Master Ball
The Master Ball (Japanese: マスターボール Master Ball) is a variety of Poké Ball introduced in Generation I, and arguably the rarest of all Poké Ball variants. It is unique in the aspect that it is guaranteed to catch any wild Pokémon (with one exception) that it is thrown at. It shares this attribute with the Park and Dream Ball used within Pal Park and the Entralink, respectively. However, unlike these Poké Balls, the Master Ball can be obtained and used outside of these specific areas.
The Master Ball, like all Poké Balls, is spherical in shape. The top and bottom halves are divided by a horizontal black band, on which is the button found on all Poké Balls. The top half of the Master Ball is purple, with a white letter "M" on the front, with a pink circle on either side.
Master Balls are developed by Silph Co.
In the games
The Master Ball has been present in every main series Pokémon game. Usually, only one Master Ball is available to the player per saved game, although from Generation II onwards (except Generation V), additional Master Balls can be won in Lucky Channel and Pokémon Lottery Corner drawings, but only if the drawn number exactly matches the ID number of one of the player's Pokémon.
The Master Ball is the only item that cannot be sold that is neither a key item, an HM, or a TM. In Generations I and II it can be "sold", but for $0.
Master Ball locations
| Generation | Game(s) | Location | Requirements | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Red, Blue, and Yellow | Silph Co. | Talk to the president of Silph Co. after defeating Giovanni. | |
| II | Gold, Silver, and Crystal | New Bark Town | Talk to Professor Elm after earning all eight Johto Badges. | |
| II | Gold, Silver, and Crystal | Goldenrod Radio Tower | Match all 5 numbers in the Lucky Channel. | |
| III | Ruby | Magma Hideout | None | Entrance is blocked off after battling Groudon. |
| III | Sapphire, Emerald | Aqua Hideout | None | Entrance is blocked off after battling KyogreWrong template. See Template:Sup/doc.. |
| III | Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald | Lilycove Department Store | Match all 5 numbers in the Pokémon Lottery Corner. | |
| III | Pokémon Colosseum | Agate Village | Receive and read incomplete email from Eagun in Realgam Tower | Eagun's email is cut off before it can mention the Master Ball; Eagun will not give the Master Ball if the player has received the email but not read it. |
| III | Pokémon XD | Pokémon HQ Lab | Talk to Professor Krane before heading to Citadark Isle | |
| III | FireRed and LeafGreen | Silph Co. | Talk to the president of Silph Co. after defeating Giovanni | |
| IV | Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum | Galactic Veilstone Building | Defeat Cyrus | |
| IV | Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum | Jubilife TV | Match all 5 numbers in the Pokémon Lottery Corner. | |
| IV | HeartGold and SoulSilver | New Bark Town | Talk to Professor Elm after earning all eight Johto Badges. | |
| IV | HeartGold and SoulSilver | Goldenrod Radio Tower | Match all 5 numbers in the Pokémon Lottery Corner. | |
| V | Black and White | Opelucid City | Meet Professor Juniper in town after earning all eight Unova Badges. | |
| V | Black and White | Castelia City Pokémon Center | Talk to a man after participating trades with at least 50 different people. | The man will no longer give out gifts after the Master Ball. |
| V | Black 2 and White 2 | Mistralton City | Meet Professor Juniper for the first time in town. | |
| V | Black 2 and White 2 | Plasma Frigate | Defeat Colress after entering the Hall of Fame. |
Distribution
The Master Ball was distributed at Pokémon Center stores throughout Japan. It was also distributed at the Tohoku Pokémon Center individually due to it not being built at the time of the initial distribution.
| Game Version | Duration | |
|---|---|---|
| Sapporo, Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka |
Tohoku | |
| Japanese | November 19 to December 3, 2011 | February 28 to March 16, 2012 |
Wonder Card
|
|
||||||||||
Cameo appearances
Pokémon XD
In Pokémon XD, Master Balls are used in the Battle Bingo game. The player starts with two and can gain an extra one from one of the ? spaces.
In the spin-off games
In Pokémon Pinball and Pokémon Pinball: Ruby & Sapphire
In the two Pokémon Pinball titles, the Poké Ball that serves as the pinball is capable of being upgraded to a Great Ball, an Ultra Ball and a Master Ball. However, this serves solely as a score multiplier, as catching a Pokémon is always guaranteed, even with a regular Poké Ball.
In Super Smash Bros. Brawl
The Master Ball has not appeared in the Super Smash Bros. series; however, in Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the Poké Ball trophy mentions the Master Ball, identifying it as the strongest variety of Poké Ball.
In the anime
The Master Ball first appeared in Beauty and the Beach, and again in A Hot Water Battle. However, the Master Ball in these episodes was not an actual Master Ball; rather, it was a beach ball owned by Misty, which had been decorated to look like a Master Ball. Another Master Ball appeared in The Song of Jigglypuff; again, this was not an actual Master Ball, but on a billboard on a building.
An actual Master Ball made its only true appearance in Whiscash and Ash. It was used by a fisherman named Sullivan in a last-ditch attempt to catch Nero, an oversized wild Whiscash that had long eluded him. As the Master Ball is reputed to successfully catch any wild Pokémon without fail, Sullivan was sure that using the Master Ball would work. This, however, was not the case, as Nero unexpectedly swallowed the Master Ball and disappeared back into the water. At the end of the episode, Nero was seen playing with the Master Ball on its tongue.
In the manga
Pokémon Adventures
Red used his Pika to capture Mewtwo for Blaine with a Master Ball.
In the TCG
The following is a list of cards named Master Ball.
| Name | Type | Rarity | Set | Set no. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Master Ball | T |  |
Gym Challenge | 116/132 |
| |
Expedition Base Set | 143/165 | ||
| |
EX Deoxys | 88/107 | ||
| |
EX Delta Species | 99/113 | ||
| |
EX Power Keepers | 78/108 |
Trivia
- The infinite ball glitch is often known as the Master Ball glitch, due to Master Balls commonly being used in this glitch.
- Foongus and Amoonguss, both of whom have designs based off of the Poké Ball, are colored similarly to the Master Ball in their Shiny forms.
|
This item article is part of Project ItemDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on all items. |