Shell Armor (Ability)

Shell Armor	シェルアーマー
	Shell Armor
Flavor text Generation III Blocks critical hits. Generation IV The Pokémon is protected against critical hits. Generation V The Pokémon is protected against critical hits. Generation VI Protects the Pokémon from critical hits. Generation VII A hard shell protects the Pokémon from critical hits. Generation VIII A hard shell protects the Pokémon from critical hits. Generation IX A hard shell protects the Pokémon from critical hits.

Shell Armor (Japanese: シェルアーマー Shell Armor) is an Ability introduced in Generation III.

Effect

In battle

Shell Armor prevents Pokémon from receiving a critical hit, even if they would usually always land one such as with Frost Breath, Storm Throw, Wicked Blow, Surging Strikes, or with Merciless (if the target is poisoned).

Outside of battle

Shell Armor has no effect outside of battle.

Pokémon with Shell Armor

#	Pokémon	Types		First Ability	Second Ability	Hidden Ability
	Slowbro Mega Slowbro	Water	Psychic	Shell Armor	None	None
	Shellder	Water		Water	Shell Armor	Skill Link	Overcoat
	Cloyster	Water	Ice	Shell Armor	Skill Link	Overcoat
	Krabby	Water		Water	Hyper Cutter	Shell Armor	Sheer Force
	Kingler	Water		Water	Hyper Cutter	Shell Armor	Sheer Force
	Lapras	Water	Ice	Water Absorb	Shell Armor	Hydration
	Omanyte	Rock	Water	Swift Swim	Shell Armor	Weak Armor
	Omastar	Rock	Water	Swift Swim	Shell Armor	Weak Armor
	Torkoal	Fire		Fire	White Smoke	Drought	Shell Armor
	Corphish	Water		Water	Hyper Cutter	Shell Armor	Adaptability
	Crawdaunt	Water	Dark	Hyper Cutter	Shell Armor	Adaptability
	Clamperl	Water		Water	Shell Armor	None	Rattled
	Turtwig	Grass		Grass	Overgrow	None	Shell Armor
	Grotle	Grass		Grass	Overgrow	None	Shell Armor
	Torterra	Grass	Ground	Overgrow	None	Shell Armor
	Oshawott	Water		Water	Torrent	None	Shell Armor
	Dewott	Water		Water	Torrent	None	Shell Armor
	Samurott	Water		Water	Torrent	None	Shell Armor
	Dwebble	Bug	Rock	Sturdy	Shell Armor	Weak Armor
	Crustle	Bug	Rock	Sturdy	Shell Armor	Weak Armor
	Escavalier	Bug	Steel	Swarm	Shell Armor	Overcoat
	Shelmet	Bug		Bug	Hydration	Shell Armor	Overcoat
	Sliggoo Hisuian Form	Steel	Dragon	Sap Sipper	Shell Armor	Gooey
	Goodra Hisuian Form	Steel	Dragon	Sap Sipper	Shell Armor	Gooey
	Turtonator	Fire	Dragon	Shell Armor	None	None
	Chewtle	Water		Water	Strong Jaw	Shell Armor	Swift Swim
	Drednaw	Water	Rock	Strong Jaw	Shell Armor	Swift Swim
	Klawf	Rock		Rock	Anger Shell	Shell Armor	Regenerator
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.

• In the Pokémon Legends: Arceus's internal code, Hisuian Samurott's Hidden Ability is Shell Armor instead of Sharpness, and Hisuian Sliggoo's and Goodra's Ability is Overcoat instead of Shell Armor.

In other games

Description

Games Description MDRB Blocks critical hits. MDTDS Blocks critical hits on the Pokémon. BSL こうげきを きゅうしょに うけない Conq. The Pokémon is protected against critical hits. MDGtI Moves will not make a critical hit.* Moves don't hit critically! Never ever!* SMD Moves don't hit the Pokémon critically! Never ever! MDRTDX Moves are never critical hits against this Pokémon.

In the manga

Pokémon Adventures

	Crawdaunt
A hard shell protects the Pokémon from hits to its weak spots.
Pokémon	Method
User	First Chapter Used In		Notes
Crawdaunt	Crawdaunt's shell protects it from hits to its weak spots.
A wild Crawdaunt	Stick This in Your Craw, Crawdaunt II		Debut

• In the Japan Mini-volume 6 for the X & Y chapter, Tierno's Crawdaunt was revealed to have Shell Armor as its Ability.
• Giovanni's Cloyster is revealed to have Shell Armor as his Ability.
• Lorelei's Shellder is revealed to have Shell Armor as her Ability.
• Wallace's Clamperl is revealed to have Shell Armor as its Ability.

Trivia

• This Ability originated as a TCG Pokémon Power.
• Together with Protean, these are the only Abilities that more than one starter Pokémon line can have as their Hidden Ability.

In other languages

Language Title Chinese Cantonese 硬殼盔甲 Ngaahnghok Kwāigaap * 貝殼盔甲 Buihok Kwāigaap * Mandarin 硬殼盔甲 / 硬壳盔甲 Yìngké Kuījiǎ * 貝殼盔甲 Bèiké Kuījiǎ * French Coque Armure German Panzerhaut Italian Guscioscudo Korean 조가비 갑옷 Jogabi Gab'ot Polish Skorupa Brazilian Portuguese Armadura de Concha Russian Панцирь Pantsir' Spanish Caparazón Vietnamese Giáp Vỏ

Variations of the Ability Battle Armor
Battle Armor • Shell Armor

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.