Move Tutor

A move tutor (Japanese: わざおしえ人 Move Teacher) is a non-player character who will teach a Pokémon moves that are not normally able to be learned through level up, TMs, or HMs. Move tutors are found in Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Orre, and Sinnoh. They are not to be confused with move relearners.

Johto move tutors

Crystal

In Pokémon Crystal, an elderly fellow visits Goldenrod City's Game Corner every Wednesday and Saturday after the player has become the League Champion. He teaches three different moves for 4000 coins, two of which were TMs in Generation I and returned to that status in Generation III, and one of which later became a TM with the other two. These moves are breedable in the same fashion as TMs and HMs.

Move Type Location Gen I TM
Flamethrower  Fire 
Ice Beam  Ice  TM13
Thunderbolt  Electric  TM24

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HeartGold and SoulSilver

The following tutorable moves are available in Johto's remakes, Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver. Similar to Emerald most of the moves that a move tutor can teach to a Pokémon require a set amount of Battle Points. Fourteen of these moves are exclusive to HeartGold and SoulSilver, while the rest are also obtainable in Platinum.

The following moves are also available in Pokémon Platinum by going to the move tutors on Route 212, in Snowpoint City, and in the Survival Area, but with the difference that they require shards instead of BP as payment:

Move Type Cat. Location
Air Cutter  Flying  Special Frontier Access 48BP
AncientPower  Rock  Special Frontier Access 40BP
Aqua Tail  Water  Physical Frontier Access 40BP
Blast Burn  Fire  Special Blackthorn City
Bounce  Flying  Physical Frontier Access 32BP
Dive  Water  Physical Frontier Access 40BP
Draco Meteor  Dragon  Special Blackthorn City
Earth Power  Ground  Special Frontier Access 40BP
Endeavor  Normal  Physical Frontier Access 64BP
Fire Punch  Fire  Physical Frontier Access 64BP
Frenzy Plant  Grass  Special Blackthorn City
Fury Cutter  Bug  Physical Frontier Access 32BP
Gastro Acid  Poison  Status Frontier Access 32BP
Gunk Shot  Poison  Physical Frontier Access 32BP
Helping Hand  Normal  Status Frontier Access 40BP
Heat Wave  Fire  Special Frontier Access 48BP
Hydro Cannon  Water  Special Blackthorn City
Ice Punch  Ice  Physical Frontier Access 64BP
Icy Wind  Ice  Special Frontier Access 48BP
Iron Defense  Steel  Status Frontier Access 40BP
Iron Head  Steel  Physical Frontier Access 40BP
Knock Off  Dark  Physical Frontier Access 40BP
Last Resort  Normal  Physical Frontier Access 48BP
Magnet Rise  Electric  Status Frontier Access 40BP
Mud-Slap  Ground  Special Frontier Access 32BP
Ominous Wind  Ghost  Special Frontier Access 48BP
Outrage  Dragon  Physical Frontier Access 48BP
Rollout  Rock  Physical Frontier Access 32BP
Seed Bomb  Grass  Physical Frontier Access 40BP
Signal Beam  Bug  Special Frontier Access 40BP
Spite  Ghost  Status Frontier Access 40BP
Snore  Normal  Special Frontier Access 32BP
Sucker Punch  Dark  Physical Frontier Access 40BP
Superpower  Fighting  Physical Frontier Access 48BP
Swift  Normal  Special Frontier Access 40BP
Synthesis  Grass  Status Frontier Access 40BP
ThunderPunch  Electric  Physical Frontier Access 64BP
Trick  Psychic  Status Frontier Access 48BP
Twister  Dragon  Special Frontier Access 40BP
Uproar  Normal  Special Frontier Access 48BP
Vacuum Wave  Fighting  Special Frontier Access 48BP
Zen Headbutt  Psychic  Physical Frontier Access 64BP

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The following moves are only available to the move tutor in Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver:

