An Ability is a passive effect every Pokémon has, such as Intimidate lowering the opponent's Attack when it enters battle. Each Pokémon has one Ability at a time, and a species can have up to three to choose from: two normal Abilities and one Hidden Ability.
Abilities were introduced in Generation 3, and Hidden Abilities arrived in Generation 5. The short version of the rules is in the Abilities mechanics guide; below are the slots, the items that switch them, and counts from all 1,025 species.
How Ability slots work
The three slots are first normal Ability, second normal Ability and Hidden Ability. Hidden Ability is often shortened to HA, which is a fan abbreviation. Most wild Pokémon don't have their Hidden Ability, and getting one usually needs a special encounter. In Sword and Shield, for example, Max Raid Battles are one source.
Abilities follow the slot when a Pokémon evolves. A Caterpie with Run Away (its Hidden Ability) becomes a Butterfree with Tinted Lens, so the slot stays the same.
Not every species has all three. In the pokee.si data, 169 of 1,025 species have no Hidden Ability, and each of those has just one Ability. 530 species have the full set of two normal Abilities plus a Hidden one.
Twelve examples, including two Pokémon that have no Hidden Ability:
| Pokémon | Normal Abilities | Hidden Ability |
|---|---|---|
| Pikachu | Static | Lightning Rod |
| Eevee | Run Away, Adaptability | Anticipation |
| Gyarados | Intimidate | Moxie |
| Garchomp | Sand Veil | Rough Skin |
| Dragonite | Inner Focus | Multiscale |
| Greninja | Torrent | Protean |
| Talonflame | Flame Body | Gale Wings |
| Azumarill | Thick Fat, Huge Power | Sap Sipper |
| Gengar | Cursed Body | none |
| Corviknight | Pressure, Unnerve | Mirror Armor |
| Incineroar | Blaze | Intimidate |
| Gholdengo | Good as Gold | none |
Changing and passing on Abilities
Two items switch Abilities, and they work differently. An Ability Capsule (Generation 6) swaps between the two normal Abilities. An Ability Patch (Generation 8) switches to the Hidden Ability; from Generation 9 it also switches back.
Breeding can pass on a Hidden Ability. A parent with its Hidden Ability may give it to the offspring, but it is a chance and not guaranteed. The breeding guide has the rest.
In battle, some moves also change or suppress an Ability: Skill Swap, Worry Seed, Simple Beam and Gastro Acid are the ones to know.
Games without Abilities
Abilities don't exist in Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, Legends: Arceus or Legends: Z-A. This matters for Mega Evolutions, which have their own Abilities: those only count in games that have Abilities. Several new ones, such as Piercing Drill and Dragonize, were introduced in Pokémon Champions. See the Mega Evolution list for the forms.
How many Abilities are there
The pokee.si list has 314 Abilities, split by the generation they arrived in:
| Generation introduced | Abilities |
|---|---|
| 3 | 76 |
| 4 | 47 |
| 5 | 41 |
| 6 | 27 |
| 7 | 42 |
| 8 | 34 |
| 9 | 47 |
Seven of the Generation 9 Abilities came from Pokémon Champions. These are the counts as of October 2026.
Some Abilities are rare. 91 are held by exactly one species, including Color Change, Wonder Guard, Forecast, Air Lock, Stall, Multitype, Flower Gift, Bad Dreams, Toxic Boost, Imposter, Zen Mode, Victory Star, Stance Change, Parental Bond, Dark Aura, Aura Break, Primordial Sea, Desolate Land, Delta Stream, Wimp Out, Emergency Exit, Shields Down, Steelworker, Triage and Surge Surfer.
The most common Abilities
The ten Abilities shared by the most Pokémon, counting every species that can have them in any slot:
| Ability | Pokémon that can have it | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Swift Swim | 45 | Doubles Speed during rain. |
| Sturdy | 43 | Prevents being KOed from full HP, leaving 1 HP instead. Protects against the one-hit KO moves regardless of HP. |
| Keen Eye | 39 | Prevents accuracy from being lowered. |
| Intimidate | 38 | Lowers opponents' Attack one stage upon entering battle. |
| Chlorophyll | 37 | Doubles Speed during strong sunlight. |
| Inner Focus | 36 | Prevents flinching. |
| Levitate | 35 | Evades Ground moves. |
| Gluttony | 33 | Makes the Pokémon eat any held Berry triggered by low HP below 1/2 its max HP. |
| Sheer Force | 33 | Strengthens moves with extra effects to 1.3× their power, but prevents their extra effects. |
| Run Away | 31 | Ensures success fleeing from wild battles. |
Abilities by what they do
A few well-known Abilities, with the generation they came in and the number of Pokémon that can have each.
| Ability | Generation | Pokémon | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Levitate | 3 | 35 | Evades Ground moves. |
| Intimidate | 3 | 38 | Lowers opponents' Attack one stage upon entering battle. |
| Huge Power | 3 | 7 | Doubles Attack in battle. |
| Wonder Guard | 3 | 1 | Protects against damaging moves that are not super effective. |
| Truant | 3 | 3 | Skips every second turn. |
| Slow Start | 4 | 2 | Halves Attack and Speed for five turns upon entering battle. |
| Protean | 6 | 8 | Changes the bearer's type to match each move it uses. |
| Drizzle | 3 | 3 | Summons rain that lasts indefinitely upon entering battle. |
| Speed Boost | 3 | 14 | Raises Speed one stage after each turn. |
| Multiscale | 5 | 3 | Halves damage taken from full HP. |
| Prankster | 5 | 19 | Raises non-damaging moves' priority by one stage. |
| Good as Gold | 9 | 1 | Gives immunity to status moves. |
| Sturdy | 3 | 43 | Prevents being KOed from full HP, leaving 1 HP instead. Protects against the one-hit KO moves regardless of HP. |
| Static | 3 | 20 | Has a 30% chance of paralyzing attacking Pokémon on contact. |
| Overgrow | 3 | 29 | Strengthens Grass moves to inflict 1.5× damage at 1/3 max HP or less. |
| Blaze | 3 | 29 | Strengthens Fire moves to inflict 1.5× damage at 1/3 max HP or less. |
| Torrent | 3 | 29 | Strengthens Water moves to inflict 1.5× damage at 1/3 max HP or less. |
| Sheer Force | 5 | 33 | Strengthens moves with extra effects to 1.3× their power, but prevents their extra effects. |
| Gale Wings | 6 | 3 | Raises Flying moves' priority by one stage. |
| Libero | 8 | 3 | Libero changes the Pokémon's type to that of its previously used attack. |
| Defeatist | 5 | 2 | Halves Attack and Special Attack at 50% max HP or less. |
Not all of them help. Truant skips every second turn, Slow Start halves Attack and Speed for five turns, and Defeatist halves Attack and Special Attack at 50% HP or less. Slaking has Truant and Regigigas has Slow Start; both appear in strongest Pokémon by base stats.
Abilities also change type matchups. Levitate removes a Ground weakness, for example. Pokémon with 4× weaknesses covers a few more that matter there.
Where to look next
Browse all 314 on the Abilities page, where each Ability lists the Pokémon that can have it. Natures are the other hidden trait worth checking before you train a Pokémon, and the Natures chart lists all 25.