Ball Capsule

A Ball Capsule (Japanese: ボールカプセル Ball Capsule) is a special item introduced in Generation IV that can be attached to a Pokémon's Poké Ball to add special effects when the Pokémon is sent out in a battle. In Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, this is known as Capsule Decoration (Japanese: ボールデコ Ball Deco).

Ball Capsules in the anime

In the games

Sprite

Ball Capsules may be accessed from the player's own PC. There are twelve spaces for them to be saved on, and their appearance can be altered by adding Seals^DPPtHGSS/Stickers^BDSP to their exteriors, which are used to create a variety of special effects. Most Seals can be purchased at the Sunyshore Market in Sunyshore City, while Stickers are acquired upon defeat of Gym Leaders. A total of eight Seals^DPPtHGSS/twenty Stickers^BDSP can be attached to a Ball Capsule at one time.

If a Pokémon whose Poké Ball has a Ball Capsule is to be released or stored in the Pokémon Storage System, the Ball Capsule must be removed. Likewise, when a Pokémon is traded, the Ball Capsule will automatically be removed.

Some non-player characters in Pokémon Platinum use Ball Capsules, notable examples include the Sunyshore Gym Leader Volkner and the Elite Four member Flint, who use Ball Capsules on the Poké Balls of their Electivire and Magmortar, respectively.

Ball Capsules and Seals were not present in generations V-VII.

In the anime

Dawn demonstrating how to use a Ball Capsule in the anime

In the Pokémon anime, Ball Capsules are mainly used by Coordinators in Pokémon Contests held in the Sinnoh region to enhance a Pokémon's stage appearance, as it is important to make a good first impression right out of the Poké Ball.

In this canon, Ball Capsules were introduced in Mounting a Coordinator Assault!, in which Ash and Dawn were seen receiving a Ball Capsule each after registering for a Contest Pass. Ash had never heard of Ball Capsules before and so Dawn explained to him how they can be used in combination with Seals to add special effects when a Pokémon is sent out.

In Sinnoh, Coordinators will receive a Ball Capsule along with a variety of Seals, a Ribbon case, and a rule book when signing up for their first Pokémon Contest, but it is assumed that additional Capsules can be bought at Poké Marts, since Dawn has been seen with more than one Ball Capsule during competitions following the Double Performance format.

While Pokémon Contests seem to be their main use in the anime, they cannot be used during Super Contests in the games.

In the manga

A Ball Capsule in Pokémon Adventures

Pokémon Adventures

Diamond & Pearl arc

In Knowledge of the Unown I, Platinum received a Ball Capsule and some Seals as thanks for giving the Pokémon News Press information on Unown.

Trivia

• For Some Enchanted Sweetening!, Professor Oak's Big Pokémon Encyclopedia is about Ball Capsules. He writes this senryū about it: 「はってみよう　シールキラキラ　ボールカプセル」 Let's see, the Seals shine, Ball Capsule.

In other languages

Language Title Chinese Cantonese 球殼 Kàuhhok * 膠囊球 Gāaunòhng Kàuh * Mandarin 球殼 / 球壳 Qiúké * 膠囊球 / 胶囊球 Jiāonáng Qiú * Finnish Pallokapseli French Capsule Ball German Ballkapsel Italian Capsula Korean 볼캡슐 Ball Capsule Polish Pokékapsuła Portuguese Brazil Cápsula de Bola Portugal Cápsula de Bola* Russian Капсула Поке-Боллов Kapsula Poke-Bollov Spanish Cápsula Vietnamese Vỏ bọc quả cầu

Capsule Decoration

Language Title Chinese Cantonese 球殼裝飾 Kàuhhok Jōngsīk Mandarin 球殼裝飾 / 球壳装饰 Qiúké Zhuāngshì French Déco Capsule German Kapsel-Deko Italian DecoraBall Korean 볼 데코 Ball Deco Russian Украшение капсулы Ukrasheniye kapsuly Spanish Decoración de capsulas

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