Gender (Japanese: 性別 sex) is a characteristic of Pokémon and humans in the Pokémon world.

Starting in the Generation II games, most Pokémon have a gender: male (Japanese: オス male) or female (Japanese: メス female); however, some species of Pokémon have unknown gender (Japanese: 不明 unknown). The gender mechanic is fundamental to Pokémon breeding.

In the core series games, starting in Pokémon Crystal, the player can choose between a male (Japanese: 男性 male) or female (Japanese: 女性 female) player character. However, human men and women have appeared in all core series Pokémon games.

Pokémon

In the core series

Determining gender

One factor that determines gender is each Pokémon species's gender ratio, which is approximately how likely a Pokémon is a specific gender instead of the other.

In Generation II

In Generation II, a Pokémon's gender is determined based solely on its physical Attack IV when compared to its gender ratio. A Pokémon is female if its physical Attack IV is less than or equal to its species' gender ratio, otherwise it is male. For species that are exclusively one gender or have no gender, the calculation based on the physical Attack IV is ignored.

Due to this calculation, it is impossible to obtain a female Pokémon with high physical Attack, unless the Pokémon is a member of an all-female species like Jynx or Chansey. Starter Pokémon and others with a gender ratio of seven males to one female suffer the most, with the maximum physical Attack IV for a female Pokémon of those species being 1.

Attack IV Nominal ratio
(♂:♀)
Frequency
Male Female Male Female
N/A N/A Genderless Genderless
0-15 N/A Male 100.0% 0.0%
2-15 0-1 7:1 87.5% 12.5%
4-15 0-3 3:1 75.0% 25.0%
8-15 0-7 1:1 50.0% 50.0%
12-15 0-11 1:3 25.0% 75.0%
N/A 0-15 Female 0.0% 100.0%

Example
For two Cyndaquil obtained from Professor Elm:

Pokémon Gender HP Attack Defense Speed Sp. Atk Sp. Def
Cyndaquil A 20 10 9 12 11 10
13
(1101)
1
(0001)
3
(0011)
10
(1010)
9
(1001)
Cyndaquil B 19 11 10 12 11 10
6
(0110)
14
(1110)
7
(0111)
11
(1011)
2
(0010)


In Generations III to V

00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000

From Generation III to Generation V, Pokémon's gender is determined by the personality value's lowest eight digits (the lowest byte, highlighted in red above) of p in binary form. Mathematically, this can be derived by calculating p % 256. Below, this value will be referred to as pgender.

In a Pokémon species' base stat structure, there is a value called the gender threshold, a byte with a value ranging from 0 to 255. With the exception of a few special cases, pgender is compared to the gender threshold to determine if the Pokémon is male or female.

If the gender threshold is not a special value (0, 254, or 255), pgender is compared to the gender threshold. If pgender is greater than or equal to the gender threshold, the Pokémon is male, otherwise it is female. Because the comparison to determine gender is greater than or equal, Pokémon are slightly more likely to be male than they would be according to the ideal ratios.

If a species has a gender threshold of 255, it is genderless species (such as Magnemite). If a species has a gender threshold of 254, it is a female-only species (such as Nidoran♀). If a species has a gender threshold of 0, it is a male-only species (such as Nidoran♂).

Gender threshold Nominal ratio
(♂:♀)
Frequency
Binary Decimal Male Female
11111111 255 Genderless Genderless
11111110 254 Female 0.00% 100.00%
‭‭11100001‬ 225 1:7 (No species)
10111111 191 1:3 25.39% 74.61%
01111111 127 1:1 50.39% 49.61%
00111111 63 3:1 75.39% 24.61%
00011111 31 7:1 87.89% 12.11%
00000000 0 Male 100.00% 0.00%

From Pokémon Emerald onwards, if a Pokémon with Cute Charm is in the first place in the party (even if fainted), there is a 66.7% chance that the game will force an encountered Pokémon to be the opposite gender to the Pokémon with Cute Charm if it can be that gender. This does not affect a swarming Pokémon species or Pokémon found in Hidden Grottos.

Generation VI onward

From Generation VI onward, the gender threshold is compared to a random number between 1 and 252 (inclusive) instead of pgender (which is between 0 and 255); this causes Pokémon with a "1:1" gender ratio to actually be distributed according to the ideal ratio. All other Pokémon are more likely to be the more common gender than they would be according to their nominal ratio.

