Intimidate (Ability)

Intimidate いかく
Intimidation
Flavor text
Generation III
Lowers the foe's Attack.
Generation IV
Lowers the foe's Attack stat.
Generation V
Lowers the foe's Attack stat.
Generation VI
Lowers the opposing Pokémon's Attack stat.
Generation VII
The Pokémon intimidates opposing Pokémon upon entering battle, lowering their Attack stat.
Generation VIII
The Pokémon intimidates opposing Pokémon upon entering battle, lowering their Attack stat.
Generation IX
When the Pokémon enters a battle, it intimidates opposing Pokémon and makes them cower, lowering their Attack stats.

Intimidate (Japanese: いかく Intimidation) is an Ability introduced in Generation III.

Effect

In battle

Generation III

When a Pokémon with Intimidate enters the battle, it lowers the Attack stat of all adjacent opponents by one stage.

In Generations III and IV, Intimidate's activation message reads, "<Pokémon>'s Intimidate cuts <opponent>'s attack!"

Intimidate has no effect on Pokémon who are immune to Attack stat reductions, such as Pokémon with Clear Body, Hyper Cutter, or White Smoke. This Ability will not affect a target with a substitute.

Generation IV

Intimidate now also activates when a Pokémon gains the Ability, such as via Skill Swap or Mega Evolution.

Generations V to VII

In Generation V, the message changed to "<Opponent>'s Attack fell!"

In a Triple Battle, Intimidate does not affect non-adjacent Pokémon.

Intimidate does not affect Pokémon with the Full Metal Body Ability.

Wild Pokémon are more likely to call for help when facing a Pokémon with Intimidate. It shares this effect with Pressure and Unnerve.

If a Pokémon holding an Adrenaline Orb is affected by Intimidate, the item will be consumed and increase the holder's Speed by one stage.

Generation VIII onward

Intimidate no longer affects Pokémon with Oblivious, Own Tempo, Inner Focus, or Scrappy. Intimidate also now triggers Rattled. Intimidate raises the Attack stat of a Pokémon with Guard Dog by one stage, instead of lowering it.

Outside of battle

From Pokémon Emerald onwards, if a Pokémon with Intimidate is in the first place in the party (even if fainted), there is a 50% chance it will prevent a random wild encounter that would have occurred if the wild Pokémon would be at least 5 levels lower than the Pokémon with Intimidate. It shares this effect with Keen Eye.

