The Bag (Japanese: バッグ bag), referred to on the menu as Item (Japanese: どうぐ tool) in Generation I and Pack (Japanese: リュック ruck) in Generation II, is a vital tool in all core series Pokémon games. It holds all of the player's items, storing them for later use. By opening the Bag, players can use, arrange, and toss most items, and register Key Items for easy access.

The players' default bags in Pokémon X and Y
The players' Bags in Pokémon Platinum

In the Help System of the Generation V games, it is called the Bag function (Japanese: バッグの機能(きのう) bag function).

Use

Outside of battle

The Bag appears as part of the start menu in all core series games, as well as in Pokémon Colosseum and Pokémon XD: Gale of Darkness. In Generation I as well as in Colosseum and XD, it is accessed with the "ITEMS" command, while in Generation II, it is accessed with the "PACK" command.

All items that the player has on hand will be located in the Bag and, after Generation I, being placed in the appropriate pocket automatically. Prior to Generation IV, the items pocket had only 20 (42 in FireRed and LeafGreen, 30 in Emerald) spaces for items, while the other pockets had space for any and all items that would go there. If an item to be picked up would be placed into the items pocket, however, and the pocket was full, it could not be picked up until the player had deposited some items into the PC. This problem no longer exists in Generation IV and beyond, where all pockets have enough space for every item.

Inside of the Bag menu, the player will find a list of all their items, ordered by default from the first kind obtained to the most recently obtained. Players may rearrange these items with the select button, except in the Berries and TMs and HMs pockets, which are automatically ordered. Depending on the type of item, and sometimes on the item itself, options exist when it is selected that allow players to use the item, throw the item away, register it to the Select/Y button for use on the field, or have a Pokémon hold it.

In battle

 
Bag menu during a Pokémon battle in Generation VII.

The Bag is also one of the four menu selections during a Pokémon battle, and allows the player to use items that can be used in battle, such as Poké Balls, Potions, and items like X Attack. Prior to Generation IV, the Bag menu during battle was the same as that outside of battle, allowing inventory checking of items that are unrelated to battle during it. In Generation IV, however, it became a completely different menu on the touch screen, split into four categories of use:

Using an item while in battle uses up a turn. Prior to Generation VII, this only occurs if the item that the player tries to use has an effect during the battle (for example, in Generation II, attempting to use a NeverMeltIce will lead only to the player being scolded by Professor Oak). In Generation VII, attempting to use an item that would have no effect takes a turn, but does not consume the item. Items cannot be used in linked battles or in facilities such as the Battle Tower.

The item that was last used during battle, if there were multiple copies of it in the Bag, can be easily used again. The selection cursor will remain on it in Generation I-III and VII games, while a shortcut menu will exist at the lower left corner of the screen to the last used item in Generation IV-VI.

Differences between generations

While the Bag has remained a consistent part of the menu screen for all generations, significant changes have been made to its structure in each later generation, with most welcomed as improvements.

Generation I

In Generation I, the Bag is a list of up to 20 different kinds of items, with no separation into different pockets. The player cannot obtain new items if they do not have room in their Bag. The player can hold up to 99 of each item; if obtaining an item would result in the player having more than 99 of a single item, the excess items are placed in a new stack if the player has room for another item stack in their Bag (otherwise they cannot be obtained). (Some glitches, such as MissingNo.'s item duplication glitch, allow the player to hold up to 255 items in a single Bag slot.)

Due to the limited space in their Bag, additional items can be stored in the PC's Item Storage System. However, if the player's Bag is full, they cannot pick up new items, even if they have room in their Item Storage System, as the player can only move items between their Bag and Item Storage System by using a PC.

Despite the lack of pockets, there is still a distinction between Key Items and other items. Key Items have no quantity displayed next to them (since the player can only ever have one instance of each Key Item at a time) and cannot be sold or tossed.

