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Level

A level is a gameplay mechanic introduced in Generation I. It measures how strong a Pokémon is. Levels are most prominently featured in the core series, they also appear in other media, including , different manga, and the Pokémon Trading Card Game. The functionality of levels varies between different forms of media, including several spinoff games to accommodate their gameplay style.

Description

In the core series, a Pokémon's level generally ranges from 1 to 100. In releases prior to Generation IV, it is not possible to legitimately obtain any Pokémon at level 1, since the weakest wild Pokémon on some of the earliest routes are at either level 2 or 3, and despite this, all newborn Pokémon that hatch from a Pokémon Egg are at level 5. By Generation IV, this was rectified so that all newborn Pokémon are level 1.

The current level of the player's Pokémon in battle is displayed on the interface, and likewise for any ally and opposing Pokémon. With the ability to review each Pokémon's level on display, players (excluding CPUs) can determine whether their Pokémon is competitive enough to fight, which could lead to the potential decision of recalling a Pokémon for another or, in the case of wild Pokémon encounters, running from battle. Another way to view a Pokémon's current level is from the party menu or from its summary.

Every Pokémon is at the same level during battles against other players and at most battle facilities so that a higher level Pokémon does not always have an unfair advantage over the other trainer's Pokémon. The Pokémon are all usually at level 50, but may also be at level 100; this also applies to the rental Pokémon in earlier games of the Pokémon Stadium series. Even for Pokémon at a higher level, their level is lowered to the required number for the entire battle. The level of a Pokémon below the required level is usually also raised, but there are battle facilities such as the Battle Maison where the level of weaker Pokémon is not adjusted. After the battle, the Pokémon returns to its original level.

Leveling up

Turtwig level up Pt

The current level of a Pokémon corresponds to its current number of experience points. The player can look at a Pokémon's summary to see how many more experience points the Pokémon needs before it can level up. As of Generation II, there is a bar under a Pokémon's HP bar in battle that fills gradually as the Pokémon becomes closer to leveling up; this also occurs in Double Battles, which first appear in Generation III. When the Pokémon gains a number of experience points that either meets or surpasses the number required to level up, their level increases by one number. In the games of Generation V and from Generation VII onwards, the Pokémon receives more experience points if the level of the defeated Pokémon is higher than theirs.

When a Pokémon levels up, its statistics ​​are increased. How much it increases depends on the Pokémon's Base Stat Total, Individual Values and Effort Values. Depending on the level reached, the Pokémon can learn one or more moves. If the Pokémon already knows four moves, the player is prompted to decide whether the Pokémon should learn the new move and which old move it should forget. If a Pokémon evolves upon reaching a certain level, it attempts to evolve after reaching the required level. If the Pokémon does evolve, the process of it receiving different statistics and learning a new move is repeated. Its friendship with the player increases by a few points.

In some cases, a Pokémon may gain enough experience to increase by two or more levels. In the Generation I games, the Pokémon skips beyond all intermediate levels and therefore cannot learn any moves from the levels they have skipped. Similarly in the Generation II games, the Pokémon also skips any intermediate levels if it had been recalled before the opponent had been defeated. From Generation III onward, the Pokémon no longer skips over levels, making it possible to learn moves between intermediate levels.

There are a few other methods to increase a Pokémon's level. One of the alternatives is using a Rare Candy on a Pokémon, increasing its level by one instantly and adjusting its number of experience points accordingly. It is possible for a Pokémon to level up in a Pokémon Day Care. If a Pokémon there reaches a level where it would learn a move, it automatically forgets the first of its moves to learn the new one. In Pokémon HeartGold Version and Pokémon SoulSilver Version, a Pokémon can have its level increased in the Pokéwalker. In the Generation VII games, a Pokémon can possibly level up at one of the islands in Poké Pelago, Isle Evelup, itself is a play on "level up," through the use of Level Boost Drinks. In Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, this was functionally replaced with Poké Jobs.

Since a Pokémon at level 100 can neither receive any experience points nor level up, a Pokémon at this level with an evolved form cannot evolve at all. Since Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield, level 100 Pokémon with an evolved form gets a chance to evolve if the player gives it Rare Candy.

Moves

Generally, the higher a Pokémon's level is, the more damage it can inflict on its target, from having higher Attack and Special Attack stats; the longer it can hold off opponent's attacks thanks to Defense and Special Defense; and in Pokémon Legends: Arceus, the more likely the user will go first in battle depending on the Speed stat. However, there are certain moves with a damage output that corresponds directly to the user's level, specifically Night Shade and Seismic Toss.

For one-hit knockout moves, the level difference between the user and the target determines whether the move is effective or not. If the target is at a higher level, the move has no effect, but if the user is at least the same level, the probability of the one-hit knockout move being successful increases based on its level difference from the opponents.

