Caught Pokémon
Caught Pokémon (Japanese: 捕まえたポケモン Caught Pokémon, mostly referred to as ＧＥＴしたポケモン Got Pokémon by the animated series characters, using the English word get) are Pokémon that have been put in the control of a Pokémon Trainer by the use of a Poké Ball, or by trading with another Trainer.
The terms "catch" and "capture" are often used interchangeably in the games and in animation. In the context of Pokémon Rangers, however, capture also has a separate meaning, referring to the technique a Pokémon Ranger uses to gain a Pokémon's assistance by befriending it, without controlling it as its Trainer.
In the core series games
The catching process typically involves a battle in which the wild Pokémon is at first weakened and/or affected with a status condition, at which point the Trainer throws a Poké Ball at said Pokémon in order to catch it. The success of a Poké Ball depends on catch rate.
A Pokémon cannot be caught during a Trainer battle. If the player attempts to use a Poké Ball (of any variety) during a Trainer battle, then the enemy trainer will block the ball and the player's turn will be wasted. Prior to Generation IV, this consumed the Poké Ball. From Generation IV onward, the Poké Ball is returned to the player's Bag.
A caught Pokémon can join its trainer's party, be used in battles and quests to aid Trainers, or be deposited in a PC. Caught Pokémon can level up, learn new moves, and evolve, while wild Pokémon cannot. Pokémon that are caught do not need to obey their owners; if a Pokémon is traded and the Trainer does not have the Badge required, it may disobey and refuse to execute a move during battles.
From Generation I to VI, if a trainer has a full team of 6 Pokémon and catches another one, the caught Pokémon will automatically be sent to the PC Box. However, starting from Generation VII, after catching a Pokémon with a full team, the trainer will have the option of switching out that Pokémon with one in their party; upon which, the selected Pokémon will be sent to the PC Box instead.
At the same level, a caught Pokémon will often have more points in their stats than a wild one; this is due to the fact that caught Pokémon gain EVs from every battle they partake in, and therefore, on training, will gain points in their stats based on what they've encountered. This becomes more and more obvious at the later stages of the game, where the higher levels allow for a greater disparity of stats between caught and wild Pokémon, especially those raised from a low level, giving the Trainer a more decisive edge in wild battles.
Newly caught Pokémon are no stronger or weaker than their wild counterparts, with the exception of innate IV differences. By using some varieties of Poké Ball, such as the Luxury Ball and Friend Ball, a Pokémon's friendship may be higher than usual upon being caught.
Wild Pokémon that are fused with other Pokémon cannot be caught, except Calyrex.
From Generation VI onward, catching a wild Pokémon gives the same experience and effort values as if it is defeated.
Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!
Capture mechanics in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! are based on that in Pokémon GO, but with Nintendo Switch controls. If playing on a docked Switch with a Joy-Con or Poké Ball Plus, the player can throw the Poké Ball straight by flicking the controller up or down, or the ball can be throw sideways by flicking the controller to the left or right. The size of the player's movement dictates how far the ball travels. When playing on docked mode, party Pokémon also receive ×1.1 experience as a Technique Bonus. In handheld mode, the Poké Ball will always be thrown at the center of the screen by pressing A. The player can aim their throw by shifting left-hand joystick or moving the Switch.
Capture rewards
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This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Actual Capture rewards tables and mechanics. (Previous tables moved as they were Day Care rewards.) See this Twitter thread for the details on capture reward mechanics. |
Flee mechanics
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This section is incomplete. Please feel free to edit this section to add missing information and complete it. Reason: Table for flee rate increases and mechanics explanation, (excluding exempt species Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres, and Mewtwo, which never flee, and Abra, which always flees after a breakout) See this twitter thread for details. |
Pokémon Legends: Arceus
Like other core series games, Pokémon Legends: Arceus allows the player to catch wild Pokémon by starting a battle with them, though the player does so by throwing a Poké Ball containing one of their Pokémon at or near the desired wild Pokémon rather that colliding with it in the overworld.
Pokémon Legends: Arceus also introduced a new catching mechanic that does not require the player to start a battle. The player may take aim and throw a Poké Ball at a Pokémon in the overworld in an attempt to capture it. There are many factors that determine Pokémon's catch rate, other than the type of Poké Ball used in the situation. If the Pokémon's level is too high in relation to the player's Galaxy Team rank, a catch rate modifier is applied that makes the Pokémon less likely to be caught.
