Manga move errors

In the Pokémon manga, a situation will sometimes occur in which a Pokémon knows a move it cannot learn legally in any of the games. It is unknown whether these are actual mistakes, a writing policy of not having to stick to the games too closely, or merely the Pokémon using an attribute that shares the name of a move in the games.

Occasionally, in-game event Pokémon that can be transferred onto the main series games have a move that is not normally included in that Pokémon's moveset (a prime example being Pokémon Box Ruby & Sapphire, which gave away four separate Pokémon with moves that were not normally available to that specific Pokémon).

List of manga Pokémon with moves that they cannot learn in the games

Ash & Pikachu

Artwork	Name	Move	First use	Picture
	Ash's Pikachu	Tackle	One Half Of A Poké Ball
	Ash's Swellow	Tackle	Battle Till The End! Drake, One Of The Elite Four!l
	Noland's Articuno	Tackle	Off To The Battle Frontier!
	Ash's Corphish	Water Gun	A 'Thank You' That Transcends Time

Pokémon Adventures

Artwork	Name	Move	First use	Picture
	Sabrina's Kadabra	Hypnosis	Kalling Kadabra
	Zapdos from Thu-Fi-Zer	Gust	The Winged Legends
	Moltres from Thu-Fi-Zer	Gust	The Winged Legends
	Blue's Machamp	Slam	A Charizard... and a Champion
	Platinum's Empoleon	Vacuum Wave	Floatzel and Jetsam
	Riley's Lucario	Bonemerang	Deprogramming Porygon-Z
	Phione	Heart Swap	Different Dimension Battle XI
	Petrel's Golbat	Lick	All About Arceus V
	Black's Musha	Teleport	School of Hard Knocks
	Blake's Keldemaru	Ice Beam	PS533	File:Keldemaru Ice Beam.png
	Essentia's Hawlucha	Brave Bird	Pinsir Changes
	Sun's En	Tackle	Sun & Moon chapter	File:En Tackle.png

Mentioned only

Artwork	Name	Move	First use	Notes
	Ruby's Nana	Hyper Beam	Hanging Around With Slaking I	Norman mentioned that he taught Nana how to use Hyper Beam before the start of the series. However, Poochyena is unable to learn Hyper Beam before evolving into Mightyena.
	Y's Fletchy	Ember	Fast-Thinking Froakie	Y told her Fletchy to use Ember, but the move was never seen being executed. However, Fletchling is unable to learn Ember before evolving into Fletchinder.
	Professor Kukui's Popplio	Bubble	Sun & Moon arc	Professor Kukui mentioned that his Popplio used Bubble. However, Popplio is unable to learn the move.

Pokémon Colosseum Snatchers

Artwork	Name	Move	First use	Picture
	Whismur	Tackle	PCS1

Pokémon Pocket Monsters

Artwork	Name	Move	First use	Picture
	Red's Clefairy	Barrier	The Big Battle In The Viridian Forest!!
	Red's Clefairy	Transform	Take Out The Rival Onix!!
	Red's Clefairy	Tackle	Pikachu Was Kidnapped!!
	Green's Machamp	Comet Punch	The Pokémon Banana League (Part 2)
	Cleffa	Tackle	Clefairy Becomes a Father…?!
	Red's Clefairy	Hypnosis	Great Discovery of the Fossil of the Era!!

Pokémon Gold & Silver: The Golden Boys

Artwork	Name	Move	First use	Picture
	Gold's Pidgey	Peck	The Legendary Pokémon Appears!
	Gold's Bayleef	Stomp	Extreme Power!! The Friday Pokémon

Pokémon Zensho

Sprite	Name	Move	First use	Picture
	Satoshi's Charmander	Tackle	Prologue: Pallet Town

How I Became a Pokémon Card

Pokémon in How I Became a Pokémon Card will often use moves that they cannot learn in the games. However, this is because this series is based on the Pokémon Trading Card Game, so the "illegal" moves Pokémon use in this series are moves from their TCG cards.

Former errors

Pokémon Adventures

Artwork	Name	Move	First use	Notes	Picture
	Blue's Charizard	Fly	Kalling Kadabra	Blue's Charizard used Fly. However, Charizard was unable to learn Fly until Pokémon Yellow.
	Agatha's Arbok	Bind	Weezing Winks Out	Agatha's Arbok used Bind. However, Arbok was unable to learn Bind until Generation V.
	Ruby's Mumu	Hydro Cannon	The Final Battle III	Ruby's Mumu used Hydro Cannon. However, Swampert was unable to learn Hydro Cannon until Generation IV.
	Sapphire's Chic	Blast Burn	The Final Battle VII	Sapphire's Chic used Blast Burn. However, Blaziken was unable to learn Blast Burn until Generation IV.
	Emerald's Sceptile	Frenzy Plant	The Final Battle VIII	Emerald's Sceptile used Frenzy Plant. However, Sceptile was unable to learn Frenzy Plant until Generation IV.

Pokémon Zensho

Sprite	Name	Move	First use	Notes	Picture
	Blaine's Arcanine	Fire Spin	Cinnabar Island	Blaine's Arcanine uses Fire Spin in the chapter. However, Arcanine was unable to learn Fire Spin until Generation II.

Similar examples that are not manga move errors

Pokémon which can know the move in a previous game

Ash & Pikachu

Sprite	Name	Move	First use	Notes	Picture
	Ash's Charizard	DragonBreath	Off To The Battle Frontier!!	Ash's Charizard uses DragonBreath, which though impossible for Charizard to have in Generation III onward, was available to teach to Charizard by TM24 in Generation II.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Ginji's Rescue Team

Sprite	Name	Move	First use	Notes	Picture
	Gengar	Double-Edge	Tears and Emotions - It's the Final Chapter!	Gengar uses Double-Edge, which though impossible for Gengar to have in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team, was available to teach to Gengar by TM10 in Generation I and Move Tutor in Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, Emerald, and XD.

Pokémon Pocket Monsters

Sprite	Name	Move	First use	Notes	Picture
	Red's Clefairy	Rage	Clefairy Transforms?!	Red's Clefairy uses Rage, which though impossible to have in Generation III onward, was available to teach to Clefairy by TM20 in Generation I.

See also

Move errors in various Pokémon canons
Anime • Manga • Game • TCG

This article is part of Project Manga, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each series of Pokémon manga.