Poison (status condition)
The poison condition (PSN) (Japanese: 毒 poison) is a non-volatile status condition found in the Pokémon games, it causes a Pokémon to lose HP at the end of every turn, as well as outside of battle prior to Generation V. It can be caused by several moves most of which are Poison-type, and some Abilities. Poison and Steel-type Pokémon are immune to being poisoned, making it the only non-volatile status condition to be ineffective against more than one type; however, Poison-type and Steel-type Pokémon can be poisoned by Pokémon with Corrosion, and in Generation II, Steel-type Pokémon can be poisoned by Twineedle.
Along with the poison status, a Pokémon can also be badly poisoned (Japanese: 猛毒 deadly poison); the effects are similar to poison but instead of having a set amount of damage dealt each turn, badly poisoned Pokémon will receive increasing amounts of damage each turn. The label for a Pokémon that is badly poisoned has light purple text from Generation V on, rather than the white text of standard poisoning.
Effect
The effects of poison vary between generations, but a poisoned Pokémon will take damage every turn. Prior to Generation V, outside of battle all poisoned Pokémon lose one HP every four steps the player takes.
Generation I
A poisoned Pokémon will take damage equal to 1/16 of its maximum HP every turn, after it attacks, or at the end of the turn if it did not attack. If a poisoned Pokémon causes an opponent to faint, the poisoned Pokémon will not take damage that turn. Outside of battle, all poisoned Pokémon lose one HP for every four steps taken.
A badly poisoned Pokémon takes damage equal to 1/16 of its maximum HP on the first turn, after which damage increases by 1/16 each time it takes poison damage. When a badly poisoned Pokémon is affected by Haze, switches out, or when the battle ends, its poison status becomes regular poison.
If a Pokémon badly poisoned by Toxic is also under the effect of Leech Seed, both types of recurrent damage will draw upon the same N value to calculate how many multiples of 1/16 of the Pokémon's HP is taken as damage, and both will increase that value. If a badly poisoned Pokémon successfully uses Rest, it will be cured of poison, but N is not reset; if it then suffers burn, Leech Seed or poison damage, that damage will draw upon the N value, and the N value will still increase by 1 each time (however, if the Pokémon is poisoned with Toxic, the N value will be reset to 1).
Generation II
A poisoned Pokémon will take damage equal to 1/8 of its maximum HP every turn.
Bad poisoning remains at a starting amount of 1/16, and no longer interacts with other types of recurrent damage. Haze no longer affects poisoning. While Steel-type Pokémon cannot be poisoned by Poison-type moves, they can be poisoned by Twineedle.
Generation III
Poison damage is now taken at the end of each turn, regardless of whether a Pokémon is knocked out.
If a badly poisoned Pokémon is switched out, it will remain badly poisoned, but the counter is reset. Bad poison still reverts to regular poison after completing a battle.
Steel-type Pokémon can no longer be poisoned by any moves.
Generation IV
Outside of battle, if a poisoned Pokémon is brought down to one HP due to poison damage, it will be cured of poison instead of fainting.
Generation V on
A poisoned Pokémon no longer receives damage outside of battle.
A poisoned Pokémon now glows purple in battle in Generation V, or continuously releases bubbles of poison from its body in Generation VI. Poisoned Pokémon take double damage from Hex and Venoshock.
In Generation V, bad poison displays with dark purple characters in the icon instead of white; in Generation VI, both icon and text change color.
Appearance
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This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Generation VI, VII images |
Bad poison
Causes
Regular poison
Moves
The following moves may poison the target:
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Other causes
A Pokémon has a 30% chance of being poisoned after making contact with a Pokémon with the Poison Point Ability, and a 9% chance after making contact with a Pokémon with Effect Spore. Poison Touch has a 30% chance (20% in the Japanese versions of Pokémon Black and White) of poisoning the target when the user uses a contact move. A Pokémon can also be poisoned if it directly poisons a Pokémon with the Synchronize Ability.
Bad poison
Moves
The following moves may badly poison the target:
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Other causes
The item Toxic Orb badly poisons the holder at the end of the turn. From Generation V onward, a Pokémon can also be badly poisoned if it badly poisons a Pokémon with Synchronize (prior to Generation V, Synchronize only inflicts regular poison).
