Poké Ball (item)
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The Poké Ball (Japanese: モンスターボール Monster Ball) is a type of Poké Ball introduced in Generation I. It is the most basic form of Poké Ball.
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In the core series games
Price
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- In Pokémon Crystal, during a Rooftop Sale at the Goldenrod Department Store, Poké Balls can be bought for $150 each.
- In Pokémon Black, Poké Balls can be bought in Black City's Marketplace for $10000 each if Rich Boy Pierce if present in the city.
Effect
Manual activation
In a wild encounter, has a x1 modifier to the chance to capture a Pokémon (with the exception of the ghost Marowak in Pokémon Tower, Kyurem while it is under Ghetsis's control, Dusk Mane/Dawn Wings Necrozma at the Altar of the Sunne/Altar of the Moone, and Ultra Necrozma at the Megalo Tower).
Held item
A Poké Ball can be held, but it will have no effect. Fling will fail if used while holding a Master Ball.
Outside of battle
From Generation IV onwards, if in bag when Nincada evolves into Ninjask, adds a Shedinja to the party provided the player has room in their team.
Pokémon Black and White
On weekends, twenty Poké Balls can be exchanged for a Full Restore at Anville Town.
Pokémon Black and White 2
Once a day, a Poké Ball can be exchanged for a Great Ball at with a Roughneck at Virbank Complex.
X and Y
Once a day, a Poké Ball can be exchanged for a Dive Ball in Ambrette Town.
Description
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Acquisition
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In other games
Pokémon GO
Basic Poké Balls are available from level 1. can also be bought with PokéCoins at the Shop and in limited-time Box deals.
Pokémon Stadium 2
Outside of battle, Poké Balls are seen in the minigame Furret's Frolic. They are worth one point each.
Super Smash Bros. series
In the Super Smash Bros. series, Poké Balls mainly appear as items which a character can pick up and throw to release a random Pokémon. Most Pokémon will perform a direct attack against the characters on the stage, but some may have other effects. Like many other items, the Poké Balls also do damage simply by hitting other characters.
The Poké Ball also features in a couple of other ways in the Super Smash Bros. series. In Brawl, in The Subspace Emissary, Pokémon Trainer is shown to push the button on the Poké Ball to send out his Pokémon, a mechanic that has not been shown in the anime.
Super Smash Bros. Melee Trophy information
These balls are used to catch and contain wild Pokémon. Most Pokémon must be weakened in some way before they can be caught, but once they're inside a Poké Ball, they enjoy their new home, since Poké Balls contain an environment specially designed for Pokémon comfort. Master Balls are the strongest type.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl Trophy information
"An item used for capturing Pokémon and calling them out into battle. Pokémon live in these items which despite appearances, actually contain a wide, comfortable Pokémon-friendly world inside them. In Super Smash Bros., Pokémon give temporary support to who calls them out. You never know which you will get, but some are devastatingly powerful."
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U Trophy information
NA: An item used to call out different Pokémon. Which Pokémon emerges is a mystery, but it will aid whoever threw the Poké Ball. Some of the Pokémon contained inside are extremely powerful and will really intensify the battle. It's definitely worth beating your opponents to these!
PAL: A ball holding one of any number of Pokémon just waiting to burst out and help you in battle. Which kind will it be? Well, that's a surprise, but whichever one it is, it'll definitely up the intensity of the battle! If you see one, make sure you're the one to grab it!
Artwork
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| Artwork from Red and Green |
Artwork from Red and Blue |
Artwork from Pokémon Global Link |
Artwork from Pokémon GO |
Sprites
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| Sprite from Generation I |
Sprite from Generation II |
Sprite from Furret's Frolic instructions screen |
Bag sprite from Generation III onwards |
Summary sprite from Generation III |
Summary sprite from Colosseum |
Summary sprite from XD: Gale of Darkness |
Summary sprite from Generations IV and V |
Battle sprite from Generation IV |
Battle sprite from Generation V |
Models
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| Model from Pokémon Stadium |
Model from Pokémon Stadium 2 |
Model from Furret's Frolic |
In the anime
In the main series
In the anime, the basic Poké Ball is the most commonly used of all varieties, with other varieties appearing either very few times or not at all. A vast majority of Pokémon are shown to be stored in regular Poké Balls, to the point that large collections of Poké Balls can be seen with no variation among them. Even Ash's Pikachu, the most prominent Pokémon in the anime which spends all its time outside with Ash, has a plain Poké Ball that differs from others only by the small yellow lightning bolt symbol on it, as seen in Pokémon - I Choose You!.
Despite this, the various other types of Poké Ball have been seen in the anime, usually to illustrate a special property about that particular ball. The lack of the different types is unsurprising, however, due to the fact that, when the anime was first created, the games themselves did not even keep track of the Poké Ball that a Pokémon was caught in, and thus, it made no difference in sending a Pokémon out. This has only just become less common as of the Sun & Moon series, possibly to reflect the fact that NPC Trainers in Generation VII have certain types of Poké Balls associated with them.
