Is Zangoose Good in Ruby & Sapphire Playthrough?
Ruby only, Route 114. AbilityImmunity blocks all poison, which is a strong defensive perk. Pure Normal with high Attack and Speed. Zangoose handles most trainer battles through raw power. Handles Norman's team and contributes through the E4. Ruby players get one of the best physical attackers in Hoenn.
Zangoose has the type edge here and should clean up Roxanne's team.
Zangoose has the type edge here and should clean up Brawly's team.
Zangoose has the type edge here and should clean up Wattson's team.
Zangoose has the type edge here and should clean up Flannery's team.
Zangoose has the type edge here and should clean up Norman's team.
Zangoose has the type edge here and should clean up Winona's team.
Zangoose trades roughly evenly with Tate & Liza's team.
Zangoose has the type edge here and should clean up Wallace's team.
Zangoose has the type edge here and should clean up Sidney's team.
Zangoose trades roughly evenly with Phoebe's team.
Zangoose has the type edge here and should clean up Glacia's team.
Zangoose has the type edge here and should clean up Drake's team.
Zangoose trades roughly evenly with Steven's team.
Catch Zangoose on Route 114 (walking, Lv 15-17, uncommon).
- STARTING (Lv 15)
- LV 15NormalSwords Dance—100%20
- After Roxanne
- HM04NormalStrength120100%15
- After Brawly
- TM43NormalSecret Power105100%20
- LV 19NormalSlash105100%20
- LV 31NormalCrush Claw11395%10
- After Norman
- TM42NormalFacade105100%20
- TM01FightingFocus Punch150100%20
- After Winona
- TM22GrassSolar Beam120100%10
Ruby & Sapphire Zangoose Locations
Zangoose starts showing up in early-game routes at decent spawn rates across 1 encounter spots. The list below is sorted so you can pick what fits your current progress without scrolling through everything.
Best Locations to Catch Zangoose in Ruby & Sapphire
Zangoose Weakness
Zangoose's Normal typing leaves it vulnerable to Fighting. It shrugs off Ghost-type attacks completely. Zangoose leans offensive (base 115 Atk) rather than trying to tank its weaknesses.
| Damage | Types |
|---|---|
| 2x (Weak) | Fighting |
| 0x (Immune) | Ghost |
- Dark and Steel types added — Fairy does not exist yet
- Moves are Physical or Special based on type, not per move
What is Zangoose Weak Against
GoodBest Pokemon Against Zangoose
 Makuhita Fighting | C | |
In Ruby & Sapphire, Blissey's Ice Beam hits Zangoose for 39-46%. Tyranitar's Earthquake hits Zangoose for 65-76%. Gengar deals 60-70% with Explosion.
S | ||
Recommended Build AbilityNatural Cure ItemLeftovers NatureModest Moves
Damage vs Zangoose View Blissey builds →Ice Beam39-46% | ||
S | ||
Recommended Build AbilitySand Stream ItemLeftovers NatureAdamant Moves
Damage vs Zangoose View Tyranitar builds →Rock Slide48-57% Earthquake65-76% | ||
S | ||
Recommended Build AbilityLevitate ItemLeftovers NatureTimid Moves
Damage vs Zangoose View Gengar builds →Thunderbolt51-61% Explosion60-70% | ||
S | ||
Recommended Build AbilityIntimidate ItemLeftovers NatureRash Moves
Damage vs Zangoose View Salamence builds →Earthquake49-58% Rock Slide37-44% | ||
A | ||
Recommended Build AbilityKeeneye ItemLeftovers NatureCareful Moves View Skarmory builds →
| ||
Zangoose Evolutions
Zangoose doesn't evolve, so breeding's where the action is. You'll find a massive partner pool across one egg group, and eggs are average hatch time. It's got 6 egg moves worth looking into. View every chain in the Evolution Chart.
How to Evolve
RS Zangoose Best Moveset
115 Attack fires MoveReturn for heavy Normal TermStab and MoveShadow Claw for Ghost coverage. AbilityImmunity prevents poison entirely, shutting down MoveToxic stall. MoveSwords Dance doubles Attack. Held ItemLeftovers sustains. Poison-immune physical attacker with setup potential.
Best Build
Zangoose best EVs are Attack and Speed
Physical Setup Sweeper Moveset
- Shadow Ball
- Swords Dance
- Quick Attack
- Brick Break
Recommended Teammates
Moves List
Breadth over depth defines this movepool. Zangoose won't stack one type's damage ceiling, but coverage across 12 types means it always has an effective option. Strength and Razor Wind anchor the STAB core.
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
Memories of battling its arch-rival SEVIPER are etched into every cell of ZANGOOSE’s body. This POKéMON adroitly dodges attacks with incredible agility.
ZANGOOSE usually stays on all fours, but when angered, it gets up on its hind legs and extends its claws. This POKéMON shares a bitter rivalry with SEVIPER that dates back over generations.
Zangoose Ruby & Sapphire Guide
In Ruby & Sapphire, Zangoose works as a cannon with 458 BST behind it. C-Tier on our list: a niche pick in Ruby & Sapphire's meta. Shadow Ball with Leftovers is the standard set.
In Ruby & Sapphire, watch for Blaziken (Fighting) when using Zangoose. They all hit it super-effectively with STAB. Only 1 weakness means fewer dedicated counters to worry about.
Immunity prevents poison. That's the one you want on Zangoose. It's the only ability Zangoose has.
Zangoose is a physical attacker with base 115 Attack. Speed tells the real story. Base 90 Speed is workable. Faster than some, slower than many. Fits the cannon role.
In Ruby & Sapphire, run Shadow Ball, Swords Dance, Quickattack, and Brickbreak on Zangoose. Shadow Ball is the most common pick at 0% usage. This set covers the cannon role with a mix of damage and utility.
Game Availability
Debuting in Ruby & Sapphire, Zangoose appears in 15 games across 8 generations. A reliable presence in most mainline games, typically found through wild encounters.
Click a game to view version-specific details
- Gen 1RB
Red & Blue - Gen 1Y
Yellow - Gen 2GS
Gold & Silver - Gen 2C
Crystal - Gen 3RSDebut
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