Pokémon with Intimidate

# Pokémon Types First Ability Second Ability Hidden Ability
  Ekans
Poison Poison Intimidate Shed Skin Unnerve
  Arbok
Poison Poison Intimidate Shed Skin Unnerve
  Growlithe
Fire Fire Intimidate Flash Fire Justified
  Growlithe
Hisuian Form
Fire Rock Intimidate Flash Fire Rock Head
  Arcanine
Fire Fire Intimidate Flash Fire Justified
  Arcanine
Hisuian Form
Fire Rock Intimidate Flash Fire Rock Head
  Tauros
Normal Normal Intimidate Anger Point Sheer Force
  Tauros
Paldean Form
(Combat Breed)
Fighting Fighting Intimidate Anger Point Cud Chew
  Tauros
Paldean Form
(Blaze Breed)
Fighting Fire Intimidate Anger Point Cud Chew
  Tauros
Paldean Form
(Aqua Breed)
Fighting Water Intimidate Anger Point Cud Chew
  Gyarados
Water Flying Intimidate None Moxie
  Snubbull
Fairy Fairy Intimidate Run Away Rattled
  Granbull
Fairy Fairy Intimidate Quick Feet Rattled
  Qwilfish
Water Poison Poison Point Swift Swim Intimidate
  Qwilfish
Hisuian Form
Dark Poison Poison Point Swift Swim Intimidate
  Stantler
Normal Normal Intimidate Frisk Sap Sipper
  Hitmontop
Fighting Fighting Intimidate Technician Steadfast
  Mightyena
Dark Dark Intimidate Quick Feet Moxie
  Masquerain
Bug Flying Intimidate None Unnerve
  Mawile
Steel Fairy Hyper Cutter Intimidate Sheer Force
  Manectric
Mega Manectric
Electric Electric Intimidate None None
  Salamence
Dragon Flying Intimidate None Moxie
  Staravia
Normal Flying Intimidate None Reckless
  Staraptor
Normal Flying Intimidate None Reckless
  Shinx
Electric Electric Rivalry Intimidate Guts
  Luxio
Electric Electric Rivalry Intimidate Guts
  Luxray
Electric Electric Rivalry Intimidate Guts
  Herdier
Normal Normal Intimidate Sand Rush Scrappy
  Stoutland
Normal Normal Intimidate Sand Rush Scrappy
  Sandile
Ground Dark Intimidate Moxie Anger Point
  Krokorok
Ground Dark Intimidate Moxie Anger Point
  Krookodile
Ground Dark Intimidate Moxie Anger Point
  Scraggy
Dark Fighting Shed Skin Moxie Intimidate
  Scrafty
Dark Fighting Shed Skin Moxie Intimidate
  Landorus
Therian Forme
Ground Flying Intimidate None None
  Litten
Fire Fire Blaze None Intimidate
  Torracat
Fire Fire Blaze None Intimidate
  Incineroar
Fire Dark Blaze None Intimidate
  Wyrdeer
Normal Psychic Intimidate Frisk Sap Sipper
  Overqwil
Dark Poison Poison Point Swift Swim Intimidate
  Squawkabilly
Green Plumage
Normal Flying Intimidate Hustle Guts
  Squawkabilly
Blue Plumage
Normal Flying Intimidate Hustle Guts
  Squawkabilly
Yellow Plumage
Normal Flying Intimidate Hustle Sheer Force
  Squawkabilly
White Plumage
Normal Flying Intimidate Hustle Sheer Force
  Maschiff
Dark Dark Intimidate Run Away Stakeout
  Mabosstiff
Dark Dark Intimidate Guard Dog Stakeout
Please note that this is only 100% accurate to Generation IX games.
  • For Generation III games, ignore Abilities introduced in Generation IV or later and Hidden Abilities.
  • For Generation IV games, ignore Hidden Abilities.
  • For Generation V games, ignore Abilities introduced in Generation VI or later.
  • For Generation VI games, ignore Abilities introduced in Generation VII or later.
  • For Generation VII games, ignore Abilities introduced in Generation VIII or later.
  • For Generation VIII games, ignore Abilities introduced in Generation IX or later.

Starmobiles with Intimidate

 
Revavroom
Segin Starmobile
 Dark 
Intimidate
Serious Nature
HP Atk Def SpA SpD Spd
160 36 47 35 38 129

In other games

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series

When an adjacent enemy Pokémon attacks a Pokémon with the Ability Intimidate, the power of physical moves are reduced by 20%.

Description

Games Description
MDRB Lowers the Physical Attack power of attackers.
MDTDS Reduces the Physical Attack power of attackers.
BSL こうげきしてきた ポケモンの ぶつりこうげきの いりょくを さげてしまう
Conq. Reduces nearby enemies' Attack.
MDGtI Reduces damage from physical moves used by attackers next to the Pokémon.*
It reduces damage from physical moves of attackers who are next to it!*
SMD It reduces damage from physical moves of attackers who are next to it!
MDRTDX When the Pokémon is attacked with a physical move by an enemy next to it, the damage is reduced.


In the anime

       
Krookodile
The Pokémon intimidates the opposing team upon entering battle, lowering their attack power.
Pokémon Method
User First Used In Notes
  Krookodile Krookodile emits a shadowy purple and black aura that lowers the attack power of its opponent and unnerves it.
Nanu's Krookodile Tough Guy Trials! Debut


In the manga

Pokémon Adventures


Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure!


Trivia

In other languages

Language Title
Chinese Cantonese 威嚇 Wāihaak
Mandarin 威嚇 / 威吓 Wēihè
  Finnish Pelottelu
  French Intimidation
  German Bedroher
  Italian Prepotenza
  Korean 위협 Wihyeop
  Polish Zastraszenie
Portuguese   Brazil Intimidação
  Portugal Intimidar
  Spanish Intimidación
  Thai ข่มขู่
  Vietnamese Hăm dọa



  This article is part of Project Moves and Abilities, a Bulbapedia project that aims to write comprehensive articles on two related aspects of the Pokémon games.