This article is about the modern incarnation of the Dire Hit. For the battle item from Legends: Arceus, see Dire Hit (Hisui).
The Dire Hit (Japanese: クリティカットCriticut, known as クリティカッターCriticutter prior to Generation V) is a type of battle item introduced in Generation I. It temporarily boosts a Pokémon's critical hit ratio.
At Join Avenue's Market, Dire Hit can be bought in dozens at 5850 each, which equates to 487.5 per Dire Hit.
Effect
Dire Hit replicates the effect of the move Focus Energy, which itself has changed through the generations. It does not stack with Focus Energy or other Dire Hits.
Generation I
When used on a Pokémon from the Bag during battle, the Pokémon's chance of getting a critical hit is reduced by 75% (due to a glitch) while it is in battle.
Generation II
When used on a Pokémon from the Bag during battle, it raises that Pokémon's critical hit ratio by 1 stage while it is in battle. It also increases the Pokémon's friendship a little.
This improves the default critical hit odds from 17/256 to 1/8.
Generation III onward
When used on a Pokémon from the Bag during battle, it raises that Pokémon's critical hit ratio by 2 stages while it is in battle. It also increases the Pokémon's friendship a little.
This improves the default critical hit odds from 1/16 to 1/4 (Gen. III-V), from 1/16 to 1/2 (Gen. VI), or from 1/24 to 1/2 (Gen. VII+).
Wonder Launcher
The Dire Hit appears as three Wonder Launcher items, increasing the critical hit ratio by 1, 2, or 3 stages. It costs 3, 5, or 7 points to use respectively.
In Generation V, a boy in Nacrene City mentions that Dire Hit is called Dire Hit in Unova. This is a reference to the change in the Japanese name of Dire Hit from クリティカッター Criticutter to クリティカット Criticut, in order to make room for the number-level reference of Wonder Launcher items. Because "Dire Hit" is much shorter than the 12-character limit on English item names, this issue does not come up in the translated games.