Amiibo

amiibo (Japanese: アミーボ amiibo) are a line of interactive figures and cards by Nintendo. Each amiibo figure or card contains an NFC chip in its base, which allows it to interact with multiple games on the Wii U, Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Switch consoles using near field communication. Pokémon amiibo are the franchise's second venture into NFC collectibles, following 2013's Pokémon Rumble U NFC Figures.

While the Wii U, New Nintendo 3DS, and Nintendo Switch all natively support NFC, the Nintendo 3DS and 2DS do not. An NFC reader/writer was released in October 2015 that can scan amiibo, allowing these systems to communicate with amiibo.

History

Several Pokémon characters have been released as part of the Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U line. These figures are intended for use with the eponymous game.

In a Nintendo Direct on November 12, 2015, a card featuring Shadow Mewtwo, a bonus boss character from Pokkén Tournament, was revealed to be included in first print retail copies of the game.

In 2016, an extra-large Detective Pikachu amiibo was released.

In 2019, more Smash Pokémon amiibo were released as part of the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate line, including the first human character to be represented - Red, as the Pokémon Trainer fighter, along with his Squirtle and Ivysaur as separate releases.

List of Pokémon amiibo

Pokémon	Game origin	Japanese release	American release	European release	Australia release	Korean release
Pikachu	Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U	December 5, 2014	November 21, 2014	November 28, 2014	November 29, 2014	September 10, 2015
Lucario	Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U	January 23, 2015	February 20, 2015	January 23, 2015	January 29, 2015	December 3, 2015
Charizard	Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U	April 29, 2015	May 29, 2015	April 20, 2015	April 25, 2015	December 3, 2015
Greninja	Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U	May 28, 2015	May 29, 2015	May 29, 2015	May 30, 2015	December 17, 2015
Jigglypuff	Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U	May 28, 2015	May 29, 2015	May 29, 2015	May 30, 2015	December 3, 2015
Mewtwo	Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U	October 29, 2015	November 13, 2015	October 23, 2015	October 24, 2015	December 3, 2015
Shadow Mewtwo	Pokkén Tournament	March 18, 2016	March 18, 2016	March 18, 2016	March 19, 2016
Detective Pikachu	Detective Pikachu	March 23, 2018	March 23, 2018	March 23, 2018	March 24, 2018
Pichu	Super Smash Bros. Ultimate	July 19, 2019	July 26, 2019	July 19, 2019	2019	2019
Pokémon Trainer	Super Smash Bros. Ultimate	July 19, 2019	July 26, 2019	July 19, 2019	2019	2019
Squirtle	Super Smash Bros. Ultimate	September 20, 2019	September 20, 2019	September 20, 2019	September 20, 2019	September 20, 2019
Ivysaur	Super Smash Bros. Ultimate	September 20, 2019	September 20, 2019	September 20, 2019	September 20, 2019	September 20, 2019
Incineroar	Super Smash Bros. Ultimate	November 2019	November 2019	November 2019	November 2019	November 2019

Compatibility list

Certain games allow amiibo to write save data to it so it can be retained even when using it with a different game or system. However, an amiibo can only hold save data for one game at a time. So far, the only Pokémon amiibo-compatible games that offer this ability are Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

Games with specific responses to Pokémon amiibo

Game	First release	Effect	Read type	Compatible amiibo
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS	September 13, 2014	Becomes a Figure Player—matching AI-controlled character that can be powered up and fought with/against in numerous game modes.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U	November 21, 2014
Super Mario Maker	September 10, 2015	Becomes a costume that Mario transforms into when he consumes a Mystery Mushroom. Unlike most amiibo costumes, however, the Pokémon amiibo costumes do not feature custom sounds or music.
Pokkén Tournament	March 18, 2016	Allows the player to temporarily use Shadow Mewtwo as a character, as opposed to unlocking it by clearing the Chroma league.
Kirby: Planet Robobot	April 28, 2016	Gives a Copy Ability for Kirby corresponding to the scanned amiibo, up to 10 per level. Also gives Kirby food to heal. Scanning a Pikachu amiibo gives Kirby the Spark Copy Ability. Scanning a Charizard amiibo gives Kirby the Fire Copy Ability. Scanning a Lucario amiibo gives Kirby the Fighter Copy Ability. Scanning a Jigglypuff amiibo gives Kirby the Mike Copy Ability. Scanning a Greninja amiibo gives Kirby the Ninja Copy Ability. Scanning a Mewtwo amiibo gives Kirby the ESP Copy Ability. Scanning any other Pokémon amiibo gives Kirby a random Copy Ability.
Detective Pikachu	March 23, 2018	Unlocks all Pika Prompts in any cleared chapters.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate	December 7, 2018	Becomes a Figure Player—matching AI-controlled character that can be powered up and fought with/against in numerous game modes. Data from 3DS/Wii U carries over; Charizard data becomes Pokémon Trainer data, with the first Pokémon defaulting to Charizard instead of Squirtle.
		Produces a Detective Pikachu Spirit when scanned.

Games with generic responses to Pokémon amiibo

All interactions listed below are read-only.