Moves that either recall a Pokémon for another or that end the battle (such as Roar and Dragon Tail) can fail if the user's level is lower than that of the target, which always occurs in battles against wild Pokémon from Generation V onward. In games prior to Generation V, the possibility of such a move failing in battle against a Pokémon Trainer is increasingly higher based on how many levels lower the player's Pokémon is from the opposing one.

Evolution

Many Pokémon can evolve upon reaching a certain level, but if the player cancels it by pressing the B button, the Pokémon reattempts to evolve each time it levels up; this similarly applies to Pokémon that evolve through either friendship or an evolution item.

There are Pokémon known as underleveled Pokémon, which are evolved Pokémon that cannot usually be at that level. They are usually wild Pokémon, such as Dragonairs appearing in the Safari Zone in the Kanto region or Pokémon that are owned by certain non-playable Pokémon Trainers.

Obedience

Pokémon that the player receives from a trade are only obedient up to a certain level, depending how many Gym Badges the player has, or stamps in the Generation VII games. Typically, a player with either one or no Gym Badges can only have Pokémon up to level 20 obey them, but the threshold is slightly different between games. Regardless, the higher a Pokémon's level is beyond the maximum level of obedience, the more likely it is to disobey the player.

When the player has all eight Gym Badges, Pokémon obey them at any level. In the Generation VII games, Pokémon at levels 81 through 100 do not start obeying the player until they have obtained the Island Challenge Completion stamp by winning in the Pokémon League.

In Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet, a Pokémon's obedience is also determined by the level at which player had caught it, rather than its current one. Each time the player obtains a Gym Badge, the maximum level of caught Pokémon that are obedient increases. Pokémon caught at level 56 or higher become entirely obedient only after once the player has all eight Gym Badges.

Items

Repel and its more effective varieties, Super Repel and Max Repel, prevent any encounters with wild Pokémon at a lower level than the first Pokémon in the player's party, but only for a certain number of steps. While any of the Repels are in effect, the player can more easily encounter Pokémon that are at higher levels.

The Nest Ball has a higher catch rate for Pokémon at level 30 or lower. However, the catch rate decreases slightly for each higher level: For comparison, wild Pokémon at level 6 or lower are 3.5x more likely to be caught, whilst wild Pokémon between level 26 and 30 have under a 1.5x possibility of being caught.

Another type of Poké Ball, the Level Ball, has a catch rate that changes depending on the level of the wild Pokémon and the user's Pokémon, but the Level Ball functions differently. If the level of the player's Pokémon is either the same or lower than the wild Pokémon, the Level Ball functions identically to a standard Poké Ball. If the player's Pokémon is at a higher level, the catch rate of the Level Ball is doubled to 2.0x. The Level Ball can have a 4.0x catch rate if the player's Pokémon's level is at least twice the number of the wild Pokémon's, or 8.0x if the player's Pokémon's level is at least quadruple the number.

Appearances

Core series

Pokémon cannot go beyond level 100 unless the game is modified, but this causes instability within the game.

Abnormal functions involving levels can be exploited especially in the Generation I games through glitches. It is not possible to have a level 1 Pokémon normally, but if the player has a hacked level 1 Pokémon that levels up, it goes to level 100 instantly. If a Pokémon at a level higher than 100 is leveled up, it either drops to a lower level or the game crashes. Giving a Rare Candy to a Pokémon at level 255 changes it to level 0.

Spinoffs

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series

Throughout the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series, Pokémon are leveled anywhere from 1 to 100, just like in the core series. However, a difference is that Pokémon cannot evolve immediately upon reaching a certain level unless they are in a certain location. Pokémon are also required to obtain much more experience points before they can level up, unlike the core series, although in Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon, the same amount of effort is required.

While Rare Candies do not appear, the functionally identical Joy Seeds increase a Pokémon's level by one. On the other hand, Joy Seeds have an opposite counterpart, Doom Seeds, which decrease the Pokémon's level by one. Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon also has a more effective variation for leveling up, the Golden Banana, which increases a Pokémon's level by five if eaten.

Certain dungeons have restrictions in which all Pokémon that enter become level 1 until they leave the dungeon, such as Joyous Tower in Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red Rescue Team and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Blue Rescue Team; this includes Pokémon that had leveled up in the dungeon. From Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity onward, the restricted dungeons change every Pokémon to become level 5.

Pokémon can learn moves through leveling up, like in the core series. The levels at which Pokémon can learn moves in a Pokémon Mystery Dungeon game is the same as in certain installments of the core series, typically the most recently released titles at the time:

Pokémon Shuffle

Levels are also included as a mechanic in Pokémon Shuffle. Their main function is essentially the same: Every Pokémon starts at level 1, and as it gains experience points, the Pokémon levels up, increasing its attack power. Unlike the core series, Pokémon can only go up to level 10, but the maximum limit can be increased by one by using a Raise Max Level, to the point of reaching a maximum level of 20.

The game has its own functional equivalent to Rare Candies, Level Ups, which have a self-explanatory function of increasing the level of a Pokémon by one, in the same vein as Joy Seeds do in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series.