Curing
Poison (including bad poison) can be cured with the use of an Antidote, Drash Berry (Generation III only) and Pecha Berry (PSNCureBerry in Generation II). In addition, like all other major status conditions, it can be cured by the items Full Heal, Rage Candy Bar, Lava Cookie, Old Gateau, Casteliacone, Lumiose Galette, Shalour Sable, Big Malasada, Full Restore, Heal Powder, Lum Berry (Miracle Berry in Generation II), and Sacred Ash.
The moves Refresh and Rest remove the poison status condition from the user, while Heal Bell (unless the Pokémon has Soundproof as their Ability in Generation III and IV) and Aromatherapy removes it from all Pokémon in the user's party. In addition, the move Psycho Shift shifts the poison onto its target (thereby healing the user). In Generation I only, using Haze cures the opponent from poison.
Pokémon with Natural Cure will be cured upon switching out, those with the Hydration Ability will be cured whilst it is raining. Pokémon with Shed Skin have a 30% chance of being cured every turn, and Pokémon with Healer have a 30% chance of curing their allies.
Prevention
In general, Steel- and Poison-type Pokémon cannot be poisoned. However, they can be poisoned by Pokémon with the Corrosion Ability. Additionally, in Generation II, the move Twineedle can poison Steel-type Pokémon. If a Pokémon is poisoned while not Poison- or Steel-type (such as while affected by a type-changing move or before evolving into a Poison-type or Steel-type Pokémon), it will remain poisoned.
Pokémon with the Ability Immunity cannot be poisoned. Pokémon with the Comatose Ability and Minior in Meteor Form are completely immune to being poisoned. Pokémon with the Ability Leaf Guard will be protected from status conditions in harsh sunlight. The Ability Magic Guard will prevent damage due to poison from being taken in battle; however, it does not prevent the damage from being taken outside of battle.
The moves Safeguard and Misty Terrain (for grounded Pokémon) will protect the party from status conditions for five turns. A Pokémon behind a substitute cannot be poisoned, except due to Synchronize or a held Toxic Orb.
Advantages
While poisoning and badly poisoning, like all major status conditions, have primarily negative effects, it can be advantageous to be poisoned in certain conditions. Pokémon with Guts, Marvel Scale, and Quick Feet will have their Attack, Defense, and Speed increased by 50%, respectively, if poisoned or afflicted by any other non-volatile status condition excluding sleep and freeze; however, in Generation IV, sleep will increase the Attack of Pokémon with Guts. Poisoning will increase the attack of a Pokémon with Toxic Boost by 50%, and the base power of Facade is doubled (from 70 to 140) when inflicted with poison. A Pokémon with Poison Heal will regain 1/8th of its maximum HP at the end of each turn instead of taking damage. When capturing Pokémon, the poison status also adds a 1.5× multiplier to the catch rate of any given Pokémon.
In competitive battling in Generation I, as Pokémon were not healed before link battles in the handheld games, players would often enter battles with their Pokémon already poisoned, as it prevented them from being affected by other more harmful status conditions; also, poison only inflicted 1/16 of the Pokémon's total HP as damage each turn rather than 1/8 as it does from Generation II onward. This tactic was not viable in the Pokémon Stadium series, as Pokémon were restored to full health before battle in these games.
Other in-game effects
If a poisoned Pokémon gains the Ability Immunity through the use of Skill Swap, Trace or another method, the poison or bad poison status will be removed.
In Pokémon Emerald, when the player is inside the Battle Pyramid, the types of Pokémon encountered on each floor follow a set of categories, on the second floor the player will encounter Pokémon that poison as their main tactic.
In the Generation IV games, Pokémon Platinum, HeartGold and SoulSilver, at the Battle Arcade, one of the effects caused by the roulette is causing the poison status; Pokémon that would normally be immune to poison are unaffected. The poison will last for a single battle.