Generation II

  This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: Maximum number of items in the Items pocket, maximum number of items per stacks, whether items can still form new stacks if the first stack exceeds capacity

In Generation II, the Bag is now split into four different pockets. There are three specialized pockets for specific types of items, as well as the items pocket for all other items. While the specialized pockets now are each large enough to hold all items of their type, the items pocket still has a size limit, so additional items can be stored in the PC's Item Storage System.

Additionally, starting in Generation II each item has a description of its function.

 
Items
どうぐ
 
Balls
ボール
File:GSC Key items pocket.png
Key Items
たいせつ
 
TM/HM
わざマシン
Contains all items not in other pockets. Contains all Poké Balls. Contains all Key Items. Contains all TMs and HMs.

Generation III

  This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: Colosseum and XD details

In Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald and Pokémon Colosseum and XD, there is one more pocket than in Generation II, the Berries pocket. In Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen, there are three pockets, with the Berries and TMs & HMs pockets being replaced by the Key Items the Berry Pouch and TM Case respectively. While the specialized pockets are each large enough to hold all items of their type, the items pocket still has a size limit, so additional items can be stored in the PC's Item Storage System.

The items pocket can hold up to 30 different items. In Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, Emerald, FireRed, and LeafGreen, the player cannot obtain more items if their Bag is full, even if there is room in their PC's Item Storage System. In Pokémon Colosseum and XD, if the player would obtain an item while their Bag is full, it will be sent to their PC instead.

The player can hold up to 999 of each item. If the player would obtain a number of an item that would cause them to have more than 999 of it in their Bag, they cannot obtain those items.

The Berries and TMs & HMs pockets, and their counterparts the Berry Pouch and TM Case, have a pre-defined order in which they are always sorted, unlike other pockets. The Berries pocket and Berry Pouch are sorted by Berry number. The TMs & HMs pocket and TM Case are sorted by TM and HM number; the TMs & HMs pocket sorts TMs above HMs, whereas the TM Case sorts HMs above TMs.

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen introduced images of each item, which can be seen from the player's Bag. These images were retained in Pokémon Emerald as well as later generations, but were not used in Pokémon Colosseum and XD.

A visual of the Bag itself is visible while browsing its contents. Male and female player characters have different Bag designs. In Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire, the Bags are yellow; in Pokémon Emerald, they are green. No visual representation of the player's Bag appears in Pokémon Colosseum and XD.

Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald

Items
どうぐ
Poké Balls
モンスターボール
TMs & HMs
わざマシン
Berries
きのみ
Key Items
たいせつなもの
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
Contains all items not in other pockets. Contains all Poké Balls. Contains all TMs and HMs. Contains all Berries. Contains all Key Items.
Battle Pyramid

In Pokémon Emerald's Battle Pyramid, the player uses the exclusive Battle Bag to hold items for use in the battle facility. The color of the icon is purple for the Level 50 challenge, and red for the Open Level challenge.

   
Battle Bag
バトルバッグ
Contains items acquired in the Battle Pyramid.

Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen

Items
どうぐ
Key Items
たいせつなもの
Poké Balls
モンスターボール
   
File:FRLG Key items pocket M.png File:FRLG Key items pocket F.png
   
Contains all items not in other pockets. Contains all Key Items. Contains all Poké Balls.

Generation IV

  This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: Maximum stack size, whether multiple stacks of the same item are possible

The Bag was revamped once again in Generation IV, not only allowing for infinite space (and making the PC storage system for items obsolete) but also splitting the pockets up further than in Generation III. Three new pockets were split off from the Items pocket, making for a total of eight pockets. The Bags are yellow in Diamond and Pearl, but gray/silver in Platinum.

In Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, the Bag retained the list-like format from Generation III, with pocket-changing controls as well as a Poké Ball-shaped scrollwheel being present on the bottom screen. Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver, by contrast, groups the items into six-cell pages. Additionally these games have Ethan/Lyra holding the bag with the pocket being highlighted, while other games just show pockets.

