List of Pokémon with gender differences

Although most Pokémon look identical regardless of gender, some species have differences in appearance due to gender, with noticeable differences between the males and females. Gender differences were introduced in Generation IV.

Pyroar's gender difference in Pokémon the Series: XY; male (left) and female (right)
Pikachu's gender difference in Pokémon Journeys: The Series; female (left) and male (right)

These differences are a reference to sexual dimorphism, which is commonly seen in many real organisms and may offer some clues to their biology and behavior.

Generation IV, in addition to introducing new Pokémon with gender differences, also modified several older Pokémon to have gender differences. In most cases, the male version retained the original design while the female was altered. However, the inverse is true for Dodrio, Meganium, Xatu, Aipom, Torchic, Beautifly, Ludicolo, Meditite, Medicham, and Milotic. These Pokémon, as well as Bidoof, Bibarel, Combee, Ambipom, Gible, Gabite, and Garchomp, use their female designs for their official artwork, while other Pokémon with gender differences introduced in the first four generations use the male designs. (This cannot be determined for Buizel and Floatzel, as their backs are not shown in their official artwork, though Buizel debuted featuring its male design in the ninth movie.)

Later generations would introduce far fewer Pokémon with gender differences, but those that were introduced differ much more drastically in appearance and have separate official artwork and menu sprites for each gender. Starting in Generation VI, some Pokémon even have different Abilities, base stats, and/or moves they can learn depending on their gender. These gender differences are usually considered to be entirely separate forms.

Starting in Generation IV, certain Pokémon's Evolution is also affected by their gender. Burmy evolves into Wormadam if it is female or Mothim if it is male. Only female Combee and Salandit can evolve into Vespiquen and Salazzle, respectively, with the males unable to evolve at all. Only male Kirlia can evolve into Gallade, though either gender can evolve into Gardevoir; similarly, only female Snorunt can evolve into Froslass, though either gender can evolve into Glalie. However, Combee is the only one of these Pokémon to have a visual gender difference.

As of Generation IX, there are a total of 102 Pokémon with gender differences.

List of Pokémon

Generation I

There are 23 Generation I Pokémon with gender differences, 22 debuting in Generation IV and 1 debuting in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!

# Name Gender
Difference Male Female
0003 Venusaur
Female's flower has a visible gynoecium
0012 Butterfree
Female has black (purple in Generation V) spots on her lower wings
0019 Rattata
Female has smaller whiskers
0020 Raticate
Female has smaller whiskers
0025 Pikachu
Female's tail ends in the upper half of a heart
0026 Raichu
Female's tail lacks a point and is smaller
0041 Zubat
Female has smaller fangs
0042 Golbat
Female has smaller fangs
0044 Gloom
Female has one large spot per petal
0045 Vileplume
Female's petals have larger spots
0064 Kadabra
Female has a smaller mustache
0065 Alakazam
Female has a smaller mustache
0084 Doduo
Male has black necks and female has beige necks
0085 Dodrio
Male has black necks and female has beige necks
0097 Hypno
Female has longer collar fur
0111 Rhyhorn
Female's horn is shorter
0112 Rhydon
Female's horn is shorter
0118 Goldeen
Female's horn is smaller
0119 Seaking
Female's horn is smaller
0123 Scyther
Female's abdomen is larger
0129 Magikarp
Male has yellow whiskers and female has white whiskers
0130 Gyarados
Male has blue whiskers and female has white whiskers
0133 Eevee
Female's tail's white tip has larger, rounder scallops. This gender difference was introduced in Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, where it was exclusive to the partner Eevee. Starting in Generation VIII, this gender difference was applied to all Eevee.

Generation II

There are 22 Generation II Pokémon with gender differences, all of which were introduced in Generation IV. Additionally, Sneasel's Hisuian form, introduced in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, has a gender difference.