Pokémon GO

More information about Level can be read on the Pokémon GO Wiki.

In Pokémon GO, levels are also featured for players. As a player levels up, they receive various advantages, such as being able to participate in Raid Battles or receive certain items. A player can only go up to level 50.

A Pokémon's level cannot be seen in the game, but it still exists within the game's data. A Pokémon can reach a maximum internal level of 50, depending on the player's level. With each power-up, the Pokémon's internal level is increased by 0.5.

Pokémon UNITE

In Pokémon UNITE, a Pokémon levels up by defeating wild Pokémon or opponent Pokémon in Unite Battles. As a Pokémon levels up, its stats are boosted and certain moves are unlocked at a certain level. Pokémon can only go up to a maximum level of 15.

Anime

In Pokémon the Series, levels are much less integral than in the games, being limited to mostly just mentions, particularly in relation to a Pokémon's power in battle.

Pokémon the Series: The Beginning

Levels are first mentioned in "Pokémon Emergency!", when Team Rocket's Meowth remarks Ash's Pikachu to be powerful beyond its "evolutionary level."

In "The School of Hard Knocks", levels are mentioned by number in the anime for the first time. At the Pokémon Tech, Joe states that Pidgey learns Gust at level 5, Sand Attack at level 12, and that it evolves into Pidgeotto at level 18. In the same location, Giselle tells Ash that his Pikachu is level 25 at lowest.

In "Bulbasaur's Mysterious Garden", when a Hiker's Rhyhorn inflicts critical damage to Ash's Bulbasaur, Misty notes that the Rhyhorn must be at a high level.

In "Enter the Dragonite", levels are mentioned a few times. While battling Ash Drake notes that Ash's Charizard must be at a high level because he is resistant to the Electric-type moves used by Drake's Electabuzz.

Pokémon the Series: Gold and Silver

In "Roll On, Pokémon!", there is an instance where the Pokémon's level apparently affects its appearance. In particular, Ash's Pokédex states that the length of a Donphan's tusks depends on its level, so Donphans at higher levels have longer tusks. With this information, Brock is able to determine that the Donphan that Ash and his friends had encountered is at a low level since its tusks are small. Similarly, elephants in real life receive increasingly long tusks as it grows older.

In "Doin' What Comes Natu-rally", Brock mentions that a Pokémon's moves become increasingly stronger as it levels up. Ash states that the best way to level up Pokémon is through Pokémon battles.

"Will the Real Oak Please Stand Up?" is the second episode to mention a level by number. This occurs when Nurse Joy tries to deduce who the real Professor Oak is by asking him and the impostor which attack Slowbro learns at level 46, to which Amnesia is the correct answer.

Pokémon the Series: Ruby and Sapphire

In "Queen of the Serpentine!", Brock mentions that Lucy's Milotic has to be at a high level since it had defeated Ash's Donphan instantly from using Hydro Pump.

Pokémon the Series: Diamond and Pearl

In "Fighting Ire with Fire!", Brock notes that Barry's Empoleon has leveled up a lot since their last encounter.

In "Dealing With a Fierce Double Ditto Drama!", Brock raises a similar point as Ash did in "Doin' What Comes Natu-rally" when he tells Narissa that a Pokémon becomes more powerful through experience in battling.

Pokémon the Series: Black & White

In "Ash and Trip's Third Battle!", Trip informs Ash that his Pokémon have not leveled up yet.

Pokémon the Series: XY and XYZ

In "To Catch a Pokémon Smuggler!", it is mentioned that Scatterbug and Spewpa got too nervous upon reaching their evolution level.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon specials

In "Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Team Go-Getters Out of the Gate!," Pichu mentions that Charmander has leveled up.

Levels are also mentioned in "Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time & Darkness."

Manga

Pokémon Adventures

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In Pokémon Adventures, levels have a similarly important role as in the core series. The current level of each protagonist's Pokémon is at the end of each volume. A Pokédex Holder can also use their Pokédex to refer to the Pokémon's current level.

Pokémon Pocket Monsters

In Pokémon Pocket Monsters, level is mentioned in the chapter PPM054, where participants of the Banana League are ranked based on their Pokémon's level and experience. Red's Clefairy and Blue's Blastoise are mentioned to be level 100 during the battle between Red and Green.

The Electric Tale of Pikachu

In The Electric Tale of Pikachu, levels are mentioned in "Pikachu's Excellent Adventure", when Samurai says that Hidden Village is home to high-level Pokémon, such Magikarp at level 99.

Pokémon Trading Card Game

Some of the trading cards within the Pokémon Trading Card Game have levels that, like in the core series, serve as a measure of strength, but the card has no effect when it is used in the game.

Trivia

  • The leveling process may be completely different from the aging process of Pokémon as it is revealed that pre-evolved Pokémon can be old (such as an old Treecko in Tree's a Crowd) or fully evolved Pokémon can be babies (such as a Baby Nidoqueen in Mewtwo Returns).