Diamond and Pearl

Items
どうぐ
Medicine
かいふく
Poké Balls
モンスターボール
TMs & HMs
わざマシン
Berries
きのみ
Mail
メール
Battle items
せんとうよう
Key Items
たいせつなもの
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
File:DP Battle items pocket M.png
File:DP Battle items pocket F.png
File:DP Key items pocket M.png
File:DP Key items pocket F.png
Contains all items not in other pockets. Contains all healing and permanent stat-enhancing medicines. Contains all Poké Balls. Contains all TMs and HMs. Contains all Berries. Contains all Mail. Contains all items which only have effect in battle. Contains all Key Items.
            File:Bag Battle items DP pocket icon.png File:Bag Key items DP pocket icon.png

Platinum

Items
どうぐ
Medicine
かいふく
Poké Balls
モンスターボール
TMs & HMs
わざマシン
Berries
きのみ
Mail
メール
Battle items
せんとうよう
Key Items
たいせつなもの
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
File:Pt Battle items pocket M.png
File:Pt Battle items pocket F.png
File:Pt Key items pocket M.png
File:Pt Key items pocket F.png
Contains all items not in other pockets. Contains all healing and permanent stat-enhancing medicines. Contains all Poké Balls. Contains all TMs and HMs. Contains all Berries. Contains all Mail. Contains all items which only have effect in battle. Contains all Key Items.
            File:Bag Battle items Pt pocket icon.png File:Bag Key items Pt pocket icon.png

HeartGold and SoulSilver

Items
どうぐ
Medicine
かいふく
Poké Balls
モンスターボール
TMs & HMs
わざマシン
Berries
きのみ
Mail
メール
Battle items
せんとうよう
Key Items
たいせつなもの
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
File:HGSS Battle items pocket M.png
File:HGSS Battle items pocket F.png
File:HGSS Key items pocket M.png
File:HGSS Key items pocket F.png
Contains all items not in other pockets. Contains all healing and permanent stat-enhancing medicines. Contains all Poké Balls. Contains all TMs and HMs. Contains all Berries. Contains all Mail. Contains all items which only have effect in battle. Contains all Key Items.
               

Generation V

  This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: Maximum stack size, whether multiple stacks of the same item are possible

In Black and White, the Bag was overhauled again, with eight pockets being condensed into five, much like in Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald. The pockets are called Cases in these games, and are labeled Items, Medicine, TMs & HMs, Berries and Key Items, with Poké Balls, Mail, held items and other items all being placed in the Items pocket. Held items, Mail and Poké Balls are indicated as such by an icon displayed to the immediate left of the item that corresponds to what type of item it is.

In these games, recently acquired items (other than TMs) are added at the top of their respective item list (rather than the bottom, as in previous generations), and players can sort a pocket automatically by pressing Start, in addition to manual sorting with Select.

In Black 2 and White 2, a Free Space section was added to the Bag, and the icon takes on the appearance of a smaller Bag. Players can select items they use most and add them to Free Space for easy access. Manual sorting cannot be performed in this section, and items are always placed in alphabetical order. However, the player can filter the kind of items they want to see with the sorting button.

Unlike in the first pairs, new items go at the bottom of the item list like in previous generations rather than the top, including TMs and HMs. More sorting options were also added.

Black and White

Items
どうぐ
Medicine
かいふく
TMs & HMs
わざマシン
Berries
きのみ
Key Items
たいせつなもの
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Contains all items not in other cases. Contains all healing and permanent stat-enhancing medicines. Contains all TMs and HMs. Contains all Berries. Contains all Key Items.

Black 2 and White 2

Items
どうぐ
Medicine
かいふく
TMs & HMs
わざマシン
Berries
きのみ
Key Items
たいせつなもの
Free Space
フリースペース
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Contains all items not in other cases. Contains all healing and permanent stat-enhancing medicines. Contains all TMs and HMs. Contains all Berries. Contains all Key Items. Contains items put there by the player.