# Name Gender
Difference Male Female
0154 Meganium
Male has longer antennae
0165 Ledyba
Female has smaller antennae
0166 Ledian
Female has smaller antennae
0178 Xatu
Male has three body stripes
0185 Sudowoodo
Female's head "branch" is smaller
0186 Politoed
Female has smaller cheeks
0190 Aipom
Male has shorter head fur
0194 Wooper
Female has one set of gill branches
0195 Quagsire
Male has a larger dorsal ridge
0198 Murkrow
Female's hat-like plumage is smaller
0202 Wobbuffet
Female's mouth has lipstick-like markings
0203 Girafarig
Female's body has a larger yellow section
0207 Gligar
Female has a smaller stinger
0208 Steelix
Female lacks an outer tooth on each side
0212 Scizor
Female's abdomen is larger
0214 Heracross
Female's horn is heart-shaped
0215 Sneasel
Female's left ear is shorter
0215 Hisuian Sneasel
Female's left ear is shorter
0217 Ursaring
Female has longer shoulder fur
0221 Piloswine
Female has smaller tusks
0224 Octillery
Female has smaller suction cups
0229 Houndoom
Female has smaller horns
0232 Donphan
Female has shorter tusks

Generation III

There are 18 Generation III Pokémon with gender differences, all of which were introduced in Generation IV.

# Name Gender
Difference Male Female
0255 Torchic
Male has a black speck on his rear
0256 Combusken
Female has smaller head feathers
0257 Blaziken
Female's head crest is smaller
0267 Beautifly
Male has longer red markings on his upper wings
0269 Dustox
Male has longer antennae
0272 Ludicolo
Male has thicker stripes
0274 Nuzleaf
Male has a bigger leaf
0275 Shiftry
Female has smaller leaves
0307 Meditite
Male's ears are higher
0308 Medicham
Male has a larger bulb on his head
0315 Roselia
Female's body leaf is longer
0316 Gulpin
Female's feather is shorter
0317 Swalot
Female has shorter whiskers
0322 Numel
Female has larger hump
0323 Camerupt
Female has larger humps
0332 Cacturne
Female has a large diamond on her chest where male has two small ones
0350 Milotic
Male's hair-like fins are shorter
0369 Relicanth
Male has a longer jaw guard

Generation IV

There are 31 Generation IV Pokémon with gender differences.

# Name Gender
Difference Male Female
0396 Starly
Female's forehead marking is smaller
0397 Staravia
Female's forehead spot is smaller
0398 Staraptor
Female's forehead spot is smaller
0399 Bidoof
Male's tail has two additional curls
0400 Bibarel
Male's mask has two additional curls
0401 Kricketot
Female has a larger collar
0402 Kricketune
Female has a smaller mustache
0403 Shinx
Female has blue hind feet and a shorter mane
0404 Luxio
Female has exposed rear ankles and a shorter mane
0405 Luxray
Female's mane is smaller
0407 Roserade
Female has longer cape
0415 Combee
Male's lower face has no red mark
Only female Combee can evolve into Vespiquen
0417 Pachirisu
Female's head stripe is shorter
0418 Buizel
Female has one less light-colored spot on her back
0419 Floatzel
Female has one less light-colored bump on her back
0424 Ambipom
Male has shorter head fur
0443 Gible
Male has a notched dorsal fin
0444 Gabite
Male has a notched dorsal fin
0445 Garchomp
Male has a notched dorsal fin
0449 Hippopotas
Female's color pattern is inverted
0450 Hippowdon
Male's body is light brown and female's is bluish-gray
0453 Croagunk
Female has higher "bandages"
0454 Toxicroak
Female's vocal sac is smaller
0456 Finneon
Female has larger bottom tail fins
0457 Lumineon
Female has longer fins
0459 Snover
Female's midsection is white
0460 Abomasnow
Female has longer chest fur
0461 Weavile
Female's ears are shorter
0464 Rhyperior
Female has smaller upper horn
0465 Tangrowth
Female's finger markings are longer
0473 Mamoswine
Female has smaller tusks

Generation V

There are three Generation V Pokémon with gender differences.

