Gender (Japanese: 性別, Hepburn: Seibetsu, trans. Sex or gender) is a mechanic introduced in Generation II.
Description
Gender determines whether a Pokémon is a male or female, or even the player in games of the core series from Pokémon Crystal Version onward. Prior to this, in the Generation I games, Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ have been introduced as different species of Pokémon, partly because this was before the gender mechanic had been introduced.
Many Pokémon Trainers along the player's journey generally use Pokémon matching their gender, with male trainers using male Pokémon and female trainers using female Pokémon.
Ratio
Most Pokémon can be either male or female, but there is a percentage that affects the possibility of this. For most species, the probability of encountering male or female Pokémon is 50 percent. For some Pokémon, the percentage of one gender can be very low, such as with first partner Pokémon, where the possibility of it being female is only 12.5%, compared to 87.5% for it being male.
Certain species of Pokémon can only be a single gender, giving a zero percent chance of it being the opposite gender, such as Tauros only being male or Miltank only being female.
Differences
Since Generation IV, certain species of Pokémon have a different appearance depending on whether they are male or female. The differences can be minor, such as the shape of Pikachu's tail, or major, such as the color of Hippopotas' skin. In total, 98 species of Pokémon have gender differences. Even after the introduction of gender differences, Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ have remained different species.
The gender differences of Meowstic and Indeedee affect their Ability. Male Meowstics have Prankster, while female Meowstic have Competitive. In Indeedee's case, females have Own Tempo, while males have Inner Focus. Meowstic's and Indeedee's moves are also affected depending on their gender.
Some Pokémon, while different species, are considered counterparts to each other due to their gender. One example of this is with Volbeat and Illumise who, despite being two different species of Pokémon, share many similar traits such as type, similar statistics, and having the same Hidden Ability.
Genderless
Some Pokémon have no gender, officially referred to as being gender unknown. Pokémon without a gender are usually either those made of lifeless materials like metal, clay, or plastic or are based on aliens. Mythical Pokémon and most Legendary Pokémon lack a gender, with some exceptions such as Latias and Latios which are female and male, respectively. Generation IX introduced the most Genderless Pokémon, with 33, while Generation VI introduced the least Genderless Pokémon, with six.
Excluding alternate forms, the Psychic type has the most Genderless Pokémon, with 29. Contrarily, the Bug, Poison and Dark types all tie for the least genderless Pokémon, having four each.
Effects
During Pokémon battles, the genders of the Pokémon can influence the battle. There is a volatile status condition known as Infatuation, which makes the targeted Pokémon of the opposite gender fall in love with the Pokémon who used the move, causing most of the targeted Pokémon's attacks to fail. Since Infatuations can only affect the opposite gender, genderless Pokémon are unaffected by it.
The Ability Rivalry is dependent on gender, with a Pokémon's Attack statistic increasing by 25 percent if it and the target are the same gender whilst decreasing by the same percentage if they are opposite genders.
The Love Ball is designed to have a higher chance of catching a Pokémon that is the opposite gender of the Pokémon in use by the player.
Breeding
Gender allows a male and a female Pokémon to breed if they are within the same egg group and produce a Pokémon Egg, from which a baby Pokémon hatches. However, this can only occur within the regional Pokémon Day Care or Pokémon Nursery. If a Pokémon is gender unknown, they can only breed with Ditto.
Evolution
Gender can be an influence for some Pokémon to evolve. Species of Pokémon such as Combee, Kirlia, Glalie, Burmy, and Salandit evolve only if they are a certain gender. Only female Combees can evolve into Vespiquen, whilst male Combees cannot evolve at all. From Generation IV onward, only male Kirlia can evolve into Gallade, if a Dawn Stone is used on it. Glalie can evolve into Froslass only if it is female, if a Dawn Stone is used on it. Burmy has a branched evolutionary line depending on its gender, evolving into Mothim if it is male but Wormadam if it is female. Only female Salandits can evolve into Salazzle.
Prior to Generation VI, there was a 33 percent chance that Azurill can change its gender upon evolving into Marill because Azurill is 75 percent likely to be a female, while Marill has a fifty percent chance of being either gender.
Appearances
Core series
Generation II
Pokémon Gold Version and Pokémon Silver Version and Pokémon Crystal Version are the first games to include the gender mechanic. Here, the IVs or male Pokémon are higher compared to females.
A female Pokémon can not have a maxed Attack stat, excluding female-only species such as Nidoqueen or Jynx.
A female Pokémon of a species with a gender ratio of 7 males to 1 female cannot be a Shiny Pokémon.
Both Nidoran♂ and Nidoran♀ have their respective gender symbol shown twice.
Generation IV
The Pokétch in Pokémon Diamond Version and Pokémon Pearl Version and Pokémon Platinum Version is colored blue if the player is a male but pink if she is a female. Similarly, the PokéGear in Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version is colored blue and white if the player is a buy but is pink and white if she is a girl.
Generation V
The Xtransceiver in Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version is colored blue for boys and red for girls. In Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2, this was changed to being red for boys and yellow for girls.
The gender mechanic has a larger role in Pokémon Black Version 2 and Pokémon White Version 2. Here, Pokémon Trainers who can be fought at the Rondez-View Ferris Wheel in Nimbasa City depend on the player's gender. Under certain conditions, a character also gives a Pokémon of the opposite gender to the player: If the player is male, he receives only female Pokémon, but as a female, she receives only male Pokémon. The character who gives the Pokémon is Yancy if the player is male but Curtis if she is female.
Pokémon X and Pokémon Y
In Pokémon X and Pokémon Y, the player can customize their character by purchasing clothes at boutiques. The only clothing available matches the player's gender except in Lumiose City, which has clothing for both genders, but the player cannot shop in the other clothing department.
At Kiloude City, there is an Artist who gives a specific piece of clothing to the player, varying by gender, although the prerequisites have to be met first. If the player is male and is wearing three or more pieces of clothing with Colorful tags, he obtains the Bamboo Sprig Hat. If the player is female and is wearing three or more pieces of clothing with Feminine tags, she is given the Sundae Dress.
Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet
Although Terapagos has a 50 percent chance of being female, the Terapagos available in Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet: The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero (The Indigo Disk) is always male, making it impossible to obtain a female Terapagos legitimately.
Spinoffs
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series
In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness, and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky, the player character options are limited depending on the player's gender. If he is male, he cannot play as Chikorita, Eevee, or Skitty, but if she is female, she cannot play as Cyndaquil, Meowth, or Machop. The partner is either male or female, chosen at random.
In Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness, the genders of wild Pokémon depend on which floor the player is on. If the floor number is odd, any Pokémon that can be male are said gender, but if the number is even, any Pokémon that can be female are said gender.
Anime
In Pokémon the Series, a Pokémon's gender has been mentioned on occasion since Generation II. Gender is usually just mentioned by a Pokémon Trainer or revealed by a Pokémon using Attract or the Ability Cute Charm, which can causes Infatuation on the opposite gender, thereby determining the gender.
Manga
In Pokémon Adventures, the gender of a Pokémon is also mentioned occasionally since the Gold & Silver Chapter. A notable example is when Pika, a male Pikachu owned by Red, and Chuchu, a female Pikachu owned by Yellow, produce an egg together.
Since the Diamond & Pearl Chapter, gender differences have been made more evident, consistent with the mechanics introduced in the Generation IV core games. Several Pokémon have visible gender differences, such as the Combees in "Honey for Combee", or evolve depending on their gender. The PokéSPedia book reveals the gender of each Pokédex Holder's Pokémon.