Game	First release	Effect
Hyrule Warriors	November 11, 2014 (via patch)	Grants a present: a weapon, a small Rupee bonus, or crafting material. Each amiibo can only grant one present per day, and this action can only be performed five times a day.
Hyrule Warriors Legends	January 21, 2016
Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition	March 22, 2018
Mario Party 10	March 12, 2015	Allows players to play the Scratch Bonus minigame to win additional Mario Party Points.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker	March 19, 2015 (Wii U; via patch)	Grants the player 1-Up Mushrooms.
	July 13, 2018 (3DS/Switch)
New Style Boutique 2: Fashion Forward	April 16, 2015	Gives the player a Star Hair Clip in a random color.
Word Puzzles by POWGI	April 16, 2015	Includes the amiibo's nickname and owner name in word searches.
amiibo tap: Nintendo's Greatest Bits	April 23, 2015	Unlocks a randomly selected, short, playable portion from one of 32 included NES or Super NES titles
Yoshi's Woolly World	June 25, 2015	Unlocks a generic amiibo Yoshi design.
Poochy & Yoshi's Woolly World	January 19, 2017
Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash	October 8, 2015	Gives the player 50 or 100 Moolah once a day. Up to 20 amiibo can be scanned daily.
Taiko no Tatsujin: Atsumete ☆ Tomodachi Daisakusen!	November 26, 2015	Gives the player free Don Kobans.
Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge	January 28, 2016	Drops a Mini Spek into the game.
Pokkén Tournament	March 18, 2016	Allow the player to obtain in-game items, such as accessories for their player avatar. After Shadow Mewtwo is permanently unlocked, the Shadow Mewtwo amiibo card also serves this purpose.
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games	June 23, 2016 (Wii U)	Gives the player free coins and rings.
Miitopia	July 1, 2016	Gives the player free tickets for the minigame arcade.
Teddy Together	July 1, 2016 (via patch)	Gives the player free coins.
Metroid Prime: Federation Force	August 19, 2016	Unlocks a skull-themed recolor for the player's mech.
Monster Hunter Stories	October 8, 2016	Gives the player free rare materials.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild	March 3, 2017	Gives the player a random assortment of materials.
Mario Sports Superstars	March 10, 2017	Allows players to recruit stronger versions of existing characters
Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia	April 20, 2017	Summons a computer-controlled generic ally to fight for the player for a turn, similar to the spell Invoke.
Hey! Pikmin	July 12, 2017	Gives the player 10 Sparklium seeds.
Pokkén Tournament DX	September 22, 2017	Allows the player to obtain in-game items, such as accessories for their player avatar. Because Shadow Mewtwo is now unlocked at the start, the Shadow Mewtwo amiibo card also serves this purpose.
Fire Emblem Warriors	September 28, 2017	Gives the player free weapons, gold, or materials.
Super Mario Odyssey	October 27, 2017	Gives the player a Power Moon location on the current kingdom map through Uncle amiibo.
		Gives the player a set amount of Coins or a Heart if scanned while holding the Right Button.
Style Savvy: Styling Star	November 2, 2017	Gives the player an emblem or design pattern.
The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim	November 11, 2017 (Switch)	Spawns a treasure chest of gear in front of the player.
Resident Evil: Revelations	November 28, 2017 (Switch)	Grants the player a random amount of BP Points for the Raid Mode shop or resources for use in Raid Mode games. Each amiibo can be scanned once per day.
Resident Evil: Revelations 2
Bayonetta 2	February 16, 2018 (Switch)	Grants the player extra in-game currency, items, or materials.
Kirby Star Allies	March 3, 2018	Gives the player some food and a Picture Piece.
WarioWare Gold	July 27, 2018	Wario draws a random sketch that can be sold for gold coins. Up to three can be scanned per day.
Mega Man 11	October 2, 2018	Gives health or energy refills, or can even give 1-Ups.
Super Mario Party	October 5, 2018	Grants Party Points that the player can spend on background music and other extras.
Diablo III: Eternal Collection	November 2, 2018	Summons a group of challenging enemies for the player to face.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses	July 26, 2019	Spawns items at the amiibo Gazebo.
Kirby and the Forgotten Land	March 25th, 2022	Spawns a Car-Mouth Cake, a cherry, and two Yellow Star Coins.
Xenoblade Chronicles 3	July 29th, 2022	Grants the player EXP or collectibles that spawn after closing the menu. Up to three can be scanned per day.
Fire Emblem Engage	January 20, 2023	Grants the player a random consumable item or material at the amiibo Gazebo. Up to five can be scanned every 24 hours.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom	May 12, 2023	Gives the player a random assortment of materials.

Gallery

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  European Pikachu amiibo box

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  European Lucario amiibo box

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  European Charizard amiibo box

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  European Jigglypuff amiibo box

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  European Greninja amiibo box

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  European Mewtwo amiibo box

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  Shadow Mewtwo amiibo card back

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  European Pichu amiibo box

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  European Pokémon Trainer amiibo box

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  European Incineroar amiibo box

NFC reader/writer

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  NFC reader/writer

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  NFC reader/writer English box

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  NFC reader/writer Japanese box

External links

• Nintendo amiibo website
• amiibo on Wikipedia
• amiibo on NintendoWiki
• amiibo on Super Mario Wiki
• amiibo on SmashWiki
• amiibo on Xeno Series Wiki
• amiibo on Zelda Wiki

This article is part of both Project Sidegames and Project Merchandise, Bulbapedia projects that, together, aim to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon Sidegames and Merchandise, respectively.