Is Nidoran♂ (male) Good in Yellow Playthrough?
Shares Route 22 with Mankey, which gets more attention in Yellow because of the Brock problem. But Nidoran-M into Nidoking is still one of the best investments you can make. Don't skip it just because Mankey is there too.
Brock's typing presses Nidoran♂ (male)'s defenses.
Nidorino trades roughly evenly with Misty's team.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Lt. Surge's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Erika's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Koga's team.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Sabrina's team.
Nidoking resists most of Blaine's coverage and hits back hard.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Giovanni's team.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Lorelei's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Bruno's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Agatha's team.
Nidoking trades roughly evenly with Lance's team.
Nidoking has the type edge here and should clean up Blue's team.
Catch Nidoran M on Route 2 (walking, Lv 4-6, uncommon).
- LV 8NormalHorn Attack65100%25
- After Misty
- TM08NormalBody Slam85100%15
- After Lt. Surge
- TM24ElectricThunderbolt90100%15
- After Erika
- TM40NormalSkull Bash130100%10
- TM10NormalDouble-Edge120100%15
- After Sabrina
- TM14IceBlizzard11070%5
- TM25ElectricThunder11070%10
- After Koga
- TM09NormalTake Down9085%20
Your Nidoran♂ (male) should hit Level 16 before you reach Misty, at typical leveling pace.
- After Misty
- TM08NormalBody Slam85100%15
- After Lt. Surge
- TM13IceIce Beam90100%10
- TM24ElectricThunderbolt90100%15
- After Erika
- TM40NormalSkull Bash130100%10
- TM10NormalDouble-Edge120100%15
- After Koga
- TM06PoisonToxic—90%10
- After Sabrina
- TM14IceBlizzard11070%5
- TM25ElectricThunder11070%10
You can pick up the Moon Stone in Mt. Moon. 4 other locations are also available.
- STARTING (Lv 21)
- LV 21NormalThrash120100%10
- After Lt. Surge
- TM13IceIce Beam90100%10
- TM24ElectricThunderbolt90100%15
- After Erika
- TM15NormalHyper Beam15090%5
- TM40NormalSkull Bash130100%10
- TM10NormalDouble-Edge120100%15
- After Koga
- TM26GroundEarthquake150100%10
- After Blaine
- TM38FireFire Blast11085%5
How to Get Nidoran♂ (male) in Yellow
Nidoran♂ (male) is available from early-game routes onward at high spawn rates. 8 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 Nidoran♂ (male) in Y
The path to Nidoran♂ (male) starts with Nidoran♂ (male) at Lv. 2-44 via walking encounters. 2 catchable stages total, with locations listed for each one below.
Step 1Nidoran♂ (male) ✓Route 22Lv.2-4GrassRate 30%Safari Zone - CenterLv.14FloorRate 20%Route 2Lv.4-6GrassRate 15%Route 9Lv.16-18GrassRate 30%Safari Zone - EastLv.21FloorRate 20%Safari Zone - WestLv.29FloorRate 20%Route 10Lv.17GrassRate 10%Safari Zone - NorthLv.36FloorRate 20%
Step 2Catch or Evolve into NidorinoSafari Zone - CenterLv.23FloorRate 10%Route 9Lv.18GrassRate 5%Route 23Lv.41-44GrassRate 30%Safari Zone - WestLv.32FloorRate 10%or evolve from Nidoran♂ (male) (Step 1)
Step 3Evolve into Nidoking
Nidoran♂ (male) Weakness
Nidoran♂ (male) is weak to Ground, Psychic, and Bug. Not too many gaps in the chart, 3 weaknesses to account for.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Ground, Psychic, Bug |
| 0.5x (Resist) | Grass, Fighting, Poison |
- 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 Nidoran♂ (male) Weak Against
VulnerableBest Pokemon Against Nidoran♂ (male)
 Geodude RockGround | C | |
 Sandshrew Ground | C | |
 Kadabra Psychic | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoran♂ (male) View Kadabra builds →Confusion 2x102-121%KO Dig 2x60-72% | ||
 Paras BugGrass | C | |
 Butterfree Bug | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Nidoran♂ (male) View Butterfree builds →Confusion 2x53-64% | ||
Geodude RockGround | C | |
Sandshrew Ground | C | |
Kadabra Psychic | B | |
Available Moves Moves
Damage vs Nidoran♂ (male) View Kadabra builds →Confusion 2x102-121%KO Dig 2x60-72% | ||
Paras BugGrass | C | |
Butterfree Bug | C | |
Available Move Moves
Damage vs Nidoran♂ (male) View Butterfree builds →Confusion 2x53-64% | ||
Nidoran♂ (male) Evolutions
Nidoran♂ (male) is the evolved form of Nidoran♂ (male), reached. A Poison type at 273 stats that still can't breed. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
Y Nidoran♂ (male) Best Moveset
Starts as Poison and ends as Poison/Ground after two evolutions, where MoveEarthquake and a deep movepool finally matter. Nothing here competes at any level.
Best Build
Gen 1 build content has limited support (no abilities, held items, or natures).
Try selecting a different game/generation filter, or check back later.
Moves List
Most of Nidoran♂ (male)'s flexibility comes from TMs. Same-type output runs through Poison Sting, but Normal and Fighting 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
Its large ears are always kept upright. If it senses danger, it will attack with a poisonous sting.
Nidoran♂ (male) Yellow Guide
- How do I catch Nidoran♂ (male) in the Yellow Safari Zone?
See the Locations section above for where to find Nidoran♂ (male) in Yellow.
Safari rules: You can only use Safari Balls. No battling. Two tactical items shift the catch/flee trade-off:
- Throw bait to keep Nidoran♂ (male) from fleeing (flee rate cut to 1/4) but it becomes harder to catch (catch factor halved).
- Throw a rock to make Nidoran♂ (male) easier to catch (catch factor doubled) but it flees twice as often.
- Each effect lasts 2-6 random turns; throwing one cancels the other.
In Yellow, Nidoran♂ (male) at 273 BST is a stepping stone. Evolve it when you can for a real stat jump.
Game Availability
Present since Red & Blue, Nidoran%e2%99%82 Male appears in 19 games spanning 10 generations. Gen 1 originals like Nidoran%e2%99%82 Male 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