Move Type Cat. Location
Block  Normal  Status Frontier Access 32BP
Bug Bite  Bug  Physical Frontier Access 32BP
Gravity  Psychic  Status Frontier Access 32BP
Headbutt  Normal  Physical Ilex Forest
Heal Bell  Normal  Status Frontier Access 48BP
Low Kick  Fighting  Physical Frontier Access 32BP
Magic Coat  Psychic  Status Frontier Access 32BP
Pain Split  Normal  Status Frontier Access 64BP
Role Play  Psychic  Status Frontier Access 48BP
Sky Attack  Flying  Physical Frontier Access 64BP
String Shot  Bug  Status Frontier Access 32BP
Super Fang  Normal  Physical Frontier Access 40BP
Tailwind  Flying  Status Frontier Access 48BP
Worry Seed  Grass  Status Frontier Access 32BP

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Kanto/Sevii move tutors

These move tutors are in FireRed and LeafGreen. They do not appear in the older versions for the Game Boy system.

Normal move tutors

These tutors will teach a Pokémon a move otherwise unobtainable with the Generation III TM list. Many of the NPCs which gave a TM containing a move in Generation I that is no longer available in TM form in the current generation will directly teach the move they would have given instead. These can only be taught once.

Move Type Location Gen I TM
Body Slam  Normal  Four Island TM08
Counter  Fighting  Celadon Department Store TM18
Double-Edge  Normal  Victory Road TM10
Dream Eater  Psychic  Viridian City TM42
Explosion  Normal  Mt. Ember TM47
Mega Kick  Normal  Route 4 TM05
Mega Punch  Normal  Route 4 TM01
Metronome  Normal  Pokémon Lab TM35
Mimic  Normal  Saffron City TM31
Rock Slide  Rock  Rock Tunnel TM48
Seismic Toss  Fighting  Pewter City TM19
Softboiled  Normal  Celadon City TM41
Substitute  Normal  Fuchsia City TM50
Swords Dance  Normal  Seven Island TM03
Thunder Wave  Electric  Silph Co. TM45

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Special move tutors

A woman at Boon Island's Cape Brink will teach one move to each of the fully evolved Kanto starter Pokémon. She will teach Frenzy Plant to Venusaur, Hydro Cannon to Blastoise, and Blast Burn to Charizard. The moves can only be taught to one of these three Pokémon once, and the Pokémon learning the move must have maximum happiness.

Hoenn move tutors

In Pokémon Emerald, various move tutors can be found across the Hoenn region. Some moves may be purchased at the Battle Frontier. Those that cannot be purchased may only be learned once from the tutor.

Move Type Location
Body Slam  Normal  Battle Frontier 48BP
Counter  Fighting  Battle Frontier 48BP
Defense Curl  Normal  Battle Frontier 16BP
Double-Edge  Normal  Sootopolis City
Dream Eater  Psychic  Battle Frontier 24BP
DynamicPunch  Fighting  Mossdeep City
Endure  Normal  Battle Frontier 48BP
Explosion  Normal  Pacifidlog Town
Fire Punch  Fire  Battle Frontier 48BP
Fury Cutter  Bug  Verdanturf Town
Ice Punch  Ice  Battle Frontier 48BP
Icy Wind  Ice  Battle Frontier 24BP
Mega Kick  Normal  Battle Frontier 48BP
Mega Punch  Normal  Battle Frontier 24BP
Metronome  Normal  Fallarbor Town
Mimic  Normal  Lavaridge Town
Mud-Slap  Ground  Battle Frontier 24BP
Psych Up  Normal  Battle Frontier 48BP
Rock Slide  Rock  Battle Frontier 48BP
Rollout  Rock  Mauville City
Seismic Toss  Fighting  Battle Frontier 24BP
Sleep Talk  Normal  Fortree City
Snore  Normal  Battle Frontier 24BP
Softboiled  Normal  Battle Frontier 16BP
Substitute  Normal  Lilycove City
Swagger  Normal  Slateport City
Swift  Normal  Battle Frontier 24BP
Swords Dance  Normal  Battle Frontier 48BP
ThunderPunch  Electric  Battle Frontier 48BP
Thunder Wave  Electric  Battle Frontier 48BP

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Orre move tutor

In Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness, there is a move tutor in Agate Village.

