hits Butterfree's weaknesses hard.
Butterfree has the type edge here and should clean up Giovanni's team.
Butterfree has the type edge here and should clean up Lorelei's team.
Butterfree has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Butterfree has the type edge here and should clean up Agatha's team.
Lance's team hits Butterfree's weaknesses hard.
Butterfree trades roughly evenly with Blue's team.
Catch Metapod on Viridian Forest (walking, Lv 4-6, uncommon).
Catch Caterpie on Viridian Forest (walking, Lv 3-6, common).
- STARTING (Lv 3)
- LV 3NormalTackle40100%35
Your Caterpie should hit Level 10 before you reach Misty, at typical leveling pace.
- LV 14GrassStun Spore—75%30
- LV 15GrassSleep Powder—75%15
- After Erika
- TM15NormalHyper Beam15090%5
- TM10NormalDouble-Edge120100%15
- TM29PsychicPsychic90100%10
- TM02NormalRazor Wind80100%10
- After Sabrina
- TM22GrassSolar Beam120100%10
- After Koga
- TM09NormalTake Down9085%20
How to Get Metapod in Yellow
Metapod is available from early-game routes onward at decent spawn rates. 1 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 Y
Step 1Catch CaterpieViridian ForestLv.3-6GrassRate 50%
Step 2Metapod ✓Viridian ForestLv.4-6GrassRate 25%or evolve from Caterpie (Step 1)
Step 3Evolve into Butterfree
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.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fire, Poison, Flying, Rock |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Grass, Fighting, Ground |
- 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 Metapod Weak Against
VulnerableBest Pokemon Against Metapod
 Pidgeotto Normal | C | |
 Nidoran♂ (male) Poison | D | |
 Nidoran♀ (female) Poison | D | |
 Charmeleon Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Charmander (Route 24 Gift) | ||
Pidgeotto Normal | C | |
 Geodude RockGround | C | |
 Spearow Normal | C | |
 Nidoking PoisonGround | C | |
Charmeleon Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Charmander (Route 24 Gift) | ||
Pidgeotto Normal | C | |
Geodude RockGround | C | |
Spearow Normal | C | |
Nidoking PoisonGround | C | |
 Graveler RockGround | C | |
 Ninetales Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Vulpix (Celadon City Gift) | ||
 Flareon Fire | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Celadon City Gift) | ||
 Fearow Normal | C | |
Nidoking PoisonGround | C | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Metapod View Nidoking builds →Rock Slide 2x74-87% Poison Sting 2x26-32% | ||
Graveler RockGround | C | |
Ninetales Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Vulpix (Celadon City Gift) | ||
Flareon Fire | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Celadon City Gift) | ||
 Victreebel GrassPoison | C | |
Fearow Normal | C | |
 Charizard Fire | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Charmander (Route 24 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Metapod View Charizard builds →Fire Blast 2x297-351%KO Fly 2x86-102%KO | ||
Flareon Fire | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Eevee (Celadon City Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Metapod View Flareon builds →Fire Blast 2x264-310%KO Smog 2x24-29% | ||
Ninetales Fire | C | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Vulpix (Celadon City Gift) | ||
 Arcanine Fire | B | |
 Rhydon GroundRock | S | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Metapod View Rhydon builds →Rock Slide 2x131-155%KO Fire Blast 2x101-119%KO | ||
 Moltres Fire | B | |
Obtain MethodVictory Road Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Metapod View Moltres builds →Fire Blast 2x350-413%KO Sky Attack 2x204-240%KO | ||
Charizard Fire | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Charmander (Route 24 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Metapod View Charizard builds →Fire Blast 2x312-367%KO Fly 2x90-106%KO | ||
 Dodrio Normal | B | |
 Aerodactyl Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodCinnabar Island Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Metapod View Aerodactyl builds →Sky Attack 2x212-250%KO Fire Blast 2x129-152%KO | ||
 Zapdos Electric | A | |
Obtain MethodPower Plant Interact Encounter | ||
Moltres Fire | B | |
Obtain MethodVictory Road Interact Encounter Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Metapod View Moltres builds →Fire Blast 2x356-419%KO Sky Attack 2x204-240%KO | ||
Charizard Fire | B | |
Obtain MethodEvolve Charmander (Route 24 Gift) Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Metapod View Charizard builds →Fire Blast 2x318-374%KO Fly 2x89-105%KO | ||
Dodrio Normal | B | |
Aerodactyl Rock | B | |
Obtain MethodCinnabar Island Gift Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Metapod View Aerodactyl builds →Sky Attack 2x213-251%KO Fire Blast 2x130-153%KO | ||
Zapdos Electric | A | |
Obtain MethodPower Plant Interact Encounter | ||
In Yellow, Arcanine can KO Metapod with Fire Blast (270-317%).
Arcanine Fire | B | |
Recommended Build Moves
Damage vs Metapod View Arcanine builds →Body Slam44-53% Fire Blast 2x270-317%KO Hyper Beam78-92% | ||
Metapod Evolutions
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
Y Metapod Best Moveset
Harden raises Defense on a Pokemon with nothing to attack with and nothing worth defending. One evolution from Butterfree's MoveSleep Powder, which is the only thing keeping this line relevant.
Best Build
Utility Moveset
- String Shot
- Tackle
- Harden
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
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.
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
Hardens its shell to protect itself. However, a large impact may cause it to pop out of its shell.
Metapod Yellow Guide
In Yellow, 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.
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
- 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