Generation VI

  This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: Changes in ORAS, if any (other than removing customization); Maximum stack size, whether multiple stacks of the same item are possible

Generation VI saw the least amount of changes to the Bag. Items may be picked up by pressing and holding with the stylus, which allows for manual sorting; Start and Select both open the automatic sorting menu. In addition, the Items slot no longer has icons indicating items' types, though they are still grouped together when automatically sorted. The Free Space slot from Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 was removed, once again giving the Bag five slots, and each slot can be dragged to rearrange the order. A clock icon was also added at the bottom of the screen, which will show a list of the last twelve items used.

While the physical shape of the Bag did not change, it is now possible to customize the color and patterning of the bag due to it being an article of clothing as a part of Trainer customization.

Items
どうぐ
Medicine
かいふく
TMs & HMs
わざマシン
Berries
きのみ
Key Items
たいせつなもの
Contains all items not in other cases. Contains all healing and permanent stat-enhancing medicines. Contains all TMs and HMs. Contains all Berries. Contains all Key Items.
File:Bag Items VI pocket icon.png           File:Bag Key items XY pocket icon.pngFile:Bag Key items ORAS pocket icon.png

Generation VII

  This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: Needs Item (SM) and all pocket icons (USUM); Maximum stack size, whether multiple stacks of the same item are possible

In Generation VII, the Bag retained most of its functions found in Generation VI except for the removal of the clock function. While the five sections from Generation VI remain, two new sections were added.

The Free Space section, previously seen in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, makes a return and allows the player to store any items they want from other sections for convenience. A new section called Z-Crystals is also added, which stores all Z-Crystals found in the game. The Z-Crystals section will only be available once the player has obtained a Z-Crystal and the Z-RingSM or Z-Power RingUSUM. Due to the removal of HMs from the games, the TMs & HMs section has been renamed to TMs only.

Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon added a new section called Rotom Powers, which stores Rotom Powers received from befriending the Rotom Pokédex. The Rotom Powers works similarly to Pass Powers and O-Powers.

In Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, with far fewer kinds of obtainable items, the bag is overhauled into being essentially a list of items, similar to that of Generation I. At the top of the list are eight pockets that are programmed as items that contain other items, like the TM Case from FireRed and LeafGreen. Many items do not belong in any category, such as Key Items, valuable items and Repels, and are instead listed in the same level as pockets.

Sun and Moon

Medicine
かいふく
Items
どうぐ
TMs
わざマシン
Berries
きのみ
Key Items
たいせつなもの
Free Space
フリースペース
Z-Crystals
Zクリスタル
Contains all healing and permanent stat-enhancing medicines. Contains all items not in other cases. Contains all TMs. Contains all Berries. Contains all Key Items. Contains items put there by the player. Contains all Z-Crystals.
      File:Bag Key items SM pocket icon.png    

Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon

Rotom Powers
ロトムパワー
Medicine
かいふく
Items
どうぐ
TMs
わざマシン
Berries
きのみ
Key Items
たいせつなもの
Free Space
フリースペース
Z-Crystals
Zクリスタル
Contains all Rotom Powers. Contains all healing and permanent stat-enhancing medicines. Contains all items not in other cases. Contains all TMs. Contains all Berries. Contains all Key Items. Contains items put there by the player. Contains all Z-Crystals.

Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!

Pokémon Box Medicine Pocket TM Case Power-Up Pocket Candy Jar Clothing Trunk Catching Pocket Battle Pocket
Used for Pokémon Storage Contains all healing medicines. Contains all TMs. Contains all evolutionary stones, PP Ups, and PP Maxes Contains all candy, including Rare Candies. Contains all clothing. Contains all available varieties of Poké Ball and Berries. Contains all items which only have effect in battle, including Mega Stones.
               

In the spin-off games

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series

In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team, items are stored in the Toolbox. It has a capacity of 16.

In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time, Darkness, and Sky, items are stored in the Treasure Bag. It initially has a capacity of 16, being expanded incrementally throughout the story, up to a capacity of 48.