The catch rate of a wild Pokémon is also determined by its overworld behavior, such as if the Pokémon is resting or reacting to the player in a docile manner. The player can influence this behavior through the use of items to stun or feed the Pokémon, increasing the chances of capture. Hitting the wild Pokémon from behind in a back strike will further increase the odds of capture.
If an aggressive Pokémon is targeting the player, any attempts to capture it by throwing a Poké Ball will fail unless the player stuns it or starts a battle with it. Additionally, some Pokémon significant to the game's story must be battled in order to be caught.
Caught Pokémon may disobey the player if the level it was caught at exceeds the maximum level of obedience corresponding to the player's Galaxy Team rank.
In the spin-off games
Pokémon GO
- Main article: Caught Pokémon (GO)
Pokémon GO introduced a different procedure in which the catching process involves accurately throwing a Poké Ball at a wild Pokémon without first weakening the Pokémon in battle. When pressing and holding down the Poké Ball, on the bottom of the screen, a colored target ring will appear in front of the wild Pokémon, constantly shrinking and immediately returning to its full size once it reaches the smallest size. The goal is to hit the Pokémon with a Poké Ball inside the target ring, when it is as small as possible, by flicking the ball towards the Pokémon. The smaller the ring when hit, the better the capture rate and the more XP is gained. Players can further increase their odds of capture using Berries, higher-level Poké Balls, or by throwing Curveballs.
During an encounter, a wild Pokémon may dodge or deflect the player's Poké Balls, or even flee after an unsuccessful capture attempt. If the wild Pokémon is dodging, it can still be hit with a Poké Ball, but the ball may miss if the Pokémon leaves its trajectory in time. If the Pokémon is attacking, the ball will be deflected until after the animation is completed. In addition, every Pokémon species has its own "movement type" that dictates how it dodges Poké Balls.
| Movement type | Details |
|---|---|
| Jump | Jump up and then immediately land back down. |
| Hovering | Move to the left or right if at default center. Move to the center if at left or right. |
| Flying | Fly upward if at default position. Fly downward if at upward position. |
| Electric | Move short distances in random directions, then return to default position. |
| Psychic | Move side-to-side in a figure-8 (∞) motion. |
| None | Does not move from default position. |
Pokémon Ranger series
A related concept to caught Pokémon is captured Pokémon, from the Pokémon Ranger series. While catching uses a Poké Ball, capturing requires a Capture Styler, and the captured Pokémon can only be used once for either helping to capture another Pokémon or for its Field Move before it is automatically released. This does not include the player's first captured Pokémon which becomes the partner Pokémon.
Pokémon Tetris
In Pokémon Tetris, the only way to obtain each Pokémon species is by catching them (unlike the core series, it is not possible to evolve or breed Pokémon). There are 249 Pokémon available in this game (all Generation I and II Pokémon except Mew and Celebi).
There is always an active Pokémon at the right side of the screen. The Pokémon is displayed as a small black silhouette if that species has never been caught before; otherwise, the Pokémon's appearance is revealed from the beginning. If the player clears four lines at once with an I-tetromino (a piece consisting of four blocks forming a straight line), a Poké Ball is thrown at the Pokémon, catching it. Additionally, when that Pokémon species is caught for the first time, a "Caught!" screen shortly appears with a larger and more detailed image of that Pokémon. The Pokédex at the main menu lists how many times each species was caught, and also displays the three available images (small silhouette, small revealed Pokémon, and larger image) of each Pokémon.
The active Pokémon is assigned randomly by the game. The player has 40 seconds to catch it. Once there are only 10 seconds left, the Pokémon will start blinking. When the time is up, this Pokémon will be automatically replaced by another Pokémon.
The player is also able to restart the game (by pausing the game, then choosing the "Retry" option) if they wish to quickly change the active Pokémon. This can be used as a strategy for completing the Pokédex faster.
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| Catching a Pokémon | "Caught!" screen |
Pokémate
In Pokémate, it is possible to catch Pokémon. The caught Pokémon are kept in storage. They can also be displayed as the player's avatar when chatting with other users.