# Name Gender
Difference Male Female
0521 Unfezant
Male has a reddish-pink wattle with long extensions while the female has a curved feather on the back of her head. Male has a green underside and female has a brown underside.
0592 Frillish
Male is blue, frowns, and has a ruffled collar, smooth, diamond-patterned tentacles, and one upper eyelash per eye. Female is pink, smiles, and has a bulbous collar, frilled tentacles, and one lower eyelash per eye. Males have a star-shaped head pattern and a stiff crown while females have a flower-shaped pattern and a limp crown.
0593 Jellicent
Body color, eyes, head pattern, and tentacle differences are much the same as with Frillish, but the female's eyes are now larger and have two eyelashes each. Males have a facial covering resembling a large mustache while females have one resembling a fluffy collar. Female has a heart-shaped mouth and the male's is hidden inside the "mustache." Males have a more overall "kingly" appearance, while females have a more overall "queenly" appearance.

Generation VI

There are two Generation VI Pokémon with gender differences.

# Name Gender
Difference Male Female
0668 Pyroar
Male has a large mane shaped like the kanji character 大 ō (big or great) or 火 hi (fire), a stockier body, and half-brown front legs. Female has long, flowing hair similar to a ponytail and mostly-brown legs.
0678 Meowstic
Males are mostly blue with white highlights, the inverse of females. Male's eyes are green with light blue sclerae, while female's are red and yellow.

The moves Meowstic can learn vary by gender, with males learning more status moves and females learning more damaging moves. Male Meowstic have the Hidden Ability Prankster, while female Meowstic have the Hidden Ability Competitive.

In Pokémon Sword and Shield, all wild Meowstic are male in Sword and female in Shield. However, evolving Espurr allows both genders to be obtained in either version.

Generation VIII

There are two Generation VIII Pokémon with gender differences.

# Name Gender
Difference Male Female
0876 Indeedee
Males have lowered eyes, a triangular mouth pointing upwards like a frown, and more black on their torso, made to resemble a suit. Females have wider eyes, a triangular mouth pointing downwards like a smile, and more white on their torso, made to resemble an apron.

Male Indeedee have higher Attack, Special Attack, and Speed, while female Indeedee have higher Defense, Special Defense, and HP. The two genders also have different moves and Abilities.

In Pokémon Sword and Shield, all wild Indeedee are male in Sword and female in Shield. However, breeding and Dynamax Adventures allow both genders to be obtained in either version.

0902 Basculegion
Males have red accents, fierce-looking eyes, longer barbels, and two additional growths on their chin resembling a stubble. Females have pale-blue accents, sad-looking eyes, shorter barbels, and additional accents around their lips and eyes.

Male Basculegion have higher Attack, while female Basculegion have higher Special Attack.

Generation IX

There is one Generation IX Pokémon with gender differences.

# Name Gender
Difference Male Female
0916 Oinkologne
Females have more brown bodies while males have a darker gray complexion. Male Oinkologne have a larger left ear which often covers their left eye, and have a more magenta shade of pink for their hooves and snout. Male Oinkologne are also slightly plumper than the females, and have a differently shaped tail bobble.

Male Oinkologne may have the Ability Lingering Aroma, while female Oinkologne may have the Ability Aroma Veil. The two forms learn the same moves by leveling up, yet the female form learns them at earlier levels and also learns Yawn before Take Down. The two forms also have different stats, with males having higher Attack and Defense and females having higher HP and Sp. Def. They also have different cries.

In the Pokédex

Gender differences can be viewed in the Pokédex as forms. In Pokémon Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum, in the gate to Canalave City, Professor Rowan's assistant upgrades the player's Pokédex to be able to display form differences, including gender differences. In other games, they can be viewed from the start. As with other form differences, the player can register a gender difference in their Pokédex by obtaining it, or by seeing it in battle having obtained any form of the Pokémon.