Pokémon GO

 
The Bag in Pokémon GO

In Pokémon GO, the player's Bag initially has a capacity of 350 items. Bag Upgrades can be purchased in the Shop, which expand the capacity by 50. The maximum upgradeable capacity is 1,500 items. Prior to an update on June 22, 2017, this maximum was 1,000 items.

The player can hold more items than the Bag's capacity if they acquire multiple items at once that put them over the capacity, but if they start out over capacity, they will not be able to acquire more, such as from PokéStops.

The Bag was also available, prior to an update on February 17, 2017, on the encounter screen to select the camera, Berries, and other Poké Balls, but has since been replaced by separate buttons for these items.

In the anime

  This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: Needs information and pictures of all of Ash's traveling companions' Bags
 
Johanna giving Dawn a small backpack

All of the main characters in the anime own a Bag to store their supplies like a sleeping bag or tent, outfits, and Poké Balls. Generally, the main characters' Bags have little to do with their game counterparts, with Dawn and Serena taking a backpack rather than the actual Bags used by their game counterparts, and Ash's other companions having no Bags in the games.

Unlike other main characters, Ash carries his Poké Balls on his belt. Ash's Bag in the Diamond & Pearl series is based on Lucas's, but colored green. During the Sun & Moon series, Rowlet tends to rest inside Ash's Bag.

Misty used her pull string style Bag to carry her Poké Balls, sleeping bag, Fishing Rod, and a case full of lures. Togepi also preferred to travel and sleep inside Misty's Bag. Misty's later appearances during the Advanced Generation series show her owning a Spheal Bag.

The seemingly endless capacity of the characters' Bags can be only be described as the result of anime physics. By far, Brock's Bag was been shown to be the most spacious, having a full tea-set and table inside in The School of Hard Knocks, as well as containing, presumably, everything he needed to cook meals on the road for his friends. Brock also carried the group's medicinal supplies and maps while they traveled through the Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh regions. His Bag was blue, with only the bedroll being removed during the Diamond & Pearl series.

As a Pokémon watcher, Tracey carried around numerous sketchbooks, pencils, and a set of binoculars in his orange Bag.

Both of May's Bags were based on the ones worn by her game counterpart in Generation III. Throughout the Advanced Generation series, she wore a ket Bag that stayed on her waist like a belt. It was used to hold her Poke Balls, Pokédex, Contest Pass, and Ribbons. During her brief return from Our Cup Runneth Over! to Strategy with a Smile!, May was shown to have two Bags, one a green ket Bag and the other a yellow Bag.

Max carried around a yellow Bag that held his PokéNav.

It was shown in Following A Maiden's Voyage! that Dawn had planned to take a large suitcase full of various clothing and accessories with her. However, Johanna made her leave it at home and gave her a small Bag instead, containing only the items that she would need on her journey.

Iris wore a pink Bag.

Cilan owned a brown Bag, and like Brock, he carried the group's supplies around.

Serena stored her belongings in a pink Bag with a Poké Ball design on it.

Clemont stored many of his "Clemontic gear" inventions inside his black and white Bag. His younger sister Bonnie wore a yellow satchel-style Bag around her shoulder, which Dedenne and later Squishy rest in.

Both of Lillie's Bags were based on the ones worn by her game counterpart.

Gallery

  This section is incomplete.
Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it.
Reason: Let's Go Pikachu! and Let's Go Eevee! image
         
RBY GSC RS E FRLG
    File:HGSSbag.png    
DP Pt HGSS BW B2W2
       
XY ORAS SM USUM

In other languages

Language Title
Chinese Cantonese 包包 Bāaubāau
Mandarin 包包 Bāobāo
  Dutch Tas
  French Sac
  German Beutel
  Italian Borsa
  Korean 가방 Gabang
Portuguese   Brazil Bolsa (games, XY111, TCG, manga)
Mochila (BW103)
  Portugal Bolsa
Saco[1]
  Russian Сумка Sumka
  Spanish Bolsa
  Swedish Väska*
Ryggsäck*
  Vietnamese Túi

References



  This item article is part of Project ItemDex, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on all items.