In the spin-off games
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon
Like the main games, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon also features both normal poisoning as well as bad poisoning. When a Pokémon is poisoned, it takes damage every ten turns and is also prevented from regenerating HP. Poison does not disappear over turns. When a Pokémon is badly poisoned, it takes damage every two turns and also prevents regenerating HP. Similar to the main games, the poison conditions do not disappear over turns but can be healed with certain moves or items, and by going to the next floor.
Rumble series
Poison and bad poison (Poisoned and Badly Poisoned when inflicted in-game) are negative statuses in the Rumble series. When a Pokémon is Poisoned, its HP will gradually drain at a rate determined by the Power of the Pokémon that inflicted it for ten seconds. However, if the affected Pokémon is controlled by a player, moving around will make the condition wear off faster, with the minimum duration depending roughly on the Pokémon's Speed. While Poisoned, purple bubbles emanate from around the affected Pokémon's head. The effects under Badly Poisoned are similar, but the rate at which HP is depleted gradually increases while the status lasts and purple smoke emanates from the Pokémon's head instead of bubbles. Though most negative statuses will replace one another if one is inflicted while another is present, Poisoned cannot replace Badly Poisoned (though Badly Poisoned will replace Poisoned).
No types are immune to poison or bad poison, but Pokémon with the Poison Boost or Steady Special Traits cannot be poisoned or badly poisoned, and those with the Reflector Trait will cause the user of the poison-inflicting move to become poisoned or badly poisoned instead if hit by one.
Pokémon Conquest
Like the main series, a Pokémon inflicted with poison is protected from other status conditions and does not wear off over time. Normal poison can be inflicted by attacks, abilities, or by a Pokémon ending their turn in a poison bog. Bad poison can only be inflicted by the effect of Poison Fang. As in the main series, Poison- and Steel-types are immune to poison. Poison can be cured through certain Warrior Skills, items, or by ending a Pokémon's turn in a hot spring or a water bucket.
Pokémon afflicted with normal poison lose 1/8th their max HP, rounded down, at the end of their side's turn, even if the poisoned Pokémon itself took no action. Pokémon afflicted with bad poisoning lose 1/16th of their max HP initially, with damage increasing by 1/16 at the end of their side's turn. Enemy Warriors defeated through poison damage are not treated as being defeated by the player, and thus cannot be recruited after the battle.
In the anime
The poison status has been shown multiple times in the anime:
- In Sharpedo Attack!, while Brock was battling a Sharpedo, it suddenly fainted. He examined it and realized that it had been poisoned by Seviper's Poison Tail. Brock does everything he can for Sharpedo, but even though he doesn't have have any medicine, Sharpedo's poison got cured by itself after a while.
- In Keeping In Top Forme!, Shaymin, Piplup, and Pikachu all got poisoned, Shaymin from getting exposed to some kind of poison and Pikachu and Piplup from a wild Shroomish using Poison Powder on them. Shaymin was cured by Brock, who used a Pecha Berry on it, and Pikachu and Piplup were cured by Shaymin's Aromatherapy.
- In A Real Rival Rouser!, during the Lily of the Valley Conference battle between Paul and Ash, Paul's Drapion used Toxic Spikes, which poisoned every Pokémon Ash sent out (regardless of type). Ash's Buizel, Staraptor, Torterra, Infernape, and Gliscor all got poisoned from the Toxic Spikes. Eventually, Infernape managed to get rid of the Toxic Spikes by using Flare Blitz while being underground.
- In The Brockster Is In!, Ash's Pikachu and all of Normajean's Pokémon got poisoned by wild Tentacruel's Poison Sting and Poison Jab. Brock used Pecha Berries to cure them. He also had his Chansey use Softboiled on Normajean's Pichu. In this episode, it seems that a fever and difficulty breathing is a side effect to the poison.
- In A Venipede Stampede!, Ash became poisoned when a wild Venipede headbutted him, activating Venipede's Poison Point. He was cured by a remedy that Cilan made.