In Pokémon Origins
When Red was starting out, he typically caught and stored his Pokémon in Poké Balls. As he, his Pokémon, and the Pokémon around him grew stronger, he eventually graduated to Great Balls, then Ultra Balls.
In the manga
In the various Pokémon manga, Poké Balls have been shown to appear differently, as an attempt to explain how a Trainer knows which Pokémon is in which ball, as most Pokémon manga series were, like the anime, developed at a time when the games could not keep track of the ball a Pokémon was contained in.
In The Electric Tale of Pikachu manga
In the manga The Electric Tale of Pikachu, the rules are more similar to the anime; however, Poké Balls are numbered on the outside, on the button, so that a Trainer knows which member of their team they are sending into battle. In The Electric Tale of Pikachu, Trainers must obtain a license before they are legally allowed to purchase Poké Balls.
It is also possible for a Pokémon to be placed inside a Poké Ball without it being owned by a Trainer. In Days of Gloom and Glory, Meowzie steals a Poké Ball from a shop and puts her kitten in it so that it will not be hurt by a flood affecting the city.
In the Pokémon Adventures manga
In the Pokémon Adventures manga, the tops of Poké Balls are semitransparent, allowing the Pokémon inside, which is miniaturized, to be seen through the ball, while the Pokémon can likewise see out of the ball it is contained in. In this manga, unlike in the anime, Pokémon already captured can be recaught in another Poké Ball, as is seen when Red recatches Misty's Gyarados (though Blue states that catching a Pokémon that belongs to another is not possible in Lapras Lazily). Like in the games, but unlike the anime, Pokémon placed in their balls don't recover from status conditions nor regain lost health, no matter how much time passes. Additionally, the three original types of Poké Ball are used to identify the Trainer's rank; most Trainers keep their Pokémon in Poké Balls, Gym Leaders use Great Balls, and Elite Four members and Frontier Brains use Ultra Balls.
In the Pokémon Gotta Catch 'Em All manga
In Pokémon Gotta Catch 'Em All, Poké Balls are depicted as solid, with no visual identification as to which Poké Ball is which. In Special Chapter - Get Pikachu!, it is revealed that when Shu met Pikachu, Pikachu's Poké Ball had been abandoned in a forest because it was defective and it was causing Pikachu's electricity to be released throughout the surrounding area.
In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga
In Pokémon Pocket Monsters, Poké Balls are often shown as transparent to identify when a Pokémon is inside. They usually have their typical appearance from far away, suggesting that they may not always be transparent, or are only see-through from up close. Pokémon appear to be able to see the world outside of their Poké Balls, as shown in Bring Down the Powerful Opponent Onix!!, when Clefairy sees Pikachu inside his Poké Ball, and they talk to each other. In Introducing the Pokémon Clefairy!!, when Green is choosing Charmander as his starter Pokémon, he is shown to be able to pick up and lift Charmander directly from the Poké Ball without throwing it first.
In the TCG
- Main article: Poké Ball (Jungle 64)
The Poké Ball was introduced as an Trainer card in the Pokémon Trading Card Game during the English Original Series (the Japanese Original Era). First released in the Jungle expansion, it was reprinted in the Japanese Hanada City Gym and Kuchiba City Gym Theme Decks. It was later reprinted in the EX Ruby & Sapphire expansion, with new artwork by K. Hoshiba and an updated effect. This print was used until the release of EX Unseen Forces, which featured new artwork by Shin-ichi Yoshikawa. This print was used throughout the rest EX Series, and the first part of the Diamond & Pearl Series, up until the release of Majestic Dawn expansion. This print featured new artwork by Ryo Ueda.
It was later reclassified in Japan as an Item card during the HeartGold & SoulSilver Series, though the English prints did not adopt this naming convention until the release of the Black & White expansion. The HeartGold & SoulSilver print featured new artwork by Hideaki Hakozaki, and the Japanese Battle Starter Decks featured yet another new illustration by Noriko Hotta. This card was released again in the Black & White expansion with new artwork by Yuri Umemura. This print was later released in the Boundaries Crossed expansion. This card was reprinted again during the XY Series in the English Kalos Starter Set with new artwork by 5ban Graphics. This print was later reprinted in the English XY Trainer Kit, and in the Generations expansion.
Poké Ball was reprinted again during the Sun & Moon Series as part of the Sun & Moon expansion with new artwork by Ryo Ueda. As of this print, when the player plays it, they flip a coin. If the coin shows heads, they may search their deck for a a Pokémon, reveal it, and put it into their hand, shuffling their deck afterwards.
In other languages
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See also