Ignoring Abilities

In the core series games, several moves and Abilities have an effect that allows their user to ignore Abilities.

Only certain Abilities can be ignored. Generally, ignorable Abilities are Abilities that could potentially negatively affect the success, damage, or effects of a move if possessed by the target of a move or its allies.

Ignoring Abilities is distinct from suppressing them (such as with the effect of Gastro Acid). Some Abilities that can be ignored cannot be suppressed, and vice versa.

Effects that ignore Abilities

Moves

• Sunsteel Strike
• Moongeist Beam
• Photon Geyser

Z-Moves

• Searing Sunraze Smash
• Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom
• Light That Burns the Sky

G-Max Moves

• G-Max Drum Solo
• G-Max Fireball
• G-Max Hydrosnipe

Abilities

• Mold Breaker
• Teravolt
• Turboblaze
• Mycelium Might (status moves only)

Mechanics

When a Pokémon uses a move that ignores Abilities, or uses any applicable move while they have an Ability that allows ignoring Abilities, all ignorable Abilities are ignored for the execution of that move. For example, a Pokémon with Mold Breaker that uses Earthquake can hit opponents that have Levitate.

All ignorable Abilities of all Pokémon (including the user and its allies) are ignored during the move's execution, regardless of whether they would be beneficial. For example:

• If a Pokémon that ignores Abilities uses a Fire-type damaging move on a Pokémon with Dry Skin or Fluffy, the target's Ability will be ignored, so the move's damage will not be doubled.
• If a Pokémon that ignores Abilities uses Spore on a Pokémon with Levitate in Electric Terrain, Levitate will be ignored, allowing the target to be affected by Electric Terrain and thus preventing it from falling asleep.
• If a Pokémon that ignores Abilities uses Spore on a Pokémon whose ally has Sweet Veil, the target will still fall asleep.
• If a Pokémon that ignores Abilities uses Thunder Wave targeting an opponent while its own ally has Lightning Rod, it will still use the move on its original target.

Abilities are only ignored while the move is being executed. They take effect again immediately after its execution.

• Abilities that prevent status conditions (such as Immunity and Oblivious) will not protect the Pokémon from receiving the status condition. However, many of these Abilities also have effects to cure the Pokémon of the status condition if afflicted, which will activate immediately after being inflicted with the status condition, even if it was inflicted while the Ability was being ignored.
• If a Pokémon with Own Tempo consumes a held Berry that may cause confusion in response to the move that ignores Abilities, it will become confused if it dislikes the flavor. However, Own Tempo will then activate and cure it of confusion.

Generation IV

Flower Gift increases the Attack of allies with Mold Breaker, even when they are attacking the ally with Flower Gift.

Generation V onward

If a Pokémon that ignores Abilities forces another Pokémon to switch in by using a move that switches the target out (such as Roar or Dragon Tail), ignorable Abilities are ignored when applying entry hazards. For example, a Pokémon with Levitate switched in this way will be affected by Spikes and Toxic Spikes (unless it is also ungrounded for other reasons); if a Poison-type Pokémon with Levitate is switched in this way, it will remove Toxic Spikes from its side of the field (unless it is also ungrounded for other reasons).

Flower Gift no longer increases the Attack of any Pokémon while Abilities are being ignored.

Ignorable Abilities

The following Abilities can be ignored by effects that ignore Abilities.

Generation	Ability
Generation IV onward	Battle Armor, Clear Body, Damp, Dry Skin, Filter, Flash Fire, Flower Gift, Heatproof, Hyper Cutter, Illuminate†, Immunity, Inner Focus, Insomnia, Keen Eye, Leaf Guard, Levitate, Lightning Rod, Limber, Magma Armor, Marvel Scale, Motor Drive, Oblivious, Own Tempo, Sand Veil, Shell Armor, Shield Dust, Simple, Snow Cloak, Solid Rock, Soundproof, Sticky Hold, Storm Drain, Sturdy, Suction Cups, Tangled Feet, Thick Fat, Unaware, Vital Spirit, Volt Absorb, Water Absorb, Water Veil, White Smoke, Wonder Guard
Generation V onward	Big Pecks, Contrary, Friend Guard, Heavy Metal, Light Metal, Magic Bounce, Multiscale, Sap Sipper, Telepathy, Wonder Skin
Generation VI onward	Aura Break, Aroma Veil, Bulletproof, Dark Aura†, Fairy Aura†, Flower Veil, Fur Coat, Overcoat, Sweet Veil
Generation VII onward	Dazzling, Disguise, Fluffy, Queenly Majesty, Water Bubble
Generation VIII onward	Ice Scales, Ice Face, Mirror Armor, Pastel Veil, Punk Rock
Generation IX	Armor Tail, Earth Eater, Guard Dog, Good as Gold, Mind's Eye, Purifying Salt, Tera Shell, Tablets of Ruin, Thermal Exchange, Well-Baked Body, Vessel of Ruin, Wind Rider

From Generation VIII onward, Dark Aura and Fairy Aura can no longer be ignored, but Aura Break still can be.

Although Illuminate was introduced in Generation III, it did not have an in-battle effect until version 2.0.1 of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet.

Despite being mechanically similar to ignorable Abilities, Magic Guard, Comatose, Shields Down, Full Metal Body, Shadow Shield, and Prism Armor cannot be ignored in any game.

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