Move Type Location
Body Slam  Normal 
Double-Edge  Normal 
Dream Eater  Psychic 
Icy Wind  Ice 
Mimic  Normal 
Nightmare  Ghost 
Seismic Toss  Fighting 
Selfdestruct  Normal 
Sky Attack  Flying 
Substitute  Normal 
Swagger  Normal 
Thunder Wave  Electric 

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Mew, when transferred over from any game to Pokémon XD, can learn other moves with the purchase of 5,000 Poké Coupons. Though this can only be done after beating the game, it can be done multiple times. Mew does not normally learn the following moves, but is able to do so through the use of this move tutor.

Move Type Location
Faint Attack  Dark 
Fake Out  Normal 
Hypnosis  Psychic 
Night Shade  Ghost 
Role Play  Psychic 
Zap Cannon  Electric 

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Sinnoh move tutors

Diamond/Pearl

There are two Move Tutors in Sinnoh - one on Route 228 and one on Route 210. The move tutor on Route 210 teaches Draco Meteor to a Dragon-type Pokémon which has had its happiness maximized. Similar to the Cape Brink move tutor in FireRed and LeafGreen, the Route 228 Move Tutor will teach one of the elemental versions of Hyper Beam to a fully-evolved starter with maximum happiness. Unlike the Cape Brink tutor, it can be any of the twelve starter Pokémon, but the move's type will always correspond with the Pokémon's primary type. Also unlike the Cape Brink tutor, it can be taught as many times as the player likes.

Move Type Cat. Location
Blast Burn  Fire  Special Route 228
Draco Meteor  Dragon  Special Route 210
Frenzy Plant  Grass  Special Route 228
Hydro Cannon  Water  Special Route 228

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Platinum

In Pokémon Platinum, in addition to the move tutors in Diamond and Pearl, three new move tutors are added, in Snowpoint City, on Route 212, and in the Survival Area. These move tutors accept shards in return for their services, charging eight shards of various colors per move.

Red Shards emphasize power.
Blue Shards are for special effects.
Yellow shards are for status problems.
Green Shards are what I like!

Move Type Cat. Location
Air Cutter  Flying  Special 2 2 4 0
Dive  Water  Physical 2 0 4 2
Fire Punch  Fire  Physical 2 0 6 0
Fury Cutter  Bug  Physical 0 0 8 0
Ice Punch  Ice  Physical 2 0 6 0
Icy Wind  Ice  Special 0 2 6 0
Knock Off  Dark  Physical 4 0 4 0
Ominous Wind  Ghost  Special 0 2 6 0
Sucker Punch  Dark  Physical 0 0 6 2
ThunderPunch  Electric  Physical 2 0 6 0
Trick  Psychic  Status 0 0 4 4
Vacuum Wave  Fighting  Special 2 2 4 0
Zen Headbutt  Psychic  Physical 0 0 4 4

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Move Type Cat. Location
Helping Hand  Normal  Status 2 2 0 4
Last Resort  Normal  Physical 0 8 0 0
Magnet Rise  Electric  Status 0 2 2 4
Snore  Normal  Special 2 2 0 4
Spite  Ghost  Status 0 0 0 8
Swift  Normal  Special 0 4 2 2
Synthesis  Grass  Status 0 6 0 2
Uproar  Normal  Special 0 2 0 6

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Move Type Cat. Location
AncientPower  Rock  Special 6 2 0 0
Aqua Tail  Water  Physical 6 2 0 0
Bounce  Flying  Physical 4 2 0 2
Earth Power  Ground  Special 6 2 0 0
Endeavor  Normal  Physical 4 0 0 4
Gastro Acid  Poison  Status 4 2 0 2
Gunk Shot  Poison  Physical 4 2 2 0
Heat Wave  Fire  Special 4 2 2 0
Iron Defense  Steel  Status 4 0 2 2
Iron Head  Steel  Physical 6 0 0 2
Mud-Slap  Ground  Special 4 0 4 0
Outrage  Dragon  Physical 6 0 0 2
Rollout  Rock  Physical 4 2 2 0
Seed Bomb  Grass  Physical 4 4 0 0
Signal Beam  Bug  Special 2 2 2 2
Superpower  Fighting  Physical 8 0 0 0
Twister  Dragon  Special 6 2 0 0

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Trivia

  This game character article is part of Project CharacterDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on each character found in the Pokémon games.