Gender threshold Nominal ratio
(♂:♀)
Frequency
Binary Decimal Male Female
11111111 255 Genderless Genderless
11111110 254 Female 0.0% 100.00%
‭‭11100001‬ 225 1:7 11.11% 88.89%
10111111 191 1:3 24.60% 75.40%
01111111 127 1:1 50.00% 50.00%
00111111 63 3:1 75.40% 24.60%
00011111 31 7:1 88.10% 11.90%
00000000 0 Male 100.00% 0.00%

Gender differences

Main article: List of Pokémon with gender differences

Generation IV premiered minimal differences in sprite between two Pokémon of the same species. For example, a male Raichu will have the full tail seen in previous games, while the female is missing the very tip of it. Generations V and VI would introduce Pokémon with more drastic differences in appearance.

The only two Pokémon with gender differences that are not just aesthetic are Meowstic and Indeedee, who have different learnsets and sets of Abilities depending on its gender.

Meowstic

The male Meowstic has Prankster and the female Meowstic has Competitive as its Hidden Ability. At certain levels, they learn different moves from one another: the male Meowstic learns status moves, while the female Meowstic learns special moves. In Generations VI and VII, female Meowstic learned one gender-exclusive status move, Me First.

 
Meowstic
Male
 Psychic 
Keen Eye or
Infiltrator
Hidden: Prankster
HP Atk Def SpA SpD Spd
74 48 76 83 81 104
 
Meowstic
Female
 Psychic 
Keen Eye or
Infiltrator
Hidden: Competitive
HP Atk Def SpA SpD Spd
74 48 76 83 81 104
Lv.  
Meowstic
 Psychic 
 
Meowstic
 Psychic 
1 Mean Look Magical Leaf
Scratch
Leer
Fake Out
Disarming Voice
9 Confusion
12 Helping Hand Stored Power
15 Charm Charge Beam
18 Covet
21 Psybeam
24 Sucker Punch
29 Role Play
34 Light Screen
Reflect
39 Psyshock
44 Imprison Extrasensory
49 Quick Guard Shadow Ball
54 Psychic
59 Misty Terrain Future Sight
Moves in bold are STAB. Moves in italics do no damage.
Indeedee

Indeedee differs more drastically by gender than Meowstic, with male and female Indeedee having slightly different base stats as well as learnsets. Male Indeedee have higher Attack, Special Attack, and Speed, while female Indeedee have higher Defense, Special Defense, and HP. While male Indeedee can learn the TM and TR moves Power Swap, Trick Room, Magic Room, Wonder Room, Tri Attack, and Encore, female Indeedee can learn Light Screen, Reflect, Safeguard, Guard Swap, and Baton Pass. The Egg Move Extrasensory is exclusive to male Indeedee while the Egg Moves Psycho Shift and Heal Pulse are exclusive to female Indeedee.

 
Indeedee
Male
 Psychic  Normal 
Inner Focus or
Synchronize
Hidden: Psychic Surge
HP Atk Def SpA SpD Spd
60 65 55 105 95 95
 
Indeedee
Female
 Psychic  Normal 
Own Tempo or
Synchronize
Hidden: Psychic Surge
HP Atk Def SpA SpD Spd
70 55 65 95 105 85
Lv.  
Indeedee
 Psychic  Normal 
 
Indeedee
 Psychic  Normal 
1 Stored Power
Play Nice
5 Encore Baton Pass
10 Disarming Voice
15 Psybeam
20 Helping Hand
25 After You Follow Me
30 Aromatherapy
35 Psychic
40 Calm Mind
45 Power Split Guard Split
50 Psychic Terrain
55 Last Resort Healing Wish
Moves in bold are STAB. Moves in italics do no damage.

Single-gender Pokémon

Related species

The Nidoran family is a special case in terms of gender. Introduced in Generation I, before gender was known for all Pokémon, Nidoran♀ and Nidoran♂ are considered separate species of Pokémon and indeed have many differences, from appearance to moveset. However, Nidoran Eggs have a 50/50 chance of hatching into either Nidoran♀ or Nidoran♂.

Female
 
Nidoran♀
 Poison 
Poison Point or
Rivalry
Hidden: Hustle
HP Atk Def SpA SpD Spd
55 47 52 40 40 41
 
Nidorina
 Poison 
Poison Point or
Rivalry
Hidden: Hustle
HP Atk Def SpA SpD Spd
70 62 67 55 55 56
 
Nidoqueen
 Poison  Ground 
Poison Point or
Rivalry
Hidden: Sheer Force
HP Atk Def SpA SpD Spd
90 92 87 75 85 76


Male
 
Nidoran♂
 Poison 
Poison Point or
Rivalry
Hidden: Hustle
HP Atk Def SpA SpD Spd
46 57 40 40 40 50
 
Nidorino
 Poison 
Poison Point or
Rivalry
Hidden: Hustle
HP Atk Def SpA SpD Spd
61 72 57 55 55 65
 
Nidoking
 Poison  Ground 
Poison Point or
Rivalry
Hidden: Sheer Force
HP Atk Def SpA SpD Spd
81 102 77 85 75 85

In a manner similar to Nidoran, Eggs produced by Illumise may hatch into Volbeat. While Latias and Latios are in the Undiscovered Group in the games, likely due to being Legendary Pokémon, Latias have produced Eggs containing Latios in the anime, confirming that they are similarly related.