Sega Pico series
In Pokémon Advanced Generation: I've Begun Hiragana and Katakana!, if the player successfully draws a sequence of hiragana or katakana, there is a short cutscene where Ash catches one of the available Pokémon.
Pokémon UNITE
In Pokémon UNITE, players gain the ability to use Pokémon by obtaining their Unite License, so traditionally Pokémon are not captured in order to be trained. However, during Unite Battles, wild Pokémon are spread across the field. When they are defeated, Trainers catch them using their Unite Ball. (This happens automattically, with no input and no chance of failure) This allows the Unite Ball to store the Aeos energy that the wild Pokémon had. The stored energy is used to score goals at goal zones. In PvE Battles, wild Pokémon are still captured in this way, albeit no Aeos energy is collected because there is not a scoring mechanic.
Certain kinds of battles do allow Trainers to catch Pokémon in a more traditional sense, then command them in battle.
- In Mer Stadium's Catch 'Em Battles, certain wild Pokémon have a white glow around them. When these Pokémon are defeated and captured, the player can send them out from their Unite Ball to temporarily take the place of their selected Pokémon (This action is called "swap") Only the most recently defeated Pokémon can be sent out in this manner, and this function replaces the Trainer's Battle Item. Additionally, after enough time has passed, the Battle Item will return to normal and that Pokémon will not be able to be switched into battle. If the captured Pokémon is sent out, a timer is set. When that timer elapses or the Pokémon faints, the Trainer's original Pokémon is sent back into battle from its Poké Ball. Defeating a wild Pokémon while currently using a Caught Pokémon does not allow the player to switch to the defeated wild Pokémon.
- In Panic Parade, certain wild Pokémon have a white glow around them and a Aeos Ball icon over their heads. When these Pokémon are defeated and captured, the player can send them out from their Unite Ball. This function replaces the Trainer's Battle Item, and after using the Battle Item will return to normal. (Although "normal" in Panic Parade means no Battle Item at all.) If another item is picked up or another capturable Pokémon is captured, the first Pokémon is lost.
- After sending out a Pokémon, it will move toward the closest opposing Pokémon, then use its Unite Move against them. Afterward, it is automatically recalled from the battle. The sent out Pokémon have HP, but usually leave play before that can run out.
Pokémon Trading Card Game Live
In Pokémon Trading Card Game Live, one of the text strings displayed as the game loads is "Catching Wild Pokémon"
In animation
Pokédex entries
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Trivia
- In Pokémon the Series, Ash, May, and Max show confusion when they first witness Solana use her Capture Styler. This is because of the difference between the concept of catching a Pokémon and capturing one. The difference in the terms is very slight, but they do refer to separate concepts.
- Although early episodes do refer to caught Pokémon as captured, this is only used in the dub. In Japan, only Pokémon Rangers use this phrase, while Pokémon Trainers use the English word "get".
- However, the term "capturing" is used instead of "catching" by:
- a Trainer Tips sign and an NPC in the Celadon Department Store in Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, FireRed, and LeafGreen,
- Professor Oak in Red, Blue, Yellow, Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum,
- the Luxury Ball's description in FireRed and LeafGreen,
- the program "Breaking News TV" on televisions in Pokémon Emerald,
- Krane Memo 4, Fateen, and two other NPCs in XD,
- the nickname prompt in Generation III,
- Cyrus, the Team Galactic Report, and another NPC in Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum,
- Looker in the Veilstone Game Corner in Platinum,
- an NPC and Lass Krise through the Pokégear in HeartGold and SoulSilver,
- Drayden and Bianca in Black and White,
- an NPC on Route 1 in Black 2 and White 2,
- Professor Juniper, the program "Personality Assessment and Horoscope", and the Help System in Generation V,
- the term critical capture,
- the Pass and O-Powers,
- the diplomas for the Kalos Pokédexes in X and Y,
- Looker and Wicke in Sun and Moon,
- Hau and the Ultra Recon Squad in Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon
- and two of Bill's Pokémon sighting reports in Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!.
In other languages
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See also
| Pokémon training | |
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| Catching • Nicknaming • Battling • Evolving • Trading • Breeding • Releasing | |