- In Facing Fear with Eyes Wide Open!, Ash's Scraggy's aggressiveness towards a group of Foongus caused the Foongus to use Poison Powder in retaliation, affecting all of Ash, Iris, and Cilan's Pokémon except for Oshawott, who had been training with his Trainer and Excadrill who was not out. While Iris took care of the sick Pokémon, Ash, Oshawott, and Cilan went to a nearby pond to get Remeyo weed for Iris's poison remedy. After fending off the pond's Tympole, Ash and Cilan capture the Tympole's leader, Palpitoad, and its ally, Stunfisk, respectively, allowing them access to the herbs.
- In The Four Seasons of Sawsbuck!, a Pokémon photographer named Robert became poisoned by an Amoonguss's Poison Powder while trying to save a Deerling from a similar fate. He was cured by the Deerling's Sawsbuck friends with the help of a mysterious lake.
- In Rocking the Virbank Gym! Part 1 and Part 2, Ash's Unfezant, Leavanny, Pignite, Palpitoad, and Pikachu were all poisoned during Ash's Virbank Gym battle against Roxie's Poison-type Pokémon. Out of these, Leavanny and Pignite were badly poisoned. Roxie also cured Pignite and Pikachu from poison with Pecha Berries.
- In Strong Strategy Steals the Show!, Stephan's Zebstrika was poisoned by Ash's Palpitoad's Sludge Wave. However, Stephan countered this by having Zebstrika use Facade, which was powered up due to the poison.
- In An Undersea Place to Call Home!, Ash's Pikachu was badly posioned by a wild Skrelp's Toxic. He was cured with an Antidote by Eddy and Lindsey.
- In A Stealthy Challenge!, Sanpei's Greninja was poisoned by Saizo's Barbaracle's Poison Jab. It was later cured when Clemont gave it a Pecha Berry.
- In The Green, Green Grass Types of Home!, Ash's Fletchinder and Hawlucha were both poisoned by Ramos's Weepinbell's Poison Powder during Ash's Coumarine Gym battle. The poison quickly ate at their stamina, causing them both to fall to the Grass/Poison Pokémon. Frogadier managed to avoid the same fate by using its Frubbles as a mask, preventing it from inhaling the spores.
- In Mega Evolution Special IV, Alain's Charizard was poisoned by a Trainer's Mega Venusaur's Venoshock (despite the fact that Venoshock should be unable to poison its target). After the battle, Alain cured Charizard with a Pecha Berry.
- In A Windswept Encounter!, Ash's Noibat was poisoned by a wild Breloom's Poison Powder. He was cured by a wild Floette using Aromatherapy on him.
- In The Sun, the Scare, the Secret Lair!, Ash's Rowlet was poisoned by James's Mareanie's Sludge Bomb. It was cured with an Antidote given to Ash by Professor Kukui. This episode also started the running gag of Mareanie poisoning James while showing its affection to him, causing his face to look like a Mareanie.
In the manga
In the Pokémon Adventures manga
In The Secret of Kangaskhan when Red suspects that there is something wrong with a baby Kangaskhan, he realizes it is poisoned, and uses an Antidote to cure it.
In the Emerald arc, bad poison is explained in detail by Pike Queen Lucy when her Seviper uses Poison Fang and successfully inflicts the condition.
In the Pokémon Gotta Catch 'Em All manga
Shu's Pikachu was poisoned in GDZ68 by Kingdra's Toxic. Shu gave him an Antidote which cured the poisoning.
In the TCG
- Main article: Special Conditions (TCG)
In the Trading Card Game, Poisoned is one of the five Special Conditions along with Asleep, Burned, Confused, and Paralyzed. When a Pokémon is Poisoned, a poison counter is placed on it and one damage counter is put on the Pokémon in between each turn. Some attacks require the player to put two, three, or even four damage counters on a Pokémon between turns, instead of the normal one. The condition can be removed by returning the affected Pokémon to the Bench or by evolving it. Unlike the Pokémon games, a Pokémon can be afflicted with more than one Special Condition at once; however, some Special Conditions will erase ones already present.
Trivia
- Prior to Generation V, poison was the only status condition that could inflict damage outside of battle.
In other languages
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Poisoned
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Badly poisoned
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| Status conditions | |||
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| BURNED | FROZEN | PARALYSIS | POISONED |
| ASLEEP | CONFUSION | FLINCHING | FAINTED |
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This game mechanic article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games. |