Female
 
Illumise
 Bug 
Illuminate or
Swarm
Hidden: Prankster
HP Atk Def SpA SpD Spd
65 47 75 73 85 85
 
Latias
 Dragon  Psychic 
Levitate
HP Atk Def SpA SpD Spd
80 80 90 110 130 110
 
Latias
Mega Evolution
 Dragon  Psychic 
Levitate
HP Atk Def SpA SpD Spd
80 100 120 140 150 110


Male
 
Volbeat
 Bug 
Oblivious or
Tinted Lens
Hidden: Prankster
HP Atk Def SpA SpD Spd
65 73 75 47 85 85
 
Latios
 Dragon  Psychic 
Levitate
HP Atk Def SpA SpD Spd
80 90 80 130 110 110
 
Latios
Mega Evolution
 Dragon  Psychic 
Levitate
HP Atk Def SpA SpD Spd
80 130 100 160 120 110
Gender-based evolutions

Some Pokémon may have different ways of evolving depending on their gender. These Pokémon may therefore have one or more evolutions that can only be a single gender.

Pre-evolution Method Evolved
 
Kirlia
Male only

Dawn Stone
  
Gallade
Either
gender

Level 30+
  
Gardevoir
 
Snorunt
Female only

Dawn Stone
 
Froslass
Either
gender

Level 42+
  
Glalie
 
Burmy
Male only

Level 20+
 
Mothim
Female only

Level 20+
 
Wormadam
 
Combee
Female only
(Male Combee never evolve)

Level 21+
 
Vespiquen
 
Salandit
Female only
(Male Salandit never evolve)

Level 33+
 
Salazzle

Eviolite will always work on Combee and Salandit, regardless of their gender and whether they are able to evolve.

Other single-gender Pokémon

The following is a list of all Pokémon that are either 100% male or 100% female and have not been mentioned in an above section. In particular, these Pokémon have no explicit relation to a Pokémon of the opposite gender through evolution or breeding, although some of them may have a counterpart such as with Braviary and Mandibuzz.

Male
 
Tyrogue
 
Hitmonlee
 
Hitmonchan
 
Hitmontop
 
Tauros
 
Throh
 
Sawk
 
Rufflet
 
Braviary
  
Tornadus
  
Thundurus
  
Landorus
 
Impidimp
 
Morgrem
  
Grimmsnarl
Female
 
Happiny
 
Chansey
 
Blissey
  
Kangaskhan
 
Smoochum
 
Jynx
 
Miltank
 
Cresselia
 
Petilil
 
Lilligant
 
Vullaby
 
Mandibuzz
 
Flabébé
 
Floette
 
Florges
 
Bounsweet
 
Steenee
 
Tsareena
 
Hatenna
 
Hattrem
  
Hatterene
 
Milcery
  
Alcremie

Single-gender forms

Certain forms of Pokémon are exclusively one gender. These forms are often based on established Pokémon characters. None of the Pokémon with these forms can breed.

Male
 
Pikachu
in a cap
  
Battle Bond/Ash-
Greninja
Female
File:Spr 6o 025 C.png
Cosplay
Pikachu
 
Spiky-eared
Pichu

In battle

The Love Ball is more effective when catching Pokémon that are of the opposite (or same in Generation II, due to a programming error) gender of the player's Pokémon.

The following moves are dependent on gender:

Gen Move Category Contest Power Accuracy PP Target Description
II Attract Status Cute 100% 15 (max 24)
     
     
Any adjacent Pokémon
If it is the opposite gender of the user, the target becomes infatuated and less likely to attack.
IV Captivate Status Cute 100% 20 (max 32)
     
     
All adjacent foes
If any opposing Pokémon is the opposite gender of the user, it is charmed, which harshly lowers its Sp. Atk stat.
VIII G-Max Cuddle Physical Varies % 1 (max 1)
     
     
Any adjacent Pokémon
Deals damage and all opponents of the opposite gender of the user become infatuated.
VIII G-Max Cuddle Special Varies % 1 (max 1)
     
     
Any adjacent Pokémon
Deals damage and all opponents of the opposite gender of the user become infatuated.
All details are accurate to Generation VII games. For details that have changed between generations, please see an individual move's page. Target data assumes user is in the lower left.