From Generation IV to Generation VI, the Pokédex has a "forms" section in which both the male and female of the Pokémon are shown (for Pokémon that can be either gender), even if there is no gender difference, with "Male" and "Female" displayed as the form names. Starting in Generation VII, only Pokémon with gender differences have them shown as separate forms in the Pokédex; the gender currently shown is indicated by a male or female gender symbol being shown in the entry, with Pokémon that do not have gender differences (and can be either gender) having both symbols displayed. Most gender differences are not given form names, with the exception of Pokémon that have functional differences between genders (Meowstic, Indeedee, Basculegion, and Oinkologne), which use "Male" and "Female" as form names. This is also the case for the Pokédex in Pokémon Bank and the Nintendo Switch version of Pokémon HOME. However, Pokémon Legends: Z-A's Pokédex does not feature this distinction, with all Pokémon that have gender differences using the "Male" and "Female" form names.

In the mobile version of Pokémon HOME, most gender differences cannot be scrolled through like other forms; instead, all Pokémon that are not gender unknown have male and/or female symbols on their entries showing which genders they can have, and the player can tap these symbols to view any gender differences the Pokémon has. The exceptions are again Meowstic, Indeedee, Basculegion, and Oinkologne, whose gender differences are treated as entirely separate forms that can be scrolled through like other forms. In addition to these Pokémon, the app's Pokémon Guidebook feature also treats the gender differences of Unfezant, Frillish, Jellicent, and Pyroar as entirely separate forms, though their forms are not given names (whereas Meowstic, Indeedee, Basculegion, and Oinkologne use the "Male" and "Female" form names). Certain other official sources (such as websites and guidebooks) consider all of these Pokémon's gender differences as separate forms and use the "Male" and "Female" form names for them.

In the Pokémon HOME Pokédex, when viewing the entries for Quagsire, Torchic, Bidoof, Buizel, and Floatzel, the player can "rotate" the Pokémon by pressing the right stick (in the Nintendo Switch version) or tapping a rotation icon (in the mobile version), which changes the Pokémon's render to one with its back turned so that its gender difference can be seen more easily (in Bidoof's case) or at all (in the other cases).

Most Pokémon use the same Pokédex entry for both genders. Starting in Pokémon Sword and Shield, certain Pokémon have different entries for each gender, namely Meowstic, Indeedee, and Oinkologne. Basculegion uses the same entry for both genders in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, but has different entries for each gender in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. Additionally, in the data for Pokémon Sword and Shield, female Unfezant has an unused Pokédex entry for Pokémon Sword, female Frillish has an unused entry for Pokémon Shield, and female Jellicent has unused entries for both versions, but in the final game, these Pokémon use the same Pokédex entries for both genders.

Trivia

  • Nidoran♀ and Nidoran♂ are gendered counterparts in a similar vein to gender differences, but they are considered two separate species. They were introduced in Generation I, prior to the introduction of gender as a mechanic in Generation II and of gender differences in Generation IV. Notably, Eggs produced by Nidoran♀ or Nidoran♂ can hatch into either Pokémon. A similar male-female gendered counterpart pair is Volbeat and Illumise, who also can produce Eggs containing each other.
    • The male-female pairs Tauros and Miltank, as well as Latios and Latias, can also be considered gendered counterparts, though they cannot produce Eggs containing each other.
  • Some Pokémon with gender differences have unique distinctions:
  • Fairy is the only type that lacks a Pokémon with gender differences.
  • Generation IV introduced the most Pokémon with gender differences, with a total of 31.
    • It was also the first generation to introduce gender-based Evolution, and the first to introduce new gender differences to Pokémon established in previous generations.
  • Generation IX introduced the fewest Pokémon with gender differences of generations that introduced Pokémon with gender differences, introducing only one.
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