Pickpocket (Ability)

Pickpocket わるいてぐせ
Bad Habit
Flavor text
Generation V
Steals an item when hit by another Pokémon.
Generation VI
Steals an item from an attacker that made direct contact.
Generation VII
Steals an item from an attacker that made direct contact.
Generation VIII
Steals an item from an attacker that made direct contact.
Generation IX
The Pokémon steals the held item from attackers that made direct contact with it.

Pickpocket (Japanese: わるいてぐせ Bad Habit) is an Ability introduced in Generation V.

Effect

In battle

  This Ability effect may be in need of research.
Reason: Does Pickpocket work in a Max Raid Battle of if it is used by a wild Pokémon? What happens with Ogerpon's masks?
You can discuss this on the talk page.

When a Pokémon with this Ability is hit by a move that makes contact, the Pokémon with this Ability will steal the held item of the attacking Pokémon. It will not activate if the Pokémon with this Ability already has a held item. It will not activate if the Pokémon with this Ability is knocked out by that move.

If a Pokémon with this Ability is hit by a multi-strike move that makes contact (such as Fury Swipes), the item will not be stolen until after the final strike. If multiple Pokémon with this Ability are hit by the same move that made contact, Pickpocket will activate for the fastest one that does not already have an item.

Pickpocket activates after Magician and the Sticky Barb, and after Thief and Covet steal a held item. It also activates after the user consumes a single-use item due to the attack that hit it, such as a Focus Sash. Consequently, the Pokémon that has Pickpocket will always end up with the item. Pickpocket also activates after Knock Off, Bug Bite, and Pluck, meaning that the stolen item will not be lost, and if it does lose its item due to these moves it can immediately steal another.

The Life Orb and Shell Bell will activate before being stolen. The King's Rock and Razor Fang can still make the Pokémon with Pickpocket flinch even if stolen.

Wild Pokémon cannot steal the player's Pokémon's held items. Pickpocket cannot steal from a Pokémon with Sticky Hold. It cannot steal Mail or a Z-Crystal. It cannot steal a Griseous Orb if either Pokémon is Giratina, a Plate if either Pokémon is Arceus, a memory if either Pokémon is Silvally, a Drive if either Pokémon is Genesect, a Mega Stone if either Pokémon can Mega Evolve using it, a Blue Orb if either Pokémon is Kyogre, a Red Orb if either Pokémon is Groudon, the Rusted Sword if either Pokémon is Zacian, the Rusted Shield if either Pokémon is Zamazenta, or Booster Energy if either Pokémon has the Ability Protosynthesis or Quark Drive.

Outside of battle

Pickpocket has no effect outside of battle.

Pokémon with Pickpocket

# Pokémon Types First Ability Second Ability Hidden Ability
0215   Sneasel
Dark Ice Inner Focus Keen Eye Pickpocket
0215   Sneasel
Hisuian Form
Fighting Poison Inner Focus Keen Eye PickpocketGen IX+
0273   Seedot
Grass Grass Chlorophyll Early Bird Pickpocket
0274   Nuzleaf
Grass Dark Chlorophyll Early Bird Pickpocket
0275   Shiftry
Grass Dark Chlorophyll Wind RiderGen IX+ Pickpocket
0461   Weavile
Dark Ice Pressure None Pickpocket
0688   Binacle
Rock Water Sniper Tough Claws Pickpocket
0689   Barbaracle
Rock Water Sniper Tough Claws Pickpocket
0859   Impidimp
Dark Fairy Prankster Frisk Pickpocket
0860   Morgrem
Dark Fairy Prankster Frisk Pickpocket
0861   Grimmsnarl
Dark Fairy Prankster Frisk Pickpocket
0944   Shroodle
Poison Normal Unburden Pickpocket Prankster
0957   Tinkatink
Fairy Steel Mold Breaker Own Tempo Pickpocket
0958   Tinkatuff
Fairy Steel Mold Breaker Own Tempo Pickpocket
0959   Tinkaton
Fairy Steel Mold Breaker Own Tempo Pickpocket
Please note that abilities marked with a superscript are only available in the stated generation or later.
  • For Generation III and IV games, ignore Hidden Abilities.

Trivia

In other languages

Language Title
Chinese Cantonese 順手牽羊 Seuhnsáuhīnyèuhng
Mandarin 順手牽羊 / 顺手牵羊 Shùnshǒuqiānyáng
  French Pickpocket
  German Langfinger
  Italian Arraffalesto
  Korean 나쁜손버릇 Nappeun Sonbeoreut
  Spanish Hurto
Variations of the Ability Pickpocket
PickpocketMagician


  This article is part of Project Moves and Abilities, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on two related aspects of the Pokémon games.