The following Abilities are dependent on gender:

Gen Ability Description
III Cute Charm Contact with the Pokémon may cause infatuation.
IV Rivalry Becomes competitive and deals more damage to Pokémon of the same gender, but deals less to Pokémon of the opposite gender.
All details are accurate to Generation VII games. For details that have changed between generations, please see an individual Ability's page.

In side series games

Pokémon Stadium 2

Pokémon Stadium 2 may connect to Generation I or Generation II core series games via the Transfer Pak, and is compatible with Pokémon genders. While Generation I games don't identify Pokémon genders (other than Nidoran♀ and Nidoran♂), the gender displayed in Pokémon Stadium 2 is the same as in the core series Generation II games, which is determined by the Pokémon's physical Attack IV when compared to its gender ratio.

For instance, a Pikachu from Pokémon Red, Blue, or Yellow is shown as either male or female in Pokémon Stadium 2.

In spin-off games

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series

Red and Blue Rescue Team

In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Blue Rescue Team, all Pokémon are genderless, Attract and Cute Charm are able to infatuate any opponent.

Explorers of Time, Darkness, and Sky

In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, male Pokémon have an increased critical hit ratio, while female Pokémon have increased accuracy and evasion. The latter bonus only applies when no other accuracy or evasion modifiers are in effect. Barring those that are gender-locked, Pokémon encountered on odd dungeon floors will always be male, and Pokémon encountered on even floors will always be female. The gender of a wild Pokémon in a dungeon is determined by the current number of floor the player stands on. If the number is odd, all wild Pokémon that can be male will be male; if it is even, all wild Pokémon that can be female will be female.

Humans

 
Choosing to play as male or female in Pokémon Black and White
Main article: :Category:Characters by gender

In the games

Starting in Pokémon Crystal, players were given the option of choosing to play as a boy or girl Trainer at the start of the game. Since then, every game in the main series has included that choice. Starting in Pokémon Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald, the opposite-gender player character can also be encountered in the game.

Some Trainer classes have male and female variants, such as Swimmers, while others appear to be counterparts, such as Campers and Picnickers. Others, such as Kimono Girls, have no opposite-gender counterpart.

Certain in-game events may differ depending on the player character's gender. For example, in Pokémon Black 2 and White 2, Curtis will be encountered if the player is female, and Yancy if the player is male. In Pokémon X and Y and Generation VII, availability of different clothing is gender-specific. Also, only the female player character has the option of changing their lip color using lipstick stored in a Makeup Bag in Generation VII.

One non-player character, Beauty Nova in Pokémon X and Y, is implied to be transgender. She says that she was reborn as a Beauty after originally being a Black Belt (a male-only Trainer class); in the Japanese versions, she credits this transformation to medical science.[1]

Game C HGSS RS E ORAS FRLG DP Pt BW B2W2 XY SM USUM PE SwSh
Male                              
Ethan Brendan Red Lucas Hilbert Nate Calem Elio Chase Victor
Female                              
Kris Lyra May Leaf Dawn Hilda Rosa Serena Selene Elaine Gloria


In the side games

In the Stadium series

In Pokémon Stadium 2, the player character, usually represented by a nameless, faceless boy, who previously appeared in the the original English release. If the player is using a Pokémon Crystal Game Pak, however, the boy's portrait is exchanged for a girl's.

Game Stadium 2
Male  
Female  
In Pokémon HOME

The player can select an avatar from the overworld sprites of eight of the core series protagonists. The gender of the avatar is stored with the Original Trainer with any gifts received.

Game HOME
Male

 
 
 
 
 

Female

 
 
 

In spin-off games

Many side games in the Pokémon franchise allow the player to choose between a male or female player character as well.

Game Card GB2 Ranger Ranger SoA Ranger GS Conquest GO Masters
Male              
Mark Lunick Kellyn Ben Hero N/A Scottie
Female              
Mint Solana Kate Summer Heroine N/A Bettie

In the anime

In Kanto, O-Hina Town hosts a female-exclusive tournament during the annual Princess Festival. Porta Vista hosts a beauty pageant for women only, known as the Beach Beauty and Pokémon Costume Contest. In Kalos, Pokémon Performers are exclusively female, as only girls may participate in Pokémon Showcases.

Trivia

 
Nidoran♀ and Nidoran♂ show genders twice in Generation II, but only once in Generation III onward
  • In Generation II, a Pokémon's gender was determined through its Attack IV. Due to this, a female Pokémon could never have a maximized Attack stat (unless they were a member of an all-female species, such as Smoochum), because female Pokémon were given the lower portion of the IV range. This also prevented female Pokémon of a species with a gender ratio of seven males to one female, such as starter Pokémon or Eevee, from being Shiny, due to that also being based partly on the Attack IV. Because of this, their Hidden Power is always a physical type. From Generation III onward, neither of these traits are determined by IVs, allowing for Pokémon species with two genders to have females with maximized Attack and simultaneously retain their chances of being Shiny.
  • Although its English and French names suggest that it is exclusively male, Mr. Mime may be of either gender. This is due to the fact that it was given its name prior to the introduction of gender to the series.
  • Since Azurill has a different gender ratio than Marill and Azumarill, one in three female Azurill used to become male after evolving into Marill, dependent on the personality value of the Azurill in question, though this no longer happens since Generation VI.
  • In the international versions of Generation II, due to how the battlefield display is programmed, Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ have their gender icon shown twice, once in their name, and once after the level. This does not occur in the Japanese and Korean games, however, as the gender icon was present after all Pokémon's names due to the shorter character limit there. This was addressed in all later generations, which prevent the gender icon from showing up when an un-nicknamed Nidoran of either gender is on the field.
  • In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Explorers of Darkness and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, the gender of a wild Pokémon in a dungeon is determined by the current number of floor the player stands on. If the number is odd, all wild Pokémon that can be male will be male; if it is even, all wild Pokémon that can be female will be female.

In other languages

Language Title
Chinese Cantonese 性別 Singbiht
Mandarin 性別 / 性别 Xìngbié
  Danish Køn
  Dutch Geslacht
  Finnish Sukupuoli
  French Sexe
  German Geschlecht
  Greek Φύλο Fýlo
  Hebrew מין Min
  Indonesian Jenis Kelamin
  Italian Sesso
  Korean 성별 Seongbyeol
  Malaysian Jantina
  Norwegian Kjønn
  Polish Płeć
  Portuguese Sexo
  Russian Пол Pol
  Spanish Sexo
Género
  Swedish Kön
  Thai เพศ Phet
  Turkish Cinsiyet
  Vietnamese Giới tính

Male

Language Title
Chinese Cantonese 雄性 Hùhngsing
Mandarin 雄性 Xióngxìng
  Danish Han
  Finnish Uros
  French Mâle
  German Männlich
  Hebrew זכר Zakhar
  Indonesian Jantan
  Italian Maschio
  Korean 수컷 Sukeot
  Malaysian Jantan
  Norwegian Hann*
Mannlig*
  Polish Samiec
Portuguese   Brazil Macho
Gênero Masculino (XY126)
  Portugal Macho
  Spanish Macho
  Swedish Manlig
  Thai ตัวผู้ Tua phu
  Turkish Erkek
  Vietnamese Đực

Female

Language Title
Chinese Cantonese 雌性 Chīsing
Mandarin 雌性 Cīxìng / Cíxìng
  Danish Hun
  Finnish Naaras
  French Femelle
  German Weiblich
  Hebrew נקבה Nekeva
  Indonesian Betina
  Italian Femmina
  Korean 암컷 Amkeot
  Malaysian Betina
  Norwegian Hunn*
Kvinnelig*
  Polish Samiczka
  Portuguese Fêmea
  Spanish Hembra
  Swedish Kvinnlig
  Thai ตัวเมีย Tua mia
  Turkish Dişi
  Vietnamese Cái

Unknown

Language Title
Chinese Cantonese 不明 Bātmìhng
Mandarin 不明 Bùmíng
  Danish Ukendt
  Dutch Onbekend
  Finnish Tuntematon
  French Inconnu
  German Unbekannt
  Hebrew לא ידוע Lo Yadu'a
  Italian Sconosciuto
  Korean 불명 Bulmyeong
  Norwegian Ukjent
  Portuguese Desconhecido
  Russian Неизвестно Neizvestno
  Spanish Desconocido
  Swedish Okänt
  Turkish Belirsiz
  Vietnamese Chưa xác định

See also

References

External links



Pokémon individuality
LevelStatsFriendshipGenderAbility (Hidden Ability) • NatureCharacteristic
Effort valuesIndividual valuesGo PowerEffort level
ConditionPerformanceAffectionMemory


  This game mechanic article is part of Project Games, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on the Pokémon games.